Chapter 8

RAW

For some reason, I was now sitting in a booth at a family restaurant, holding onto Chinatsu, who had settled slightly against my right shoulder. Across from me were Fujidou-san, Hōjōin-san, and Sakurai-san.

Originally, it was a bit of a mystery how I ended up here, but it wasn't that difficult to explain.

Just before my part-time job, I received a phone call from an unknown number. When I answered, I was surprised to hear Sato-kun's voice telling me to head to a family restaurant right away because something was wrong with Chinatsu.

I had a lot of questions, like how he got my number and how he knew anything about this situation. But there was no way he'd go through the trouble of researching my number just to lie to me, and sure enough, the messages I'd sent to Chinatsu hadn’t been read.

So, trusting my instincts, I grabbed a taxi that had just dropped someone off and told the driver the destination. I sent a quick message to the group chat, and luckily, I got an immediate response.

Once I arrived at the family restaurant and walked in, I immediately noticed an unusual atmosphere as Chinatsu’s group sat at a table. When I called her name, Fujidou-san and Hōjōin-san both looked at me with confused expressions, but the most concerning part was Chinatsu’s face, which looked terrified. I was glad I came.

I really owed Sato-kun for this.

And after coming here, I realized I probably owed Sakurai-san the same gratitude.

---

"Um, so... is it okay to say that Sato-kun is Chinatsu's boyfriend?" Fujidou-san asked hesitantly, her eyes showing traces of tears.

"Yeah, that's right. But... I'm sorry too. I honestly don’t understand what's going on. Can you explain it to me?" I responded, confirming the situation and then asking for clarification.

I just wanted someone to explain why everything had turned out like this.

---

"I’ll explain. But first... Chinatsu, Sato-kun... I’m so sorry! I saw Chinatsu's phone and completely panicked. I said some awful things because of my misunderstanding... I'm so sorry, that was terrible," Fujidou-san said, apologizing sincerely.

"No, it’s my fault. Like Saki said, I couldn’t be honest... I was scared. Sorry, Saki. And to Yukko and Reina, I’m sorry," Chinatsu replied, looking at her three friends.

After that, Fujidou-san explained to me what had happened.

She had borrowed a phone to check something but had run out of battery. She opened a message app and saw a message from me at the top. Then, she saw that Chinatsu's profile picture was very similar to mine. Knowing that Chinatsu usually didn’t add boys to her accounts, it led her to misunderstand the situation and say some hurtful things.

---

"I see. Thanks for explaining. I understand the situation, and honestly, I don’t have anything else to say. If anything, I’m just relieved that I got here in time to prevent things from getting worse between Chinatsu and Fujidou-san," I said.

"Sato... You know, we’ve never really talked, but you’re a good guy. I'm really sorry. I probably called you second-rate without thinking. Chinatsu must hate hearing things like that about her boyfriend. I really can’t apologize enough," Fujidou-san said, her voice apologetic.

---

Fujidou-san was direct, but from what I had heard from Chinatsu, she was also an easy person to get along with. Of course, things would have been different if it involved first love, but right now, she seemed genuinely upset, and I felt sorry for her.

Honestly, I felt like my lack of self-confidence had caused this whole mess, especially with how I’d kept things hidden.

---

"No, it’s okay. Hajime’s already forgiven you, and it’s enough if you stop calling me second-rate. Maybe I didn’t want to admit it, but I guess I was also afraid to open up about my true feelings," Chinatsu replied. She then glanced at her friends.

As she continued, I could tell she was trying to be honest now, and I reached over to gently hold her hand, sensing her nervousness.

---

"Yeah, that’s right. So, the reason I transferred from my old school to this one was because of those horrible boys. It was tough on me, Chinatsu," Fujidou-san said, her face softening with sympathy.

"Right? Honestly, I can’t blame Chinatsu’s old friend too much... but the guy who was her boyfriend? He was the worst," Sakurai-san added.

"True. It was that guy’s fault for falling for her friend and making everything complicated. As for the male teacher, I’d personally like to see him fired," Hōjōin-san said with a more serious tone.

The three of them agreed that Chinatsu’s former boyfriend was entirely at fault. Hōjōin-san’s comment about firing the teacher felt a little too intense, though.

---

"Everyone..." Chinatsu muttered, sounding a little surprised at how they’d reacted.

I could understand both Chinatsu's and their feelings. Chinatsu had clearly been traumatized by her former best friend, so it made sense she was afraid to talk about it.

But, as I had thought before, there was no real blame to place on Chinatsu. She was a kind person, and I was relieved that the three of them had the same opinion.

---

"And it turns out that the one who helped Chinatsu open up was you, Sato. You’re really just glowing with affection for her," Sakurai-san said, teasing me.

"Hehe, yup, Hajime saved me," Chinatsu said with a shy smile, her words making me blush. Her smile was so warm, it could melt anyone, even me.

---

"Ugh, stop it," Fujidou-san muttered. "I’m not jealous or anything, but you guys are just too sweet! So, what happened between you two? How did things change?"

Fujidou-san's question made Sakurai-san and Hōjōin-san both lean in, clearly intrigued.

"Well, if we’re going to talk about everything that’s happened... maybe I should step outside for a bit," I thought to myself.