You've been seeing a lot of this lately, haven't you?

"Towa-kun, what are you doing here?"

During lunch break, I was doing my assigned work while leaning against a tree beside the schoolyard when I was unexpectedly approached by a voice.

It was the same voice I was used to hearing.

But even though the voice was familiar, it was not the same flat and inflectionless voice as before, and he was asking me curiously.

It seemed to me that her voice was filled with emotion.

I turned to Rin and greeted her with a small "Yo".

“I'm in the first aid team. I'm in charge of setting up the tents and waiting areas on the day of the event."

"Really? But I feel like that kind of thing is set in the tradition of the school..."

"Well, yeah. But it's better to have something clear than to be told on the day, isn't it? Our school values independence so much that they don't really make such things."

"Hmmm. If you ask me, that's true. But, Towa-kun, it's dangerous, okay? Everyone is exercising diligently on their own, so please watch out for stray balls and the like."

"It's a first-aid station, so it's not a problem. Besides, I don't think they would have flown into a tree like this. Well, if anyone gets hurt, we'll patch them up right away."

"Patch them up?... What are you going to do when someone turns into a mummy?"

"Yes, yes."

I flap my hands and let the words flow, and Rin, miffed, presses closer to me.

My face heated up at such a close distance that our bodies were almost touching.

It's not the heat of the lingering summer heat.

My heart was pounding and an indescribable feeling of embarrassment enveloped me.

"Rin, you're close..."

"Until you declare that you will not do anything dangerous, this is our distance."

"... Because this distance means a lot of things are going bad."

“What do you mean by "a lot of things"? You don't know what I mean in the abstract, do you?"

"No, Rin, you definitely understand what I'm saying."

"I don't understand. I don't know. What's wrong with it?"

You definitely know what I'm talking about.

Her cheeks are slightly stained red and she has a smirk on her face. ...Haha.

--It's lunchtime, and the place is crowded with people.

At such a time of the day, a prominent student named Rin is outside and at a close distance from a guy.

No, this distance is more than intimacy, it is the distance between lovers.

In some ways Rin's certain violent objects hit my body repeatedly.

Even if I managed not to be aware of it, there was a destructive force to it that wouldn't let me.

…Please give me a break.

Of course, people around me would not miss me in such an unpleasant situation. It is inevitable, in a way, that all eyes are on this place.

Damn….

Rin would never back down from something like this.

But to follow Rin's opinion would be to leave my post and abandon it.

That would be useless.

But I can't just ask for help... What should I do?

I'm sure she felt uncomfortable with me not backing down, which is unusual for me.

Rin frowned and stared into my eyes.

Two clear eyes caught mine as usual, looking through me.

"...Are you ... hiding something?"

"I'm not hiding anything."

"Disturbed breathing sounds, slightly increased heart rate,... and tension on your face."

“Can you tell just from that!?!?"

"I don't understand?"

I blinked several times, staring in amazement at the simple denial.

Then, realizing that I had been set up, I sighed.

“Towa-kun is so honest and shows his back so easily. You are just like Ponta-kun."

"...Me... Should I watch that anime once?"

"Fufu. It's for children, but I like it. He is just like Towa-kun."

"It's complicated to be just like him..."

Ponta-kun was a raccoon dog, right?

It's kind of complicated when it comes to that.

“So, what are you hiding? Because I've been seeing a lot of activity lately."

"That's…"

"You turned away, huh? I don't want a lie, so please talk to me."

Rin's big eyes stare at me.

Her eyes are strong, wanting to plead the usual "I won't let it go!"

I'm weak when I'm looked at with these eyes...

I scratch my cheek, look away from Rin and mutter.

"Because I want to do my best. There's not much I can do, but I know I want to do something useful..."

"Is that why you're so energetic?"

"Well, people look at me with a certain amount of suspicion because of it."

If I do something somewhere, I get a "Huh?" and they are surprised.

I almost never get that kind of look from the older students.

But I guess bad rumors are spreading among my peers.

That's why I felt the stares were painful.

Kenichi said, "A journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step, right?" If people's views could change that easily, we wouldn't have any trouble.

He was right, and I understood it in my head.

Well, they say it's easy for people to fall but many times harder to rise...

I'll just have to accept it as pure rust from my own body.

“Then I have to reward you for your hard work, Towa-kun! What do you think, there are various options available?"

"Options are... fine, that's fine. If Rin does anything to me in such a public place, she could stab me on the street at night."

"Then I'd be the perfect bodyguard."

"No zero-distance guard."

"Muuu... you're so mean, Towa-kun."

“Haha. I can see through your thoughts~"

I poke Rin, who puffed out her cheeks.

Then she rubbed her head against me.

That pampering gesture is so cute that my expression naturally loosens up.

…I have to do my best for Rin.

I don't want her to look like that anymore.

I don't want her to have that look on her face.

In my head - I suddenly remembered what I had seen just the other day.