My Childhood Friend, Sometimes a Schoolgirl—She Only Wears That Ribbon Around Me - Episode 9

“…Ugh, I knew it.”

The moment I arrived at school, the expected scene jumped right into view.

Walking along the path from the school gate to the main building was the familiar figure of Yushiro Yua. As she moved forward, more and more students began gathering around her.

It’s been over a week since we reunited, and yet I still haven’t had a chance to exchange contact info with her. This scene right here is exactly why.

Just a few days after her transfer, she had already become so famous that practically no one in school didn’t know her.

These days, a group of students—nicknamed “Yuu’s”, short for “Yua’s Fans”—gather every morning at the station nearest school or by the front gate, waiting for her arrival. The majority of them were girls.

While she did have some male fans thanks to her good looks and kind personality, most of her fanbase was made up of girls—no doubt due to her prince-like, crossdressing appearance.

With that kind of popularity, someone like me, a background extra at best, couldn’t help but hesitate to approach her—even if we were childhood friends.

Still, despite having no clue about what I was going through, Yua continued to act boldly when it came to me.

When she got within a few dozen steps of the main building, she raised herself slightly on her toes and started scanning the crowd.

“Ah—there you are!”

“…She found me.”

Her eyes met mine as she turned around. The next second, Yua left her fan group behind and dashed straight toward me.

Of course, there was no way her fans—fifteen or so in total—were going to just let her go without a chase. They trailed right behind her in a not-so-subtle mob.

“Good morning, Sora.”

She used my first name, Sora, instead of the usual Sora-kun, the childhood nickname I’d asked her to stop using. Even so, I still wasn’t used to hearing her call me that.

“…Morning. Well then, I’ll be going now.”

“Wait, why are you trying to run away already?”

“Wouldn’t you want to run too, if you were me right now?”

When I glanced behind her, I found myself on the receiving end of some deadly glares from her fan club—people who were clearly head over heels for her.

“Who’s this guy? What’s his relationship to Yuu-sama?”

“Stop trying to flirt. We’ll end you.”

“This the childhood friend dude? Let’s take his balls.”

Their words were laced with open hostility—and straight-up threats. All I could do was force a smile and give them a polite bow.

Apparently, the members of “Yuu’s” called Yua Yuu-sama out of pure admiration and loyalty. She wasn’t just a regular student anymore—she was practically royalty.

And yet, even with that kind of royal status, Yua still made a beeline for me—the lowly commoner—whenever she spotted me. Just like now.

Thanks to that, my own name was starting to circulate more around the school. Even when I was walking alone, I was getting noticed more and more—and not in a good way.

But if I flipped that perspective, I realized her approaching me like this was also a rare chance.

“Sora, is something wrong?”

Yua tilted her head, looking a little puzzled as I stared at her face.

Should I directly ask her to come over for dinner? Or maybe just ask for her contact info so I could message her later? Either way, which option made more sense in this situation?

“H-Hey, um…”

I could feel “Yuu’s” listening in on every word. Depending on what I said, their hostility might spread like wildfire across the entire school.

The pressure was so intense, it felt like I was about to make a public confession or something. My heart pounded like crazy just imagining it.

I took a deep breath, opened my mouth—and said:

“…Sorry, never mind!”

In the end, I bailed.

No matter how hard I tried to focus only on Yua, her fan club was always there, looming in the background. And if someone overheard us, rumors could spread and hurt her reputation too.

At this rate, there was no way I’d ever be able to get her contact info, let alone invite her to my place.

—But that didn’t mean I had no plan at all.

As I jogged away from her, one idea came to mind. A way to pull Yua away from all the people constantly surrounding her.