My Childhood Friend, Sometimes a Schoolgirl—She Only Wears That Ribbon Around Me - Episode 11

Yua swallowed hard, glancing sideways as her cheeks turned red.

“…I wanted you to invite me, not Kanami-san.”

Then, with a shy smile, she pinched the hem of my school uniform and looked up at me.

She’s often called “cool” or “handsome” by both boys and girls alike, but this was the first time she’d shown such a girlish side—just to me. Honestly, it threw me off completely.

“So, Sora-kun… how do you really feel?”

“U-uhh… um…”

I was too flustered to even get words out properly.

Yua took one step closer, shrinking the space between us even more.

“Did you only invite me because Kanami-san told you to? …If that’s the case, then I’m sorry, but I don’t want to go. It’d just feel empty, you know?”

What she really wanted to know—was what I wanted.

For any teenager, inviting someone of the opposite s3x over when you’re not even dating is a pretty big deal.

In this case, I had the excuse of “my sister invited you,” which was kind of like a safety net. But if I took that away, how much did I actually trust Yua? How much did I want her to come?

She was probably worried about that—and testing me, just a little.

“…Come over. Like you used to.”

It was embarrassing to say it out loud, and I couldn’t raise my voice.

But mumbling it under my breath wouldn’t get the message across either.

“…I do want you to come over again, Yua—if you’re okay with it.”

I made sure to say it clearly so she could hear.

The moment the words left my mouth, I felt like I’d caught a fever—my whole body went warm.

I covered my face with both hands and tilted my head up toward the ceiling.

“Hehe… I’m seriously so happy right now.”

Even in the quiet library, her soft voice reached my ears without any trouble.

Peeking between my fingers, I looked at her expression.

Just then, I felt a light pressure against my chest.

“Yua…?”

She was resting her forehead against me, like she was leaning into my chest.

She must’ve felt relieved. Her guard had finally dropped.

“I’m really glad… that you said that.”

Watching her trust me like this somehow made me feel calm, too.

“…Sora-kun. Are you sure it’s okay if I come today?”

She looked up from my chest and tilted her head slightly.

“Yeah. My sister won’t start cooking dinner until she gets back from her vocational school, so it might be a little late, though.”

“I don’t mind if it’s late! I just have to let my grandma know.”

She pulled out her phone and started typing a message to the grandmother she lives with. I opened my messaging app too, to let my sister know the plan was a go.

“…Hey. Can we exchange contact info now? I actually wanted to invite you by message today, but I didn’t have your number.”

“You could’ve just said that this morning. Also, wouldn’t it have been faster to ask me in person?”

“There were too many people around. I couldn’t just casually invite a girl over like that…”

“So instead, you made up that whole secret society act just to call me here?”

“…Yeah. If weird rumors started spreading, it’d be harder for you, right?”

“I wouldn’t care, though. I mean, I don’t like being the subject of rumors, but if it’s with you, Sora-kun…”

“You seriously need to be more aware of how popular you are…”

Even if you don’t care, I’ll be the one getting mobbed by your fans.

Once we were both done messaging our family, we held out our phones to each other and started exchanging LINE info.

“How do you add someone with a QR code again?”

“Actually, I don’t really know either. I hardly ever exchange contact info.”

“Same here. I don’t have many friends, so I’m not used to this. But I’m surprised—you transferred schools, right? Didn’t any classmates ask you?”

“They did, but there were too many people around, and I didn’t want to make a big deal out of it, so I told them I’d think about it. Somehow, that turned into exchanging contact info with me being seen as ‘sneaky’ or like I was trying to get ahead, so I haven’t exchanged with anyone at all.”

…She’s seriously treated like a celebrity or idol at this school.

“…Wait, then does that mean I’m the first person you’ve exchanged contact info with since transferring?”

“That’s right—Sora-kun’s the first.”

Her name, “Yushiro Yua,” popped up in my LINE friends list.

“I wanted you to be my first… So I guess that wish came true.”

Hugging her phone gently to her chest, she smiled.

“A wish? That’s kind of dramatic.”

“Not really. I haven’t been able to contact you for so long… I was really looking forward to being able to talk to you anytime again.”

…Yeah, me too.

I’d been hoping for this day for a long time—being able to talk with Yua like this again.

Hearing how she truly felt made everything click into place for me.

—And just then, out of nowhere…

The door to the empty library creaked open with a dull sound.

“Whoa—! Crap…!”

I was completely off guard and froze for a moment, full-on panicking.

If anyone saw Yua and me having a private moment in here, it wouldn’t take long for the whole school to start buzzing with rumors.

“Sora.”

At the same time Yua called my name, she wrapped one arm around my back.

“Mmgh…!”

Then she clamped her other hand over my mouth to stop me from making a sound.

I crouched down as she guided me, my back pressed against the bookshelf.

Pinned to the wall with my mouth covered, I couldn’t move.

Wait a sec—isn’t this what people call a kabedon!?

Usually it’s the guy pinning the girl against the wall in a romantic moment, but right now the roles were reversed—I was the one being pinned, and she was the one doing the pinning.

From a distance, the librarian’s silhouette appeared, and it honestly felt like we were still playing the “secret society” game.

Maybe it was her getting so close, or maybe it was the rush of old memories—or both—but my heart was pounding like crazy.

“This situation… It’s way more intense than our ‘pretend’ games back then, huh?”

She whispered right into my ear, her breath warm, making sure the librarian wouldn’t hear.

With her this close, I was sure she could hear how fast my heart was beating.

“Hey… Sora-kun.”

“Y-yeah…?”

“Until she leaves… Want to keep playing ‘pretend’ just a little longer?”

Yua leaned in close, barely making a sound.

Normally, my heart would’ve been pounding so hard I couldn’t take it, but seeing her face this close somehow had the opposite effect. It calmed me.

Now that I think about it… it’s been a while since I’ve seen her face this close.

Might as well savor the moment while it lasts.

With her eyes gently closed, Yua’s expression filled me with a strange sense of peace.

—

When the librarian disappeared into the back room, I had Yua leave the library first. If anyone saw us walking the hallway together, the whole point of the secret meetup would be ruined.

A few minutes after she left, I quietly stepped out into the hall on my own.

“…Just my imagination?”

We didn’t do anything wrong. But even so, hiding while meeting with a girl—especially the girl everyone’s been talking about—left me with a strange feeling of guilt.

Maybe that’s why I felt like someone might’ve been watching me. I couldn’t help glancing around nervously.

Still, the fact that I was even worrying about that showed just how much I was aware of being with Yua.

I pulled out my phone and stared at the new contact info I’d just added—Yua’s LINE account.

And then, the phone suddenly buzzed hard in my hand.

“Yua?”

A notification appeared on the screen—a new message.

I tapped it right away and read what she sent.

“…Haha. How long is she planning to keep this going?”

‘Mission complete, Codename: “Sky.”’

Even if she looks different now, Yua’s playful side… hasn’t changed a bit.