Kirisaki Wishes to Make Friends (2)

A/N: I forgot to add this at the end of the last chapter, so there you go,

***

Chitoge Kirisaki's Diary

Tuesday, March 12, 2024

-Claude is still as annoying as always. What do you mean I have to wake up at the crack of dawn, leave for school at a ridiculously early time, all because you can't watch me because you're too busy? Don't drag me into your troubles!

-At least I still have a friend like Tsugumi, though I'm sure she thinks of useless things like "I'm just a bodyguard" or whatever. I wish she'd just accept my claim of being a friend...

-Tsugumi insisted on attending school despite her hand being far from perfect. I feel another intention other than protecting me... But I can't tell.

-At school, I met Yoshikawa-kun. My impression of him was that of a harmless man who had no will, but contrary to what I thought—though he still might have no will—he had an extraordinary problem-solving capacity. Well, at least to me. We're even friends! He's officially my first friend, you know? Hehe.

***

Indeed, others would see me as a man with no desire at first sight—which isn't entirely wrong—and that in itself pisses me off.

It's just like my nature. I don't know what drives me to be like that.

But fortunately, that's not my only nature.

"You really don't mind, do you, Komi-san?"

In the corridor, Komi and I strolled together. 

I didn't believe I had this kind of influence, so I was convinced that Komi and the power of the world were getting the normally behaving pedestrians to pave the way for the girl specifically, all the while staring at her with sunny, hypnotized gazes. [I can actually see the luminous effects popping out of every pore of her body. Bruh.]

Komi took out her phone and typed something quickly. 

I thought she was going to send me a message via Line when she showed me the screen of her phone. I read it curiously.

{I don't mind. On the contrary, I'm excited for this.}

Before I could reply, she went back to typing more. I waited patiently. [That seems like a long write-up...]

Needless to say, having Komi as Kirisaki's training partner did more negatives than positives. While Kirisaki could mentally train herself to face someone as "superior" as Komi, Komi herself wouldn't be able to give proper feedback to her. She still couldn't even utter a single complete word, let alone a sentence and the continuous conversation with Kirisaki who seemed to be the opposite of her.

Komi showed her phone screen again after a while.

{I've always been isolated by everyone since elementary and middle school. Now it still hasn't changed. No one wants to get close to me. I've always been terrible at communication. I don't know how to properly exchange words with others… but that doesn't mean I don't want to. I want to make friends, enjoy time with them by hanging out together, exchanging lines, and more. I... just don't understand how}.

That's not the end. There's one more paragraph below.

{Yoshikawa-kun was the first person to notice my communication problem and was willing to be my first friend. I'm very happy with that. My goal is to make a hundred friends. When Yoshikawa-kun offered to meet someone else who has the same problem as me, I thought it was a kind of fate or so, hehe.}

My lips twitched at the last sentence. 

Coincidentally, Ai, Kirisaki, and Komi claimed me as their first kind of friend. Tsugumi probably did too. Even Mahiru, or Kirisu-sensei, considered me as their first in a way. [They're all inexperienced in more or less the same way…]

[This feels a bit monotonous, somehow... It doesn't feel challenging enough.]

Living with trouble—regardless of how ridiculous it sounds—is more fun than being at peace.

I've already said that I'm a dispassionate person, which is like my nature, but I have another nature.

Messing with other people—in many contexts—or directly getting on their bad side to see their reactions, is inexplicably pleasing.

Solving problems of the current type isn't a bad deal, but I'm not the type who can invest my emotions well in it. I'll mostly watch rather than act, and the spectacle is not something exciting either, but something more casual. It's like a Slice of Life or RomComs with NPC-like MCs in it. Not fun.

Something tugged at the hem of my shirt. Turning around, I saw Komi with a vaguely concerned look. 

"—oh, sorry, I got lost in my thoughts," I quickly apologized.

She shook her head gently. She typed something on her phone again, showing it to me before long.

{What are you thinking about…? Are you alright?}

"I just remembered a coincidence," I smiled. "I'm fine."

She typed again. {A coincidence?}

"I said so," I shrugged. "Besides Kirisaki, I also helped one other person who was a bit awkward in friendship, see."

{Is that Hoshino-san?}

"...Why her?"

{A feeling}

I chuckled. 

"Is this what's called a woman's instinct? Well, either way, you're right."

While we were talking, we had arrived at our destination.

It was behind a building. Opposite the building was a fence and not too dense trees, and that made it easy for us to see someone coming from any side, stopping our conversation as soon as possible.

There was a back door to it, with a staircase large enough for several people to sit at once, which was soundproof. Kirisaki and Tsugumi sat together on the stairs.

Kirisaki noticed our presence immediately. 

"Ah! Yoshikawa-kun! Komi-san!"

She waved her hand excitedly.

Tsugumi hesitated, but she put on an awkward little smile while also waving her hand in a reserved manner.

I replied to them casually. As for Komi, she awkwardly followed my movements.

I sat next to Tsugumi, with Komi beside me.

"Ichinose still wouldn't arrive," I said as soon as I sat down, surprising Kirisaki and the others. "Before that, I'll introduce Komi here, who has the same problem as you."

"Ichinose-san?" Kirisaki first said, then looked at Komi in confusion. "And the same problem as me? Komi-san? Are you joking around?"

I didn't need to answer.

Komi typed briefly on her phone, presenting it to the girl.

{No.}

"No?" Kirisaki grew confused. "No—what? D-Don't tell me Komi-san also has trouble making friends because of her fame?! Uh, why did you answer using a phone? A-Are you mute?"

I helped her answer. "She's not mute. She has fairly extreme communication difficulties. You could say she's too nervous to get a word out when dealing with other people, hence the phone."

Komi continued. {Fame?}

"You didn't realize?" Tsugumi raised her eyebrows.

Komi just tilted her head.

As for Kirisaki, she had a serious expression on her face.

"Komi-san can't communicate..." she muttered, confused.

"Even if she can't communicate well," I began. "That doesn't mean she doesn't want to be able to. I told you before, right? Maybe I wasn't clear enough. Komi-san wants to make friends, but she doesn't know how, just like you."

She had an understanding expression right away. "Did you ask Ichinose-san for help for both of us?"

"Yes," I nodded. "And for you guys to maybe be friends. You know, as you two can't communicate well."

***

Shouko Komi's Diary

Tuesday, March 12, 2024

-Yoshikawa-kun found out about my communication problem. He didn't shun me, instead wished to help me and was willing to be my first friend. 

-Kirisaki-san is apparently the daughter of a Yakuza family. She's quite feared by our classmates because of this fact. I feel like she'd be lonely if it weren't for Tsugumi-san… But fortunately, Yoshikawa-kun is willing to help her too. He is a kind friend.