Living with the Arrogant Queen from High School is Surprisingly Not Uncomfortable

“The flavor of the fried chicken set meal isn’t there. It was good at first. What happened, I wonder. The timing of it becoming like this was probably when Kasahara sat down across from me.

“It’s hard to eat with you there, you know?”

“I’m sorry. But doesn’t it remind you of our high school days when we do this?”

“Can you not avoid the subject?”

With a sigh, I bring a piece of chopped cabbage to my mouth. Well, indeed, it reminds me of our days off in high school. On days when Hayashi and Kasahara weren’t hanging out, we often went on dates. The eateries we visited were just family restaurants. As a couple, we should’ve sat next to each other, but I casually sat across from her.

…Was Kasahara trying to remind me of that now, as some kind of hint?

“…You’re a sinful man, Yamamoto-kun.”

“What do you mean?”

“That… the girl named Irie from earlier. She’s probably interested in you.”

“No way.”

“…Well, that’s what you would think. You don’t know how jealous I was during high school, do you?”

“…You never told me anything like that.”

Is it the tension, or is it something else unbearable? She’s a tough person, she is.

“…Did you stay here to talk about that?”

“No, that’s not it.”

“Huh?”

Then why am I having this conversation with her now? Was it really just a hint?

“Is Meg doing well?”

“…Yeah, she’s fine.”

Hearing the somewhat awkward words Kasahara muttered, I understood why Kasahara stayed here.

…That day, Kasahara and Hayashi met at the bookstore. At that time, Kasahara probably told Hayashi about her relationship with me during high school.

Since then, the two haven’t reunited.

Despite being so close during high school, Kasahara and Hayashi are now in an awkward atmosphere.

“…I’m sorry. It’s my fault.”

I found myself apologizing to Kasahara out of the blue.

“What are you apologizing for?”

“For everything… If I knew it would come to this, I should have properly told him that we used to date.”

“So, you mean to say it and then apologize again, like now?”

I stayed silent.

“Yamamoto-kun, you don’t really need to apologize. The need to apologize… only happens when you’ve failed or made a mistake. There was nothing wrong with our time together.”

“…You’re right.”

Surprisingly, Kasahara is quite logical. And she’s stubborn when it comes to things she believes are right. I think she’s a bit like Hayashi in that regard.

…Or maybe she was made to resemble him.

“Don’t worry about me. You should properly support Meg. It may be awkward now, but I think time will solve it. So, I’m not pessimistic at all.”

“I see.”

I let out a bitter laugh.

“Well, if you have anything you want to ask about Hayashi, contact me. I’ll answer as much as I can.”

“That sounds like you two are on good terms.”

“Don’t make fun of me. I’m trying to say something serious here, for once.”

“I know. …I understand you much better than Meg does.”

…If that’s the case.

Then why didn’t she at that time…

I shook my head. It’s pointless to resent the past.

…Moreover.

At that time, there was a bit of a dip in my feelings when we broke up. I wasn’t sure if I could recover. But surprisingly, time solved things.

A lot has happened from that day until now. As a result, I realized I don’t have time to worry about the past.

Now, those nostalgic memories are one of my irreplaceable memories.

In that case, I should be thankful to Kasahara, who gave me such wonderful memories, rather than resenting her.

“So, I wanted to talk about something related to that today.”

As I came to a point of resolution in my mind, Kasahara smiled. It seems the main topic is yet to come.

“What is it?”

“…Well, it’s about Meg.”

“About Hayashi?”

“Yes. …As you said, Meg and I are in a delicate relationship, right? But I was asked.”

“By whom, for what?”

“By Meg’s mother. She wants me to bring Meg back.”

I understood what Kasahara wanted to say.

Hayashi is currently disowned by her parents due to the influence of her previous boyfriend. So now, she lost her place to go when her ex-boyfriend was arrested, and she’s hiding out in my room.

Just as Kasahara lost contact with Hayashi, Hayashi’s parents are probably unable to reach her as well.

No matter how much they disowned her, they couldn’t easily let go of their affection for their daughter.

Even after disowning her, Hayashi’s parents must have been worried about her.

Hayashi’s mother called Kasahara because she probably thought that Kasahara, who was her friend since back then, might know where Hayashi is. It must have been a desperate attempt.

“I see.”

“Yes. …Regardless of that contact, I’ve been searching for Meg all along. …And this time, I’ve finally found Meg, haven’t I?”

“Yes.”

Then Kasahara has probably already told Hayashi’s parents where Hayashi is.

“…I haven’t told them where Meg is yet.”

“Why not?”

“It would cause trouble for you, wouldn’t it?”

…Did Hayashi introduce her previous boyfriend to her parents? If not, she might have just told them she was living with her boyfriend. Not just that, in the end, I told her I would shelter her in my room, and now she’s living with me. We’re living together now.

Even if they knew the situation, from the parents’ point of view, there probably wouldn’t be much difference between her ex-boyfriend and me.

“…And that’s not the only reason.”

Kasahara was looking at me with an unusually pained expression.

“She should properly go home, to her family.”

“…Kasahara.”

“Her home… the only place she has parents, is there.”

Understanding what Kasahara wanted to say, I hung my head for a while.

“You really care about Hayashi, don’t you?”

And then I chuckled bitterly. I wasn’t finding Kasahara’s dedication ridiculous. I was disgusted with myself for feeling a hideous, slight jealousy towards Hayashi.

…It seems I’m still a little hung up on my relationship with Kasahara.

“Yamamoto-kun, you never granted my wishes, did you?”

“That’s true. I always complained verbally.”

“Even though I properly responded to your feelings when you confessed to me.”

“Could you stop sounding so resentful?”

You’re the one who rejected me, you know?

Holding back those words that almost slipped out, we shared a bitter laugh.

“…Alright. I’ll grant your wish for once.”

“Thank you.”

Although it was an unusual way of saying it, I felt more inspired than embarrassed, maybe because the other party was Kasahara.

“…I’ll send Hayashi back to her parents’ home. I promise.”

“…Yes. Please.”

Kasahara nodded, looking a bit lonely.