Chapter 13

The day after heading to the bar with Shizuna and having that unexpected reunion with Sakie, Ryuichi couldn’t help but think about it. He wasn’t particularly stressing over it, but he was curious about what Shizuna had talked about with Sakie afterward. Judging by Sakie’s demeanor, she wouldn’t have said anything awful, and he couldn’t picture Shizuna rejecting Ryuichi no matter what she might have heard.

“…Good grief, it’s not like I needed to waste energy worrying about something like this.”

Muttering it out loud, Ryuichi realized just how unusual that was for him.

“What’s that?”
“…Ah, Makoto.”

True to form, his friend was standing right behind him without making a peep. With a teasing grin plastered across his face, he seemed to find it rare to see Ryuichi letting out sighs so out of character.

“Something happened? Girls trouble, no doubt.”
“……………”

Since that wasn’t entirely wrong, Ryuichi kept his mouth shut.
Ryuichi had been involved with plenty of women in the past, but his mindset had definitely shifted between then and now. While he still figured one-night stands had their place, he wasn’t running around acting like a rutting monkey anymore.

“Well, maybe you should join in on that little excursion to clear your head?”
“…Fair point.”

By that, Makoto was referring to a party where a large crowd of guys and girls gathered.
Ryuichi crossed his arms in thought, deciding that it might be nice for a change of pace. However, right as he was about to nod to Makoto, Shizuna walked into the classroom.

“Morning.”
“Morning, Shizuna.”
“Morning, Rindo-san.”

Unlike before he had gotten involved with her, events like yesterday’s meant Ryuichi’s gaze was instantly drawn right to her. Shizuna exchanged greetings with her friends, then set her bag down on her desk and turned around. Naturally, the first place her eyes landed was on Ryuichi.

“…Man, you two have gotten seriously close lately, huh?”
“Well, it’s not like it’s a bad thing.”

When their eyes met, she flashed him a radiant, beaming smile and walked right over to his desk. While her female friends watched with amused, knowing grins, Ryuichi could also spot Souhei out of the corner of his eye, staring over with a tense, bothered look.

“Morning, Ryuichi-kun.”
“…Morning, Rindo.”

It was practically a reflex at this point.
Ryuichi had addressed her by her surname instead of her given name. In response, Shizuna puffed out her cheeks and gave Ryuichi’s shoulder a small poke.

“You promised you’d call me by my name, remember?”
“I don’t recall making any such promise…… Hah. Morning, Shizuna.”
“Ah… un♪”

Hearing Ryuichi use her first name brought a full bloom of happiness to her face.
Naturally, since the two of them hadn’t been on first-name terms until now, hearing each other use their given names caused an immediate stir across the classroom. Ryuichi had half-expected something like this, but he still thought it was ridiculous that people were making such a big deal out of a simple name.

“Seriously, what happened between you two, Ryuichi?”
“I told you, nothing’s going on.”

Friend or not, there was nothing he could really tell Makoto. Well, if Makoto ever went to that bar and the manager happened to mention it, he’d find out they were together anyway, but that was a bridge to cross when he got there. Giving his head a rough scratch, Ryuichi looked up to see Shizuna still smiling brightly—and alongside her, Souhei glaring over with a stunned expression.

“Hey Ryuichi-kun, do you have some free time at lunch?”
“Hm? I don’t mind.”
“Awesome, then it’s a plan. See you later.”

With a cheerful wave, Shizuna walked back over to her friends. Apparently, she really had just wanted to drop by and say good morning.

“Catch you in a bit, gotta hit the rest room.”
“Gotcha.”

Passing that brief message to Makoto, Ryuichi stood up from his seat.
He still had plenty of time before class, so he could take things easy. But the moment he stepped out of the classroom, someone called out to him.

“Shishido.”
“…What is it?”

The one who stopped him was Souhei.
Given his involvement with Shizuna, Ryuichi could understand why her childhood friend felt uneasy. To be entirely honest, though, he couldn’t care less. He understood that this world was pulled straight from the pages of a manga, but stressing over that kind of meta-knowledge was mentally exhausting.

He hadn’t possessed this body from some outside world; it was simply a matter of his past-life memories returning while living as a native of this reality. Because of that, this body belonged entirely to him, and no matter how he looked at it, Ryuichi was Shishido Ryuichi through and through.

“……………”

Having called out to Ryuichi, Souhei didn’t say anything further. It didn’t look like he was shaking in fear at the sight of him, but—well, he did look a little intimidated.

“…Sorry. Never mind.”

With just those words, Souhei quickly turned on his heel and headed back into the classroom.
If you didn’t have anything to say, don’t stop me in the first place, Ryuichi thought with a sigh, prioritizing his trip to the restroom. As usual, the students he passed in the hallway quickly averted their eyes the moment their gazes met his.

“…Yawn.”

Even amidst all that, Ryuichi kept right on moving at his own lazy pace.

“Still, lunchtime, huh… Sounds like she definitely talked to Sakie about something.”

Just what was Shizuna going to bring up with him…? He didn’t have to wait long to find out.
Once lunch rolled around, he headed up to the rooftop with Shizuna. It was the same spacious, deserted spot as always—the perfect place to talk without worrying about prying ears.

“So? What did you want to talk about?”
“…Um.”

Shizuna took a deep breath before finally opening her mouth.

“I talked to Mom about it after we got home. When I told her that you and I had run into each other, she opened up right away.”
“About how she got approached while wandering around the city streets?”
“Yeah… that was pretty much all she told me.”

It seemed Sakie hadn’t mentioned their sweet night together. It was only natural, of course, but for Ryuichi, it came as a genuine relief. Besides, Shizuna probably didn’t want to hear about something like that anyway. Or so he thought—until he remembered just how sharp Shizuna’s intuition really was.

“But I’m not a child, you know. I’m old enough to put the pieces together and figure out what kind of night Ryuichi-kun and my mother spent.”
“…Meaning?”
“Ryuichi-kun and my mom became intimately involved… Am I wrong?”

Her question carried absolute conviction.
Facing her straight-on gaze, Ryuichi realized playing dumb was pointless and simply gave a slow nod.

“Got it in one. I got involved with your mother. Though that was just for a single night, mind you.”
“…I knew it. Mom should have realized that I figured it out, but instead, she was talking about Ryuichi-kun with such a happy look on her face.”
“Is that so…?”
“Thank you, Ryuichi-kun.”
“…Huh?”

Taken completely aback by the sudden expression of gratitude, Ryuichi let out a hollow sound.
He’d just admitted to sleeping with Shizuna’s mother, yet he couldn’t wrap his head around why she was thanking him for it.

“Mom probably told you, didn’t she? That my dad passed away.”
“Yeah…”
“I always noticed how lonely Mom looked sometimes. I’m sure that day was no exception, but Ryuichi-kun, you brought some happiness to her. That’s why, ever since she got home that night, Mom hasn’t stopped smiling.”
“……………”

From Ryuichi’s perspective, he had simply wanted to take Sakie because he felt like it. Sure, she’d mentioned her family situation, but he could hardly claim he’d done it out of some grand sense of altruism.

“It wasn’t anything like that. I just wanted to hold Sakie, so I did; that’s all.”
“Even so. It’s still true that Mom has been smiling ever since. You were the one who made her smile. That’s why I’m thanking you right now.”

Shizuna told him this straight, her eyes unclouded by a single trace of hesitation.
For just a brief second, Ryuichi found himself captivated by her unwavering gaze. At the same time, a sudden realization hit him: Shizuna and Sakie were a lot alike. He couldn’t help but faintly suspect that perhaps the reason the original manga’s Ryuichi had fallen for Shizuna in the first place was because of her mother’s shadow lingering in her.

“…Well, I’ll take the thanks. It’s not like it’s anything special, and even if it was a coincidence, what I did wasn’t exactly saintly behavior.”

Right as Ryuichi finished speaking, the bell rang.
There would be another chime five minutes from now signaling the start of class, meaning it was about time to head back inside.

“Hey, Ryuichi-kun.”
“What?”
“…From your perspective, am I the kind of woman you could take?”
“…Ha?”

Stopping in his tracks, Ryuichi turned a skeptical look toward her, wondering what on earth she was talking about. Shizuna was staring down at the ground, her face dyed a deep crimson. No way, he thought with a wry smile, surely she wouldn’t… but even so, he decided he ought to give her an answer.

“Like I said before, you’re an absolute beauty, and plenty of guys have their eyes on you. If things went a little wrong, who knows? There might even be a future where I end up attacking you.”
“Th-That’s…”
“Well, even from where I’m standing, you’re a charming woman… meaning…”

A daring smirk crept across Ryuichi’s face.
He hadn’t done it consciously, but that smile harbored a raw, predatory intensity. It was the exact same expression he used to wear when sizing up women in the past, and Shizuna found herself pinned directly beneath the gaze of a hunter.

“Of course I could take you. Satisfied now?”
“Ah… ah…”

A sweet, breathless gasp slipped past Shizuna’s lips.
Ryuichi’s words struck deep inside her, threatening to drag her hidden instincts out into the open, though she was still desperately trying to hold herself back.

“Come on, let’s get back.”
“……………”
“Shizuna?”
“Y-Yeah!”

Daze-cleared at last, Shizuna hurried after Ryuichi’s retreating back.
All the way from the rooftop back to the classroom, she kept her eyes glued to him, her cheeks flushed red and her gaze swimming with a faint, intoxicating moisture.