"Red bean paste, you bully!" Amamiya Iori said it like she was angry, but anyone who knew her could tell she was only joking. She had a kind heart and never truly blamed others.
"Iori, I'm sorry..." Yuuichi Kondo hung his head, as if he could not face her.
"Amamiya, don't blame him," Shimizu Ken said to calm her. "I was scared too back then. The robber had a knife."
"Really..." Iori tilted her head at Shimizu Ken with a long, knowing smile. That smile sent a shiver down his back.
Right then, Yuuichi's face twisted. He held his stomach with both hands.
"What's wrong, Yuuichi?" Shimizu Ken asked, worried.
"S-Sorry, my stomach feels a bit bad."
"No way. Didn't you eat the onigiri (rice ball) I made this morning?" Iori asked, showing concern at once.
Of course the heroine would cook breakfast for her childhood friend, and be so gentle about it.
"Sorry, I'm going to the toilet." Yuuichi ran into a nearby convenience store.
"Did he eat something bad?" Shimizu Ken wondered.
"Maybe~~ who knows~~" Iori's voice sounded suddenly right by his ear, and Shimizu Ken jumped. At some point, she had come close and even took his hand.
She laced her fingers with his like lovers. His heart raced and his eyes were drawn to her.
"Your hand is so warm, Shimizu Ken-kun," she said, now holding his hand with both of hers.
Her smile was different from before. It was sweet, playful... almost teasing.
"Uh... Amamiya, are you okay? You ate an onigiri this morning too, right?" Shimizu Ken asked. It had been on his mind. If Yuuichi got sick from her onigiri, then she should also feel bad.
"Me? Thank you for asking, Shimizu-kun, but I'll be fine..."
Fine? What did she mean by that?
Shimizu Ken could not understand. The strange air around them was too much. He pulled his hand free.
"Uh... I'll go buy a drink." Shimizu Ken used the excuse and walked alone to the vending machine in front of the store.
"What was that just now..." Shimizu Ken had no idea what Iori was thinking. The system was gone. He hadn't done anything to her. It was only the second day of his second loop. They should be just a bit more than normal friends.
So why did she act like that?
Worse, that touch made memories from his first loop rise in his head. Iori's joyful, wild face back then, the way she gave herself to him with a smile full of pleasure...
No! No! Shimizu Ken slapped his cheeks to chase the images away, then fed coins into the machine. His wallet felt lighter as he pressed the button for a can of coffee.
"Oh, you like coffee? I thought you would choose oolong tea." Iori appeared behind him like a ghost, wearing a smile that could steal anyone's heart.
"Uh... yeah. I just wanted a change," Shimizu Ken said. She was right, though. He did like oolong tea. He got used to it during his first loop, over two and a half years. But how did she know? At this point in time, she should not know him that well...
While he thought about it, he saw Yuuichi running back from the distance after the toilet.
"So that's where you two were," he said, walking up to them.
Once he arrived, Iori moved to stand beside him, like nothing had happened. Her sudden change confused Shimizu Ken.
If he were ten years younger, maybe he would waste time trying to guess a girl's heart.
Sadly, after fighting for love every day in the first loop, he had lost interest.
At school, he changed into indoor shoes and walked to his usual seat by the window in the back row.
"Good morning, Shimizu Ken-san." The girl in front of him put down her book and turned with a greeting.
"Morning," Shimizu Ken answered politely.
He had almost no memory of her. She wore a white beret and had short brown hair, but he could not even recall her name. She barely had any part in the game. A true background character.
Shimizu Ken looked at the window. His reflection showed a cool, handsome face with sharp features.
No one else spoke to him after that.
Of course they didn't. Boys hated him for a simple reason. Who wanted a friend that looked this good? If they tried to get a girlfriend, the girl might look at me instead. Even if they had a girlfriend, she would still look his way from time to time.
As for girls, some of them thought, "He's so handsome, I want to date him even if he's a player." But because of the "a specific cultural reference or clarify the term" around them, they had to act like, "Who would like a guy who looks like a player?"
The bell rang, and Hoshinomiya-sensei entered the room to start the first class meeting of the second term.
Notes:
• Amamiya Iori - JK heroine; targeted; her mother is the hostage. Long-haired and busty.