It was a simple fact: Himesaki had no friends.
I’d had my suspicions, given her behavior and the way she’d emerged from her classroom all by herself.
"So, have you been alone like this ever since the school year started?"
"Y-Yes... I’m ashamed to admit it," Himesaki replied with a bitter expression.
So, I was right.
To begin with, it was strange that she had the time to mess with a loner like me in the first place. Based on the info I’d gotten from Tanaka, she seemed like a typical popular girl, but the real Himesaki was just cute—she lacked any real "substance" beneath the surface.
Despite using Rui as leverage to blackmail me, she didn't seem particularly obsessed with her. And despite claiming she’d make me her "dog," her orders had been surprisingly innocent.
She was a beauty said to be the equal of the intensely driven Rui Kuroki, yet she lacked that same sharp sense of purpose. She felt... hollow.
"Right after enrollment, people treated me like a celebrity because I was a returnee. Not just my classmates—people from other classes would come over just to see my face or try to talk to me."
"Whoa, how famous were you?"
I didn't think even Rui had experienced that level of scrutiny. It certainly wasn't something that happened to an average student.
"But that was just a passing phase. Gradually, the number of people speaking to me dwindled, and I started to feel a distance between myself and everyone else."
"Distance? Were you being avoided?"
"...It was more of an emotional distance. A distance of the heart."
Himesaki stopped in front of a roadside vending machine. She slid in a thousand-yen bill and bought two bottles of green tea.
"Ryouta-senpai, here."
She held out one of the bottles to me.
"O-Oh. Thanks."
I took it and moved to twist the cap... but Himesaki was staring at me with an intense gaze.
"W-What is it?"
"...How did you feel just now, receiving this tea?"
"What do you mean? I just thought you were being thoughtful."
"I see... but other people are different."
"Huh? Different? Hey—"
Himesaki suddenly snatched the tea back out of my hand and took a long, aggressive gulp.
"Hey! That was mine!"
"Pah... If it were anyone else, they would have insisted on giving a bottle of tea like this back to me!"
"Wait, what...?"
With resentment clouding her features, Himesaki finished off the stolen tea and turned to face me.
"I said I don't have any friends, but right after school started, I was actually invited into a group of the popular girls. But... they would never just accept a kind gesture from me."
Himesaki’s eyes looked lonelier than I’d ever seen them as she continued.
"When I’d offer to save seats for a room change, they’d tell me they couldn't possibly let 'Himesaki-san' do something like that. If someone forgot their chopsticks and I tried to give them a spare pair, they’d say they couldn't take them from me and go ask someone else instead... They always treated me like I was superior, like I was someone to be held in awe. It hurts! I'm just a normal student like everyone else!"
She was baring her emotions now, pouring out everything she’d been holding back.
Watching her, I felt a mix of sympathy for her and for her classmates.
If you had a classmate who was not only as beautiful as Himesaki but also had the "elite" status of a returnee, it was only natural to feel like you weren't on the same level. I couldn't exactly blame her classmates for being intimidated.
However, Rui was in a similar position, and she didn't have that problem because she had friends like Yuria and Airi who refused to give her special treatment.
Did having or not having friends like that really make such a massive difference? I realized then that even the popular kids had their own set of struggles.
"So, you hated being treated like that and left the group?"
"...It wasn't that I left so much as they gradually distanced themselves from me. We didn't have much to talk about, and in the end, the emotional gap was far greater than the physical distance. Before I knew it, I was alone."
"I see... I think I'm starting to understand what you mean by that 'distance of the heart.'"
I’d never thought deeply about it before, but the reason Rui treasures Yuria and Airi isn't just because they’re her friends—it’s because they’re rare individuals who interact with her on a level playing field.
And... since I receive selfies from Rui almost every day, maybe I’m one of those people to her, too?
"I'd heard rumors that Ryouta-senpai was close with several popular girls, starting with Rui-senpai. I thought that maybe you were the kind of person who would treat me normally, too."
"Wait, what? So you blackmailed me with those Rui photos just to get close to me?"
"...Yes."
"Good grief... For someone who claims to want an equal relationship, demanding I become your dog is a pretty crazy way to go about it."
"That’s because I heard rumors that Rui-senpai kept Ryouta-senpai like a pet! I thought that was the only way to get you to stay!"
"As if that's even remotely true!!"
This girl was way too susceptible to rumors.
"But... when I was overseas, people would always talk to me, so we became friends right away. I don't know how to start a conversation and make friends on my own. I thought it would be weird if I just suddenly approached someone, and after agonizing over it, this was the only way I could think of."
I suspected Himesaki was simply socially awkward, more than anything else.
A gloomy otaku like me is the exact kind of person who’s always waiting for a beautiful girl to talk to them—classic rom-com style. There was no need for her to be so roundabout.
Then again, I don't have many friends myself, so I'm not one to talk. But because I’m like that, there was something I could say.
"Sigh... Look, Himesaki. After hearing all that, I think we should call it quits on this whole dog-and-owner thing."
Himesaki flinched.
"This isn't going to lead to the relationship you actually want. And besides, being the dog is starting to feel a bit hollow for me, too."
Now that I knew the truth, I felt we had to end this dynamic immediately.
And this time, we’d do it right.
"I-I knew it! You’d want to quit eventually. I’m creepy, aren’t I? Toying with you and forcing my selfish ideal of a friend onto you... I’m so sorry! I’ll never do anything like this again. I’ll make sure to stay out of your way from now on—"
"No, that’s not it."
I cut off her downward spiral and looked her straight in the eye.
"Let’s just be friends instead. Sound good, Himesaki?"
"F-Friends?"
"Yeah. From now on, we aren't master and servant; we’re friends. You don't have to force yourself to give me orders anymore."
"Is it... really okay? Even after all the horrible things I did to you, you’d be my friend?"
"Calling what you did 'horrible' is a stretch. Besides, now that we’re friends, I’m going to teach you exactly what it means to be a true pervert."
"Y-Yes! I still don't really understand the 'pervert' part, but I look forward to it, Ryouta-senpai!"
Finally, a genuine smile returned to Himesaki's face.
"Now then, enough with the heavy talk. Let's go have some fun at the station."
"Hey! What do you mean 'heavy talk'!?"
"I mean it was a pain to deal with. Now come on, let's move."