Reborn as the Man Who Takes Away the Protagonist’s Beloved Childhood Friend

A New Episode of Daily Life

The week started with all sorts of things happening last week.

Not only did my relationship with Ayana progress again, but being able to have a proper conversation with Hoshina-san was significant. It could be said that there are almost no obstacles left to dating Ayana. I am concerned about Shuu, but Ayana said there’s no need to worry about him… Although we’ll find a chance to talk eventually, it’s not good to dwell on it too much.

While lost in thought, the person I was waiting for appeared.

“Sorry to keep you waiting, Towa-kun.”

As always, Ayana had the same expression, yet there was a hint of delight she couldn’t hide. Though I had already seen it last week, her smile still made my heart race every time.

“Oh, I just got here too. Shall we go then?”

“Yes!”

And in another different aspect, there was no sign of Shuu among us today. Ayana apparently sent a message apologizing for what happened before and expressing her desire to be together as much as possible from now on. There was no reply, but Ayana seemed fine with it, showing no signs of concern.

We naturally held hands as we walked. Despite this being a path we had always walked, today it felt strangely fresh, almost like a different scenery. Could it be because the girl next to me had become a special presence?

“Our school is quite close.”

“Yes, indeed.”

As the school drew near, other students came into view, and here and there, acquaintances could be seen. Some didn’t seem to mind us holding hands, while others seemed curious, and their gazes started to gather. These kinds of stares were never something one could get used to, and I wanted to tell Ayana that… However, she just nodded with a smile and never let go of my hand. In fact, she seemed determined not to let go, as if expressing her desire not to.

“I’m fine like this.”

Though her words were barely audible, I heard them clearly. Right… There’s no need to hide it, nor is there anything to be embarrassed about. I firmly held Ayana’s hand back, and though she looked surprised at first, she quickly gazed at me with a smile as bright as a blooming flower.

As we passed through the school gate, more eyes turned towards us, and naturally, even the student council president, Iori, who was doing greetings, noticed us. She glanced at Ayana and me in turn, then her eyes widened in surprise as she noticed our linked hands.

I gave a small nod to her, and Ayana followed suit, nodding slightly. Iori probably thought Ayana liked Shuu, hence her reaction. If this was the case, Mari would likely react similarly.

As we changed our shoes at the shoe lockers and walked down the hallway, I thought maybe we wouldn’t hold hands anymore, but Ayana soon reached out and held my hand again. This attracted far more attention than when we were outside, but seeing Ayana looking so happy, I couldn’t bring myself to let go of our linked hands.

“…It’s a luxurious dilemma.”

Truly a luxurious dilemma.

Ayana gazed at me in wonder as I smiled wryly. She was about to reach out to pat my head, probably to convey that everything was fine, but she hesitated, stopping herself in time. Ayana, who was watching the movement of my hand, seemed slightly dissatisfied. She pouted, saying it was okay, and it was incredibly cute.

Finally, we entered the classroom, and all the students who were already there directed their gazes at us. I bid farewell to Ayana there and headed to my own desk. As I sat down, Souma patted me on the shoulder.

“Good morning. So… does this mean what I think it means?”

What do you mean, “does this mean what I think it means”? Well, I get your point. I nodded in response to Souma’s question and decided to keep it simple.

“We confessed and are now dating.”

“Ugh! I envy you for winning over such a beauty!”

Stop poking me with your fist like that.

As I was about to retort to Souma, I noticed Ayana being embraced and congratulated by her female friends. In the midst of it all, Ayana caught my eye, waved at me in a clear gesture, and I waved back.

“The princess is waving at you.”

“I got it.”

Ayana looked genuinely happy as she waved back. And as a male student next to her blushed and a female student beside him scolded him… Oh right, those two were a couple, weren’t they?

Turning my gaze away from the apologetic boy, I felt a sense of relief watching Ayana, surrounded by friends, laughing happily.

“By the way, what about you?”

“What about me?”

I tilted my head in response to Souma’s question.

I don’t like being the only one teased by Souma. Let’s hear about your love life too.

“Do you have someone you like?”

“…Me?… Is it really necessary?”

Sagisaka, who was shyly rubbing his shaved head, was undoubtedly there.

I was planning to ask him about it, but then Shuu arrived at that moment. Shuu sat down without even looking at me and surrounded by friends. He glanced at Ayana, who was always surrounded by friends, then bowed his head down to the desk as usual.

Honestly, thinking about our past connections, this delicate relationship makes me feel strange. But I have no regrets. I confessed to Ayana and shared my feelings with her by my own will. That’s why I don’t want to imitate anything that would worry Ayana or make her feel concerned by others. As Ayana also said, when someone likes someone, they don’t need anyone’s permission or approval.

“…Good timing, Sasaki.”

“…Ah.”

Oops, I completely forgot to ask Sagisaka about it.

As Sagisaka let out a sigh as if relieved, I sent him a resentful look, and he quickly ran back to his seat, grinning. This guy, I’ll definitely get it out of him someday.

Although I had made up my mind, what was about to start was the usual daily routine.

After finishing classes until noon, I headed towards Ayana with my lunch box. Ayana noticed me and said a few words to her friends before running over to me, and then we headed to the courtyard together.

“I still want to make lunch for you, Towa-kun.”

“Well, that’s something my mom does…”

“Hmm…”

While having such exchanges, we ate lunch, sometimes enjoying Ayana’s side dishes. Amidst this, Ayana suddenly looked up.

“…Ah.”

As I followed Ayana’s gaze, I noticed Shuu looking at us. As soon as Shuu noticed Ayana’s gaze, he quickly left. I hate to say it, but I did feel like he had put a damper on the slightly enjoyable time we were having.

“It’s a bit creepy, isn’t it?”

“Yeah…”

Said with a serious face, I involuntarily replied.

No matter how much we overcome the past, Ayana still doesn’t seem to like Shuu. I shouldn’t have stared at her, as she seemed to have misunderstood something and proudly opened her mouth.

“It’s okay, Towa-kun. I’m strong, you know.”

“What!?”

It’s a secret that I envisioned Ayana wearing a black hood while being called strong.

Although I retorted loudly, my hand didn’t stop eating lunch. When I finished eating and let out a slight yawn due to drowsiness, Ayana tapped her knee.

“Towa-kun, this spot is free.”

While saying lines like some comedian, Ayana smiled and beckoned me over. There were about 30 minutes left of lunch break, so I decided to take advantage of Ayana’s kindness.

I leaned towards Ayana and lay down, resting my head on her lap.

“…Haa…”

“I’ll make sure to wake you up properly.”

“If it were you, Ayana, you might ignore classes and let me sleep the whole time.”

“If that’s what you wish, I’ll do it.”

“Make sure to wake me up, okay?”

“hahahaha, I understand.”

With that voice as the last thing I heard, I drifted off to sleep for a while. Ayana continued to stroke my head until I fell asleep.

Even if Ayana and I were to become lovers, it wouldn’t change anything in particular. Well, it might change in the sense that we can now confidently interact at a closer distance, which we couldn’t do before. Although our relationship became public in this way, there was no one who harassed us or anything like that. Since then, Shuu hasn’t bothered us.

After school, Shuu seemed to be helping Iori at the student council room. Ayana and I secretly watched that and enjoyed a date after school… However, as expected, there are people who don’t find our relationship amusing.

“Ayana, what on earth are you doing!? Why is it not your brother but him next to you!?”

With a look of anger in her eyes, Shuu’s sister, Kotone, glared at me.