I Went Out With a Losing Heroine, But Before I knew It, My Childhood Friend, Who’s Supposed to be Th

“…………”

　Marin sat next to Yō, silently eating her food.

　As he looked at Marin, Yō was thinking about what he should do.

　And then―

“Akimi is really a great cook, isn’t she?”

　He decided to compliment Marin on her cooking skills as something that would not treat her like a child, but would still put her in a good mood.

　Many girls would be happy to be praised for their cooking skills, and almost no one would dislike it.

　Besides, Marin’s cooking skills were excellent.

　In Yō’s opinion, Marin was as good a cook as Kasumi, who had studied cooking for Yō ever since she was a child.

　However―

“…………”

　Marin looked up into Yō’s face with suspicious eyes.

　It was as if to say, “You’re just trying to please me, aren’t you?”, her expression seems that way.

　When Yō saw Marin’s expression, he scratched the back of his head and opened his mouth in a slightly annoyed manner.

“What’s with Akimi’s different attitude when it comes to me?”

　To the students of this school, Marin Akimi is known as a cute and kind girl who always smiles and is also as kind as an angel.

　This is because Marin smiles and talks to everyone, and conversely, she only shows Yō a quizzical look like now.

　It’s not that Yō is unhappy about it, but it’s been bothering him, so he asked her about it.

　Marin thought about it for a moment, and then slowly opened her mouth.

“I thought it was okay if it was Hazakura-kun…”

　With her left hand tucking her hair behind her ear, Marin expressed her thoughts in a slightly embarrassed manner.

　This is because she trusts Yō.

　But―

“Oh, well, I’m used to being treated roughly.”

　Yō took Marin’s words in a different way.

“I-I don’t mean it like that! It’s just that I think Hazakura-kun will accept me for who I am― Ah!”

　Marin hurriedly denied Yō’s misunderstanding of her words.

　However, by denying it on the spur of the moment, she misspoke, and her face turned red and she held her mouth with both hands.

　Then, embarrassed and with some tears in her eyes, she slowly looked up at Yō’s face.

　And then―

“Well, I’m telling you that you can use me however you want.”

　Yō had a different take on Marin’s gaffe.

　This made Marin feel relieved, but also annoyed.

　He was usually a very perceptive man, but why was he so slow when it came to things like this?

　Marin even wondered if he was doing this on purpose.

“Hasn’t Yō-kun actually made many girls cry before?”

　Marin, frustrated by Yō’s insensitivity, asked Yō with a sultry look in her eyes.

　Yō tilted his head curiously.

“No, it can’t be, can it? I’ve never been around girls in the first place.”

“You’ve never been around girls―No wait, I see. So that’s how it is.”

　For a moment, Marin tried to deny Yō’s words, but then a thought crossed her mind and she was convinced.

　Marin had known Yō since he was a first-year, and knew that he was a man who avoided strangers.

　But at first she thought that there was no guarantee that a girl wouldn’t approach Yō and when she thought about it― a  certain girl’s face came to mind.

　It was the face of Kasumi, who didn’t want any other girl to approach Yō.

　That’s why, Marin thought, Kasumi chased away all the girls who approached Yō and kept them away.

　Today, Kasumi looked very uncomfortable when Marin and Yō tried to go to lunch together.

　And since she used to give Yō a bad reputation when she was a freshman to keep him away from other girls, Marin decides that her theory is not wrong.

“…Well, that’s why I’ve never made various girls cry.”

　Yō had some idea of what Marin was imagining, but he didn’t deny it and continued.

　Of course, that’s not to say that he had never made a girl cry.

　However, it was just that he hadn’t made many girls cry, and he had only made one girl cry.

　Naturally, Yō didn’t bother to mention such a thing, and decided to get back on track after the conversation had gone off on a tangent.

“You’re a really good cook, by the way. I wish I could eat it every day.”

“―!?”

　Yō said as he took another bite out of Marin’s homemade lunch box.

　Right next to Yō, Marin’s face turned red again, and she looked up at Yō as if she was surprised.

　Her mouth was agape, as if she wanted to say something but couldn’t find the words.

“Hmm? What’s wrong?”

　Yō, noticing Marin’s strange behavior, tilted his head curiously and asked.

　And then―

“Yō-kun is dangerous…!”

　For some reason, Marin’s face turned bright red as she shouted that.