Living with the Arrogant Queen from High School is Surprisingly Not Uncomfortable

Chapter 88



Yamamoto, standing right in front of me, is looking at me with a serious gaze.

When I look into Yamamoto’s serious eyes, I fall into the illusion that I might be sucked into his deep, dark pupils.

I shook my head, feeling my concentration waning.

Speaking of which, I seem to recall something similar happening back in high school. It was when I was a freshman, admiring senior Sekine, wondering if there was a way to fulfill my feelings for him.

Girls are a species who love to meddle in other’s love affairs.

Without exception, there were many people around me at the time who enjoyed that kind of talk. But I never shared my feelings with them. Because of my position at the time, I couldn’t open up about such things, about my weaknesses, to others.

Except for one person.

One day, I confided my inner feelings to a girl.

“Well, what will be, will be.”

Icchan, with her hair tied up in a ponytail, laughed through her glasses as she said this to me.

Icchan was a strange person.

She was elusive, incredibly laid back to the point of being infuriating, but somehow, before I knew it, I was caught up in her pace, and yet, despite seeming so out of touch, her academic performance was always top-notch.

She really was a mysterious person.

Lately, I think she didn’t want to give off an impression of being unfriendly. But, despite being the type of person who can easily be taken advantage of, there were things she would never bend on. That was her strength.

Icchan and I were good friends.

We met in high school. Our seats were not even close.

But, I felt comfortable during the times I spent with her.

We always laughed together.

By our third year, even Akari had joined in, and the three of us were always laughing together.

After graduating from high school, during those hellish times.

I was daydreaming.

I want to play with Akari again.

I want to play with Icchan again.

What would Akari say if I said that?

She’d probably laugh and say “Of course.”

What would Icchan say if I said that?

…Probably.

That’s a bother.

She’d probably laugh and say that.

But, I’d forcibly drag her along, wanting the three of us to continue…

Ah, I see.

“I didn’t want Icchan to get married.”

That was what I wanted to convey to her at Icchan’s wedding ceremony Yamamoto mentioned.

…It was.

I wanted to play together some more.

I wanted to fool around together some more.

Still.

I still… wanted to remain a child with Icchan.

“…Perhaps because I had such feelings at heart, I couldn’t put together a representative speech for the friends very well.”

I thought he was right.

“I’m the worst, aren’t I?”

“Huh?”

“Telling a friend who is about to get married that I want them to stop the wedding.”

“Is that so?”

“It is.”

“…At least, I don’t think so.”

“Why?”

“Because that’s just like you.”

Yamamoto was smiling.

Just like me.

What does he mean by “just like me”?

…Probably, behaving audaciously just like I did in high school.

That’s his definition of “just like me.”

“I can’t imagine wanting to be a queen even if it means making others sad.”

“That’s not it.”

“Then what?”

“That insincere attitude of yours is just like you.”

…Insincere.

I can’t believe he’s saying that to me.

“You, especially since you’ve been in this room, …you’ve really been insincere. You’re having a hard time, and you want to run away, yet you start saying you want to go home. You’re actually worried about your parents, yet you start saying you don’t want to go home.”

“…Shut up.”

“Really, how much have you been messing with me? But strangely, I don’t think that time is so bad.”

I looked down in embarrassment.

I can’t look at Yamamoto’s face. My face is completely red.

“…What about me now is insincere?”

I confronted my feelings of not wanting Icchan to get married, so what about me now is insincere?

Say it. That’s what I thought.

“The first thing is, you understood it, didn’t you? You didn’t want Ishida to get married. You hid that fact, and ended up wasting a whole day.”

“…Hmm.”

Indeed.

As of yesterday, indeed… I did feel a bit trapped by loneliness as I thought about Icchan leaving for marriage.

“The second thing…while you don’t want Ishida to get married, you… are celebrating her marriage.”

“…That’s…”

“I know.”

“How do you know?”

“Because you accepted to give the representative speech for friends, didn’t you?”

I widened my eyes.

Everything Yamamoto just said… everything was spot on.

That’s right.

I didn’t want Icchan to get married, that’s what I thought inwardly.

But, deeper within my heart… I was happy about Icchan’s marriage. I wanted her to be happy.

I wanted her to forget about me and be happy.

With her husband, for a lifetime…

Perhaps even blessed with children.

Always, for a lifetime… smiling as a family.

I wanted her to live that way.

“The direction is clear now.”

“Huh?”

“Write about all your troublesome feelings.”

“Eh…?”

“It’s okay. If it’s a letdown, I’ll laugh it off.”

“You’re going to get angry?”

“…Sorry.”

Yamamoto, who was apologizing in a subdued manner.

High school days. And now.

No matter how many times I looked back, it was a face I had never seen before.

I couldn’t hold back and started laughing.

All my feelings were read by him.

I was encouraged by him.

And he showed me the way.

It’s a strange thing.

Now, if I follow Yamamoto’s words, all the issues with the representative speech for friends… everything will go well, that’s what I believe.

“…Hey, Yamamoto?”

“Hm?”

“How did you understand such troublesome feelings of mine?”

“It’s obvious, isn’t it?”

Yamamoto smiled.

“Lately, I’ve been watching you all the time.”

Yamamoto’s words certainly… don’t have any deep meaning.

He’s just been observing me as a roommate.

That’s all he’s saying, I think.

…But.

But…

I can’t look at Yamamoto’s face.


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