Volume 2 - Top-Tier Character Ayanokōji-kun [DISCONTINUED] [READ THE REVISION]

(11/12) Chapter 21 - Sadly Surrogating A Blissful Bond

"...You blabber too much. This is enough."

"Do you really think so? Do you want to stop here? Do you not want to find out why I am you?"

"For the last time, you are not me. And that is that. Now, I shall rest and conserve my energy instead of wasting it on the likes of you. My princess is still captured inside her tower. It is my duty as her prince to save her."

"The princess, huh..."

"Excuse me? She is my princess."

"So you still don't understand."

"Wh-What are you doing, you vile—"

The Black Knight, veiled in darkness, drew back his arm holding an indomitable spear...

and pierced the prince's chest.

---

The next day during lunch break, I split off from my usual group and decided to go to the library. Takei panicked for a while saying stuff like, "How are we gonna figure this out without Kiyo?!" I calmed him down by stressing the fact that I wasn't going to leave them alone; I was just going to take a leisure stroll into our school's personal abode for a certain fairy—Kikuchi. I was interested in how she was doing.

Once I entered the library, I moved behind a bookshelf and calmed my breathing, doing my best to hide any traces of my presence.

Even though her voice was quiet, I could clearly make out a conversation between two people.

"I think so, too. But what about this passage?"

"I'm not sure. Maybe you should change it up a bit? Like... this, maybe?"

"Oh! Do you also write, Hirabayashi-san?"

"Uh, sometimes... But judging from your works, I guess you're better than me."

"He-he, I wouldn't be so sure about that."

I see what's going on.

Hirabayashi had most likely stuck around Kikuchi due to their shared interest in literature. Even though her voice was still that of the shy girl in class, she seemed to be really happy. Their attention was probably focused on those short stories Kikuchi had once written. After taking a quick peek, I confirmed my suspicions by witnessing the slight sparkle in their eyes and the stack of papers next to them.

Honestly, I hadn't expected them to get this friendly already. It had only been three days since I introduced the two of them to each other. If I were to approach them here and now, I could take part in their conversation and add my own opinion.

But seeing those two like that, I thought that was no longer necessary.

Kikuchi used to talk to me, but I was just a temporary remedy for her loneliness. Thinking about it, I wouldn't consider myself a true friend. Our friendship started with Hinami's forced assignments, and I even used her without her being aware of it at all. I've always been lonely, but I'm pretty confident that's not what friends did to each other.

The pair still was a pair; the amount of people hadn't changed, but I hoped that the bond between them would grow stronger than it had between me and Kikuchi. She didn't need me.

I couldn't read her mind, so I wasn't sure how she thought of me. I probably had made a good impression on her considering I was her sole book-buddy. But my place had been taken by someone else, and that was fine. In fact, it was how things should be.