Making up is that easy?

"Uwoooh, what was that mood yesterday?"

It was Sunday, and I was recalling the so-called date I had considered...well, it was just a friendly outing where Shinomori recommended me some books. The whole day had been completely gloomy, not to mention I still couldn’t grasp what had suddenly happened to her or where I might have misspoken.

"GAAAAH, I want to redo it!" I screamed, my interior organs thriving in regret.

Slam! With that, the door was kicked open by Tamaki. "Moron Onii-sama! Stop whining about getting rejected; you already saw that coming!"

"I didn’t even ask her out or was in a relationship with her in the first place!" I sighed, realizing it was pointless to argue with my sister’s sharp tongue.

"Keep crying, but don’t shout. It’s Sunday, so the neighbors will get pissed if you ruin their good day with your ugly cry." Tamaki closed the door and left me alone. Perhaps she thought I needed my own time to calm down, she can't be honest to herself as she didn’t know exactly what had happened yesterday.

I felt blessed to have a sister who cared.

I passed my time watching TV and talking to my mom, whom I had grown accustomed to chatting with after coming to this world, trapped in this boy’s body. Though I still couldn’t believe they never questioned anything strange about their family member acting differently like, "This is not my real son! He’s possessed!" I guess it’s pure luck.

I checked the group chat, which was dead. Neither Erina nor Shinomori had texted there, and I didn’t have the guts to text first. Worst of all, I froze every time I reached for my phone to call Shinomori.

Before sleeping, I took my phone out and checked the gallery, staring at the selfie of us together that Shinomori had taken with my phone to compare it to her camera’s quality. Yeah, I didn’t delete it. This piece was too precious to delete. Back in my real world, where it’s not a light novel setting, this pic would fetch at least 500k yen! Though they’d probably treat it like a cosplay, since white hair is only for those with albinism or Griscelli syndrome. Quite funny.

Looking at her face in the pic, the flash of the scar behind her flashed in my mind. I shook my head, turned the screen off, and sank into sleep.

❋❋❋

A week had passed since our date. I couldn’t even reach out to her. Why do I always create awkwardness when it comes to communicating with people? Even when I first met her in this classroom, or during the school gymnasium entrance ceremony, she was the one to settle things first. Where did I go wrong?

It was recess. Erina glanced at me but never approached, and with Shinomori and me skipping clubs, Erina stayed alone in the library, never having a chance to talk. Even though Shinomori sat beside me, her eyes never met mine.

During recess, I gently took my bento box and headed up to the rooftop of the school. It was off-limits, but there were still two or three people who spent their time there. The teachers never caught them, either because they were lacking or maybe they just ignored it, thinking, "Let them pass their youth the way they want." With a creak, I opened the jammed door, and a fresh breeze kicked in. I stepped toward the fence and sat in a corner, opening my bento. As I ate peacefully, being a loner and enjoying the moment as I always did, I couldn’t help but think:

Looks like I really am not built for making friends.

"Oi, Kitsuragi-kun, why are you looking like a dead cat?"

"Huh?" I turned toward the voice to see Ootori Shea, her hand on her hip. Since we took the same path to school, I had encountered her a few times this week, though for some reason, she hadn’t spoken to me until now.

"With that gloomy atmosphere you’re creating, it’s making it hard to even talk to you," she said, pointing at me like I was an eyesore. It made sense why she hadn’t spoken when we encountered each other on the road.

"You really do care about people, huh, Shea-san?" Another voice approached from behind her. It was Hitsugi, the main character. Looks like their bonding was so great that they were spending time on the rooftop, trespassing just like me—coincidentally we meet. He looked at me and fisted his palm. "Ah, you’re the guy who confessed to Erina and got rejected."

"...Uh?" I blabbered. What is this? Out of all people, it had to be them. Well, Ootori couldn’t ignore me since she had spoken to me a few times before. Even though she was affected by the rumors of me being Erina’s stalker, she still spoke to me like it was none of her concern.

"Hey, Hitsugi, I don’t care about this loser. It’s just that he looked sad, and I felt like leaving a puppy alone in the middle of the road," she shot back at him, not caring that her words would stab my wounded heart even more.

"Hmm, well, isn’t that the same thing? You do care about him, Shea-san," Hitsugi said in an unusual tone, suddenly sitting beside me.

Huh? Why are you sitting beside me like it’s nothing and we know each other well? But thinking that was futile, seeing his gesture. Even Ootori took a seat beside Hitsugi.

"Aren’t you both gonna eat?" I asked nervously, noticing they weren’t carrying any bento like me. Given the corners, I could see a few loners like me minding their own business while eating.

"We already had canned matcha tea from the vending machine. It filled us up," Ootori said, looking at me. Hitsugi, who was sitting between us like a main character, nodded in agreement.

I took a bite of the sandwich and egg from my bento. I forgot to mention that I had started working out to strengthen this weak body, so I was on a healthy diet. This new body was weaker than my last one. In my previous world, I used to be a loner, but working out was the only thing that helped me relieve stress. This realization hit me when I chased after Shinomori in the rain, holding an umbrella and books to return the ones she had forgotten to take back from me. I was losing breath and thought I should toughen myself up at least a little. It’s just home workouts, not going to the gym, so I told my mom to prepare a proper healthy bento for me.

"Kitsgari-kun, did something happen between you and that girl who sits next to you?" Hitsugi suddenly spoke up. Even someone as dense as him had noticed, or maybe Ootori had already talked to him about us. It’s hard not to notice since we’re in the same class.

"That’s none of your concern! Also, it’s Kitsuragi, not Kitsgari! Try to remember your classmate’s name, at least!" I gritted my teeth, flushing with annoyance.

"Ah, well, I’ll definitely remember it in three years," he said, genuinely looking sorry.

"By that time, we’ll all be graduating! That’s no use!" I shot back, exasperated.

"Hehe, you two get along so fast. No wonder guys are all immature," Shea giggled, watching our banter. She cleared her throat, trying to hide her cute giggles. "W-what is it? It’s not a crime for me to laugh, is it?" She pouted, getting a little red like a typical tsundere.

Ootori Shea then continued the main topic before letting us even speak. "Kitsuragi-kun, did you get marked as a stalker by Shinomori-san too?"

"No, that’s a different matter. Also, why do you assume I stalk girls normally as a hobby, changing targets? I’m not a stalker. Even I don’t know why we suddenly stopped talking. I’m sorry, Shea-san, but it’s a personal matter."

"Tch, a gloomy guy like you getting seated next to a beautiful girl—how can you lose an opportunity like that to break the bond?" Hitsugi frowned, looking a little interested. He was probably enjoying it, though I didn’t know why he said that. Ootori Shea, sitting beside him, glared sharply at Hitsugi, who didn’t even notice or care. Woah! she’s getting scary.

I was finishing my bento, and after taking the last bite, I spoke while chewing. "I’m an introvert, so yeah, it was to be expected. I’m just a boring dude, ha-ha."

"What kind of ignorance is that, Kitsuragi-kun? Weren’t you the one who told me about the weakness of a certain someone? How could you turn out to be the same as that guy? Everyone in the class is talking about how Shinomori-san has been looking down these days, considering something happened a week ago, and even you stopped talking to her normally. I could clearly see two gloomy creatures sitting at the corner of the classroom, minding their own business." Shea said that without a second thought, even mentioning Hitsugi indirectly. But since she said it subtly, Hitsugi couldn’t really understand it.

I didn’t expect Ootori Shea to give me a push with some advice. It’s true that Hitsugi is dense, but I can’t believe I’m the same as him. Even now, I couldn’t actually tell after a week if Shinomori was down or not, It just I felt she avoided me with hate. From that day when we went to Kinokuniya, she was down, yet I didn’t notice. My perspective of viewpoint really does put me to shame.

"...Say, Shea-san, why do you care about what’s going on with a random classmate?" I looked at her, tilting my head a little as Hitsugi’s face was in the way of seeing her. He was sitting in the middle, after all.

"I think we’ve exchanged words a few times, so it doesn’t hurt to talk to you. Even though you’re marked as some creep, I don’t really buy that a gloomy guy like you would even be doing stuff like that. Also, as the future class president, I can’t simply ignore a student’s pathetic life," she said. It was a simple thought, nothing out of special generosity. She may be a little hot-headed with a sharp tongue, but she genuinely cared about people. She hated losing, and there was a remarkable position as class president that she aimed to be nominated for.

Well, in the light novel, she did manage to win. She would be strict, but that would help all of us in a way. She would probably even aim for the student council in the future. Her ambition wasn’t simply toned like ours. That being said, I had no clue if she managed to pull it off and become a student council member, as the light novel was still ongoing. No clue what the author could cook up in the future. Now, I’m stuck here in this light novel verse.

I smiled at Shea’s kindness not because I was charmed, but because of my own weakness. The weakness I didn’t know I had, and she managed to pinpoint it. That’s true that I should be more honest with my own feelings. I was just running away.

"Thanks, Shea-san. Also, I’m sure you’ll be the class president."

"Of course, I will be," she said, puffing her chest proudly.

Crank. With that, the door made noise again. Every time someone entered the rooftop, it was welcomed by the door’s creak. Naturally, everyone present would look up to see who had entered. There was a 40% chance it could be a teacher invading, which would be troublesome if they caught us spending time there during recess. But that wasn’t an issue this time, as it was just another student like us. Someone I knew from my class but had never interacted with—nor did I want to.

"Yo, Eiji, whatcha two doing here?"

"Oh, Housaka, how did you know we were up here?" Eiji Hitsugi responded to the guy who had entered the rooftop and stepped right toward us where we three were sitting. They were on a first-name basis without honorifics—they were pretty close, just as In the light novel.

"Well, it was just a guess. Sorry I couldn’t join you guys earlier—had to do errands for Sakayagi-sensei. That bastard made me carry the cones from the field," he said, slumping down, still standing in a foul mood.

"Housaka, have a seat with us. Let’s chat," Ootori Shea invited him, tapping the space beside her.

"Oi, Shea, it’s already time to get back to class. Can’t even chat right now. Let’s go."

They had gotten so close that they even dropped honorifics. Wait a minute—then why were Hitsugi and Shea being formal with each other? I quite remember they had spoken to each other formally before. I have to say, I have no idea about this normie world, so I shouldn’t think too much about these things. Whom they call by their first name is their choice, after all—just like I’m not yet allowed to address Erina and Shinomori directly.

"Oh yeah, you’re right. Let’s go, Housaka, Shea-san," Hitsugi said, standing up. Shea followed suit, and I eventually stood up as well to fit in. It would look pretty weird if I kept sitting quietly despite having been part of the conversation, and with recess about to end, being late would only bring more misfortune.

"Ah, by the way, who’s this?" Suddenly, as if noticing my presence for the first time, Housaka asked Shea if she was somehow acquainted with me—right in front of me, instead of asking me directly.

Did you just notice me? Hello?

She told him I was just their classmate, and he gave me a gentle nod. Then, as we walked down the stairs, he put his arm around Hitsugi’s neck, just as the light novel portrayed their strong friendship.

We all entered the classroom and went through the whole day until the last period came to an end. This week, I went home straight after school, as I didn’t attend any clubs. It wasn’t like I had resigned, but I was too afraid to talk to Shinomori after what had happened that day. But now I knew my weakness—this was my fight.

I chuckled internally, feeling like I was being overdramatic. Honestly, a fictional character giving me a push was insane, but right now, they were all breathing, flesh-and-blood individuals with their own lives. Thanks to Ootori Shea, even if I felt a bit ghastly, I mustered up the courage to enter the library, where I could apologize to Shinomori directly, as well as to Erina, for not attending the club due to my own weakness.

So today, I forced my weak mind and body toward the library. Hesitation took over my mind, but my body didn’t listen and opened the door.

A single familiar figure was present in the empty library.

The red sunlight illuminated the room, and for a week, I had missed this atmosphere. During this time, the library looked like it was straight out of a fantasy.

The girl was reading volume four of *lNo Sister No Life. That was pretty soon...she had already caught up to volume four.

"Hi, Erina-san..."

She fixed her hair and looked at me, pausing her reading. The air grew tense, and I could feel the tension rising inside me.

"Kitsuragi-kun? I thought the club had disbanded due to the inactivity of you and Shinomori," she said, her expression cold.

"Huh? Shinomori-san hasn’t been visiting the library either?" I asked, confused.

It seemed like, just like me, she had been going home directly after school ended, Just as I had expected she left early everytime the bell rang. A book lover like her skipping a sacred place like the library was a joke—no, it clearly wasn’t a joke but a serious issue. Erina, who had spent her days alone all this time, had avoided me, as I was the one who had made this pact.

"What happened between you two, may I ask?" she asked, her tone icy. The air felt tense.

I told her about how we had gone out a week ago, and she had recommended me books, but suddenly her mood had changed. I didn’t mention the fact about her scar or the abuse she gets from her parents.

Shinomori had a reason to tell me, otherwise she wouldn’t have. She probably thought of me as a friend with whom she could vent and share her burdens, but I had messed it up. She had felt close enough to confide in me.

“What I’m saying is, Kitsuragi-kun, you don’t have to worry about me. We can still be friends even if I get bullied, right?”

Those words by Shinomori resonated in my head. Despite saying I wouldn’t be able to ignore it, I still did—just because I’m weak.

As I finished telling Erina, she made the same disgusted look she had given me before, the day she had joined the club. But it was quite refreshing to see her after a week.

"You know, I read a lot of novels and watch anime too. There are scenes where the guy chases the girl dramatically when something happens. It’s the kind of situation you’re in, but you didn’t even run after her," she said.

"Huh? I did run once to return her books while holding an umbrella dramatically, though?" I blinked twice, saying that without a hint of embarrassment. Erina made an unbelievable face at my words and continued.

"Whatever. It’s not your fault either. You said she vented earlier, but you can’t say what it was because it’s personal, right? So that means she relied on you. I’m pretty sure she hangs out with two other girls, but despite that, she chose to tell you. So I think it’s your responsibility, but—" She stood up from her seat. "It’s my responsibility as her friend too. I tried messaging her, but she didn’t reply. I’m sorry, Kitsuragi-kun. I stayed quiet this whole week, not approaching." She bowed.

"A-ah, it’s alright, Erina-san," I said, clearing my throat, flustered. "Now then, what am I supposed to do?"

"Chase her," she responded, looking at me with a stoic but elegant expression.

Huh?

"I’m definitely not going to run after her like some light novel script! Damn it!"

I have already done it before, I don't want to cringe the readers of a background character's story!

"Pffft, I thought you’d run dramatically again," she said, putting her hand over her mouth elegantly, like some royalty, to hold back her smile.

With a burning face, I had no other comeback to her, so I took a book from the shelf and sat down with her. Both of us immersed ourselves immediately.

Right now, there was one missing member whom I had to bring back. Our friend group didn’t deserve this. It was just a mere fault of mine that had caused this.

❋❋❋

The next day arrived, and on my way to school, I joined Ootori Shea, who was walking in the same direction. We often encountered each other on our way to school, and it felt like I was able to have a normal conversation with her.

The school hours came to an end, and it was club time. Erina stood up, and this time, instead of going straight to the clubroom, she approached Shinomori’s desk. Shinomori’s two friends, who had been talking to her, left the classroom for their designated clubs.

"Shinomori, you’re coming with us," Erina said directly to her face. Shinomori responded with wide eyes, surprised by the sudden development.

"H-huh?" She then slightly peeked at me from the corner of her eye.

What? You mean you’re uncomfortable if I go too? Why are you looking at me like that?

"Don’t worry, Shinomori. If he tries to do anything to you, I’ll make him jump from this school naked."

I, who was seated near Shinomori, slammed my desk at her words. "Hey! That’s an embarrassing way to die!"

"So how do you want to die? Tell me your kink."

How the hell can she talk like that with such a cool tone? This is ridiculous! Also, what do you mean by ‘kink’? Did I just mishear something?

Shinomori, who was baffled, tagged along as we made our way to the clubroom, accepting Erina’s invitation.

I felt awkward even walking with her. What’s happening to me? I haven’t talked to her for a week since that day. It feels a little wrong. But Erina looks desperate to make some changes. She feels half-guilty for not approaching Shinomori earlier, but she got ignored in the chat, so she probably felt more awkward talking directly.

We took our seats after arriving at the library. Today, the weather was a little hot, and the red illumination of the library by dusk made it feel even warmer.

I was seated with Erina to my left and Shinomori across from us. Each of us had taken our own books from the shelves, but none of us seemed focused. The reason I was here, of course, was to fix things. Staying silent was a no-go, and it was now or never...

"Shinomori-san...I’m sorry. I have no idea what I did, but I’m sorry."

She couldn’t bring herself to speak up in front of Erina, but she was glaring at her intensely, as if urging her to say something about my fumble.

"Yeah, I’m sorry too. I wasn’t in the right state of mind that day. Even I don’t know why I..."

We both trailed off, lost for words.

Clap, clap. "Incredible. Now we’re both back to ourselves," Erina said.

"Eh?" Shinomori and I spoke in unison, confused by Erina’s claim.

You mean that’s it? You want us to pretend nothing happened between us and keep going like before? I mean, that’s a good way to handle it, but it would still be hard for us. Shinomori is sensitive and that’s what I learned that day. Dwelling on emotions, I only understood about two percent of her, hypothetically. What Erina was suggesting was far better than probing further into Shinomori’s sensitive issues.

Yes, it’s better this way.

Just as I felt a presence near the library door, my eyes instinctively darted toward it. The door was slightly open—had someone been listening to us? Or had we just forgotten to close it properly?

"Kitsuragi-kun, where are you looking? Shinomori is saying something," Erina said, snapping me back to reality.

"Uh-oh, yeah. Can you please repeat that?" I asked, flustered.

Shinomori had to repeat her words again.

"I-I’m sorry too, Kitsuragi-kun. And Erina, I was being selfish, thinking if it was right to stay friends with you guys. But Kitsuragi-kun, I don’t want you to forget that day."

By "that day," Shinomori was referring to the time she suddenly vented, unable to hold back her emotions. The abuse from her household had really taken a toll on her. I wanted to help, but getting involved in family matters felt impossible. A high school guy like me wouldn’t be able to do much. There was talk about evidence, but simply showing the police her scar wouldn’t be enough. I bet her parents weren’t foolish enough to leave any obvious traces of their actions. They had chained her mentally and physically, making it nearly impossible for her to seek help. All I could do was act like a normal high school guy and talk to her the way I used to before.

I arrogantly puffed out my chest to put her at ease, striking a peace sign pose—something completely unlike me.

"Of course, there’s no way I could forget our date, right?" I tried to act as casual as possible.

"Eh? D-date?" Shinomori flustered. Of course, she hadn’t thought of our outing as a date, but I had declared it so suddenly.

Haha, ain’t I amazing? I finally lightened the mood. I think I’m finally becoming a normie. Oh no, my own success is making me blush.

But then I felt a cold jitter run down my neck. Erina’s stare was terrifying, and when it turned into a smile, it was even more scarier.

"Ohohoho, Shinomori didn’t even tell me about that. I did hear a bit from Kitsuragi-kun, but still, I feel a little sad that Shinomori hid it from me and made such a bold move." Erina gestured a fake cry elegantly, even letting out a weird ojou-sama laugh. It was definitely in character but also out of character at the same time. Shinomori’s face turned pale at her statement and started sweating with wry smile.

"W-well, it wasn’t a date! I swear it wasn’t! I was just recommending books to Kitsuragi-kun, that’s all! We’re just friends!" She waved her hands desperately, tears slightly leaking from her eyes.

Hey, do you despise the idea of going on a date with me that much? Ha-ha-ha, please spare my heart.

"Is that so? Then..." Erina suddenly smirked, her expression still cold. She leaned closer to me, and our shoulders touched. "...I might steal Kitsuragi-kun from you."

BAAAAADUM# BAAAADUM! BAAAADUM!

Oh, I could hear drumrolls. Wait, that was my heartbeat. What the hell is going ooooonnnnn????

I could clearly smell the scent of almonds and gardenia from her hair. She was close—too close. Our shoulders were touching, and through our summer clothes, I could feel her warmth. My breathing grew heavy. This was too much to handle. My heart was twerking inside me—was it happiness? I didn’t know!!!

"W-what are you talking about, E-Erina?" Shinomori blurted out, standing up suddenly in shock.

"I was joking, I was joking. Ufufu, who would date a drainage rat like him?" Erina moved away from me, picking up the book from the desk.

"I-I see. I thought you were serious," Shinomori said, sitting back down and calming herself.

Still, that joke was definitely a no-go. Her lack of human interaction must have made her this way, or maybe it was her consumption of anime and manga. I kept my thoughts to myself, stinging a little at being called a drainage rat. Of course, someone like her wouldn’t possibly be interested in me anyway. Yet! Yet I was blushing and panicking when she did that, even after I knew the reality.

"What are you staring at? Is this the first time someone leaned on you?" Erina asked me in her usual stoic tone, but with a faint smile. She was a devil.

"S-shut up. What’s with you suddenly? Even your ears are red. Why are you acting like that?" I said, pointing at her crimson ears.

"I-it’s the reflection of the sunset. L-look, the whole room is reddish," Erina blurted back.

"Um."

Ah, that small voice made us look toward her. It almost felt like I had forgotten Shinomori was with us in this moment.

We left the classroom and headed our separate ways, parting with Erina. Shinomori walked down the road with me, though she still looked a little distant.

"Don’t worry, I didn’t tell Erina-san about your personal problems," I said, keeping my eyes forward but glancing at her from the corner of my eye.

"I’m sorry. I caused a lot of trouble," she apologized again.

"I think I’ve told you before—there’s no reason to apologize to a friend, right? I think I told Erina-san that too, haha." It wasn’t a brave front; I was speaking from the bottom of my heart.

"Yeah, right. But you apologize too, right?" Shinomori was her usual self again. Despite her short answers, she gave off that smile—the smile I had been yearning to see back on her face.

Ping! Ping!

She checked her phone as she received a message. Since she was right beside me, I couldn’t help but peek at her phone out of curiosity.

It was a DM from Fukada Erina, saved as "Bestie." The text read: "If you ever have any problems, feel free to talk to me." l She smiled, looking at her phone, feeling blessed. She texted something back, which I couldn’t see properly as we were walking.

"Uh, my bad," I said, bowing slightly as she noticed me peeking at her phone. But she didn’t mind. She ran ahead of me and spun around, freeing her hands as if she had been released from a burden...even though she was still carrying one with her.

"One day... one day, I’ll definitely tell her about my scar too," she said, smiling despite her words. That was all I needed. I was sure Erina felt the same way.

I smiled back at her, and we walked together until we reached the crossroads where we parted ways. I sighed, feeling like I’d been through a whirlwind of emotions these past few days. Even though it was different from the novel’s settings and the main characters’ experiences, it felt real. It might look like a broken plot from a reader’s perspective, but this was my reality. I couldn’t help but go on, no matter what reviews the readers might have.

I looked up at the sky as I thought to myself:

I’m probably the worst kind of character to be in a light novel. Good thing I’m here as a background character.