The person who likes me is a yandere.

"That's true..."

Furthermore, she's not one for empty talk, something I've experienced countless times since the beginning of high school. There's no need to doubt it; it's certain.

"But that... don't you find it scary?"

What do you find scary?

"Well, wouldn't the students' resentment just get even stronger?"

"I suspect that people who care about those things are not suited for this job."

Tohka is an upright person. Her thoughtful and decisive words always make listeners reflect on themselves. To be honest, I felt a pang in my heart. But... I can understand her a little now. I nodded and said.

"...I see. So that's how it is. Maybe you haven't changed at all compared to before."

"Huh?"

"Ah, that's about it."

Back in my first year of high school, Tohka was incredibly dedicated to her job as a disciplinary committee member. At the time, it seemed unbelievable and incomprehensible to me. I thought that even working so hard would only create more enemies; it was pointless. I observed her with trepidation, thinking this way. I imagine she was working with the same mindset then as she is now.

Therefore, as expected, this person is completely different from me in every way.

"You're really serious."

Upon hearing my soft agreement, Tohka's usually crisp tone paused for the first time.

"Are you... are you making fun of me?"

"No, I'm praising you. Oh, I see."

"...Qianyu's gaze was as if she were looking at some rare animal."

"I just thought you were very respectable. Oh, I see. It wasn't just that you didn't understand the atmosphere."

As soon as the words left my mouth, I realized I'd said too much. She's probably wearing that cold, expressionless face again now, and I don't want to hear anything more from her.

"Simple language".

"No, that was just an analogy, I was definitely not saying anything bad about you!"

"Making excuses now is really embarrassing! But at least I heard what Qianyu really thought! I was starting to have a slightly different opinion of you because of what happened before!"

"No, that's not it, I used the wrong wording!"

As a result, from that moment until I got back to school and then waited for the bus, I tried my best to calm Tohka's anger down.

"Words can be dangerous"—this saying is indeed true.

"I think Asahi is a bit heartless. I've just had an accident and am going through a difficult time, but you chose to run away from me the moment I did, and you're still avoiding me now, saying I don't know how to read people! Besides, nobody uses the word KY anymore, right? (Author: KY, meaning 'not good at reading people') In this day and age, who still uses that word..."

"Ah, haha, I really didn't mean any harm. I genuinely respect you."

"You must have gone to great lengths to squeeze out a few light words of praise from those mouths that were just criticizing me."

While waiting for the bus at the bus stop, she still kept muttering complaints about me under her breath. It seems she was forcibly suppressing her urge to yell, which is why she acted this way.

"So Tohka is a talkative person after all. That's unexpected. Actually, if you just let off some steam like usual, you'll feel better."

"If we really do that, it will probably scare Qianyu away again, won't it?"

Wow, I've been hit in the knee again. She's definitely not going to be a good mother-in-law.

Chapter Twenty-Two: We're Not Lovers

Wow, I've been hit in the knee again. She's definitely not going to be a good mother-in-law.

"Does Qianyu have 'Tohka allergy'? And it's obvious that it's only targeting me. She can communicate normally with other classmates."

"I don't really want to be criticized by Tohka for my personality."

"........."

I spoke very softly, but she still glared at me fiercely. Tohka's ears are really sharp.

“Talking to Qianyu is like communicating with a small, unfriendly animal. If you’re even slightly forceful, it will scare people away.”

Although the example given was rather rude to me, it was very apt. Well, in that sense, talking to Tohka felt like I was dealing with a wild beast. She thought she was being very polite, but for me, it was a matter of life and death.

"Honestly, Tohka-san went a bit too far. Let's talk about something that's harmless to both of us on the surface."

"Assuming you're my lover?"

"See? This is the kind of place that's not good."

In fact, in my opinion, Tohka really isn't good at reading between the lines. You could say she's quite oblivious to many things. Otherwise, she wouldn't have so easily blurted out such explicit remarks.

"While it may be a little upsetting to talk in a veiled manner, it's hard to keep the conversation going if you take it too seriously, isn't it?"

“I don’t think so. I used to be able to have normal conversations with my friend Kato Megumi.” “That’s true, but you can’t have any conversations with other people at all, can you…”

"That's true."

She also got the short end of the stick, and I suddenly felt a little superior.

"Before I lost my memory, I didn't have many friends, and I've come to realize that. Indeed, my personality isn't the kind that people like."

"Perhaps, that's not the case?"

"Forget about that clumsy attempt at comforting you."

The criticism was so sharp that I couldn't help but laugh.

"Well, I think this is pretty good. One friend is enough."

"...Doesn't Qianyu have many friends?"

"Huh, is there?"

"At least you seem to get along well with the students in other classes besides me. And everyone calls you by a nickname."

"what--"

Well, how should I put it? It's more of a misunderstanding. Using a nickname to refer to someone as a friend is a way of thinking that needs some discussion.

"Ultimately, I don't really understand what kind of relationship can be considered friendship."

"What does it mean?"

"Well, there are many different standards of judgment, aren't there? How do I put it? For example, some people think that if they feel good chatting with someone, they consider them a friend. Others think that someone they've had lunch with or played with after school is a friend, right?"

"Does 'Asamiya' also have such a clear definition?" Tohka asked, implying that she herself didn't know it. This reassured me a little.

"I don't think that way at all. Friendships arise naturally, not because of what we do. According to this way of thinking, the only person I can call a friend is Aki Tomoya."

I uttered a statement that even surprised myself. Why was I surprised? Perhaps because I actually said such a thing to this person.

"How could that be... You seemed to get along quite well with the other people when you were talking to them?"

"Hmm, according to you, in Tohka's opinion, anyone she can have a friendly chat with is a friend."

"what……"

A hint of defeat clouded over Tohka's face.

"Now that you mention it, there are some differences."

"Right? That's great! It's possible to understand someone like Tohka!"

Are you kidding me?

"Ahaha, no. Well, so I hope you don't misunderstand, I'm not just being friendly with the other classmates and only excluding Tohka."

“I do understand that. But it’s also true that the attitude is different when it comes to me.”

"So, if Tohka uses some clever ways of speaking and talks about harmless topics, I'll cooperate with you."

"Coward, coward, if that's the case, then I'll be the only bad guy."

Wow, I don't know when the conversation got to this point. And the fact that I'm teaching people how to have meaningless conversations is a bit strange in itself.

"I don't understand. Because, weren't you very casual when you were with Aki Tomoya?"

"Huh—? Can this be compared to male friends?"

"Shouldn't a romantic relationship be even more casual?"

"That's because there's always been an awkward atmosphere between us..."

I feel like I'm becoming less calm, and this has been a persistent problem for me. It's really annoying.

"There must have been a reason why we became like this. Did I do something to upset Qianyu?"

"I don't think so. It's just that without realizing it, it's become harder to start a conversation with someone."

"But why is this happening..."

"Try to imagine it too. What would a guy feel if a girl he'd barely spoken to confessed to him, and he expected something to happen the next day but nothing did? Besides, what if I were to strike up a conversation too intimately, and you replied, 'Why are you suddenly talking to me? That was just a joke yesterday, don't take it seriously, okay? It's really disgusting, you're overthinking it, aren't you?'"

"There won't be that kind of person."

"I didn't know back then, did I? Let me make this clear: if that kind of thing really happened, I would die. No, not physically, but mentally. At the very least, I would drop out of school and become a freelancer. And then spend the rest of my life living a hopeless existence."

"Isn't your imagination a bit too vivid?"

I actually think so myself; my desire to be paranoid might indeed be too strong.

"Well, anyway, for the reasons mentioned above, I've become unable to have a normal conversation with you, and Tohka-san has been ignoring me..."

"But we went to see a movie together once, didn't we? I heard it from Kato Megumi."

"That was after we heard that we started dating, and our classmates started trying to set us up. Maybe Tohka wasn't happy about it at all."

Is that so?

"Actually, I don't really know either. Later, I heard from those guys that four or five boys in the class were following us that day, and then they were sending messages to other classmates to tell them about our date, like how we felt about each other. It was quite an interesting hobby."

There was never a time when I felt that being in a group was more unpleasant. The Monday after the date, I still vividly remember the face of the boy who asked me with a smile, "Qianyu, what exactly happened on that date?"

After hearing what I said, Tohka showed a slight hint of anger.

"It makes you feel hot and bothered."

"No, you should forgive them."

"Why!?"