Chapter 4

Several days had passed since Ryuichi recovered his memories.
Things hadn’t really changed since then… or so he couldn’t quite say. For some reason, Shizuna had started striking up conversations with him with increasing frequency.

Ryuichi almost never initiated a conversation, but Shizuna would close the gap as if to make up for that difference. The moment he stepped into the classroom and she caught sight of him, Shizuna would immediately walk over, say good morning, and head back to her seat. Ryuichi wasn’t bothered by it enough to call it annoying, but the days continued where he’d let out a sigh, wondering why on earth she bothered getting involved with a guy like him when nothing good could come of it.

“…?”

Then came that certain day.
On his way back from the restroom, around a corner in the hallway, he heard the voices of his classmates, including Shizuna.

“Hey Shizuna, did Shishido do something to you?”
“Why would you think that?”
“Well, because you’ve been acting weird lately. You never used to talk to him at all, but now you keep approaching him… Don’t you think that’s a bit suspicious?”

Ryuichi gave a dry smile, wishing they had chosen a spot where the person in question definitely wouldn’t hear them. It was a hassle, but maybe he should just go kill some time somewhere else, Ryuichi thought as he came to a halt. That was because Shizuna spoke up in a stern voice.

“He hasn’t tricked me or anything. I’m just interacting with Shishido-kun as my honest self. Sure, people say all sorts of things about him and I didn’t deny it. But I don’t think that’s any reason to push him away. We’re classmates, and besides… ugh, anyway…”

Even after that, Shizuna kept talking passionately in defense of Ryuichi. But naturally, it wasn’t something the others would easily accept. After all, Shizuna was the only one who knew that he had rescued her in the middle of town and changed the water in the flower vase.

“Well, standing around here waiting any longer is getting kind of awkward.”

Ryuichi scratched his head roughly and stepped out from around the corner.
As he did, Shizuna, who was facing the other way, didn’t notice, but all the friends she was facing immediately spotted Ryuichi.

“Ah… Shishido.”
“Eh?”

Shizuna spun around in a flash.
Her eyes lit up the moment she saw him, though Ryuichi couldn’t for the life of him understand why she’d look at him like that. The expression she was supposed to be directing at him wasn’t that; it should have been one steeped in disgust.

To tell the truth, Ryuichi had given things a lot of thought since that day.
Maybe the whole netorare setup was just on the surface, and Shizuna had actually been favorable toward Ryuichi all along, just like she was now. But that was definitely not the case; there was no mistaking that Shizuna genuinely loathed Ryuichi originally. In other words, at this stage in the game, things were practically veering off the intended route.

“Shishido-kun, are you coming back from the restroom?”
“Yeah. I was getting talked about right as I headed back from taking care of business, so it’s kind of hard to show my face.”

At Ryuichi’s words, the girls who had been gossiping lowered their heads looking somewhat guilty. Seeing them panic even though he wasn’t glaring at them made Ryuichi let out yet another sigh.

“I’m not mad or anything. I figure it’s only natural people think that way about me. If I dye my hair black and take out my piercings, will you guys stop being scared of me?”
“Eh?… Hmm, I wonder.”
“Doesn’t a black-haired Shishido sound kind of unfitting?”
“Don’t say it so bluntly, you guys.”

Still, thanks to that, the girls seemed to have lowered their guard a little.
He could still sense a lingering trace of fear in their eyes, but as it turned out, actually talking to Ryuichi let them accept his changes in a positive light.

“I won’t get involved more than necessary. In that sense, I’d kind of want Rindo to treat me the same as usual, though.”
“Even if you say that, I’ve already gotten to know what Shishido-kun is really like. I think talking with you is a lot of fun, you know?”
“Seriously? Your taste is messed up, you know that?”
“You think so?”

At their smoothly matched back-and-forth, the surrounding friends all broke into shared laughter.
Now, whenever he talked with Shizuna like this, there was always a certain gaze he could feel fixed on them. But this time around, Ryuichi didn’t sense anything of the sort.

“What’s wrong?”

Shizuna tilted her head as she asked, though it was hard to voice out that she herself was the reason for his distraction.

“His vibe feels kind of different lately.”
“Yeah. Plus, even though Shishido looks rough around the edges, he’s actually pretty handsome.”
“Too late to notice now, you know.”
“Ahaha, listen to this narcissist!”
“………”
“Pfft!”

The heavy atmosphere from earlier was completely gone without a trace.
Up until now, Ryuichi had always looked down on others, projected pure intimidation, and cast appraising glances at women; yet here he was, letting his expressions shift effortlessly. Combined with the sheer novelty of it, it served as undeniable proof of just how much Ryuichi had changed as a person.

“We’re heading back to class first~”
“Yeah.”

Leaving Shizuna behind, her friends walked away.
…Why are you staying behind? Seeing Ryuichi look at her with that expression, Shizuna chuckled.

“You don’t have to look at me like that.”
“Lately, why do you keep talking to me anyway?”

It was a completely honest question.
Perhaps not expecting him to ask so directly, Shizuna widened her eyes slightly. After a brief pause, she stared right back into Ryuichi’s eyes and answered.

“I don’t know. It’s just… I got to know what Shishido-kun is actually like, unlike before. So wanting to know more about you doesn’t make it strange, does it?”
“I don’t get it at all.”

He genuinely didn’t get it.
Shizuna puffed out her cheeks, but that expression was yet another side of her he hadn’t known until now. Seeing Ryuichi give a faint smile, Shizuna’s own expression broke into a bright, joyful grin.

“Let’s head back already. I don’t want to be late for class.”
“That kind of line really doesn’t suit you at all.”
“Quit nagging.”

At the very least, he couldn’t bring himself to hate interacting with Shizuna.
And then, an incident that would let him learn even more about Shizuna occurred right after school.

“Shishido-kun?”
“You really run into me everywhere, don’t you?”

At Ryuichi’s deadpan stare, Shizuna laughed and said it was pure coincidence.
The two of them had crossed paths in the shopping district; it seemed they had both coincidentally come out to buy ingredients for dinner.
Well, in Ryuichi’s case, “buying ingredients” meant grabbing a mountain of instant ramen, which Shizuna naturally laid eyes on right away.

“Is it really just instant ramen?”
“Don’t look down on it, it’s actually delicious, you know?”
“I know it’s delicious, I’m not looking down on it.”

Pouring hot water and waiting a mere three minutes completed a delicious meal. Ryuichi relied on instant ramen so much that he genuinely believed it to be one of humanity’s greatest achievements. However, this conversation about instant ramen turned out to be the beginning of it all.

“What do you usually eat for dinner, Shishido-kun?”
“Instant ramen.”
“So instant… wait, what?”

Shizuna’s mouth dropped open in absolute astonishment.
Ryuichi tilted his head in confusion, prompting Shizuna to continue.

“Instant ramen for dinner…? Um, I’m not saying it’s bad or anything. But isn’t that bad for your health?”
“It probably ain’t great, yeah. But hey, I’ve been living like this for years now.”
“For years…?”
“I live by myself, see. Due to certain circumstances, I don’t have parents around, so unless I actively decide to cook, it just naturally ends up like this.”
“…Eh?”

Right then, Ryuichi had a sudden flash of panic.
No matter that it was just an explanation of his circumstances, he regretted letting slip something that was essentially a taboo topic—the fact that he had no parents. From Ryuichi’s individual perspective, it wasn’t anything he felt troubled about hiding, but to the person hearing it, it certainly wasn’t a pleasant thing to bring up.

“Ah, my bad. Shouldn’t have brought that up.”
“N-No… it’s fine.”

It’s definitely not fine, Ryuichi gave a wry smile to himself. She seemed to feel sorry for having stumbled onto a sensitive topic and sympathized with the fact that he had no parents.
Almost on reflex, Ryuichi reached a hand out toward Shizuna’s head—then stopped and gave her shoulder a gentle pat instead.

“Don’t make a face like that. You’re gonna ruin that pretty face of yours, you know? Just smile.”
“!? …Shishido-kun.”

True to her nature as a heroine, Shizuna really was a genuinely kindhearted girl.
Today’s encounter was supposed to be a simple coincidence, meant to end right there. However, just as Ryuichi tried to walk away, Shizuna grabbed his hand.

“Wait.”
“Hmm?”

With a serious gaze, as if she had made up some kind of mind, she made this proposal.

“I’ll make dinner for you. Come to my place right now.”

Naturally, Ryuichi’s reply was immediate.

“Not a chance.”