The person who likes me is a yandere.

"...You startled me, Baba Garden. I didn't expect we would use the same words to complain."

"Hmm? Before that, let me say what I want to say... Listen carefully, Qianyu."

Baba's face drew rapidly closer; his skin was indeed very dry.

As his friend, should I throw some salad oil or something in his face right now...? You should be able to find that in a home economics class, right?

"Should we say that silence is the best policy? Some memories are better left unremembered."

Silence is golden, out of sight, out of mind. I pondered what he meant and barely heard the rest of his speech.

"Um, what did you say?"

"Asami, I won't say anything bad. Don't recall your memories of living with Asuna. Once you remember the time you took a bath, it will be too late. Someone wants to erase your memories."

I would rather have my memories from before I lost them erased than have them restored.

As I looked down at the people in the corridor, their eyes filled with resentment—as if every living being wanted to fly over—I said:

"Do you mean those people over there?"

"No, as I just said, those guys are all spineless cowards who can't do anything but glare at Qianyu, no matter how much they envy her."

"So, who is the guy trying to erase my memory?"

"Although I think they should be everywhere. But among the people around you... I'll start with you."

"..."

It seems I've lost a friend.

"Hey, Asuna. When you're chatting with Asuna, remember to introduce me as your best friend."

I can only describe you as having dry, irritated skin.

Goodbye, Baittoro.

As if he had nothing more to say to me, Maba Garden rushed out of the corridor.

Sitting directly in front of the podium, I turned around and looked towards the back of the classroom.

Asuna, seated at the very back by the window, was right in the center of the wall of boys and girls.

There's so much I want to say to her.

If I talk to Asuna, who claims to be my ex-lover, I might learn about my past that I don't know. I heard about my interpersonal relationships from Sora three years ago, before I lost my memory in my second year of middle school.

How am I to my parents as their eldest son?

Did they ever have a period of resistance?

Is he the kind of person who would give carnations on Mother's Day?

What kind of friends do you have?

Am I the type to invite friends over to my house, or the type to go to a friend's house?

Do any of my friends have a crush on Sora?

I think Qiong and I have always had a good relationship, right? Qiong knows a lot about me. She told me what kind of people I used to be close to.

However, Qiong didn't tell me that I have a lover.

Qiong didn't mention a single word about her boyfriend of four years.

She clearly knows all about my past relationships, so why is she like this?

...Is it because I'm keeping my relationship with Asuna quite secret? I need to be careful not to let my sister find out.

Maybe it's because the fact that the person he likes is with his girlfriend is too embarrassing, so he deliberately doesn't tell his family. Yeah, that must be it.

...Ah, but she stayed at my house before.

For a fourth-grade boy to live with a girl, it is only natural that both sets of parents need to agree.

So, of course my parents knew about Asami's existence, and they also knew that Asuna and I were very close.

Otherwise, she wouldn't be able to stay at my house.

It couldn't possibly be that Asuna sneaked out of the house while my family and Asuna's family were staying somewhere else for the night, and came to my house for a secret rendezvous.

There is almost no doubt that my parents know about Asuna's existence.

However, Sora doesn't know about Asuna.

Why doesn't my sister recognize Asuna, who stayed at my house before?

Although I probably don't want my younger sister, who's a year younger, to know that a girl I'm close to has come to stay at our house...

I don't understand. Never mind, I'll ask Qiong later.

"...But that's something I'm also concerned about." I murmured softly as I gazed at Asuna.

There's something that bothers me as much as things like Asuna might know about my past that I don't, or why Sora doesn't know about Asuna's existence.

I've been troubled by that question ever since the hugging incident this morning.

If you ask me what it is...

So, what stage did my relationship with Asuna reach?

I couldn't help but stare at Asuna's pale pink cherry lips as she was surrounded by her classmates, chatting and laughing happily with them.

...Did you kiss or anything like that when you were dating?

Chapter Thirteen: Bizarre

...Did you kiss or anything like that when you were dating?

No, the relationship lasted from fourth grade to the spring of eighth grade. Given my level, it's unlikely that we ever kissed.

The reason is that in the three years I can remember, I have never had a romantic relationship with a woman.

They've only kissed each other once, at most.

Also, "joint kiss" is not a typo for "indirect kiss," it's a real joint kiss. One morning, when I was hugging my sister as usual, I accidentally kissed the part of her elbow—her elbow joint—where she was trying to pull away from me.

I couldn't help but gaze at Asuna's fair hands, which she held up to her face in a scissor-like gesture, as if she had heard something from her classmates.

...Did we hold hands while we were dating?

I tried interlocking my fingers on the table.

Of course, I can't remember anything, and I don't feel any pleasure at all.

But when I imagine Asuna holding my hand, I always feel a warm glow in my heart, like spring sunshine. If I could do this or that with a girl… I don’t feel that way when I imagine those things in my mind—within reasonable limits of eroticism.

Because I kept staring at Asuna, our eyes met.

Because I kept stealing glances at her, I hurriedly and awkwardly tried to look away... but I couldn't take my eyes off her.

Because Asuna's smile was like a dream.

Right now, Asuna and I are looking at each other in the classroom. Two seconds later, without anyone noticing, a girl says to Asuna, "Oh, right, Asuna..." I look away from her.

"You said you'd help with things at home, what does your family do?"

The questions she was asking me reached my ears.

If a beautiful girl's hometown is a business, it would probably be a flower shop, a cake shop, or a Western restaurant with delicious omelet rice, right? That's my imagination, no, I guess male high school students' impressions of beautiful girls are all very simple.

"...My family owns a company."

So it wasn't just me; all the classmates were astonished by Asuna's answer.

With her icy beauty aura, she's inexplicably suited for the detective profession. This already unique beauty, combined with the added value of being a detective, makes Asuna a rare gem, a true souvenir.

Just as the people in the classroom were smiling and watching the beautiful high school detective...

This school year's almost extinct student, Shiratori-san, with long, straight black hair and a gentle personality—gentle female high school students are as rare as gentlemanly male high school students—asked earnestly, "...Would the cost of investigating infidelity be very high?"

Shiratori is dating Benimaru Kotaro from the next class.

The two are known as the "Red and White Couple," a breed that is guaranteed to exist at least once in the school, a pair of deeply affectionate lovers who are destined for extinction.

Asuna answered:

"If it's a classmate's request, I can give you a discount. But whose affair do you want to investigate?"

"My boyfriend has been acting strange lately... It's embarrassing, but even when I ask him out, he always says he's broke. I know it's shameless to ask, but when I ask him, 'Where did you spend your money?' he quickly changes the subject. This has never happened before, so I'm really worried... Maybe—"

"maybe?"

"It was given to a certain woman... Asuna-san, if this is your first offense, wouldn't the charge of assault be less severe?"

"Injury, assault? Why would you care about something like that?"

"...I admire Benimaru from the bottom of my heart. The thought that Benimaru might have other women makes it impossible for me to stay calm."

...Did you lose your composure just from thinking about it?

"If Benimaru has other women... I'll put a sharp blade to his neck, and I don't know what I'll do after that."

It's either cut open or stab in; once it gets to that point, there are only two options left.

That said, Shiratori doesn't usually talk about her boyfriend in front of others. Not only that, she's the kind of girl who gets shy even when talking about words like "scarp" and "taro," which are similar to her boyfriend's names.

She actually confided her doubts about her boyfriend in front of most of her classmates... It seems she's so troubled that she's lost herself.

—Ta-da!

The classroom was filled with an unusually tense atmosphere because the virtuous Shiratori had displayed an overly violent side in her relationship. The bell for the fourth period rang leisurely.

The girls advised Shiratori, "Don't do anything impulsive or foolish," and the students returned to their seats.

It seems the Red and White Couple isn't planning a singing contest, but rather a major battle.

After lunch, the first class in the afternoon, which is the fifth period, is art.

On the way to the art classroom, Asami was surrounded by a group of boys and girls, and their cheerful atmosphere could be felt from the side.

On the other hand, I walked into the art classroom with a murderous mindset that had nothing to do with joy.

The reason I was so murderous is not my fault.

The moment I stepped out of the hallway, a guy I'd never even looked at—I couldn't tell if he was a junior, classmate, or upperclassman—cursed me with vile and abusive language. It was unbearable. Someone even gave me the middle finger from afar and said, "Fuck you!" So American, huh?