C34 – Real Body ◇ Hiria

Sakura-kun said that he was playing the role that the people around him wanted him to play.

However, he was not able to fully play the role. In particular, he could only vaguely picture what the girls wanted him to be, and as a result, he became an extremely guarded person.

That’s why he couldn’t speak well with others. He made himself more and more unpredictable.

I didn’t intend to do that.

No matter what anyone thinks, I am who I am, and if I had the mentality to adapt to the people around me, I would not have become like this, having grown up in that house.

So why didn’t I try to be like that and interact with others?

Because even if I acted normal, I was treated distantly. Because I didn’t have the social skills to break that. Because I was shy.

In the end, I got angry and gave up. I wondered why I had to disclose myself and approach people who misunderstood me and didn’t understand me. I’ve never had to do that before. I thought it was the people around me that were to blame.

You never know who someone is until you talk to them.

I was reluctant and unsure to take that chance. I was also lazy.

I could have changed the world at any time if I had only wanted to.

But I had already broken out of that shell.

I looked at my friend on the other side of me and gulped down my lunch of crab cream croquette.

“Manamin, there’s something I need to tell you.”

The courtyard. I let out a cryptic voice as Manamin chewed on a melon pan with a handful of strawberry au lait in front of me.

“What is it?　Tell me anything!”

“It seems that the person I liked was Sakura-kun.”

Manamin spewed out the strawberry au lait she was drinking with great force. It was like some kind of trick.

“Manamin, you liked Sakura-kun, didn’t you?”

Manamin’s eyes were wide and blank as she waved one hand in the air and slapped her chest with the other.

“Ah, no, don’t worry about that, Koho~More than that… Koho Kohon.”

I rubbed Manami’s back. It’s pointless to slap your chest when you’re not choking on something, but she seemed confused too.

The guy I love, who has no friends and is supposed to be unattractive. Why did it turn out to be the opposite, Sakura-kun? It doesn’t feel right to me, but it’s true, so it can’t be helped.

After Manamin’s coughing subsided, we sat in silence for a while under the blue sky. I heard the sound of birds chirping and looked around.

“I see. On the spur of the moment, you looked at his face and saw that it was Sakura-kun…”

“Yes.”

“So, for the time being….what’s the problem?”

“Eh?”

“Sachyun will still love Nekura guy, no matter who he is, right? That’s what you said.”

“I-I did say that… but to think that… someone opposite would come… I’m not very good with people who are popular.”

“I thought Sachyun is a pretty, untroubled, and easygoing person. This is like reverse discrimination. Don’t do the same thing.”

“Mm.”

“Then what’s wrong now?”

“You like him too, don’t you, Manamin? But you don’t want to be his girlfriend…”

“You and I are different, you know. I only admired him because of our little relationship. I’ve only been involved with him for a short while and I admired him. You talked to him properly and fell in love with him for what’s on the inside. You can’t just give an excuse that it’s because he’s good-looking…”

“It’s not that he shouldn’t be good-looking. I thought he was a stranger…so something didn’t really match.”

Manamin huffed and exhaled with a Han-like expression.

“Well, if you really can’t accept it, you can say so. But make sure you apologize to Sakura-kun.”

Manamin stared me straight in the face and snapped her knuckles.

“Manamin, isn’t that… bad for the bones…?”

“I will not tolerate anyone who unjustly harms Sakura-kun, even if they are my friend…”

“Haha…”

“It’s not a laughing matter. I’m serious.”

“…I’ll keep that in mind.”

＊

The chime for lunchtime rang.

The classroom was crowded as usual, and I was lying face down on my desk, thinking the whole time.

Nekura-kun was a very unpretentious person, and Sakura-kun was an overly pretentious person.

That’s why they don’t match. They are not the same for me.

I’ve never really liked Sakura-kun until now.

I think he is beautiful to look at, but I am not interested in him. So I can’t suddenly fall in love with him. I don’t need to. But I do like Nekura-kun. This confused me.

But then it occurred to me.

There’s no need to base it on Sakura-kun.

I like Nekura-kun, and I’ve talked to him a lot, and I’ve grown to love him, and if there’s a side of him that I haven’t seen, I want to tolerate it as much as possible.

The part of Sakura-kun that is hidden in the shadows. I thought that was Nekura-kun, but if you look at it another way, part of Nekura-kun is Sakura-kun, and that’s all there is to it.

The person I love, who suddenly disappeared, may have still been there all along. And he showed me a new face.

The idea excited me, even though nothing had changed.

I looked up and looked for Nekura-kun.

He wasn’t there.

I’m sure he’s just as bewildered as I am.

I’m sure he didn’t really like Saionji Yuria either.

When he really wanted to take his time to think by himself, he would apologize and say he had something to do and never let anyone follow him.

I got up and left the classroom.

I glanced at the corridor in front of the classroom in the back, but he didn’t seem to be talking to his friends.

I walked to a spot that was a little far from the classroom, a little out of the way.

I gently twisted the knob. The door was open.

I heard the creak of the door. I closed the door slowly and quietly. Dusty air poured into my lungs.

A bookshelf was visible from the entrance and the area behind it.

He was standing there, peering out of a small, closed window.

The sky outside the window was light blue. There were not many clouds in sight. The window framed a quiet, windless afternoon.

Nekura-kun didn’t notice me coming in at all and just stood there motionless.

I stared blankly at his back for a while.

What the hell? He’s been here all along.

It’s Nekura-kun. He was a little different from the person I had expected, but this was still the Nekura-kun I had been talking to.

I still love you, Nekura-kun. I still want to meet him, and I’m still in love with him.

So maybe I love Sakura-kun, too.

I took a deep breath in and out.

I could only see the back of his face, and I felt as if he was waiting there for me, just like I had been looking for him.

So I approached him from behind and hugged him gently as if I had come to meet someone who I had kept waiting for so long.

C34 Real Body HiriaSakura-kun said that he was playing the role that the people around him wanted him to play.However, he was not able to fully play the role. In particular, he could only vaguely picture what the girls wanted him to be, and as a result, he became an extremely guarded person.That's why he couldn't speak well with others. He made himself more and more unpredictable.I didn't intend to do that.No matter what anyone thinks, I am who I am, and if I had the mentality to adapt to the people around me, I would not have become like this, having grown up in that house.So why didn't I try to be like that and interact with others?Because even if I acted normal, I was treated distantly. Because I didn't have the social skills to break that. Because I was shy.In the end, I got angry and gave up. I wondered why I had to disclose myself and approach people who misunderstood me and didn't understand me. I've never had to do that before. I thought it was the people around me that were to blame.You never know who someone is until you talk to them.I was reluctant and unsure to take that chance. I was also lazy.I could have changed the world at any time if I had only wanted to.But I had already broken out of that shell.I looked at my friend on the other side of me and gulped down my lunch of crab cream croquette.Manamin, there's something I need to tell you.The courtyard. I let out a cryptic voice as Manamin chewed on a melon pan with a handful of strawberry au lait in front of me.What is it?Tell me anything!It seems that the person I liked was Sakura-kun.Manamin spewed out the strawberry au lait she was drinking with great force. It was like some kind of trick.Manamin, you liked Sakura-kun, didn't you?Manamin's eyes were wide and blank as she waved one hand in the air and slapped her chest with the other.Ah, no, don't worry about that, Koho~More than that Koho Kohon.I rubbed Manami's back. It's pointless to slap your chest when you're not choking on something, but she seemed confused too.The guy I love, who has no friends and is supposed to be unattractive. Why did it turn out to be the opposite, Sakura-kun? It doesn't feel right to me, but it's true, so it can't be helped.After Manamin's coughing subsided, we sat in silence for a while under the blue sky. I heard the sound of birds chirping and looked around.I see. On the spur of the moment, you looked at his face and saw that it was Sakura-kunYes.So, for the time being.what's the problem?Eh?Sachyun will still love Nekura guy, no matter who he is, right? That's what you said.I-I did say that but to think that someone opposite would come I'm not very good with people who are popular.I thought Sachyun is a pretty, untroubled, and easygoing person. This is like reverse discrimination. Don't do the same thing.Mm.Then what's wrong now?You like him too, don't you, Manamin? But you don't want to be his girlfriendYou and I are different, you know. I only admired him because of our little relationship. I've only been involved with him for a short while and I admired him. You talked to him properly and fell in love with him for what's on the inside. You can't just give an excuse that it's because he's good-lookingIt's not that he shouldn't be good-looking. I thought he was a strangerso something didn't really match.Manamin huffed and exhaled with a Han-like expression.Well, if you really can't accept it, you can say so. But make sure you apologize to Sakura-kun.Manamin stared me straight in the face and snapped her knuckles.Manamin, isn't that bad for the bones?I will not tolerate anyone who unjustly harms Sakura-kun, even if they are my friendHahaIt's not a laughing matter. I'm serious.I'll keep that in mind.The chime for lunchtime rang.The classroom was crowded as usual, and I was lying face down on my desk, thinking the whole time.Nekura-kun was a very unpretentious person, and Sakura-kun was an overly pretentious person.That's why they don't match. They are not the same for me.I've never really liked Sakura-kun until now.I think he is beautiful to look at, but I am not interested in him. So I can't suddenly fall in love with him. I don't need to. But I do like Nekura-kun. This confused me.But then it occurred to me.There's no need to base it on Sakura-kun.I like Nekura-kun, and I've talked to him a lot, and I've grown to love him, and if there's a side of him that I haven't seen, I want to tolerate it as much as possible.The part of Sakura-kun that is hidden in the shadows. I thought that was Nekura-kun, but if you look at it another way, part of Nekura-kun is Sakura-kun, and that's all there is to it.The person I love, who suddenly disappeared, may have still been there all along. And he showed me a new face.The idea excited me, even though nothing had changed.I looked up and looked for Nekura-kun.He wasn't there.I'm sure he's just as bewildered as I am.I'm sure he didn't really like Saionji Yuria either.When he really wanted to take his time to think by himself, he would apologize and say he had something to do and never let anyone follow him.I got up and left the classroom.I glanced at the corridor in front of the classroom in the back, but he didn't seem to be talking to his friends.I walked to a spot that was a little far from the classroom, a little out of the way.I gently twisted the knob. The door was open.I heard the creak of the door. I closed the door slowly and quietly. Dusty air poured into my lungs.A bookshelf was visible from the entrance and the area behind it.He was standing there, peering out of a small, closed window.The sky outside the window was light blue. There were not many clouds in sight. The window framed a quiet, windless afternoon.Nekura-kun didn't notice me coming in at all and just stood there motionless.I stared blankly at his back for a while.What the hell? He's been here all along.It's Nekura-kun. He was a little different from the person I had expected, but this was still the Nekura-kun I had been talking to.I still love you, Nekura-kun. I still want to meet him, and I'm still in love with him.So maybe I love Sakura-kun, too.I took a deep breath in and out.I could only see the back of his face, and I felt as if he was waiting there for me, just like I had been looking for him.So I approached him from behind and hugged him gently as if I had come to meet someone who I had kept waiting for so long.