Why wasn't I the one who got the male lead's script?

"........."

Even Isshiki Iroha, who quietly opened a crack in the door and observed secretly, could realize this.

-

Is it true that friends become lovers this way? If so, I'll leave you my lemons.

[Futaba Line] Different Paths to the Same Destination: Chapter 1, Day 3, Change of Mind (Part 3)

In short, after temporarily stabilizing Futaba's mood, Mr. Hoshimi, who has a long way to go, was assigned an extraordinary task.

That is, to temporarily maintain a superficial relationship with Isshiki Iroha, and then find out the problem of this adolescent syndrome and solve it thoroughly.

I have to say, Hoshimi felt that she was almost as tired of such things as Futaba.

He had been happily looking forward to returning to campus, hoping there would be some good news with his new girlfriend - but it suddenly turned out like this.

When I realized it, my girlfriend suddenly changed. (Sad)

"Could this be an experience that needs to be made up after avoiding the ending of death?... Then it is indeed easier to deal with this kind of experience than death."

With this kind of joyful mood, Hoshimi slowly left the science laboratory under Futaba's trusting gaze.

Then, he turned around and met eyes with Isshiki Caiyu who had been waiting outside the door.

"Well, senior..."

Isshiki bent down slightly, then tested Hoshimi with a meaningful tone.

"Could it be that the person you cheated with was Futaba-senpai—"

"No. I mean, I didn't cheat."

It's you, Isshiki-san, who suddenly broke into this family and tore it apart.

"Eh... indeed, from an outsider's perspective, you two are just close friends... Anyway, as a proper boyfriend, you can't cheat on me."

"A competent boyfriend or something... Sigh."

Hoshimi sighed deeply. He didn't tell everything here because of the task Futaba had given him. He just sighed to suppress the emotions that surged in his heart.

Finding out the problem is the most urgent task.

He emphasized this to himself in his mind as he walked on his own - and Isshi Iroha followed him with ease, only a step or two away, walking side by side with him at a relaxed pace.

"Senior, you will take me home today too, right?"

"Okay, I'll give it to you... Wait, have I done this before?"

"What? It was Senpai who said something so cool like 'Sending your girlfriend home is a boyfriend's duty'. Could it be that he really has lost his memory?"

The flaxen-colored little devil pouted slightly, and the words between the lines were full of lively, cute and playful meaning.

"Do you need some love from your girlfriend? I heard a simple kiss would do the trick."

"No." (expressionless)

"Eh~ So cold. Did you really lose your memory? Why are you suddenly being so unkind to your girlfriend?"

"Anyway, from what I know now, your real girlfriend is someone else, Isshiki-kun. It's best to retreat when you know you're going to be in trouble. That way, everything will be solved—"

"I really can't do anything about you, so I'll just try to make you like me again. Yeah, maybe this will be another very romantic development--"

"........."

Well, I underestimated Isshiki's tenacity.

They walked forward while having a casual conversation, and before they knew it, they had arrived at the school gate.

"Oh, isn't that Iroha-chan and her boyfriend, Senpai? Good afternoon~ Oh, they're being all sweet again, young couples are just wonderful."

"That's great~ The cute Isshiki-san and the seemingly ordinary but very responsible and gentle boyfriend-senpai in relationships - that's awesome~"

"What's with all these modifiers? They sound weird."

Feeling offended by the classmates who passed by with an auntie smile, Xingjian Boy gradually found it difficult to return to his usual comfortable state of blending easily into the crowd.

The feeling of being put under the spotlight and being stared at by everyone passing by last appeared when Aki Tomoya was plotting against him.

Well, although there are actually some subtle differences between this feeling and that experience.

"...Anyway, I'll take you home first, Isshiki."

"Why are you calling me so distant? You were so happy calling me Iroha a few days ago."

"No."

"Have you lost all your memories of this? It seems like I'm going to have to start from scratch and conquer my seniors. I'll do my best~"

...Why doesn't this guy obey anything I say?

A strange and awkward feeling spread throughout her body from the moment the two began to be alone together. This unprecedented experience made Xingjian shrug somewhat unnaturally, and she could only use simple body movements to relieve her inner unhappiness.

It seems that in Isshiki's cognition, he is really her boyfriend - and this is an unshakable fact that cannot be changed.

Xingjian himself didn't think that becoming the boyfriend of such a beautiful girl by chance was something worth being happy about - after all, the person who really made him feel uneasy might still be alone.

And he could have been there for her.

This is what is called being in Cao's camp but having one's heart with Han. Now Xingjian really has a deep feeling about this.

"...I said, Isshiki."

"Hmm? What's wrong, senpai?"

They walked out of the school gate and school area together. When they were about to reach Isshiki's house, Hoshimi called out to her who was jumping and skipping in front of her.

The boy's hands in his trouser pockets moved slightly, as if he was at a loss about what to say next.

But even so, he still expressed his thoughts with a serious expression.

"I have someone I like."

"—"

His voice was not loud, but it succeeded in freezing the smile on the girl's face.

"Besides, I've always treated you like a senior student treating an ordinary junior student. I have no intention of dating you."

He expressed his attitude in very concise but direct language.

"But if I let our relationship continue like this, it might hurt that person, and that's the last thing I want to happen. So let's stop here. It's not too late to clarify now."

"—"

Isshi Caiyu was still standing there in a daze, as if she was surprised that the boy in front of her was not the Hoshimi Haru she knew.

"I don't know why you did this, and I may never understand. But I think those are things that need to be made clear at this stage to avoid unnecessary misunderstandings in the future."

Hoshimi waved her hand and stopped a few hundred meters away from Isshiki's house.

"Besides, you probably don't have any romantic feelings for me, so stopping now is a good way to cut your losses."

"Senior, what are you talking about—"

"Think about it carefully first, I'll go back first."

After saying this, he left without looking back, leaving no time for Isshiki to explain.

"........."

The astonishment on Isshiki Iroha's face, who was standing still, gradually faded after a long time, and was replaced by another complicated expression.

-

My birthday is tomorrow! So I’m taking a day off o( ??? )o

[Futaba Line] Different Paths to the Same Destination: Chapter 2: Couple Game (I)

"...and then you told the truth?"

It was also the evening of the same day, at Futaba's house.

The gray-haired girl, who had just bought a simple instant fried rice at the convenience store and casually threw the shopping bag on the table, complained to the person on the other end of the phone in a somewhat annoyed manner.

"Let's not talk about why you suddenly blurted out all that. What kind of idiot would reveal all their cards right away, Xingjian?"

"Even if you say so, Futaba..."

The boy told Futaba everything that happened between him and Isshiki, but he only received criticism in return and sounded a little frustrated on the other end of the phone.

"I'm not good at playing along, I'll always be exposed."

“So I’m talking about you…”

"Could it be possible for you, Futaba? To pretend to like someone you don't like and maintain a relationship with them?"

"Well, I never said I could do that."

Futaba, who was suddenly in the driver's seat, curled her lips a little helplessly, then clamped the phone between her shoulders, tilted her head, took off her coat and put it on the hanger beside her.

"See, we're all the same."

"You're making so much noise."

She turned on the light switch, and the warm yellow light instantly drove away the darkness in the room.

The conversation between the two still seemed normal and familiar, but they had never done such a thing as chatting on the phone privately before.

How to say it, although they used to be close friends in school, out of respect for boundaries and social distance, they both stopped chatting with each other during non-school hours.

As for why there's a sudden, subtle change now...

"...Are you home now?"

After finally having some free time, Futaba sat at the table and slowly unpacked the instant fried rice package and asked this question in a muffled voice.

"Huh? Yeah. I've been home for a while."

"Have you had dinner yet?"

“Oh, I’m doing it now.”

"what……?"

"I'm talking to you while I do it."

"Don't try to do two things at once. Cooking in that environment of yours could easily lead to a fire."

"Eh...but it's rare to get to talk to Futaba on the phone like this."

"........."

Can't refute.

"This guy always hits a straight ball from an unexpected place, making it hard to defend against it."

Miss Futaba touched her hot cheeks with her hands, feeling somewhat at a loss, and then quickly tried to calm her voice.

"Ahem, ahem, then you better take care of yourself."

"Okay! Has Futaba eaten yet?"

"Why are you so energetic all of a sudden... I just went to the convenience store and bought some instant fried rice."

"Oh... yeah, Futaba, you live alone and you can't cook for yourself at all."

"It doesn't matter if you don't emphasize the second half of the sentence. I can fill my stomach anyway."

Ms. Futaba raised the corner of her mouth and made a willful request in the teasing tone that she was already accustomed to.

"Unless Hoshimi wants to be in charge of my dinner."

Although this is a joke that both of them are used to.

"Hmm? Okay."

However, the decisive affirmative response from the boy on the other end of the phone still made Miss Futaba stunned.

What also made her somewhat dazed expression remain on her face was the figure of a young man who appeared in front of her door half an hour later with an insulated box in his hand.

"Here, dinner."

The boy's face was slightly flushed, probably from jogging all the way here, and his slightly rapid breathing proved this.

He handed the thermal box to Futaba, who subconsciously raised her hand to accept this gift, which was neither big nor small but symbolized her thoughtfulness.

Then his expression became a little complicated.