Childhood Friend Heroine V2 Chapter 10
Chapter 10
The Secret Canvas
The sun blazed down with a fervor that matched the sports festival’s own, pushing the temperature past thirty degrees by noon. With the morning events concluded, the lunch break began. Students scattered to find places to eat, but Saito remained motionless under the tent, a towel draped over his face as he let out a long, miserable groan.
His classmates exchanged wry smiles; this was serious. Saito’s despair was the direct result of the tug-of-war just before the break. Their class had fought their way to the finals, only to be pathetically crushed by a team stacked with athletes from various sports clubs. Given that he had boldly declared they would win every event, the loss at the final hurdle must have been a crushing blow. He hadn’t moved since they’d returned to the tent.
He’s being so dramatic, Lily thought, but she also knew this was one of Saito’s best qualities. His genuine passion for events like these was infectious, drawing everyone in and making it fun for them, too. In fact, this year’s festival had been far more exciting than the one before the time leap, and that was largely thanks to him. She couldn’t just leave her childhood friend to wallow after he’d given them all such a great time.
“Saito. Hamburgers.”
Lily played the trump card she had prepared for just this occasion.
“Alright, let’s go!” he roared, springing back to life with a speed that made his earlier dejection seem like a hallucination. “Lily, where are the hamburgers? Tell me!”
His eyes sparkled as he grabbed her by the shoulders, looking for all the world like a dog that had just been offered its favorite treat.
“Yes, yes, calm down,” she said, trying to soothe her tail-wagging friend. “My mom and dad brought them. We have to go meet up with them first.”
“Got it. Uh, I saw Lucy-san over that way earlier. We should be able to find her if we head this way. Let’s go, Lily!”
Her attempts to calm him were futile. He was already striding ahead on his own.
“You’re so simple, Saito,” Lily muttered, shrugging with an exasperated sigh as she followed her pet.
“Welcome back~, hic,” greeted Saito’s father, You, as they approached. “You two were amazing! Saito, Lily-chan, as a parent, I’m just so proud~. By the way, Lily-chan, your chest has gotten bigger, just like Lucy-san’s~”
His face was flushed. It was clear the adults had already started their own party.
“Whee~ Good work, you two!” chimed in Masanori, his usual stoicism dissolved into a giggly mess by alcohol. “I bought juice, wanna drink? Dahaha, Dahaha!”
Nearby, Saito’s mother, Yahana, was sleeping soundly. “Snore… Snore…”
“Yahana-chan is so cuuute, chu, chu,” cooed Lucy, who had turned into a kissing bandit, though thankfully limited to women. “Ah, Lily, let’s ki-ss. Chu.”
The familiar chaos that always erupted when their parents gathered had already taken hold. Lily and Saito locked eyes, a silent conversation passing between them.
(…Let’s get out of here.)
(…Yeah. The hamburgers are in that basket. Grab it.)
(…Gotcha.)
With practiced efficiency, they retrieved the picnic basket and retreated to a shaded spot a short distance away.
“Our parents, drinking in broad daylight,” Saito grumbled as he spread out a leisure sheet. “Coming to see us was just an excuse to get wasted, wasn’t it?”
“Well, as long as my mom is here to keep things from getting too out of hand, it’s fine,” Lily replied, placing water bottles and the basket on the corners to hold the sheet down. “I kind of expected this, to be honest.”
The two sat side-by-side and began to set up their lunch. Lily pulled a cooler bag and plates from the basket. They laid out the sliced buns, piled on the ingredients from the cooler, and carefully stuck skewers through the finished burgers to hold them together.
“Alright, American-style burgers are served.”
“Whoohoo~! These look incredible! I can’t believe I’m about to eat real hamburgers at school. Can I eat it? I can, right? Thanks for the mea—”
“Wait, wait, hold on!” Lily intercepted, stopping him just as he reached for a burger with his still-grimy hands. “What?” he pouted.
Saito shot her a look of pure dissatisfaction, but Lily had her pride as the one who’d made them. She wasn’t about to let the taste be ruined by a bit of sand, nor would she let him get a stomachache on her watch. She pulled out a pack of hand wipes and gave one to him.
“Oh, rightttt. I didn’t wash my hands.”
Lily sighed. Her childhood friend was so high-maintenance.
“Okay, for real this time,” Saito declared after wiping his hands. “Thanks for the meal!” He took a huge bite, and his eyes went wide. “This is good!… It’s so good!… It’s delicious!”
“Really? I’m glad.”
The verdict was a resounding success. A wave of relief washed over Lily as she watched him devour the hamburger. She quickly grabbed the cowlick on her head that had begun to sway with excitement, forcing it still. The tip still twitched, which was embarrassing, but she hoped it wasn’t noticeable from a distance.
Once her rebellious hair had settled, Lily took a bite of her own burger. “Mm, it is delicious,” she murmured, pleased with her work. The only downside was that it had cooled a bit. If it had been fresh off the grill, she could have made Saito even happier.
“Right? This teriyaki sauce is amazing,” Saito said, puffing out his chest proudly. “It’s got the perfect balance of sweet and a little kick.”
“Why are you the one acting so proud?” Lily teased, noticing a smudge of sauce on his cheek. She decided to let go of her minor disappointment; seeing him this happy was what mattered.
As she turned to take another bite, she caught a glimpse of Koyuki walking alone in the distance. Lily watched as she entered a small, mostly empty storage shed used for keeping tents.
…What’s she doing in there?
Her suspicion grew when, a moment later, Haruki appeared, glanced around, and followed Koyuki into the shed, pulling the door shut behind him.
…I have a bad feeling about this.
If she hadn’t run into Koyuki on the rooftop that day, she might have dismissed it. But Lily knew Koyuki was in an unstable state of mind. She couldn’t just assume this was an innocent meeting. Something was about to happen in that shed. Her intuition screamed it.
“Hey, something just came up. I’m going to check it out,” she said to Saito.
“Okah. Wheh ah oo goin?” he mumbled through a mouthful of food.
“That storage shed over there. I’ll be right back, so just wait here.”
“Yeah.”
Driven by a premonition that felt more like a certainty, Lily left Saito with those brief words and sprinted toward the shed.
◇
Clang.
The sound of the heavy iron door closing echoed through the dim storage shed.
“So you came, Haruki-kun,” Koyuki said with a smile. “I appreciate you taking time out of your precious lunch break.”
“…Koyuki-senpai.” Haruki awkwardly averted his gaze.
It was only natural; he had rejected her, after all. Being asked to talk again by someone you’d turned down would make anyone uncomfortable. Most people wouldn’t have even shown up. The fact that Haruki did, despite the circumstances, was a testament to his kindness. Recognizing this, Koyuki felt the corners of her mouth lift unconsciously.
“…What did you want to talk about?” Haruki asked timidly, perhaps unable to bear the heavy silence or sensing something off about her strangely calm demeanor.
“I had a few things I didn’t get to ask the other day,” she replied, her tone as light as if she were merely retrieving a forgotten textbook. “May I?”
“…As long as it’s something I can answer, I don’t mind.”
In stark contrast to her casual tone, Haruki’s expression tensed. It seemed there were things he’d rather not be asked.
…You’re so easy to read.
Even as he tried to hide it, his thoughts were written all over his face. She found that part of him endearing, too. Her smile widened.
“Thank you. Then, first question: who is this ‘person you’re interested in’?”
“Lily… Machigane Lily-san.”
“…I see. And what is it about Machigane Lily-san that interests you?”
“…I can’t say.”
“…I see.”
What followed was an interrogation disguised as a series of questions—a ritual she needed to perform to carry out her plan.
“I’ll rephrase. When did you two become close?”
“We’re not close at all… She’s always disliked me.”
“I see. Then, a different question. Do you dislike me, Haruki-kun?”
“I don’t dislike you. As a person, I think very favorably of you.”
“Really? I’m so glad. I was worried you might hate me.”
Haruki answered smoothly, without a hint of hesitation, completely unaware that he was walking right into her trap. He had reached the final step. If his answer to her next question was what she hoped, everything would be complete.
Thump-thump, thump-thump.
Ignoring the frantic pounding of her own heart, Koyuki posed her final question.
“…Just one last thing. If I asked you to help me, would you help me again, Haruki-kun?”
“Yes, if someone like me can be of any help.”
Success. Just as she’d expected. With those words, the last vestiges of guilt restraining her vanished, and a torrent of ugly emotions surged to the surface.
“Thank you! Then, you can start by letting me confine you right away.”
As she spoke, Koyuki closed the distance between them and pressed the stun gun she’d hidden behind her back into his side.
“Ko…yuki…sen…pai. Wha…is…this?”
He never would have imagined this from her. His body convulsed, paralyzed, but his eyes darted around, questioning her silently.
“Oh my, you said it yourself, Haruki-kun. ‘If someone like me can be of any help.’ You’ll help me, won’t you? So, to help me, you’ll stay by my side forever. You’ll stay with me until I die and quench this thirst. You’ll do that for me, won’t you, my kind Haruki-kun?”
But this was his own fault. Koyuki had been trying so hard to resist this sweet temptation, but he had just given her permission to give in. Her eyes clouded over with a terrifying darkness as she reached out and lovingly stroked his hair, her touch gentle, as if handling a priceless treasure.
“Hii!? Gah!?”
Finally noticing the murky blackness in her eyes, Haruki tried to scream, but Koyuki struck him with the stun gun again, and he crumpled to the ground, unconscious.
He wouldn’t be able to move for a while. In that time, her household staff, disguised as spectators, would carry him away. The plan would be complete. Haruki would be hers, forever and ever.
“Fufufu, once I have Haruki-kun locked away, I can finally be happy.”
A look of pure pleasure spread across Koyuki’s face as she imagined the future. She took out her smartphone to make the call, but just then, the shed door creaked open.
“Shirayuri-senpai,” a voice said, cutting through the silence. “You won’t find happiness by doing something like that, you know.”
“!?”
It was a familiar voice, but it belonged to the one person she least wanted to hear. Koyuki’s shoulders jolted. She spun around to see Lily standing in the doorway, silhouetted against the bright light.
“Why… why are you here?”
This area was supposed to be off-limits during lunch. So why was she here? Koyuki faltered, thrown off by Lily’s dramatic, protagonist-like entrance.
“I happened to see you and Nishizono-kun go into the shed,” Lily explained, her voice laced with disgust. “I had a bad feeling, so I came to check. What do you think you’re doing? Kidnapping and confinement are serious crimes, you know.”
Lily’s tone emphasized that it was a coincidence, but at that moment, she looked exactly like a heroine arriving just in time to save the hero. It felt as if the world itself was declaring that Lily and Haruki were destined for each other, and the thought sent a spike of intense irritation through Koyuki.
“What I do is none of your business, Machigane-san,” Koyuki retorted, pointing the buzzing stun gun at Lily in an attempt to intimidate her. “We’ve barely spoken since we started high school.”
But Lily’s expression only softened.
“It is my business. We spent two years of high school together, didn’t we? If someone who helped me is going down the wrong path, it’s my duty to stop them. Besides, you were the one who taught me to ‘always repay a kindness,’ Koyuki-senpai.”
“! Lily…chan, who… are you?”
The idea that this person, who she thought was a stranger, was actually an acquaintance from her past was so impossible that Koyuki’s body trembled, the stun gun nearly slipping from her grasp.
“That’s right. I’m that weak, annoyingly high-maintenance kouhai you used to know—Machigane Lily.”
“Uah, ahh!”
She had thought no one knew her past self. She had believed she was free to live differently this time, but someone knew. The truth sent a wave of shame through Koyuki, but it was quickly consumed by a much stronger emotion: hatred. This girl was the root cause of all her suffering, the hateful enemy who had stolen Haruki from her. The kind Koyuki who had once doted on Lily, thinking her cute and pitiful, vanished completely. In her place, a murderous intent festered in the depths of her eyes.
“…Again. Again! You came to steal from me again!” she shrieked, the floodgates of her emotions bursting open. “I won’t forgive you. I won’t, I won’t, I won’t, I won’t! This time, just this once, Haruki-kun is mine! Is that so wrong!? You got to be loved by him in the past world, Lily-chan! You could at least let me have him now, couldn’t you!?”
She screamed everything she had been holding back, her raw emotions dictating her every word. Haruki was hers. She would take him by force, even if it meant fighting Lily.
“I don’t mind at all,” Lily said calmly. “I have no need for a shitty bastard like him, so do whatever you want.”
“…Huh!?”
Koyuki froze. Lily and Haruki were supposed to be together. They were supposed to get married and build a happy family, leaving the unhappy Koyuki behind. She had been so utterly convinced of it.
—Why?
—How?
As the questions spun endlessly in her mind, Lily continued.
“But are you happy with that, Koyuki-senpai? Are you satisfied with a relationship like this? Is this what you truly want?”
“…That’s…”
Lily’s gentle words pierced through her defenses, forcing her to confront the thoughts she had tried so desperately to ignore.
…Of course not.
Deep down, she had known all along. She knew that even if she did this, Haruki would never truly love her. She knew that his forced affection would eventually leave her feeling empty and dissatisfied. She knew.
But…
“But it can’t be helped!” she cried. “If I don’t do this, Haruki-kun won’t look at me! He won’t love only me!… He was the only one. The only one who ever loved me for me. My parents, my childhood friend, everyone around me—they don’t love me! They just see me as a cog in the machine, the sole daughter of the Shirayuri Group. That’s not what I want! I just want to be seen as Shirayuri Koyuki, the woman. I want to be praised, to be loved. No one but Haruki-kun ever did that for me! So it can’t be helped! He’s the only one who will ever love me. For someone like me, who can’t live without love, this is the only path I have left!”
After being rejected by Haruki, this was the only conclusion she could reach. She couldn’t stop now. If she did, she would truly be alone.
“Ahhhhh—!”
With a final, desperate scream, Koyuki charged at Lily. This was her answer. When weighed on the scales, the fear of losing the only person who might love her far outweighed the desire to be right. That was how much she feared loneliness, how deeply she hungered for love.
Understanding this, Lily’s face twisted in a pained expression, and she braced herself. But she didn’t move. Whether out of sympathy or guilt for having stolen Haruki from her in another life, she simply closed her eyes, waiting for the impact of the stun gun.
“…What the hell do you think you’re doing to my childhood friend, Shirayuri-senpai?”
A low voice, like something crawling up from the depths of the earth, cut through the air. An iron grip seized Koyuki’s arm just before she could strike. She looked up in fear and saw Saito. His usually friendly face was now contorted into an expression of pure contempt.
“That’s not—I was—” she stammered, reflexively trying to deny it.
“Then what’s this crackling thing?” he snarled, his gaze fixed on the stun gun. “This isn’t a toy you play jokes with, is it?”
His words only deepened the scorn in his eyes.
“Ah, ah, ah…”
There was no escape. The sheer pressure of his anger was suffocating. Koyuki knew it, and all she could do was let out a series of voiceless gasps.
“Shirayuri-senpai, how are you going to take responsibility for this?”
“Oi, Minazuki, this area is off-limits!” a new voice boomed. “…Wait, what’s going on here!?”
To make matters worse, the student council president, Takumi, had arrived. The world swam before Koyuki’s eyes, and she collapsed on the spot.
Under Takumi’s authority, an interrogation was held, and all of Koyuki’s crimes came to light.
“You massive idiot!” Takumi roared, his voice echoing with fury. He slapped her hard across the cheek.
“…I’m sorry,” Koyuki whispered, unable to offer any excuse. When she looked up at him, she was surprised to see tears welling in the corners of his eyes.
“Um, what’s wrong?” she asked, confused. She had never seen him cry before and couldn’t understand why he would be on the verge of tears now.
“I’m sorry,” he said, bowing his head deeply.
“No, what I did was unforgivable. There’s no need for you to apologize, President,” she said with a self-deprecating smile.
“No, that’s not it,” he insisted, his face scrunching up in pain. “I noticed. A long time ago. I knew you always looked so lonely, and yet… I’m sorry. I’m so, so sorry.”
“…What do you mean?” His explanation made no sense. Why was he apologizing? He had always seemed to dislike her, seeing her as immature and inadequate. His disapproval had been especially pronounced recently. Why would he have been concerned about her?
As if in answer to her confusion, Takumi dropped a bombshell.
“I like you.”
“Huh?”
“From the very first moment I met you, a long, long time ago, I’ve liked you. But I’m clumsy. I could never be honest when I was around you. I knew you looked lonely, but I couldn’t face my own feelings, so I couldn’t even try to comfort you. I’m sorry. It’s my fault, too, that you were driven to this point. I’m sorry.”
“That’s… I don’t know what to say to something like that.”
She had always thought his irritation stemmed from her inadequacy as someone who would one day have to shoulder the responsibilities of the Group, just like him. His sharp words had brought her to tears more than once. To hear him now say it was all because he couldn’t be honest in front of the girl he liked… it was impossible to accept without any proof.
“Saito, you have the photos, right? Give them to her,” Takumi said.
“How’d you know?” Saito asked, surprised.
“You didn’t use your towel until lunch, right? At first, I thought you just didn’t have time to go back to the tent, but then I got a weird feeling. I checked it while you were gone and found them tucked inside. You shouldn’t carry important things like that around so carelessly.”
“Scary. You should be a detective,” Saito sighed. “Haa… Here, Shirayuri-senpai.”
He held out a crumpled envelope. Koyuki took it, her hands trembling. Inside were several photos. The first two showed Takumi, his face strained with effort, carrying heavy cardboard boxes after she had given up and left. The third was a photo of her looking melancholy in front of a mountain of plastic bottles, while in the background, Takumi was pointing her way and talking with other student council members. The fourth showed the bruised aftermath of a fight he had broken up between third-years.
“Hic… sob…”
She couldn’t hold it in any longer. Tears streamed down her face, but her hands wouldn’t stop moving, revealing one photo after another. With each new image, she saw how much he had truly cherished her. A warmth spread through her chest, satisfying the hunger that had gnawed at her for so long.
She carefully looked at the next photo, the last one in the stack. “Sniff… sob… Huh? This is…”
This photo was different. It didn’t feature her at all; it was just Takumi. But the moment she saw it, a long-forgotten memory surfaced. She was a child, bored at an acquaintance’s wedding.
‘Do you have any idea what kind of man you’d want to proposed to you?’ Takumi had asked her during a break, an unusually romantic question for him.
‘A proposal? Hmm, I don’t know about the man, but I know the situation. I’d want to be surrounded by lots of flowers.’
‘Hmph. There’s no place like that around here.’
‘I know. That’s why it’s a dream.’
It had been just small talk to her, and from his dismissive attitude, she had assumed he’d forgotten it instantly. But she was wrong. He had remembered her words all this time. He had been tending to that garden, waiting for the day he could confess to her there.
Overwhelmed, Koyuki turned to face him. He looked away, embarrassed, and muttered, “…You did something unnecessary,” delivering the final, heart-stopping blow.
“…I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, Takumi-san,” she cried, throwing her arms around him. “I never noticed any of it.”
“Idiot,” he said, his voice thick with emotion as he gently embraced her. “I’m the one who was at fault. You did nothing wrong, Koyuki. I’m sorry.”
She let herself indulge in his warmth for a moment before turning her tear-streaked, ugly face toward her kouhais.
“I’m so sorry,” she said. “I caused all of you so much trouble—”
“I was surprised when you came at me,” Lily admitted, “but I’m not hurt, so I’m fine.”
“Same here,” Saito added. “Takumi already slapped you for me, so we’re even. But if you ever try something like this again, I’ll be the one to give you a full-force slap, aight?”
“I’m fine, too,” Haruki said quietly. “I’m also at fault for not noticing your feelings, Koyuki-senpai.”
Their kind smiles and easy forgiveness brought a fresh wave of tears to Koyuki’s eyes.
Ah, I was so blessed, wasn’t I? I just never noticed.
She had envied Lily for being loved by so many people, and she had been consumed with bitterness, wondering why she wasn’t loved in the same way. But the truth was, she had been. She just hadn’t seen the people all around her who truly loved her.
Savoring this newfound truth, Koyuki hugged Takumi even tighter.
And with that, the miserable future that awaited one pair of childhood friends, born from miscommunication and misunderstanding, was rewritten.
Mission complete.
Watching the affectionate couple, the other pair of childhood friends shared a happy high five.
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