While I Was Giving Love Advice to My Best Friend, the School's Most Beautiful Girl Somehow Became the Closest Person to Me-Chapter 1Volume 2 .4 - The Childhood Friend Returns

The Childhood Friend Returns

“Ryouma’s room… I used to stay over a lot ten years ago, but it still feels comfortable.”

“We used to play here a lot.”

“Yeah, we talked about a lot of things, like each other’s dreams. Ryouma, you liked airplanes, so your room had lots of… huh?”

“Now that you’re awake, let’s have breakfast.”

“Eh? Ah, sure.”

I had forgotten about that since I threw everything away during middle school.

Since I woke up early, I decided to make a hearty breakfast. Hiyori would probably wake up soon too.

“Ryouma, I’ll help too.”

“Can you cook, Tsumugi? I can’t really picture you doing it.”

“Geez, it’s different from when we played house.”

So I decided to have Tsumugi help me with breakfast. Watching her deft movements, I felt the years we had been apart. When we played house, she’d try to feed us mud pies as if they were real food, and Reo would be forced to eat them without question.

Now, Tsumugi was skillfully making tamagoyaki in the frying pan. Her long, lustrous hair was tied back with a rubber band, and the way she used the chopsticks was truly picturesque. I wondered what feelings I would have had for Tsumugi if she had always been by my side as a childhood friend.

“Spaced out? What’s wrong?”

“It’s nothing.”

But the reality is different. With breakfast ready, it was time to go through my usual routine.

I changed into my uniform and went outside.

“Ryouma, where are you going without eating?”

“I’m going to wake someone up. Our neighbor.”

“Ah… that guy, really.”

Tsumugi’s language got rough when it came to him. But I decided to ask her before heading over to wake up our other childhood friend, Hirasawa Reo.

“Are you coming to wake him up, Tsumugi?”

She smiled brightly.

“What do you think?”

“I thought so.”

Tsumugi seemed to have no intention of deepening her relationship with Reo, just as she hadn’t ten years ago.

***

“Good morning, Alisa-chan, Shizuku-chan!”

“Good morning, Hiiragi-san.”

“…Good morning.”

Upon arriving in the classroom, Tsumugi was the first to find Alisa and Otsuki-san and approached them. Making friends, huh? It must be tough for a transfer student in these situations.

“Today, I felt like I was being watched more than usual.”

Reo sighed heavily. Even during the commute, his popularity never waned, attracting the intense gazes of girls throughout the school. He received letters daily and was often approached by girls from other schools. However, today, although he was watched, no one approached him.

“It’s because Tsumugi was with you, right?”

“Why does it make a difference if Tsumugi is there?”

Well, of course. With Tsumugi, who had become a beauty on par with Reo, by his side, who would dare to approach? They were the very image of an ideal couple. To the point where I, standing between them, felt like air!

Perhaps observing them from a distance is the right thing to do since half of their conversations are arguments.

“Maybe… it’s because Tsumugi has become… beautiful.”

It’s easy to think but embarrassingly hard to say out loud.

“Really? Shizuku is a hundred times cuter.”

“Reo, you never waver. Well, that must be nice to hear for Otsuki-san.”

“Alisa-chan, you look so beautiful today! What kind of makeup are you using?”

“Uh, well, calm down a bit.”

By the time I sat down at my seat, Alisa was being cornered by Tsumugi. Alisa, who would sharply cut down any approaching boys with a stern look, had never shown such a demeanor towards girls.

If they took a hostile approach, it might be different, but there were hardly any girls who would dare to do that to Alisa. She might show her clumsy side to me and Otsuki-san, but at school, Alisa still seemed like a queen.

“That group is really something, huh? With the addition of the transfer student, Hiiragi-san, they stand out even more.”

“Yeah, it’s great to have someone as beautiful as Asahina Alisa. Unlike Asahina, she’s easygoing with boys and has charm too.”

I could hear the voices of the boys in the class. As Alisa and Tsumugi were talking, the group’s gyaru, Miyoshi-san and Matoba-san, came over. It looked as if Alisa had summoned them.

“Those girls were all about Reo, but since he got a girlfriend, they’ve become quite open. It’ll be interesting to see what happens with Hiiragi getting involved with those gyaru.”

I heard directly that Alisa’s flashy style was influenced by those gyaru in the group. Confident kids can always do various things.

“And the dark horse is definitely Otsuki. She’s become so much more polished since dating Reo. Was she always that cute? I should have noticed her sooner.”

Becoming Reo’s girlfriend had skyrocketed Otsuki-san’s popularity. The plain impression was gone, and she now had a presence that didn’t pale next to Reo or Alisa. I don’t know the details, but Alisa said she’s in charge of controlling Reo’s fan club.

I wonder what that means.

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“Reigning at the top is Asahina Alisa. Her rival, Hiiragi Tsumugi. Otsuki Shizuku, who has captured the seat of the class’s favorite. And the gyaru. That group will represent the girls of the class… no, the entire grade.”

The boys beside me confirmed their understanding of the situation.

Why, though.

“Why are you guys discussing this next to me? Reo’s seat is over there.”

Currently with me were Suzuki, Satou, and Tanaka, the top of the boys’ class hierarchy. They were always around Reo like his entourage, but for some reason, they were now looking at Alisa and the others from around me. Until very recently, they wouldn’t even give them a glance.

“You’re close with Asahina and childhood friends with Hiiragi. It’s like you’ve got the school’s two top beauties!”

“How does one even accumulate that much virtue!”

Being childhood friends with Tsumugi might be considered a virtue, but becoming friends with Alisa felt like quite the ordeal. It wasn’t even intentional.

The boys, who could easily get a girlfriend if not for those two, had indescribable expressions on their faces.

“So, Kogure, who are you aiming for? Asahina or Hiiragi?”

Alisa and Tsumugi. A best friend and a childhood friend. The two of them seemed to notice my gaze and looked over.

Alisa smiled shyly and waved a little, while Tsumugi waved back with a broad grin. I might not yet have the capacity to fully embrace their brightness.

“I’ve never thought about aiming for them.”

***