My Childhood Friend, Sometimes a Schoolgirl—She Only Wears That Ribbon Around Me - Episode 5

A soft feeling pressed against my face, and I stumbled backward, landing hard on my butt.

“Ow…! Seriously, what the hell was that all about!?”

Caught off guard, I quickly pulled my face back and shouted without thinking.

Standing right in front of me was the transfer student—with jet-black, wolf-cut hair that faded into a striking red at the ends, and bright brown eyes.

“Sorry. I just didn’t expect to see you here. I got kind of emotional…”

Getting emotional the second you see someone’s face—what does that even mean?

He was straddling my lower body, practically on all fours, leaning over me and staring into my eyes.

Apparently, I had been hugged by him just as he came out of the girls’ bathroom.

At some point, the grip Minamikata had on my hand must’ve loosened, because luckily she didn’t get dragged into this whole mess. When I looked up, I saw her staring down at us, eyes wide in shock.

“Hey, get off me already! How long are you planning to stay in this position!?”

“Yeah, you’re right… But I’m not sure I can just yet.”

“Huh? What!?”

He wrapped his arms around my back and hugged me tightly.

He didn’t seem to care at all that I was clearly confused and trying to resist. He just wouldn’t let go.

I’m not the type who gets butterflies over a good-looking guy. And I’ve never once wanted to be hugged by another guy either. So… what is this feeling?

My cheeks were getting unusually warm, and on top of that, his strangely familiar scent was making my head spin in a weirdly pleasant way… But I couldn’t stay like this forever.

Grabbing his shoulders, I forcefully pushed him away to get some distance between us.

“You! What’s your deal, acting like this when we just met!? And how the hell do you even know my name!?”

“…Even seeing me this close, you still don’t remember me?”

He looked up at me with a sad, almost lonely expression.

Looking at him like this… is it just me, or is he kind of cute? Wait, no—he’s a guy! Don’t go there, brain!

Still, he didn’t look familiar at all. Even if we had met in kindergarten or grade school, I should remember something about him. He’s way too good-looking—someone like that, I’d never forget meeting.

But—there was one person. Just one person who vaguely came to mind.

Only problem was… the memory didn’t match up. The person in my memory was a girl, not a guy.

A transfer student from Tokyo, a beautiful face, and that nostalgic scent… And despite being a “stranger,” he somehow knew my name.

Bit by bit—slowly but surely—his image started to overlap with hers in my mind.

“When we’re both grown up and meet again, let’s get married.”

“…!”

The moment those words came out of his mouth, everything clicked.

I still remembered that cheesy promise from our elementary school days. And there was only one person in the world I’d ever said that to.

“Yua… Are you that Yua?”

When I asked, a smile spread across her face—soft, happy, and full of relief.

“…I’m so glad. You finally remembered me…”

After nearly eight years, I was finally seeing that familiar expression again. Her adorable smile hadn’t changed one bit… Well, okay—some things had changed. A lot, actually.

To be honest, the reason I didn’t recognize her right away was because she was wearing that uniform.

Yua Yushiro.
My childhood friend, who moved away back in elementary school—
had returned, dressed like a boy.

The outfit she was wearing was clearly the boys’ school uniform. And when I saw her from a distance in the classroom earlier, her androgynous looks had totally convinced me she was just another handsome guy.

I bet most of the students who aren’t in her class think the same thing—that she’s a guy. Just like I did.

The more I thought about it, the less sense it made. Up until at least third grade, she was never into this kind of fashion. She used to wear really cute clothes—well, “girly” might be the better way to describe them, even if it sounds outdated.

So during the time we were apart—during these past eight years—when did Yua start dressing like a guy?

“Ah… ahh…”

When I glanced to the side, I saw Minamikata breathing kind of heavily, her face completely red. Yua stood up and walked over to her.

“Um… you’re Minamikata -san, right?”

“Y-y-yes! I’m Saho Minamikata , ma’am!!”

…Okay, that was definitely not her usual self.

Her words were a bit jumbled, and her whole face was flushed like she had a fever.

“Sorry. I overheard your conversation in the bathroom earlier. Sora-kun only came to check things out because he was worried after seeing a ‘guy’ go into the girls’ bathroom.”

Yua gently took Minamikata ’s hands in hers, looking her straight in the eye.

“Sora-kun isn’t a stalker or anything, and he didn’t do anything wrong. So please… keep being a good friend to him, just like before.”

“Ah…!”

Namikata suddenly straightened her posture, and her skin turned an even deeper shade of red in an instant.

“H-Hey… Minamikata, are you feeling okay?”

“…So…”

“Huh?”

I couldn’t make out what she said and let out a dumb sound in response.

“S-So cool…!”

Cool…? Did she just say cool!?

Right after that, Minamikata covered her face with her hands and bolted away at full speed.

“Wait… did I say something weird? Did I make her hate me or something…?”

Yua tilted her head in worry, clearly not hearing Minamikata’s tiny whisper.

“You’re seriously dangerous, you know that?”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“…Never mind.”

All I could do was sigh in defeat.
Today had just handed me yet another loss.