Chapter 63 – Don’t put us in your jealousy target!

I looked at Mizuki and said, “I don’t know why my heart hurts.”

“Are you serious about this…?”

She made eye contact with me and I nodded slightly and told her, “Yes, I’m definitely serious.…”

“Uh… that… Haruka. We’ll think about it and give you some time to think about it, okay?”

“Yeah, I’d be happy to let you two figure it out…”

With the approval of a disappointed Haruka, Mizuki and I turned our backs to her and brought our faces close together.

It’s a little difficult to answer this question on one’s own.

(What should I do? The answer is already obvious, but it isn’t okay for us to say it!)

(That’s a bit of a stretch. Shouldn’t Niihama tell her about this, or should Haruka find out on her own…?)

We spoke to each other in whispers so that Haruka would not hear.

Mizuki seemed to know about Niihama’s obsession with Haruka even before I did, and I was very grateful to her for talking so quickly.

And I certainly agree with that opinion.

If we say “That’s jealousy. In other words, Haruka thinks that Niihama-kun is…” I think that’s very rude. I’m sure there are situations where friends need to be taught that, but at least not now.

(By the way, about the girl she said he was walking with, Mizuki thinks that Niihama may have started thinking about another girl…?)

(What? How can he be? Niihama-kun is the kind of guy who’s completely devoted to Haruka, you know? He would never look at another girl.)

(That’s right.)

I nodded profoundly.

As I observed him again after realizing Niihama-kun’s feelings, I could see that he usually had an aura of love for Haruka.

If the source of the energy that allows him to move like a chariot horse is all from love, then his feelings are not half-baked.

(I’m jealous that he’s that devoted to her. I want a boyfriend who will go to any length for me too…)

“Oh, I remember these feelings a little. I didn’t feel such a strong emotional pain at the time, but…”

“Is that so? Can you tell me when that happened, just for reference?”

Haruka said as if she suddenly remembered, and Mizuki urged her to continue.

I’m sure you’ve felt jealousy before, but what are you talking about?

“Yes, during the festival. When Mizuki and Mai were with Niihama-kun, my heart was in turmoil. My heart didn’t hurt, but the direction of my emotions was very similar.

“Wha?”

“Huh?”

We both let out an indifferent shout at the casual remark.

Wow, we were included in the list of those who she was jealous of!

(Umm… she really doesn’t know the name of her feelings when she says them directly to us…)

We resume our whispering meeting so that Haruka, who has her hand on her chest as if in pain, can’t hear us.

(Maybe because she has experienced so little envy of others in her life, she doesn’t know what her emotions really are. I heard from Niihama that she didn’t understand why girls who were jealous of Haruka’s beauty were getting involved with her.)

(Yeah, isn’t she too pure…?)

I was so jealous of Haruka because of the size of her boobs that when Niihama got first place in the final exam, I was screaming in my mind, “No fair! I want to trade brains with you!”

(In our case, it wasn’t so damaging because she knew it was for a cultural festival. But in this case, he was walking around with a strange girl without any information, so her imagination must be working and her heart must be equally hurting. Also, I think it’s possible that her sensitivity has evolved that much.)

(Oh, I see. Is it possible that Mizuki has a lot of experience in love?)

(No, I just got better at simulating love in my brain as a result of reading a lot of shoujo manga because I longed for love. Well, I’ll never get a chance to make use of it, though!)

No, you don’t have to say such sad things with a smug look on your face…

(I mean, she doesn’t have to worry about us being with Niihama-kun.)

(…Yeah, I know.)

(Hey Mizuki! What the hell was that pause?)

(Hmm… it’s nothing. Mai is also ‘nothing,’ isn’t it?)

(… Yeah.)

(See, even Mai had a pause before answering!)

(It was just a slip of the tongue! It’s really nothing!)

Niihama-kun is certainly the boy I am closest to.

He is different from the other boys, and his style of running as fast as he can in the time he is living in is… well, I think it is desirable to see.

But I knew very well from being near them that the power of that heart, which is the charm of Niihama-kun, burns because of Shijouin-san’s presence.

His love for Haruka is what shapes the boy Niihama-kun is.

So… Well, I’d be lying if I said I had no feelings of coolness, but if I had to say I did or didn’t, I’d say I didn’t. To hear their earlier exchange, I think Mizuki must be feeling the same way.

(Well, anyway, I’ll follow up on Haruka’s mental health… in a calm way?)

(Yes, you’re right. I mean, this is almost certainly not the case that Haruka is worried about.)

No matter how much a person’s heart changes, it is unthinkable that in such a short period of time Niihama would change his mind. Or rather, absolutely not.

I just feel bad for Haruka who is seriously worried about this, but in the end, this matter is probably just a waste of time, I thought vaguely.