[Vol 1] Ore ga Moteru no wa Kaishaku Chigai: Oshi Bishoujo-tachi ni Hasamaremashita Chapter 1

Chapter 1 - 『Precious』 is justice

 

Private Yuri-no-Miya High School.

The high school I attend used to be an all-girls school until fairly recently. However, due to the effects of the declining birthrate, it became co-ed starting last year—the year I enrolled.

That said, the image of it being a girls’ school still lingers, and in reality, there are still more female students than male ones.

And maybe because of that, you see it a lot at this school. For some reason, girls who stand extremely close to each other, flirting and being all lovey-dovey.

“Hey, Kaede〜! Look at this video! My Mii-chan is, like, insanely funny〜!”

“Hehe. Ruka-chan’s cat is really cute. But I think I like Ruka-chan even more, you know?”

“Geez, idiot. Cut it out already〜”

Giggle. Giggle.

While heading toward the classroom, two girls came from down the hallway, playfully teasing each other in sweet voices. Smiling happily, they tightly held hands—locked in a firm lovers’ grip.

Honestly, it wasn’t a rare sight.

Maybe because it used to be a girls’ school, there are a lot of girls here with almost no sense of personal space. You could call it yuri, I guess. I was surprised at first, but now it’s just everyday scenery.

This school really is something. There are already tons of cute girls here, and on top of that, those beautiful girls hold hands, link arms, and sometimes even sit on each other’s laps, interacting at an incredibly close distance.

And right now, at this very school, there were three girls in particular who had caught my attention.

“Hey, Renka-chan, listen, listen〜!”

The moment I opened the classroom door, a high-pitched, sweet voice reached my ears.

Usami Toa-san. A cute girl with pink-beige long hair and an adorable face. She’s small—about 150 centimeters tall—and paired with her innocent smile, she looks especially young.

She’s friendly and fluffy, the beloved mascot of our class.

And the one she was talking to was—

“Oh? What is it? Sounds interesting?”

Saotome Renka-san. With her golden long straight hair and loosely worn uniform, she’s a gyaru through and through. The buttons of her shirt are undone, showing her pale neckline, and her skirt is so short it looks like you might catch a glimpse of her thighs. Still, she’s not delinquent at all—she’s bright, kind, and friendly to everyone.

As if it were the most natural thing in the world, Toa-san climbed onto Renka-san’s lap. Renka-san accepted it without hesitation and gently stroked Toa-san’s head.

“So, you know〜! This was just the other day, but Shiori-chan was suuuper cute〜!”

“No way!? What happened!? Tell me, tell me!”

Toa-san bounced around excitedly on Renka-san’s lap while Renka-san doted on her.

Then, another beautiful girl rushed over to them.

“H-hey…! Wait a second, Toa…!”

Hoshimiya Shiori-san. A calm-looking girl with beautiful black medium-length hair. She’s the class representative, the textbook example of a literary girl. Because she doesn’t talk much, other girls seem to label her as plain, but thanks to her refined features, she’s actually very popular with the boys. A genuine beauty, easily on par with the other two.

Among all the cute girls at our school, these three stood out even more than the rest.

And I was enjoying watching their yuri interactions.

It’s not that I’m especially into yuri itself. I just like their relationship.

Watching the cutest girls get along so well, flirting and teasing each other.

“Please don’t tell anyone about what happened the other day…!”

“Mkyu.”

Cutting between the two, Shiori-san hurriedly covered Toa-san’s mouth.

Even reserved Shiori-san became proactive when it came to her close friends, Toa-san and Renka-san.

“Shiori-chan? Was that something I wasn’t supposed to say?”

“Of course it was…! It’s embarrassing……”

“But Renka-chan would totally get all doki-doki too, you know〜? The story about how you played with the cats at the pet shop for two whole hours.”

Moving away from Renka-san, Shiori-san leaned in close and whispered.

Meanwhile, the one left out—Renka-san—

“Hey, hey! It’s not fair to have secrets just between you two!”

—quickly ran over to them.

“Let me join tooー. Tickletickletickleー”

“Ahahaha! R-Renka-chan! Stop it! That tickles〜!”

Hugging Toa-san from behind, Shiori-san tickled her sides. The two pressed closely together like lovers, laughing loudly.

But at that point, she couldn’t stay silent.

“Hey. Renka, that’s enough.”

As usual, Shiori-san stepped in between them to protect Toa-san.

Almost like she was jealous.

“Eeh〜? A little is fine, right? Toa-chin’s reactions are cute!”

“No. You always go too far.”

Saying that, Shiori-san pulled Toa-san closer to herself, then glared at Renka-san.

“Don’t get so touchy with my Toa.”

The words slipped out of Shiori-san’s mouth.

At that, Toa-san’s eyes sparkled.

“W-wah! Shiori-chan just dere’d toward me!”

“Ah… n-no, that’s not…! I didn’t mean it like that……”

[TLN: “Dere (デレ)” comes from Japanese word (as in tsundere, deredere) and refers to someone suddenly showing affection, sweetness, or romantic interest]

“Eeh〜? You totally did! You definitely dere’d just now! You said 『my Toa』!”

“That was just a figure of speech……”

Blushing bright red, Shiori-san tried to brush it off.

But Toa-san didn’t care—she dove straight into Shiori-san’s chest.

“Eheheー♪ I belong to Shiori-chan〜♪”

“……!”

Overwhelmed by Toa-san’s innocent affection, Shiori-san forgot even her excuse.

Seeing that, Renka-san grew jealous this time.

“Ahー! You two are flirting again! Then I’ll become Shiorin’s too!”

“I-idiot! Don’t say embarrassing things!”

Mimicking Toa-san and hugging her, Renka-san made Shiori-san’s face turn even redder.

Listening from my seat in the corner of the classroom, I couldn’t help but let out a sigh of admiration.

No—actually, it wasn’t just me.

“Ahh〜. Getting healed first thing in the morning again. Toa-chan and the others are seriously the best.”

“Yeah. I’m really glad I came to this school……”

As expected of top-tier beauties across all grades, their flirting held the attention of the few boys present.

“Those three are way too precious…… They’re totally dating.”

The thought slipped out of my mouth.

Then—

“Nope. No way they’re dating. Think about it normally—they’re just friends.”

The boy sitting next to me said flatly.

Sasajima Minoru. One of my few male friends at this school. He leaned back in his chair with a slightly lethargic expression.

“Minoru…… how can you be so sure?”

“Girls are just like that. They deliberately get all close and enjoy the couple-like vibe. My older sister used to do the same thing with her friends—holding hands, hugging, all that.”

Minoru said with a yawn.

“That stuff happens all the time in real life. It’s basically pretend-dating. Sure, some people really are going out, but not everyone. What you’re imagining is just wishful thinking, Souma.”

“But that closeness totally looks like they’re dating. Just look at how precious they are.”

“That’s exactly what pretend-dating is. It’s not yuri or anything. And if they really were dating, wouldn’t it be weird for all three to be together?”

“Well, see, it’s a complicated love triangle. Personally, I think childhood friends Shiori-san and Renka-san are the solid couple. But that’s exactly why I want to root for Toa-san. Watching how Toa-san, doted on by both childhood friends, approaches them—that’s what I’m excited for.”

“Hey, Souma. What are you even talking about?”

Minoru looked at me in disbelief.

Seems like he doesn’t share my interests. He tried to lecture me with the eyes of someone pitying the delusional. “Face reality. They’re just friends.”

While we were talking—

“What’re you guys talking about? Let me in too.”

A boy walked up toward the three girls.

Renka-san turned around, eyes wide.

“Satou-kun…? It’s nothing special……”

“Eeh〜? No way. You guys looked like you were having fun.”

“No, really, it’s not something to talk about……”

The mood dampened, Renka-san looked troubled. Toa-san seemed a bit uneasy, and socially awkward Shiori-san hid behind the other two.

Meanwhile, the boy called Satou ignored their reactions and grinned at them.

“It’s fine. Let’s get along, yeah? We’re classmates after all.”

There it is…… a guy barging into yuri.

Lots of guys want to get close to beauties like Renka-san and the others. They’re always looking for an opening. Given that this used to be a girls’ school, there are even aggressive guys who enrolled specifically to chase girls.

“Can’t be helped.”

I muttered quietly and stood up.

Suppressing my irritation toward Satou, I slowly walked over to him.

“Satou-kun. Sorry, but could you help me with something?”

“Huh……?”

Satou turned around with a dumbfounded voice.

“Komazawa-sensei from history asked me to move all the desks in the social studies prep room to an empty classroom. It’s rough alone, so I could really use your help.”

“Why me?”

“Because I heard you’re reliable. A really kind guy who helps when someone’s in trouble.”

“Huh……? Who said that……”

No one did. But if I say it like that, he can’t easily refuse in front of the girls. Of course, the request itself is a lie.

And I press on.

“Anyway, please. There’s no time.”

“Hey, wait! Don’t pull my arm!”

Somewhat forcefully—but as quickly as possible—I dragged him away from the three girls, leading the fool who tried to wedge himself into yuri down a deserted hallway.

Then Satou shouted angrily.

“Hey! I was talking to girls just now! Learn to read the room!”

“That’s my line, idiot.”

I glared at him in return.

“……!?”

“Don’t barge into conversations like that. All three of them were uncomfortable, weren’t they?”

Hit by my anger, Satou nodded with a weak “wa-wakattayo……” before running off as if fleeing.

“Phew.”

Interrupting people who are happily chatting when you’re not close to them is bad manners. Especially when it’s girls.

When girls are cutely having fun together, a guy butting in kills the mood. It could even scare them. Men shouldn’t approach girls carelessly.

Of course, I myself won’t wedge into their space either. I don’t want to bother them—I just want to quietly watch their flirting without spoiling it.

“Alright…… I’ll hit the bathroom, then head back to class.”

Another guy might try approaching Renka-san and the others. I need to keep a proper watch.

While savoring their yuri to the fullest!

 

※

 

──Right after Souma left. Inside the classroom.

“Ahh—so tired. Even if Satou comes on that aggressively, it’s still a pain.”

“Ahaha…… yeah, that was kinda awkward~”

“I’m done…… exhausted……”

“Nah, Shiorin, you’re just way too timid. You’re basically a social-communication disaster.”

“B-But…… if it’s not someone I’m close to, I don’t know what I’m supposed to talk about……”

“Still, Souma-kun really saved us today!”

“For real. I mean, isn’t Souma-kun, like, super kind? Whenever guys start bothering us, he always casually steps in to help.”

“It’s not just us either! I’ve seen him do the same when other girls were in trouble—he keeps the guys away.”

“Ahh. There are a lot of girls who find pushy guys annoying, after all. Maybe he picks up on that and acts without making a big deal of it?”

“I’m sure that’s it! It feels like he’s always paying attention to what’s going on around him. And you know what? He never approaches girls on his own!”

“No ulterior motives or anything—how perfect is that?! That calm, not-trying-too-hard vibe is so attractive!!”

“As a girl, that totally makes your heart skip a beat~!”

“…………”

“Huh? Shiorin, what’s wrong?”

“……Do you think Naruse-kun has someone he likes……?”

“Eh!? Shiori-chan, did you fall for Souma-kun!?”

“Whoa, seriously!? Shiorin’s first love?! First love!”

“N-No……! That’s not what I mean! It’s just—doesn’t Naruse-kun himself seem uninterested in girls……? Other guys are usually way more obvious about it……”

“Ahh, true. Could it be that Souma-kun actually likes guys?”

“He doesn’t seem like that, though……”

“But Shiorin, you like Toa-chin more than guys anyway, right?”

“I only like her as a friend. I don’t look at her in a sexual way.”

“Seriously? Isn’t that kinda rude to Toa-chin? She’s so tiny and cute. There, there~”

“Kyan! Ahahaha!”

“Don’t casually tickle Toa. And honestly, looking at her sexually would be more disrespectful.”

“Still…… I might be a little curious too. What kind of girl do you think Souma-kun likes?”

“Maybe he already has a girlfriend…… That’s why he’s not interested in the girls in our class……”

“Ehh! That’d be so disappointing! I don’t want Souma-kun to already be taken!”

“Honestly, I kinda get that~ There’s really no one else like Souma-kun.”

“He definitely seems like the type who’d be popular. I’d be…… a little disappointed too.”

“Hmm. If I ever get the chance, I’d like to get closer to him.”

 

※

 

A crisis threatening yuri doesn’t only come from men trying to wedge themselves in between. Sometimes, the girls end up creating problems themselves.

“Hey, why would you say something like that!? You don’t have to be so harsh!”

“That’s because Renka is so sloppy.”

It happened one morning.

I had come to the classroom as usual and was chatting idly with Minoru when—

Renka-sab and Shiori-san arrived at school together, arguing loudly.

“You oversleep every single time…… thanks to that, we’re almost late again today.”

“I told you I’m sorry already!”

“Just apologizing doesn’t mean you’re reflecting at all. Try thinking about how I feel, having to wake you up.”

I see. From what I can tell, Shiori-san finally snapped over Renka-san’s constant sloppiness, and it turned into a heated argument.

No, but wait.

“Minoru! It sounds like Shiori-san goes to Renka-san’s place every day to wake her up! Aren’t they insanely close!? That totally means they’re mutually in love!”

“Now is not the time for that……”

Just as Minoru pointed out in exasperation, the argument between the two kept escalating.

“How many times do we have to repeat this? I even let you copy my homework every time…… try being a little more independent!”

“I am independent! I do my homework myself once every three times! Help me with the other two! You’re so stingy!”

“You’re just shameless! That’s it—I’m not waking you up anymore, Renka!”

With a huff, the two turned their faces away from each other.

This argument was more intense than usual. So intense that Toa-san—who normally steps in to mediate between them—was left flustered and unsure of what to do.

Their fights themselves are nothing unusual—just everyday occurrences.

Shiori-san is neat, serious, and strict about everything, while Renka-san’s sloppiness really stands out. If those two are together, it’d be stranger if they didn’t clash.

But this time, things felt more heated than normal.

“This feels…… kinda bad, doesn’t it?”

“You think so? She just said she won’t wake her up anymore.”

Minoru was taking it optimistically, but I was worried.

If two people who are complete opposites get into a serious fight, making up afterward would be pretty difficult. Especially for Shiori-san—given her position, it’d be hard for her to apologize first.

Normally, Shiori-san is quiet and plain in personality, and despite being a beautiful girl popular with boys, her standing among girls is weak. But when it comes to her childhood friend Renka-san, she can act tough. If you were to describe it in seme–uke terms, Shiori-san would be the seme and Renka-san the uke.

[TLN: Seme (攻め) and uke (受け) are Japanese fandom terms describing personality dynamics: seme refers to the more assertive or dominant role, while uke refers to the more passive or receptive one.]

Since she’s usually the one scolding Renka-san, it’d be hard for Shiori-san to lower herself and give in.

Renka-san also looked pretty stubborn right now, so reconciliation didn’t seem easy.

“At this rate, they might even break up……”

“I don’t get what you mean by ‘break up,’ but yeah… they might grow distant.”

“That would be a problem…… I guess I’ll have to step in.”

As someone who watches over their yuri, this is not something I can just ignore.

And honestly—this might even be a chance.

A chance to deepen the bond between these childhood friends, and witness even cuter flirting than before.

 

※

 

“Usami-san. Do you have a moment?”

“Ah, yeah. What is it, Souma-kun?”

The library after school.

While returning the books that had been checked in to their shelves, I spoke to Toa-san beside me.

She and I are both members of the library committee. And today, by good timing, it was the two of us on duty together.

“That book you just put back is on the wrong shelf. Mystery novels go on the shelf next to it.”

“Huh……? Ah! Sorry! You’re right……”

She fixed the book’s position and let out a small sigh. Toa-san lowered her head, looking a bit downcast.

“Are you okay? You seem kind of low on energy today.”

“Y-Yeah, I’m fine. I was just thinking about something……”

“Is it about Renka-san and Shiori-san? It looked like they were arguing earlier.”

Toa-san’s hands froze in place.

Normally, we don’t talk outside of committee-related business. But this was an emergency. I needed to hear the details.

“Yeah…… actually, that’s what’s been bothering me. I only met the two of them after starting high school, but…… I’ve never seen them fight that badly before.”

“Do you mind telling me what caused the fight?”

“Mm……”

The three of them usually meet up and walk to school together, chatting happily along the way.

According to Toa-san, the trigger really was Renka-san’s lifestyle habits. No matter how many times she was warned, she kept being late and forgetting her homework. On top of that, she’d just laugh it off. That attitude finally made Shiori-san snap.

If that’s the case, then this is simple.

“A〜A…… What can I do to get the two of them to make up?”

“Yeah. It might be hard to fix things right away.”

“I figured…… Still, isn’t there something we could do……?”

“Hmm…… if you don’t mind something a bit superstitious, I do know a little charm.”

“A charm?”

Toa-san tilted her head cutely.

“Yeah. A charm for getting along again. Apparently, it started with girls who couldn’t bring themselves to apologize honestly, as a way to show their feelings—and it eventually spread.”

“What!? That sounds perfect for those two! They are both pretty stubborn, after all!”

Hooked.

“Rather than forcing them to apologize outright, I think it’d be better to teach them that charm.”

“You’re right! I’m sure they both want to make up anyway…… I’ll tell them about it tomorrow!”

Perfect…… exactly the reaction I was hoping for.

If I were the one to teach Shiori-san and Renka-san about the 『make-up charm』, I’d stand out too much. I want Toa-san to be the one to pass it on. A man who watches over yuri should work behind the scenes.

And this 『charm』 isn’t just about making them reconcile.

It’s also part of a plan to admire those precious two!

“So, what exactly is this charm?”

“Right. It’s about exchanging 『──』 as proof of being close.”

 

※

 

“Seriously—this is the worst!”

The day after her fight with Shiori.

During lunch break, Renka was in the infirmary, wiping down her soaked clothes.

“Ugh…… if this was going to happen, I never should’ve become a health committee member……!”

She scrubbed her drenched shirt and tie with a towel. Through the wet fabric, the fullness of her chest wrapped in underwear faintly showed.

This whole mess was because of her health committee duties.

As part of their job, the health committee regularly conducted water quality inspections—using a special kit to check whether there were any abnormalities in the tap water.

While collecting water samples from each floor, there was one faucet that was clearly strange.

Whether it was someone’s prank, the faucet had been partially covered with tape. Because of that, when Renka turned on the water, the stream shot straight toward her, soaking her shirt and tie.

“Gahhh—seriously, who did this!? Whoever pulled such a childish prank!”

Her face flushed red as Renka shouted alone in the infirmary.

Burning with misplaced anger, she searched for a spare shirt and tie.

“Aaah. Man…… I’m seriously unlucky today. And on top of that, I’m still fighting with Shiorin……”

Renka muttered with a sigh.

The two of them were still dragging yesterday’s argument along. They hadn’t exchanged a single word today, and it was obvious that Shiori was still angry.

But Renka was angry too.

“Yeah, sure, it started because of me, but did she really have to be that harsh……?”

She puffed out her cheeks sulkily. The anger from getting drenched slowly rewrote itself into frustration toward Shiori.

But that feeling didn’t last long.

“I know…… I know it’s my fault……”

She let out another sigh, then spoke in a voice tinged with tears.

“She probably wouldn’t forgive me…… even if I apologized……”

Even though Shiori was always nagging her, it was rare for her to get that genuinely angry. Renka’s thoughts spiraled darker—maybe Shiori really didn’t want to see her face anymore.

Thinking that way made it hard to simply say “I’m sorry!” outright. She was afraid of being clearly rejected, and couldn’t bring herself to face Shiori.

And if they did face each other, it felt like they’d just start arguing again.

The only way she could think of to apologize…… was that 『make-up charm』 Toa had told her about today.

But even that required courage.

Exchanging something like 『that』 isn’t something people normally do.

“Haa…… I need to hurry back.”

Break time was almost over. She wiped away the tears that had welled up and hurried to look for a spare shirt. There should’ve been extra uniforms in the infirmary.

Before long, she found a storage case tucked under the bed.

“Huh……? There’s only a shirt. Is there no spare tie……?”

As Renka rummaged through the case—

The infirmary door suddenly opened.

“Renka!”

“Wah!? What!?”

Startled by the sudden voice, she spun around.

In that instant, the tension she’d felt—thinking it might be a boy—shifted into an entirely different kind.

“S-Shiorin……!?”

Shiori stood there, her face pale.

“Why are you here……?”

“I heard from some girls in our class that you went to the infirmary…… Did you get hurt? Are you okay?”

Shiori hurried over, looking anxious.

With the distance suddenly closed, Renka’s face flushed hot.

“I-I’m fine! My shirt just got wet, so I came to dry it off!”

“Eh……? Oh, thank goodness……”

Shiori let out a sigh of relief from the bottom of her heart.

Meanwhile, Renka felt oddly restless.

“M-More importantly! I’m about to change, so get out!”

“There’s no need to be embarrassed. I don’t care about seeing you change.”

“I care, you idiot! It’s hard to relax when someone’s watching!”

Renka hurriedly grabbed the spare shirt. Since there was no replacement tie, it looked like she’d have to use the wet one.

“Wait.”

Shiori called out.

“That tie—it's soaked too, isn’t it?”

“Yeah, it is! So what!?”

Embarrassment and awkwardness made her words sharper than she intended.

Ah…… there I go again. Even when I want to apologize, I end up sounding aggressive. I cover up my weakness with harsh words. Even though Shiori clearly came all this way because she was worried about me……

As Renka sank into self-loathing—

Shiori loosened her own tie and held it out to her.

“Eh……?”

Renka’s eyes widened, not understanding what was happening.

Shiori, meanwhile, spoke straight ahead.

“This…… you can use my tie.”

At those words, Renka remembered.

This morning. What Toa had told her after they arrived at school—the charm for making up.

『If you exchange ties with each other, you’ll definitely make up!』

She’d been surprised such a method existed, but hadn’t been able to go through with it.

And now, it was being proposed to her instead.

“Th-Then…… can I have your tie in return……?”

Shiori lowered her gaze shyly. From the looks of it, she knew about the charm.

As if drawn along, Renka lowered her eyes too.

“B-But…… mine’s all wet……”

“It’s fine…… hurry.”

“Eh—kyah!”

Shiori pushed on Renka’s shoulder.

Caught off guard, Renka couldn’t react and fell backward, ending up lying on the bed.

“Give it to me…… your tie.”

“—!”

Shiori climbed on top of her. Her body felt impossibly light, making Renka think, 'Is she some kind of fairy?' At the same time, Shiori looked straight down at her with beautiful eyes.

Renka instinctively covered her chest. Her shirt was wet, and her bra was faintly visible. Even though they were both girls, it was still embarrassing to be seen like that.

But Shiori didn’t seem to care. She reached for Renka’s neck.

Her delicate, beautiful fingers slid along the wet tie, loosening it smoothly.

“S-Shiori……!”

“Be quiet.”

Shiori removed the wet tie.

Then, in its place, she pressed her own tie into Renka’s hands.

“The tie…… can we exchange ours……?”

Her voice was faint, almost trembling.

As if afraid, Shiori asked Renka.

Seeing that, Renka understood. Shiori wanted to make up too. She’d felt the same way all along.

“……Mmm. Thanks, Shiorin.”

Renka accepted the tie from Shiori, then whispered softly.

“I’m sorry…… for always being so selfish.”

“I’m sorry too…… for saying too much.”

They’d finally said it.

Now, at last, they could make up.

The relief filling her chest made Renka feel like she might smile without thinking. Shiori seemed to feel the same—her expression looked softer than usual.

Renka and Shiori smiled faintly at each other, sharing the same quiet happiness.

And then—at that moment.

For some reason, while still straddling Renka, Shiori began taking off her own shirt.

“Huh? W-Wait, Shiorin!? Why are you undoing the buttons—!?”

“You can use my shirt too, while we’re at it.”

“Hah!?”

“If you leave it like that, your underwear will show, right?”

The buttons at her chest came undone, and Shiori’s shirt fell open.

Her chest—unexpectedly larger than Renka’s—and the sexy black bra covering it were fully exposed.

The flawless, pure-white skin formed a beautiful cleavage—so beautiful that even Renka, another girl, couldn’t help but have her gaze drawn to it. Renka had known her for years, but Shiori’s skin really was stunning.

No—this wasn’t the time for that.

From an outsider’s perspective, it looked like Shiori had pushed Renka down and was doing something indecent. It would be bad if someone came in.

“H-Hey! Stop it! I already have a shirt! There’s a spare in the infirmary!”

“Eh?”

Renka pointed at the storage case she’d pulled out from under the bed.

Shiori blinked, eyes going wide.

“……Ah. Right……”

She moved away from Renka and muttered quietly.

Perhaps embarrassed that she’d jumped to conclusions and exposed her underwear, she hurriedly fastened her buttons back up.

Seeing her like that, Renka finally burst out laughing.

 

※

 

“Ahh…… so precious……!”

Listening to Renka’s laughter, I muttered to myself and nodded in satisfaction.

I was standing out in the hallway, listening to the voices of the two inside the infirmary.

I couldn’t see them, but right now they were probably wearing each other’s ties. Just imagining it made my heart flutter.

A yuri couple secretly exchanging ties where no one could see. The ultimate form of flirting—『always wearing a part of the other』—without ever showing it off to those around them. A secret shared only between the two girls in love. There could be nothing more precious than that kind of bond.

“Still, I’m glad they managed to make up.”

It was worth it—telling Toa-san about the make-up charm and even pulling a little prank with the faucet so the two of them would have an easy excuse to exchange kties. With this, those two would surely keep flirting lovingly from now on. All while wearing each other’s neckties.

“Those two really are precious.”

Savoring my sense of fulfillment, I headed back to the classroom ahead of them.

 

※

 

"Souma-kun, that was amazing! Thank you!"

After school, in the library.

While I was doing my work, Toa-san spoke to me.

"Renka-chan and Shiori-chan managed to make up thanks to that charm! Just like you said, Souma-kun!"

"I see. I’m glad it was helpful."

In truth, I’d been watching from the shadows, but there was no way I could openly admit that. I nodded along as naturally as possible.

"Those two were especially close today~. Except during class, Renka-chan was clinging to Shiori-chan the whole time, you know? I’m really glad they’re back to normal~"

"Haha. That does sound heartwarming."

Of course, I’d seen it too. Normally, when Renka-san got all clingy, Shiori-san would snap back at her with sharp words… but today, there was none of that.

Right now, Shiori-san probably wanted to be all lovey-dovey with Renka-san as well. It was unbearably precious.

"And after this, they’re going to a crepe shop together! Ah! Look! They’re outside right now!"

Led by Toa-san, I looked out the window.

On the school grounds, the familiar pair was walking close together. Renka-san was holding onto Shiori-san’s arm.

"They really do get along well."

"Right~! You’d never think they’d been fighting~. And during P.E. this afternoon too? They were both suuuper cute~"

As she returned the books from circulation to the shelves, Toa-san talked excitedly, almost bouncing as she did.

"We had volleyball today, and those two were on the same team~. During break time, Renka-chan started resting her head on Shiori-chan’s lap~. And Shiori-chan didn’t complain at all~"

What a thing to hear. That was wonderful.

While us guys were out running laps on the field, such a major incident had been happening.

"Hey~. Those two are just too cute, right~? You could stab them into your eyes and it still wouldn’t hurt~!"

"I think the saying is ‘put them in your eyes.’ If you stab them, that would definitely hurt."

Still, Toa-san herself, happily chattering about those cute episodes, was also unbearably cute. She was like a girl bragging about her beloved couple—far too precious.

To me, Toa-san was an extremely important presence who helped bring the yuri world to life.

Two girls together are just a couple, but add a third and a story begins. For relationships to really heat up, her existence was indispensable.

She was always a bit airheaded—kind of like a lovable idiot—and that only made her more endearing. She was the kind of girl you couldn’t help but want to cheer for. Toa-san was, in other words, an oshi girl.

"But since they finally made up, I kind of want to talk with them more too~"

Suddenly, Toa-san murmured as she gazed at the two outside the window.

"I wanted to go to the crepe shop with them too…"

I see… While Renka-san and Shiori-san were fighting, they weren’t the only ones who suffered.

Toa-san, who was close with both of them, must have felt lonely too.

More than anything, as someone who loved both of them, constantly watching Renka-san and Shiori-san flirting must have been painful in its own way.

"Hey… I’ll be fine on my own today. You should go home with them."

Before I realized it, the words had left my mouth.

"Eh…?"

"You want to be with them, right? You can take your time and talk."

"I-it’s fine~! I didn’t mean it like that!"

Waving both hands wildly, Toa-san denied it like a child.

I spoke gently to her.

"I’m really fine on my own. There’s not much work left anyway. More than that, it would bother me if you were the one left behind."

Because of this fight, the childhood-friend quarrel couple had probably deepened their bond. As a result, comparatively speaking, Toa-san was one step behind.

I didn’t want her to fall any further back just because she got stuck with committee duty.

"Anyway, I can handle the work alone."

"B-but…"

"If you don’t hurry, they’ll go home without you."

Renka-san and Shiori-san were getting closer and closer to the school gate.

Seeing that, Toa-san hesitated with a small "Uu…" Then her eyes sharpened with resolve.

"Sorry, Souma-kun… I’ll definitely make it up to you next time!"

"No, you don’t need to. I’d rather you forget about it."

As thanks, just being able to watch her interactions with Shiori-san and Renka-san was more than enough.

"Souma-kun… you’re really humble. That kind of makes you rare."

"Rare?"

"Yeah. Other guys aren’t really like that."

Toa-san picked up her school bag.

"Thank you so much! I’ll run and catch up to them!"

And with that, she hurried off toward the two of them.

Watching through the window, Toa-san soon appeared outside. She caught up to Shiori-san and Renka-san just before they passed through the school gate, and charged straight into the pair walking arm in arm.

Of course, I couldn’t hear their voices, but just from the way they were acting, it was obvious how close they were.

Jumping in without hesitation between such an affectionate childhood-friend quarrel couple… that was impressive.

It seemed Toa-san wasn’t just a simple 『lovable, fluffy girl』. Maybe, when it came to romance, she was the type who actively went on the offensive.

I was looking forward to seeing how their relationships would develop from here on out.

"Mmmn. I’ll definitely be keeping an eye on them."

Now then, I should finish up my work.

Making beautiful yuri bloom was no easy task.

 

※

 

──After Toa caught up with the two of them.

"Heeey! Renka-chaaan! Shiori-chaaan!"

"Huh? It’s Toa-chin! Yahhoo!"

"Toa, aren’t you on library committee duty today?"

"I was, but Souma-kun took over for me. So I could go home with you two!"

"Eh, seriously?"

"I guess I looked really disappointed about not being able to walk home with you guys, so he was considerate! I tried to refuse, but he said, 『I’m fine on my own』."

"What the heck, that’s insanely nice!"

"Naruse-kun really is a gentleman. I’m surprised there’s a guy like that."

"Right!? Our Toa-chin being taken care of like that…… We’ll have to make it up to him next time!"

"You’re using that phrase wrong……"

"But hey, listen listen! I’m not the only one he helped, you know?"

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"The reason you two made up is thanks to Souma-kun too! The advice I gave you—『If you exchange ties, you’ll make up!』—that was something Souma-kun told me!"

"Eh? Naruse-kun did?"

"Yeah! When I was troubled, he gave me that advice~!"

"No way……! Isn’t Souma-kun just too nice? He helped us out yesterday too when that guy showed up…… This is bad, I might actually fall for him……"

"Ah~. Renka-chan, your face is totally red~?"

"Eh, seriously!? That’s embarrassing! But Souma-kun really is such a good guy! Don’t you think you want to get closer to him?"

"Yeah! I want to know more about what kind of person he is too~"

"Then… I guess I would too……"

"Oh? Shiorin too!? That’s rare!"

"That’s unexpected~! I thought you weren’t good with guys~"

"It’s not like that…… I want friends too……"

"Ehh~? Friends~? Don’t you actually like Souma-kun?"

"I’ll pinch you……?"

"Eek!? Stop it!"

"Ahaha. Renka-chan, teasing’s not allowed~"

"Sorry, sorry. Anyway, let’s try talking to him more next time. Let’s ask him all sorts of things!"