The person who likes me is a yandere.

"When you found out about this, you gave those boys a good beating, and you made two or three of them cry."

"........."

That was truly a masterpiece. A high school boy being made to cry by a girl—their lives are over. At least their self-esteem will be negative for the next three years. Tohka seemed surprised by what she had done before, but only that one time did Tohka's classmate's actions truly earn my admiration.

Chapter Twenty-Three: I Didn't Expect You to Be So Cunning

"Bystanders do do those things, don't they? Even though everyone's acting like friends, calling each other by nicknames, they'll still do these things for fun. Most of these people just do what they want to do, and even if someone thinks it's wrong, they'll carefully choose to tolerate it because they think it's for everyone's sake..."

After the date, the classmates continued to tell jokes that could be described as excessive, whether it was about the summer vacation or the opening ceremony. They only thought about their own happiness and personal gain. They took it for granted that others would cooperate with their enjoyment. These people, subconsciously, all carried this mindset, and then they would strike up a conversation with me with a smile.

So, what is it that I really want? Tohka says I get annoyed by people who are too blunt, but even so, I feel that people I can only communicate superficially can't be considered friends. Following this logic, how can I find satisfaction?

"Shallow, shallow language?"

"Hmm, what's wrong?"

Are you angry?

When I came to my senses, I found Tohka staring at me with an incredulous expression.

Oh no, I said too much I shouldn't have. Because Tohka is very straightforward and doesn't mince words, I, like her, shared a lot of my innermost thoughts. Inadvertently, my words revealed my dissatisfaction with the other classmates.

"No, I'm not angry," I denied with a forced laugh.

Just as I was filled with immense fear, wondering if I had been seduced, she inexplicably wore a very bright smile—

"So Qianyu is a cunning person. I never knew that."

"Huh!?"

I was so startled by her words that my voice became incoherent.

"Because Qianyu always appears smiling and cheerful in front of everyone, but she has never actually considered the other person a friend, has she?"

"That's so mean! I only said that because Tohka couldn't remember! We were really miserable when we were teased like that!?"

In my excitement, I blurted out these words, but Tohka just smiled.

"Hey, are you even listening to me? And hey, this isn't anything bad, it's just a little complaint about those people's repeated pranks!"

"I didn't say there was anything wrong with that," Tohka said with a smile. What's wrong with her?

"Qianyu is a strange person. She seems complicated, but she also has a simple side. But overall, I think you are a very fickle person."

"It's okay, you can just say that I have a bad personality, I've been aware of it for a long time."

"Indeed, it's far from good."

She neither denied it nor gave me a way out... although I had expected it. But she continued in a cheerful tone.

"But I always feel that we can become good friends."

The suddenness of the statement caught me off guard.

"Good friend, good friend... good friend?" Using this word to describe the relationship between Tohka and me feels quite unnatural. Of course, words like "lovers" or "love" are even less suitable. In short, this word has never crossed my mind. I prefer to use more ambiguous, distant words to describe our relationship, which would make me feel more at ease. Therefore, the word "good friend" makes me slightly uneasy.

"But it would be great if you could make it a little easier to understand," Tohka added, complaining.

"This has given me a real problem."

"It's not that difficult. Just say what you think honestly, and that's enough."

"No way, I'll just become someone's punching bag again."

"...Do you spend all day thinking about things that could make me angry?"

"Just an example, just an example! I didn't mean anything by that!" I said, shaking my head slightly anxiously in denial. Suddenly, I realized I wasn't so nervous anymore. Oh, so that's how it is. Tohka may be fierce-tongued, but sometimes she's genuinely not angry. Maybe it's because she's so beautiful that even a slightly unfriendly expression looks like she's angry.

The thought that flashed through my mind suddenly dawned on me: "That's right, isn't it good for us to stay in this state?"

After talking to her, I understood that she is indeed the kind of person who won't get angry unless you've done something wrong. In other words, she's not the kind of person who often makes people feel hopeless.

Perhaps this is how she usually is, unlike Sakura, whom I and my classmates fear as a disciplinary committee member. She is just an ordinary Tohka sitting quietly in the classroom. Perhaps that is just who she is.

Although she's not particularly delicate or sensitive, Tohka is surprisingly ordinary beneath her strong exterior. If that's the case, then perhaps she's someone you can't be friends with, right?

How did Tohka view me before summer vacation? Because I couldn't stop thinking about it once I started, I still didn't understand anything, so I'll put that question aside for now. What's important is the present moment, this feeling.

Just then, a cold laugh echoed in my head.

"That's a pretty good excuse. I guess all you're good at is finding a way out."

—Oh right, so what?

Chapter Twenty-Four: You Have Feelings for Her

As expected, Tohka's mood worsened again the next morning, and she was furious.

The anger stemming from Tang Jing's "brave" truancy yesterday hadn't dissipated but instead intensified throughout the night. As if to emphasize her bad mood, the school felt like a storm was brewing early this morning. "I remember I told you about the on-campus volunteer activity after school yesterday, didn't I?"

Tang Jing was asked a question as soon as he entered the classroom. The show was about to begin.

Faced with this sharp first "attack," Karai tried her best to recall the scene. Sakura, on the other hand, kept staring at her with a sharp and intimidating expression.

"Ah! Sorry, I forgot, I'm so sorry!"

"Before apologizing, one should reflect on one's actions."

"I'm sorry, I'm really sorry."

Whether or not she was listening to Tohka, Karai simply clasped her hands together and bowed her head deeply. This kid now looks like a comedian you often see on TV. I couldn't help but think that. Not very bright, not particularly athletic, but she's more likable than the average student. She's the type who goes off on tangents in strange ways. Therefore, she's easily spoiled by those around her. She's practically the mascot of our class, especially good at livening up the atmosphere.

In this sense, she has a completely opposite personality to Tohka. Irresponsible, optimistic, and to put it bluntly, promiscuous. Self-reflection is probably the hardest word for someone like her to accept. For them, even an apology feels like a performance, and in most cases, it's just a way to get by.

Even if she does something wrong, she'll be forgiven. However, when the other person is Tohka, this trait has the opposite effect.

"During your lunch break, please go to Mr. Zhongshan, who is in charge of life guidance, for handling and instruction."

"Hey, isn't Zhongshan that guy who looks like a gorilla and is super scary, right!??"

"........."

"What should we do? Can't we just not go?"

"of course."

"I'm already reflecting on my actions, is it wrong for Tohka-chan to just tell the teacher like this?"

"If the teacher thinks you just want to get by and don't care."

"Well."

Finally, the Disciplinary Committee member has won. After all, given Tohka's personality—who can't stand injustice—there's no way she'd let you off the hook.

"Shallow Language—!!"

I was leisurely watching the show from the sidelines when I was suddenly called upon.

"I need your help!" Tang Jing ran to my side as if he were escaping from Tohka.

"Oh, what's wrong?"

"Could you come with me to the student guidance office during lunch break? You see, the reason my hair is still brown is because I don't have any money, right? Could you help me explain this to the teacher?"

She spoke very quickly, even using some obscure Japanese phrases.

Simply put, she's afraid to face the teacher's anger alone and wants me to smooth things over. As expected, she still hasn't reflected on her actions.

"Please! It's just to explain it to me! Asahi-kun is the student council president, isn't he!?"

"We need to add the word 'deputy'."

"Just be the vice student council president, please!"

"That's what she said, what should we do, student council president?"

"...You should make your own judgment in this situation."

I posed the question to Tohka, who was looking this way, and she immediately gave me a very displeased look. This... this situation is a bit of a dilemma for me.

If you want to win Tohka's favor, you should refuse her. But if you do that, it seems like Karai will resent you.

Hmm—. Just as I was feeling troubled, a scene from my conversation with her yesterday suddenly came to mind.

"...Well, you should go alone this time."

"Huh—!? Stingy! Why!?"

Tang Jing asked repeatedly with great enthusiasm, "Why?", to which I simply responded with a perfunctory smile.

After her persistent nagging yielded no results, she returned to her seat with a look of utter injustice on her face.

Seeing her like this, the surrounding classmates chuckled.

What changes will Tohka's feelings undergo next?

After making eye contact with her briefly, I noticed that she looked flustered, with a slightly resentful, yet also angry and troubled expression on her face, as she walked to my side.

Tohka, who was standing across the table from me, spoke with a slightly troubled tone.

"Is this really okay? Not going with Tang Jing to see the teacher?"

"Huh, why?"

"Don't you usually indulge in this kind of behavior?" For some reason, Tohka's tone sounded calmer than usual.

"W-What's wrong? Are you angry?"

"I'm not angry." Tohka's answer was still so calm, no, it was less calm and more like she was troubled by something. How subtle.

"Well, that's exactly what I've always done. And I also hate being resented."

"Then why just now?"

"Um, if I don't refuse, you'll be angry, won't you? You have no other choice."

"I... I wouldn't get angry over something so trivial..." she said on the surface, denying it. But her tone was completely unconvincing. She was definitely acting strangely today.

"Ha, still being stubborn. You're radiating an aura of unhappiness."

"I...I didn't emit that kind of thing!"

There's no need to deny it so forcefully.