I Accidentally Saw Her Get Dumped — Now the Losing Heroine Senpai Won’t Stop Clinging to Me - Episode 10
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- I Accidentally Saw Her Get Dumped — Now the Losing Heroine Senpai Won’t Stop Clinging to Me
- Episode 10 - Save and Be Saved
After School
Once again, I found myself at the side of the storage shed behind the school building — our so-called “secret place.”
Lately, coming here had become something of a habit. At first, it was just my own private hideout. But now—
“Yahhoo, Haruma-kun!”
—Shirakawa Chiharu-senpai.
Bright, energetic, a little too loud sometimes — but somehow, I couldn’t bring myself to ignore her.
“Hey there, senpai. You’re lively as always.”
“Yup, more or less! Looks like you’re really starting to settle into this place too, huh?”
“Well… it was my spot to begin with…”
“Ehh? Come on, it’s our secret spot now, right?”
She said that with a grin.
That smile of hers — unfairly dazzling. So bright I almost had to look away.
We sat side by side on the concrete that served as a makeshift bench, each holding a bottle of tea, chatting about the usual nonsense.
How the bakery bread sold out way too fast today, or how the P.E. teacher made some ridiculous move in class. Just stuff like that.
Probably nothing anyone else would care about.
But somehow, those simple, aimless moments felt… oddly comforting.
“Hey, Haruma-kun.”
Senpai suddenly spoke in a more serious tone.
“How do I look to you?”
I instinctively put down my bottle.
“…Look, as in?”
“Your impression of me. First impression, current impression — either’s fine. I just wanna hear your honest thoughts.”
She was smiling playfully, but her gaze was dead serious.
I thought for a moment, then answered honestly.
“…You’re cheerful. A little quirky. Popular.
But sometimes… you look kind of lonely.”
Her expression froze.
For just a few seconds, the cheerful mask she always wore slipped away.
“…So, you noticed that.”
She let the words fall out, quietly and honestly.
I opened my mouth, panicked, trying to say something — anything — but nothing came out.
And then, just as quickly, she smiled again.
“Well then, Haruma-kun, starting today— no, actually, continuing from before, I officially appoint you as my comfort squad~!”
Back to her usual tone, she playfully tapped me on the shoulder.
“W-Wait a second. What’s with this ‘squad’ stuff? That’s a lot of responsibility!”
“Nope! Too late! You figured me out, so now you’ve gotta take responsibility!
If I cry later and say ‘comfort meee~’, you better be ready to help, okay?”
She joked, but behind the teasing, her eyes looked just a little lonely.
A face she doesn’t show anyone else.
Those few seconds earlier — that was probably the real her.
Chiharu-senpai is always so full of energy.
She’s friendly, cheerful, and popular with everyone at school.
But underneath that, she watches people carefully, pays attention to how others feel, and pushes herself to keep smiling even when it’s hard.
Her teasing — “comfort me~” — it isn’t just playfulness.
It’s her way of asking someone to notice the sadness she keeps buried deep inside.
Because she can’t say it outright, she masks it with humor and a smile.
She’s always trying to live up to the version of herself that others expect.
And today, I got to see one more new side of her.
“What is it, Haruma-kun? You got quiet all of a sudden. Don’t tell me you’re about to cry?”
“I’m not crying. …I’m just… thinking about a lot of things.”
“Wow, am I really that deep and mysterious?”
“More like…”
I started to speak, but trailed off.
It felt like saying it out loud would somehow ruin the moment.
Senpai didn’t come here just to be pitied by someone like me.
But still—
“…If anything ever happens, you can count on me.
I am your official comfort squad, after all.”
When I said that, Chiharu-senpai looked surprised — then broke into a soft smile.
“What’s that? That’s so cute! You’re being honest!”
“…Please don’t tease me.”
“But I’m happy, really.”
Her smile was as bright as ever.
But I knew the face she showed me earlier wasn’t a lie.
That evening, we both spoke less than usual — but somehow, the quiet wasn’t uncomfortable.
We just sat there, side by side, watching the sunset.
The shadow of the school stretched long across the ground, and the orange-tinted concrete beneath us was bathed in fading light.
Our shadows stretched out in parallel, side by side.
—Maybe I’m not just comforting her.
Maybe she’s the one saving me.
That thought crossed my mind — quietly, unexpectedly.