It was the day after Ryuichi along with Shizuna went to the bar where they had had an unexpected reunion with Sakie. He wasn't particularly anxious or anything, but he was somewhat curious about what Shizuna and Sakie might've said to each other after the fact. From what he knew of Sakie, she likely wouldn't say anything risky, and even if Shizuna heard something about them, he couldn't imagine a future where Shizuna rejected Ryuichi.
"…What the hell am I doing? I would've never cared about these sorts of things in the past."
"What're you talkin' about?"
"…Oh, it's you, Makoto."
Ryuichi's friend, Makoto, had yet again made it behind Ryuichi without making a sound. From the grin on his face, it seemed he found the rare sight of Ryuichi sighing to be out of character.
"What's the matter? Knowing you, though, it probably has something to do with women."
"..."
He wasn't entirely wrong, so Ryuichi remained silent. Ryuichi had had relationships with many women throughout his life, but it goes without saying that the Ryuichi from before and the Ryuichi after had very different mindsets. One-night stands were one thing, but Ryuichi no longer went around fucking women like a monkey like he did in the past.
"Well, maybe you could use a refresher to get your mind off all that crap. Y'know, the usual place?"
"…Maybe."
The usual place referred to the party where many men and women gathered to have fun. He crossed his arms and thought about it before eventually deciding that it might be a good idea to go there every once in a while. But just as he was about to nod his head, Shizuna entered the classroom.
"Good morning."
"Good morning, Shizuna."
"Morning, Rindo-san."
Unlike the time before he got involved with Shizuna, Ryuichi's gaze was now drawn to her because of yesterday's events. Shizuna exchanged greetings with her friends, but then she put her bag on the desk and turned around. Naturally, she was looking at Ryuichi.
"…Damn, you guys are really close these days, huh."
"Well, it's not like I can't, right?"
When their eyes met, Shizuna smiled beautifully and came straight up to Ryuichi. Her friends grinned and watched over her amusedly, but on the contrary, Ryuichi could see Sohei from the side, staring at them; perhaps worried about Shizuna.
"Good morning, Ryuichi-kun.
"…Morning, Rindo."
It had already become something of a habit for Ryuichi. He had called Shizuna by her last name instead of her first name. In response, Shizuna puffed out her cheeks and poked Ryuichi on the shoulder.
"You promised me you'd call me Shizuna, didn't you?"
"You forced me to, though… Haaah. Good morning, Shizuna."
"…Good morning! ♪"
She smiled contentedly at having heard Ryuichi call her by her first name. Of course, everybody else in the classroom heard the two call each other so intimately despite having never called each other in this way before. A small commotion immediately broke out, though Ryuichi had somewhat expected it. Still, he wondered why they were making so much fuss over a simple name call.
"Something definitely must've happened between you two."
"I've already told you: nothing happened."
Even though Makoto was Ryuichi's friend, Ryuichi didn't intend to say anything to him. But, if Makoto decided to go to the bar and ask the manager, well, he'd find out that Ryuichi and Shizuna had been there together, but Ryuichi decided that he'd cross that bridge when he got to it. Scratching his head, Ryuichi glanced at Shizuna, who was still smiling…and Sohei, who was staring at them, seemingly stunned.
"Hey, Shishido-kun. Can I have some of your time during lunch?"
"Huh? Oh, sure."
"Alright. See you later, then."
She waved her hand as she walked over to her friends. Apparently, she'd really come over just to say hello to Ryuichi.
"I'mma take a quick leak."
"'Kay, c'ya."
After their quick exchange, Ryuichi stood up. There was still plenty of time left, so he could take his time and do his business. As soon as he left the classroom, however, Ryuichi was stopped.
"Shishido."
"…What do you want?"
It was Sohei who'd called out to him. He understood that, as Shizuna's childhood friend, Sohei was concerned about her since she was getting involved with him. But to be honest, it didn't matter to him. He knew that this world was the world of a manga, but it was mentally exhausting for him to worry about it.
Ryuichi's body wasn't being possessed by another person or anything; he'd merely regained his past memories unto his former self who had originally been born into this world. Therefore, this body was his own, and Ryuichi was still Ryuichi Shishido, no matter what.
"..."
Although Sohei had stopped Ryuichi, he hadn't said anything at all to him. Ryuichi turned his head around to look at him, but he didn't seem particularly scared of Ryuichi… No, actually, he did seem a little nervous.
"…Sorry. It was nothing."
With that, he quickly turned his back and walked back to the classroom. Ryuichi was tempted to say, "If you don't have anything to say, then don't call me in the first place," but he decided to head for the restroom first. As usual, when he walked down the hallway, people averted their eyes from him.
"…Yaaaawn."
Well, even in the midst of all this, Ryuichi was taking things leisurely at his own pace as he let out a loud yawn.
"So, lunch time, huh… I bet she had some sort of talk with Sakie."
So, what on earth would Shizuna tell Ryuichi…? It didn't take long for him to find out.
Once they finished their meals, Ryuichi and Shizuna headed for the rooftop. As usual, the place was wide and empty, so they could talk freely to their hearts' content here.
"So? What did you want to say?"
"…Well…"
Shizuna took a deep breath and continued.
"I asked Mom after our meeting yesterday. She easily told me about how she'd met you before."
"That I'd called out to her as she was walking around town?"
"Yes… That's about what she told me."
Apparently, Sakie hadn't told her about her sweet night with Ryuichi. It wasn't surprising, but it was still a bit of a relief for Ryuichi. Plus, surely Shizuna herself wouldn't want to hear about it, either. That's what Ryuichi had thought, but Shizuna's intuition was, once again, very sharp.
"However, I'm not so childish that I can't guess what you two did together that night."
"…What are you trying to say?"
"I'm saying you and my mom slept together… Am I wrong?"
There was conviction in her question. As she stared straight at him, Ryuichi relented and nodded, thinking that it was impossible to fool her.
"Spot on. Yes, I did sleep with your mother. But it was only for that one night."
"…I knew it. I'm pretty sure Mom knows that I know, too, but that didn't stop her from being in such a good mood whenever she talked about you."
"I see…"
"Thank you, Ryuichi-kun."
"…Hah?"
Ryuichi let out a dumb sound at her sudden thank-you. As has been said many times before, Ryuichi slept with Shizuna's mother, Sakie. He couldn't for the life of him understand why she would thank him instead.
"Surely you've heard from Mom, right? That my father has passed away."
"Yeah…"
"I've noticed that Mom's been looking really sad and lonely lately. I thought that day would be no different, but you showed up and gave my mother happiness, Ryuichi-kun. After Mom came home that day, I noticed her constantly smiling the entire time."
"..."
As for Ryuichi, the only thing that'd been on his mind at the time was that he'd wanted to have sex with Sakie. Sure, perhaps something to the effect of Shizuna's words had happened, but he hadn't done so with such considerate intentions.
"You've got it completely wrong. All I wanted to do was sleep with her… That's all it was."
"Still, it is an undeniable fact that you put a smile on my mother's face. You made her smile. That's why I'm thanking you now."
Shizuna was direct and straightforward as she said those words. Ryuichi was fascinated, if only for a moment, by her eyes that showed no signs of hesitation or wavering. But then Ryuichi had a thought. Shizuna and Sakie were similar to each other, so Ryuichi falling in love with Shizuna in the manga may have been due to Sakie's existence.
"…Sure, I'll take your thanks. Don't really need it though, and even if it was accidental, I can't say that me sleeping with your mother was a good thing."
No sooner had the words left Ryuichi's mouth than the bell rang. The bell would ring once more five minutes later, but that one would signal the time for classes to start. They had to get back soon.
"Hey, Ryuichi-kun."
"What?"
"…In your eyes, am I a woman you can sleep with?"
"…Hah?"
Just as he was about to leave, he abruptly stopped his feet. He looked at her quizzically, wondering what on earth she was talking about, but Shizuna's head was hung low, her face bright red. No way, could this be…? But Ryuichi immediately ruled out the possibility and chuckled… Well, for now, he decided to answer her question.
"I told you before, didn't I? You're a very cute girl, so there are many boys who're definitely pinning for you. If you slip up, a day might come where I will attack you myself, y'know?"
"…That's…"
"But, personally speaking, I do think that you're an attractive woman… So, what I'm trying to say is…"
Ryuichi grinned widely. He himself was by no means conscious of it, but his smile carried a ferocity. It was a smile he used to have when he looked at a woman, and now, Shizuna was receiving his predatory eyes straight on.
"You're obviously a woman I'd take to bed. Happy now?"
"Ah… Yes! ♪"
A sweet voice leaked out of Shizuna. Ryuichi's words had threatened to awaken the hidden beast inside Shizuna, trying to bring it out of hiding, but she still seemed able to restrain it.
"C'mon, let's head back."
"..."
"Shizuna?"
"Y-Yes!"
The dazed Shizuna followed behind Ryuichi. She stared at his back while they walked back to the classroom from the rooftop. She kept gazing at him with red cheeks and slightly moist eyes.