This girl, for some reason, really seems to like me.
Well, Yurika’s a celebrity, so there’s no way anything romantic could happen between us.
As the gleam left her eyes, Yurika’s expression turned into a pout.
“So, they tricked you?”
“Yeah, pretty much. After that, everyone in class laughed at me. They said, ‘A loser introvert like you would never get confessed to. If you don’t want to get beaten up, go home.’”
“Did you beat them all up?”
“No, of course not! I just want to live a normal life. Besides, when you look online, lots of people have fallen for fake confessions, so maybe this is part of a normal life.”
Though, to be honest, it still hurts...
“That sounds like an awful place. Why not just quit university?”
“What would I even do if I quit?”
“I’ll support you.”
“…You mean, like, as a freeloader?”
“Yup. You just have to say ‘good morning’ and ‘good night’ to me every day, and I’ll be happy.”
“What kind of useless person would I be?”
“I don’t care if you’re useless. I just want you by my side.”
She tugged at my arm, but I sighed softly.
“That’s not a normal life, and I’m not interested.”
“You’ve got weird priorities.”
“I’ve never had the chance to live a normal life, so from now on, I want to.”
“Hmm… well, whatever. Let’s just go get some food for now.”
“Yeah, sure.”
With that, I headed out with her and we made our way to the nearby restaurant.
* * *
On the way back from the restaurant.
As we walked down the dark street, I moved a little closer to Yurika.
“What’s wrong?”
“…We’re being followed.”
“…Being followed? Is it about the incident…?”
Yurika’s expression tensed up. Her face paled rapidly, and the energy drained from her.
…It made my blood boil that someone would make her feel this way.
“…Don’t worry.”
“…Huh?”
“I’ll protect you. Stay close.”
“O-Okay…”
Yurika clung to my arm. Her body was trembling more than ever before.
…No matter how strong she acts, the threat to her life was real, and that can’t be helped.
We walked together like that for a while.
—Then I felt it: murderous intent from behind.
“Die!”
At the sound of the voice, Yurika turned around, her face stricken with fear.
I calmly assessed the situation.
Grabbing Yurika, I spun around to evade the man’s attack.
I caught the glint of a silver blade slicing through the darkness—he was swinging a knife.
The man seemed shocked that I had dodged, his eyes wide behind his mask and sunglasses.
His entire body was covered, so I couldn’t make out his age, but judging by his voice, I guessed he was middle-aged.
He readied the knife again and lunged toward me.
“…Too slow.”
As I dodged the man’s attack, I kicked his wrist.
The knife slipped from his hand and spun through the air.
The man, clutching his wrist, fell to the ground, and I stepped on his back.
“Gah!?”
“Yurika, call the police.”
“O-Okay…”
Her face pale, Yurika raised her phone to her ear.
The man seemed to have lost consciousness from my earlier strike.
I quickly scanned the surroundings to make sure there were no other accomplices. Yurika finished her call and came over to me, clutching my arm tightly.
“…Thank you for protecting me.”
“It’s just my job… Don’t be so scared. It’s all over now, okay? If he wakes up, I’ll just knock him out again.”
“…B-But it’s still scary.”
Yurika squeezed my arm even harder.
It was different from the playful closeness she had shown in my apartment earlier.
“…Alright, alright.”
…When she shows that vulnerable face, I can’t just brush her off.
A little while later, the police arrived, and I handed the man over to them.
I gave a brief explanation of the situation to the officers. After that, we returned to the apartment.
Once inside, Yurika seemed to finally relax, her tense expression softening.
“Are you finally feeling safe?”
“…Yeah, you saved me again.”
“Like last time, it was just work. You don’t need to feel indebted.”
It was strictly professional. But Yurika clearly felt something more.
She came over and hugged me tightly.
“…Hey.”
“I really do like you.”
“…Are you sure you’re not just mistaking the adrenaline from fear for something else?”
“I’m not mistaking anything.”
Yurika puffed out her cheeks in frustration and continued.
“First of all, one of the reasons I like you: when I have a rough day at work, you listen to me without making an annoyed face.”
“…Well, I was taught that aftercare is important.”
“Second, when I suddenly come to you like today, you always hear me out.”
“I’ve got nothing better to do anyway.”
Yurika looked up at me with puppy-dog eyes.
As adorable as her expression was, I reminded myself that she was my client.
A cardinal rule of being a bodyguard: never get romantically involved with a client. Thanks to that rule drilled into me since childhood, I quickly calmed myself.
“And lastly… you’ve always treated me like a regular childhood friend.”
“That’s only because I want a regular childhood friend myself.”
“I chased my dream and became a singer, but sometimes… I want to feel like an ordinary woman. And you’re the only one who treats me that way.”
“…Is that so? Honestly, I do treat you like a celebrity most of the time.”
There were plenty of times when I didn’t want to see her because I was trying to maintain a normal life.
But Yurika shook her head.
“Your attitude is different. Hardly anyone treats me the way you do.
That’s why I like you.”
“I see. Well, I plan to keep getting along with you as a regular childhood friend.”
“Hmph, you’re such an idiot, Yuichi.”
Yurika puffed out her cheeks again, and I smiled wryly as I gently peeled her off me.
“It’s getting late. Let’s get some sleep. You can use the bed.”
“There’s only one bed. Are we sharing?”
“You can have it. I’ll sleep in the sleeping bag.”
“…We could just share, you know.”
“Good night.”
With that, I firmly pushed her into the bedroom.
* * *
The next morning, Yurika’s manager arrived to pick her up, and I handed her over.
“…Thank you for protecting her last night in such a dangerous situation.”
“No need to thank me. It’s my job.”
After exchanging a few words with the manager, Yurika looked at me.
“Seriously, thank you. If you hadn’t been there, I might have… died.”
“Don’t worry about it. If you ever have any more trouble, let me know. I’ll help out where I can.”
…You’re my childhood friend, after all. When I said that, Yurika’s eyes widened briefly before she smiled warmly.
“Yep, I really do love you, Yuichi.”
“Yeah, yeah. Good luck with work.”
“Thanks. See you later.”
“Yeah, see you.”
After seeing Yurika off, I headed to university.
…Today’s lectures, apart from the fourth period, weren’t with the entire class.
Which meant I didn’t have to face Saeki and the others.
I attended my lectures, moving from one classroom to the next, until finally, it was time for the dreaded fourth period.
With a small sigh, I headed toward the classroom.
As expected, my classmates shot me sneering, mocking smiles.
I could also hear some teasing comments from time to time, but I decided to ignore them all.
Once the teacher arrived, the teasing stopped, and the lecture ended without further incident—
“Hey, introvert. You’re coming with us today. We’re going to a drinking party.”
“…No thanks, I’ll pass.”
“Shut up and just come along.”
Grinning, they looked at me like they’d thought up some new game. I was surrounded, and they started to drag me along forcefully.
I thought about slipping away when the opportunity arose as we walked toward the school gate.
“Yuichi, are you done with your classes?”
A familiar voice called out to me.
She was in her usual perfect disguise—a mask and a hat. …Though having her manager hanging around wasn’t exactly inconspicuous.
Sure enough, people nearby were already glancing in Yurika’s direction.
“…What are you doing here?”
“I said, ‘See you later.’”
“I didn’t think you meant today!”
I raised my voice, which seemed to irritate the guys who had been hassling me.
“What’s this, introvert? You know this girl?”
“What? She’s kinda cute. Hey, take off that mask.”
“Mm.”
Wait, don’t take it off!
Yurika removed her hat and mask, then casually brushed her hair back. The guys’ eyes went wide in shock.
“W-Wait, isn’t that Akashiki Yurika!?”
“What!? She’s a huge celebrity! What’s she doing here!?”
“Wait, so you’re… you’re friends with this introvert!?”
They all stared at me, dumbfounded.
“…You could say we know each other.”
“We’re dating.”
“Hey!”
Don’t just make stuff up! I tried to correct her, but Yurika quickly moved over and grabbed my arm.
Seeing her do that, they handed me over to her without a fight.
They stood there, frozen in shock.
Honestly, I wish they’d at least escorted me to the bar… But Yurika had a firm grip on me now.
“Well then, Yuichi-san, please take care of Yurika,” her manager said with a bow before leaving.
“…Wait, is this work? If so, I should get paid—”
“I’m just here for fun, so no,” the manager said, cutting me off.
…Seriously?
Yurika glanced around.
“By the way, I heard someone confessed to Yuichi yesterday. Is that person here?”
“Uh, yes… that would be me…”
Saeki timidly raised her hand, clearly excited just to see the Diva, Akashiki Yurika, in person.
“I see. Well, Yuichi is mine, so please don’t go doing anything weird, okay?”
Yurika glared at her, and Saeki’s expression changed in an instant.
The sheer menace in Yurika’s gaze could’ve scared off yesterday’s prankster without any trouble. Saeki nodded furiously, trembling.
“Let’s go, Yuichi.”
I sighed softly as I looked at Yurika, who seemed quite satisfied.
“You came to the university on purpose, didn’t you?”
“I don’t like it when people hurt someone I love.”
I see. She came to get back at the people who hurt me.
With a small sigh, I headed back to my apartment with her.
“So, where do you want to go today? My treat.”
“…Wherever you want to go, Yurika.”
“A love hotel.”
“Actually, maybe I’ll pick the place after all…”
I quickly pulled out my phone and frantically searched for a good restaurant instead.
[The End]
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