Chapter 12: At the convenience store I stopped by on my way home

“Whoa… two blunders in one day.”

I walked down the hallway, keeping a two-step distance from Aya. Mistaking the men’s restroom, then blurting out an otaku-esque confession about silver hair and blue eyes… It was a complete disaster.

‘At this rate, Aya will think I’m weird… Or maybe she already does…’

If Aya had any knowledge of light novels or web novels, she would have immediately understood my slip-up. I did like silver hair and blue eyes, but only in 2D. Now that my 2D ideal had manifested in reality, I’d lost my composure and blurted out my embarrassing confession.

‘Ugh…’

My only consolation was that Aya, in her pure and innocent nature, was supposedly oblivious to such things. She had to be oblivious. Please…

I snuck a glance at Aya. Her blue eyes were calm, her expression serene. She wore her usual gentle smile. It seemed she hadn’t taken my blunder too seriously…?

‘That’s right, Aya doesn’t know. She can’t know.’

I desperately repeated this mantra as we reached the classroom. Aya, who had arrived first, turned to face me.

“Rina.”

“Y-Yes…?” I flinched, unable to meet her gaze. I was too embarrassed. I’d kept my eyes downcast, walking awkwardly beside her from the restroom to the classroom.

“Do you like me?”

“…!” I almost stumbled, my eyes widening in surprise.

‘What?! Well, I do like you, but not like that…!’

I was relieved that my inner thoughts hadn’t slipped out. Then, I felt my face flush.

Wait, what was happening?

It was just a normal question. I needed to answer calmly. I swallowed hard and forced myself to speak.

“Y-Yes… as a friend!”

Aya smiled brightly and nodded. “Yes, a friend! I like you too.”

‘Huh?!’

What? Was that a confession? No! If it was… how could I have missed it? My brain must be fried from the two earlier incidents.

The Aya in the novel was a classic tsundere character, initially cold towards the protagonist, then gradually warming up to him. So… her eventual confession wasn’t this casual. And in the novel, it was the protagonist who confessed first, and Aya, while flustered, had responded sincerely.

So, Aya liked boys. She was “straight.”

I desperately repeated this in my mind. But Aya’s casual tone and the underlying ambiguity of her words made me overthink.

“…Rina? Should we really go to the nurse’s office?”

“N-No! I’m fine!” I blurted out, hurrying into the classroom.

****

The final bell finally rang, signaling the end of a long and excruciating day.

My mind, still reeling from the restroom incident and Aya’s unexpected question, hadn’t been able to focus during class, and my notes were a mess. The fact that the last class was Japanese made things worse. While I could manage math and science, having learned the basics in my previous life, Japanese was a completely different beast.

‘Ugh… Takamari’s standards are way too high.’

Third in the entrance exam rankings? Even my past self couldn’t have achieved that. Kurosawa Rina was simply on a different level. I’d have to review the material at home… but first, I needed to process today’s events.

This morning, I’d resolved to live quietly as a background character. But somehow, in this protagonist-less world, I’d discovered that I wasn’t just a “mob.”

And… then there was that embarrassing incident earlier. While the initial mortification had subsided, the memory of it still lingered. Thankfully, Aya seemed to have dismissed it as a simple mishap.

As I was packing my bag, Mizuki suddenly sidled up to me, pouting.

“Ugh~ Aya-ring~ Rina~ Aren’t you two getting a little too close? Include me too!”

She puffed out her cheeks, feigning a sulk. For a moment, I thought she was serious, but her playful expression reassured me.

“Huh? No, absolutely not…!” I stammered, waving my hands frantically.

Aya chuckled, watching Mizuki’s antics. “I didn’t know Rina felt that way.” She looked at me, a playful glint in her eyes. My face flushed again, and I quickly changed the subject.

“Okay, enough playing around! Let’s go home!”

Mizuki’s eyes lit up. “Oh! Let’s stop by the convenience store on the way! I have a sudden craving for sweets!”

I hesitated. Normally, I would have declined, but now that I no longer needed to maintain a “mob” persona, it seemed okay to socialize.

“Hmm… sure, I need to pick up a few things anyway.”

“Yay! Let’s go~”

Mizuki skipped ahead, while Aya walked quietly beside me, matching my pace.

‘These little everyday moments… ah, this is a youth romantic comedy. Minus the romance, that is.’

I smiled unconsciously. After gathering my belongings, I followed them out of the classroom.

****

The convenience store wasn’t far from the school. It had probably appeared in the novel, but not as a major setting. I entered, glancing around.

‘So, this place exists…’

It felt different from the opulent Takamari Academy. It was strange to see students in their high-class uniforms frequenting such an ordinary place.

Remembering that Aya, in the novel, had a secret yearning for a more ordinary life, and that Mizuki seemed to enjoy those aspects as well, I realized they must have visited this convenience store quite often.

Mizuki, looking completely at ease, made a beeline for the chocolate aisle. After browsing the shelves, she returned with a small box of chocolates, a triumphant grin on her face.

“These are so good! Rina, want to try one?”

“Sure…!” I nodded, reaching for a chocolate, then glanced at Aya.

Aya was quietly contemplating the shelves, then picked up a bottle of peach iced tea.

“Iced tea again, Aya?”

“Yeah, it’s good, isn’t it? I like the sweetness.”

True to her character in the novel, Aya had a fondness for tea, not the expensive kind from her family’s estate, but the readily available bottled iced tea or milk tea from convenience stores. This simple preference had led to her frequent encounters with the protagonist.

But… now that I was here, what should I buy?

A drink? Or a snack?

As I pondered this, something caught my eye in the refrigerated section.

ジャージー牛乳プリン (Jersey Milk Pudding)

It was a popular item in Korea, known for its unique name and supposed deliciousness. I’d never tried it before, so, out of curiosity, I reached for it.

“Rina, do you like pudding?” Aya’s gentle voice startled me.

I turned to see her looking at me, her eyes filled with curiosity.

“Oh, yeah… I was curious about this Jersey Milk Pudding…”

“Then let’s share.” Aya took the pudding from my hand and picked up another one. If she knew why I’d chosen it, she probably wouldn’t be so eager to share…

“It’s always better to share,” she said with a smile.

“Th-Thanks…” I mumbled, taking the pudding, a small smile forming on my lips. It was a good thing, right? Aya wanted to share with me.

Mizuki, watching us with a playful glint in her eyes, suddenly nudged my arm. “Rina, at this rate, you two will be going on convenience store dates~”

“M-Mizuki!” I blushed, flustered. I’d unconsciously called her by her first name, but she seemed to like it.

Just then… the convenience store door chimed, and someone entered.

“…Hiiragi-senpai?” Aya was the first to notice, and all three of us turned towards him. I was stunned.

‘Wait, I’m seeing Hiiragi-senpai here?’

In the novel, Hiiragi never came to places like this. He was the school prince, the type to sip espresso in a fancy cafe, not browse the aisles of a convenience store. But here he was, pacing before the refrigerators, seemingly searching for something.

‘What’s he doing here? Did he follow Aya?’

My mind raced. While Hiiragi liked Aya in the original story, he wasn’t this proactive. I cautiously glanced at Aya, but she seemed unfazed, her attention focused on the pudding’s expiration date.

‘Am I… the only one who’s bothered by this?’

Just then, Hiiragi-senpai’s gaze turned towards us. My heart sank. Seeing his eyes linger on Aya, I thought, ‘As I suspected… he came looking for her.’

But then…

“Kurosawa-san, fancy meeting you here.”

“…Huh?! M-Me?” I stared at him, bewildered.

‘Why me…?’

This wasn’t how it was supposed to go. He approached us naturally, as if he’d been looking for us all along. I instinctively tightened my grip on the pudding cup.

‘He didn’t come to see Aya…?’

Was it about student council business? Surely not…

“If you’re free tomorrow, could we talk during lunch?”

Huh? Wait… what? I stared at him, dumbfounded.

Wasn’t this… the scene from the novel? Where Hiiragi confessed to Aya, and the protagonist intervened?

Wait…

I slowly lifted my head, meeting Hiiragi-senpai’s gaze. And there, in his eyes, I saw a familiar look, a look I’d known well in my previous life.

The longing gaze… of a man in love.

“Senpai, you’re going to make Rina cry,” a gentle yet firm voice said.

Startled, I turned to see Aya standing a step in front of me, blocking Hiiragi-senpai’s view. Her blue eyes were soft, but there was a hint of warning in them.

“…Ah, my apologies.” Hiiragi-senpai flinched and took a step back. The tension that had filled the air vanished. He nodded slightly, his usual calm smile returning.

In the novel, Hiiragi wasn’t the type to linger on unrequited feelings. He was a character who often received comments like, “I initially disliked him, but he’s a reliable supporting character.” So…

He could easily dismiss this as nothing.

But… I remembered that look in his eyes. He seemed… unwilling to give up.

I stared at the pudding in my hand, replaying the encounter in my mind.

‘So… Hiiragi-senpai… is interested in me?’

Unfortunately… I wasn’t interested in men.

“Rina, let’s go,” Aya said, taking my hand and gently pulling me forward.

Mizuki, holding her chocolate, grinned. “Hee hee, Rina’s so popular~”

“Stop it, Mizuki!” I snapped, my face flushing.

Mizuki chuckled and headed out of the convenience store. I glanced back at Hiiragi-senpai, still standing there.

‘…I hope that’s the end of it.’

But I had a feeling his gaze would continue to follow me.