Chapter 18: Machin

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[Machi Chika's POV]

"Because Chinatsu is your friend," Kurogane said.

I blinked several times in surprise. I didn't think Kurogane wouldn't see me as someone who plays around just because I was Chi's friend.

I chuckled. "You really think I'd buy that, Kurogane?"

"You don't have to buy it. You can also assume that I am joking. What matters is I really, really believe that you're not that kind of person, Machi."

I couldn't believe that someone, who was a boy no less, was saying this to me. Kurogane was kind of weird sometimes. You would see him looking out the window, glancing at the board with a bored expression in his eyes. His eyes sometimes seemed dead when they were fixed on the board, as if he wasn't listening to the teacher. He even dozed off in class occasionally. But that wasn't weird, I suppose. That's how a normal high school student acts in class. What was weird was that even though he didn't seem to be paying attention, he consistently ranked in the top ten of our grade.

Actually, many people hadn't even noticed he existed in our first year. Even though his name was consistently ranked in the top ten, many students would just say, 'Kurogane? Who's that?' He was practically invisible to most. If Chi hadn't mentioned him to me, I wouldn't have known him at all.

That wasn't surprising, especially since Kurogane was boring as hell back then. He was a nerd. A real nerd. He wore glasses as thick as bulletproof glass, and his hairstyle was a weird bowl cut, the very definition of a nerd's haircut.

That's why I raised an eyebrow when Chi said he was actually really handsome.

And I guess she was right. If you removed his glasses and looked past that weird hairstyle of his, Kurogane was handsome. He was even more handsome than Nakajima from the class next door. Nakajima was deemed the most handsome boy in our year, but if they saw Kurogane, they'd surely change their minds.

Not only was the truth about him being handsome true, but he was also kind-hearted. I understood now why Chi fell in love with him.

Many guys would brand me as some slut who would give her body to them if they paid for it. But Kurogane wasn't like that.

I wasn't that person, of course. I wasn't exactly as the rumors said. Despite being branded as a prostitute and a slut, I am still a virgin. Even though I've had boyfriends before, I didn't even get to kiss or hold hands. I suppose I kept my chastity intact, saving hand-holding and my first kiss for the right person.

Even though, in this...appearance, and my reputation was, by no means, clean, I was a pure girl. Surprising, I know.

"Anyway, enough about me. Kurogane, I really meant what I said. If you ever hurt Chi, you'll regret it."

"I know. I understand."

I looked into his eyes, but for some reason, as soon as our eyes met, I averted my gaze. My heart started to beat faster for some unknown reason. "Uh, well... I'm not saying you're not free to date whoever you want. Just make sure that you won't hurt Chi, okay?"

"What are you to Chinatsu, Machi? Are you her mother?"

"I'm not!" I retorted, feeling a bit flustered. I'm still a virgin, and he's calling me her mother?! "As I said, Chi is my first friend. I couldn't bear to see her get hurt."

Chi was the first person who reached out to me. She didn't avoid me even though there were already rumors about me circulating. And when she came to me, she asked if I could help her change so that her crush would notice her. I was honestly surprised. Why would she ask me for help with that?

She told me that she approached me because of how fashionable I looked. That was her main reason for seeking my help. She wanted to be more fashionable.

When I asked her if it was okay to hang out with me, she replied, "Oh? Is it a problem if I hang out with you? I-I'm really sorry if I bothered you!" But she wasn't bothering me at all. In fact, I enjoyed talking to her.

I did warn her about the bad rumors surrounding me and how other students might avoid her if they saw her with me. She simply replied, "Rumors are just rumors. As long as there's no proof that the rumors are true, then rumors would only stay as, well, only rumors! ...Well, that was what Tsubasa said to me a while ago, though." That's when Chi and I became friends. Gradually, I started making more friends through her. She was the one who rescued me from my friendless existence. I felt genuinely thankful for her. I now understood why the class saw her as the sunshine of our group; she brought brightness into everything, even my previously dark life.

"I see..." Kurogane remarked.

"T-That's why... Y-Yeah! If you ever hurt her, I'll make sure you regret it."

"I get it. No need to repeat it." He said, scratching his ear, seemingly annoyed by my words. "But I'm curious, how exactly would you make me regret it?"

"Huh? Simple, by crushing your... well, you know." I gestured vaguely below the belt.

Kurogane instinctively protected his groin. "Yikes. You're one scary lady, you know that?"

"I wouldn't earn my 'bad girl' reputation otherwise," I retorted with a toothy grin. Talking to Kurogane turned out to be quite enjoyable. "Hey, can I call you Kurochi?"

"Why?"

"Huh? Because we're friends now."

"How did we end up as friends?"

"I just find you genuinely enjoyable to talk to. It's nice chatting with you. Plus, you're Chi's childhood friend, so isn't it natural for us to become friends too?"

"I'm not sure how we got there, but okay. I'm cool with it, I guess. I kinda wanted to be pals with you, Machin."

"You're going all gal-mode on me now?"

"Well, you started it with 'Kurochi,' so I figured we were on nickname terms. Or is that off-limits? Would you prefer I use your first name?"

My heart raced as he said this. "N-No! Machin's fine! Just don't call me by my name." I'd never let my ex-boyfriends call me that, and I sure wouldn't let a guy like him do it. "A-Anyway, let's finish up so we can head home."

I went back to cleaning the blackboard.

"Aye aye, madam," he chuckled.

Kurogane, or rather, Kurochi seemed oblivious to the fact that while I cleaned the board, my cheeks were burning bright red.