This Villainess Shall Vow to Live Humbly and Frugally this Time Around

Five: In Love... Agai- Nope. Not Again. (part 2)

"Kouzuki-senpai, Natsume-kun, Akina-chan, it's rare to see you three together in school. You think so too, right, Mahiro?"

Kirahara Seiji and Ryuugamine Mahiro.

At some point when I came back here, I imagined what would it be like seeing Ryuugamine Mahiro again but no wondering or imagination could really justify what I felt now as he once again stood in front of me.

Anger, shame, fear, embarrassment, resentment, guilt but there were none of the traces of the love and admiration I believed I had for him in my first life. Was it because we're still children now? Not likely. Even then I admired him. I don't know if I truly loved him though. What I had for him was probably infatuation or obsession more than anything. I tried my best to capture his attention but he always stared back at me with those uninterested and uncaring eyes like he couldn't care less who I was.

He really hadn't cared.

Despite the obvious cold treatment, the foolish me still continued to pursue him for years wishing that just for once he would look my way. From our childhood to our teenage years, he never did. And then Watanabe Risa came and took all that I yearned for so long.

I could still remember their gazes on me during my downfall. Even at that time, Mahiro's gaze on me were still cold and uncaring. For a while, I wondered what I did to deserve that downfall but then I looked back on my actions in the name of 'supposed' love and I could feel the shame surging up inside me.

It was suffocating.

I felt both of my hands squeezed and I felt I could breathe again.

Oh.

My brothers were here with me. I wasn't alone.

"Kirihara, don't call me by my first name and don't call my sister 'Akina-chan', you creep."

Natsume-nii! Please don't call someone a creep to their face even if you were just being honest.

I knew Natsume wasn't the politest human being on earth but I didn't know it was this bad.

"Why? Weren't we friends, Natsume-kun? We're partners for the year too." Kirihara answered, still smiling.

It occurred to me that, yeah, Natsume and Kirihara were on the same grade above me, probably classmates and seatmates if what Kirihara was implying was true.

"Shut up. Don't call me by my first name." Rude, Natsume-nii. Was their relationship this bad before?

"And Akina-chan, how are you? I heard you had an accident." Kirihara continued, unflinching, this time turning to me with a smile.

"Oi, creep, I said don't call my sister that way." I held Natsume's hand tightly. He looked like he wanted to punch Kirihara on the face.