Chapter 104: The one she likes
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Ichinose smiled sweetly and shyly. "It's strange and confusing, but I might have fallen in love with Matsuoka-san. Whenever I think of him, I..."
Her heart surged with excitement, and she couldn't help but smile with joy.
Ichinose had never experienced love before, but she knew this must be the feeling described in TV dramas and novels.
"Chihiro-chan, you said I... eh?" With a shy smile, Ichinose turned to look at Shiranami Chihiro behind her, only to be met with Chihiro's tearful face, which left her baffled.
"Hey, hey, Chihiro-chan, why are you crying? Could it be that you..."
"Right!" Chihiro said excitedly, wiping her tears.
"You like Matsuoka-san too..." A troubled expression appeared on Ichinose's pretty face. Chihiro was her closest friend in Class B.
'My best friend fell in love with the same boy as I did. What should I do?'
Chihiro paused mid-tear wipe, her face turning surprised as though she'd been accused wrongly. She exclaimed emotionally, "Who would like Rin Matsuoka?!"
Hearing this, Ichinose subconsciously showed a look of relief.
'So my best friend didn't fall for the same boy I like. That's a relief.'
However, Ichinose Honami soon looked puzzled. "But, Chihiro-chan, if you don't like Matsuoka-san, then what did you mean by 'right' just now?"
"I meant… I like Honami-chan!"
'What.'
'It turns out the person she likes isn't Matsuoka-san, a boy, but me… a girl.'
'Huh?'
"Hey, hey, hey!"
Ichinose's blue eyes widened as she stared at Chihiro, who was wiping her tears, and she instinctively took two steps back in surprise.
Unexpectedly…
'I didn't expect that… a girl with such feelings would be around me!'
Ichinose looked at Chihiro with a bewildered expression. She felt like she needed to ask her something.
To ask what exactly she liked about her. Perhaps, if she knew, she could change...
But if Chihiro's attraction to her was solely because she's a woman, there'd be nothing she could do to change it.
Even if gender could be changed!
But how could she still be Rin Matsuoka's girlfriend if she changed her gender…
"Chihiro-chan, the kind of 'liking' you mentioned, it isn't the kind a girl has for a boy, right?" Ichinose Honami asked carefully.
Chihiro didn't answer; she simply turned and walked away, wiping her tears.
Ichinose stood there watching Chihiro's retreating back, feeling troubled and concerned.
Even without an answer, Ichinose knew that Chihiro's feelings for her were the same kind of affection girls usually have for boys.
It wasn't the typical closeness of best friends or just an ordinary bond between girls.
"Oh, what should I do?" Ichinose sighed, feeling sad. She took out her phone and sent a Line message to Rin.
The message was about the issue with joining the swimming club.
Ichinose wanted to confide in Rin about her situation with Chihiro and ask for advice on how to handle these unusual feelings from her friend.
However, the thought that doing so would mean revealing Chihiro's secret made her hesitate, and she decided against it.
"It's okay. The reason Chihiro-chan has these feelings for me is just because she hasn't met a boy who truly makes her heart skip a beat."
"As long as Chihiro meets someone who makes her heart flutter, she'll realize she still likes boys."
Ichinose was talking to herself, reassuring herself that she could continue getting along with Shiranami Chihiro with a normal attitude.
"Hm, the Line message is still unread. Did Matsuoka-san not notice his phone?"
Indeed, it was true.
At that moment, Rin was thoroughly engrossed in savoring his meal, completely ignoring the sound of his phone ringing.
The one thing that should never distract you, nor let you down, is delicious food!
After finishing his warm, satisfying meal in the school cafeteria, Rin, carrying his backpack, left the cafeteria in contentment.
On the way back to his dorm, Rin pulled out his phone and opened the Line message Ichinose had sent him.
[Matsuoka, Asahina senpai reached out to the vice president and asked if boys are allowed to join the swimming club.]
[The vice president was very firm in saying that boys were not allowed, and Asahina-senpai had quite an argument with him over it.]
[Asahina -senpai wanted me to pass on her apologies for not being able to get you into the swimming club.]
After reading Ichinose's message, Rin curled his lips slightly and muttered, "I knew that guy wouldn't let me join the swimming club."
[Thank you, Ichinose. If I can't join, then I can't join. It's not like I was desperate to join the swimming club, anyway.]
It seemed like Ichinose had been staring at her phone, as less than thirty seconds after Rin sent his response, she replied with a new message.
[Since you weren't able to join the swimming club, why not join the student council with me instead? The student council is a great place for growth and would give us both valuable experience.]
[The student council is definitely a place for personal development, but I was hoping to join a club to enjoy high school life. Being in the student council means more work and responsibility, which doesn't exactly fit my idea of joining a club.]
[I see…]
[Ichinose, if you do join the student council, just be careful around the vice president, I heard he's quite the flirt and has already made moves on a few girls.]
Reading this message, Ichinose felt a sense of concern from Rin, and a gentle smile appeared on her delicate, fair face.
"Don't worry Matsuoka. Asahina Senpai already warned me. I might know the flirtatious side of Vice President even better than you do."
[I'll be cautious, but Nagumo is the vice president. With such a high position, it would be easy for him to pick on me, a newcomer to the student council.]
[If you also joined the student council, Matsuoka, you could watch out for me.]
Despite Rin's response, Ichinose hadn't given up on the idea of bringing him into the student council.
[No, no, no, Ichinose, you know I already have a bad relationship with Nagumo. If he finds out that we're friends, he'll target you for sure.]
[Nagumo is the student council's vice president. If I join the student council while holding a grudge against him, it'd be like jumping straight into a lion's den.]
Reading through all of Rin's Line messages, Ichinose felt a hint of regret and sadness.