Chapter 31: Big Brother, You Guys Go Ahead—It’s Fine Leaving Me Alone…

Ma.

……Ah, ma—mm.

Xiao Chun Miura’s feelings were a bit complicated right now.

If it were before, she would have detested those male confidantes of the female lead or red-faced bosom friends of the male lead in various works.

The relationship would be progressing smoothly, and then “that kind of character” would pop up to interfere, forcefully adding problems to an otherwise perfect couple and affecting their chances of being together.

For example, in a certain Kansai Detective Manga, there was a Hadouri Kurodori from Osaka.

He already had a childhood friend, and their romance was going well—

But the author insisted on giving him a “confidante” to go and flirt with the female lead right in front of her.

Xiao Chun Miura never liked those types of characters.

And yet……

Haha.

Is this fate playing tricks?

To let her transmigrate into a game world, become a girl, hinder the romance between the male and female leads to avoid being erased, and now her role had become that same “just a little sister” supporting character she used to hate.

It felt like her entire worldview was collapsing.

She had already lost the strength and will, Xiao Chun Miura’s heart was dead for quite a while.

“——Do you have anything else to say?”

While Xiao Chun Miura was wallowing in despair, the conversation between Kanzaki Sou and Kondo Haruka seemed to have ended as well.

“You don’t believe me……”

“That’s because what you’re saying doesn’t hold up—clearly we’re just colleagues, so what part of my attitude towards others are you dissatisfied with, and why are you taking it out on Miura-san?”

“You could’ve just told me directly, wasn’t it always like this before?”

“Aiya, no, I just……”

Kondo Haruka was on the verge of tears.

“Aren’t we friends? If there’s something to say, just say it directly. Why take it out on someone else?”

After speaking earnestly, Kanzaki Sou’s tone softened a little.

“……Sigh.”

He let out a helpless sigh.

“Alright, can you promise me not to target Miura-san anymore?”

“If you keep doing this, I’ll really get angry.”

“——Eh? Eh?”

Suddenly called out, Xiao Chun Miura, still lost in sorrow, jolted and looked up.

“……Ummmmm.”

Kondo Haruka glared at Xiao Chun Miura with clear dissatisfaction.

Kanzaki Sou’s words carried quite a bit of intimidation.

Even so, a long, long time passed before the chestnut-haired girl finally muttered a few words.

“…….Fine, I get it.”

Kanzaki Sou gestured that she wasn’t finished, so Kondo Haruka looked at him incredulously for a moment, then turned to Xiao Chun Miura.

“Hey, Xiao Chun Miura.”

“Haruka.”

“……Aiya, enough already!”

Corrected by her childhood friend, Kondo Haruka frowned impatiently and waved her hand.

She turned her face and glanced at Xiao Chun Miura out of the corner of her eye, her gaze still unfriendly.

“……Miura-san.”

However, her tone was a bit gentler.

—Just a little bit gentler, though.

“……This is only because of Cang-kun!”

“……Honestly.”

“Alright! I’m sorry!”

Almost venting her frustration, Kondo Haruka threw out the words.

Perhaps knowing her childhood friend’s limits, Kanzaki Sou didn’t say anything more.

Seeing that Kondo Haruka was still upset, Kanzaki Sou decided not to pursue it.

“……I don’t mind……”

Xiao Chun Miura raised her hand weakly.

……It felt like she was surrendering.

Now it seemed even more like she was the guilty party.

She paused, her muddled mind feeling she hadn’t said enough.

But the words she added, almost by some strange compulsion, were……

“It’s all a misunderstanding…… As long as it doesn’t affect your relationship with Kanzaki-san—”

—Hey, hey, hey, wait, that’s not right!!!!

Xiao Chun Miura’s pupils trembled, her cheeks flushing red.

Haah?

What am I saying?

Isn’t this acting like a green tea?

“……Hmph.”

Kondo Haruka’s tone suddenly turned cold.

Her icy gaze swept over Xiao Chun Miura’s face, as if to say, “Just you wait, you despicable, hateful, shameless woman……”

Xiao Chun Miura didn’t know why she could sense such detail, but somehow she just could.

“Ah, um……”

“Alright, Cang-kun, is this enough? Will you stop being mad now?”

Kondo Haruka ignored Xiao Chun Miura’s attempt to speak, turning to Kanzaki Sou with the lively, clingy tone of a childhood friend.

“Mm…… Since Miura-san has spoken, let’s leave it at that.”

Kanzaki Sou smiled gently.

“Yay—so is there any more work to do? If not, let’s go home?”

Kondo Haruka no longer cared that Xiao Chun Miura was still there, chatting with Kanzaki Sou on her own.

“Then wait a bit longer for me.”

Kanzaki Sou slid the Notebook Computer over as he looked at Xiao Chun Miura.

“We can leave after this stack of Book Registry is done.”

“Eh…… Eh, can I help☆?”

Kondo Haruka suddenly said, “Eh, Cang-kun, let me help too~”

As she spoke, she moved toward the counter, as if to squeeze Xiao Chun Miura aside.

“……Ugh, wait, Kondo-san——”

“Wait, Haruka, what are you doing?”

Sandwiched between Kondo Haruka and Kanzaki Sou, Xiao Chun Miura barely managed to turn toward Kanzaki Sou.

……No, she’d rather approach Kanzaki Sou than Kondo Haruka right now.

She simply didn’t want to touch another girl’s body.

But for Kondo Haruka, it was a different story.

“! Hey, Xiao Chun Miura, you——”

“Ugh…… Kondo-san——”

Leaning against Kanzaki Sou’s shoulder, Xiao Chun Miura could feel Kondo Haruka’s hands shamelessly pulling at her arm and shoulder from behind.

—Yet she kept pressing closer.

“No…… Kondo—Kondo-san!”

The warmth from leaning on Kanzaki Sou and his close breath made Xiao Chun Miura feel like a train’s smokestack.

She became increasingly flustered, until finally she reached out, turned, and grabbed Kondo Haruka’s still-fidgeting arm, shoving her outward.

“Huff…… Huff……”

Like she’d survived a fierce struggle, Xiao Chun Miura panted heavily.

“Xiao Chun Miura, you……”

She tried her best to ignore the boy behind her, gathering her strength to speak before Kondo Haruka could close in again.

“Um, Kanzaki-san! You and Kondo-san should just go home now!”

“Ah, mm?”

“——What?”

Kanzaki Sou and Kondo Haruka spoke at the same time.

“This…… I can finish this little bit of work myself, it won’t take long.”

“Besides, Kondo-san, haven’t you been waiting for Kanzaki-san for a while now……?”

Avoiding their gazes, Xiao Chun Miura pressed on, forcing herself not to cringe.

“Just let me handle it for now, so……”

“So you two can just go home!”

“……”

“……”

“……——Eh, Cang-kun, did you hear that! Let’s go home?”

“No, what are you saying, Haruka?”

“Cang-kun! Didn’t Miura-san say so herself? She’ll finish the little bit left, so we can go home right away——”

“……No, the work is for two people. How could we——”

“It’s fine, Kanzaki-san.”

Xiao Chun Miura spoke quickly.

“If you really feel bad about it, you can help out with the next job.”

“……”

Kanzaki Sou was silent for a moment.

As Kondo Haruka’s voice rose again, he finally spoke.

“Mm, then thank you for your kindness, Miura-san.”

“Just like that other time.”

He was, of course, referring to when he’d helped Xiao Chun Miura with some extra work before.

“Mm? What other time?”

“I’ll leave the work to you, then. I’ll head home—see you at work tomorrow.”

Kanzaki Sou spoke as he picked up his bag, walked past Xiao Chun Miura to the path outside the counter.

“Eh, Cang-kun! What other time?”

“Alright, alright, weren’t we going to the Supermarket? Let’s hurry, or else the office workers will be out grabbing deals soon.”

“Oh, right…… Let’s go.”

Kondo Haruka dashed to the exit at once, Kanzaki Sou shook his head helplessly and followed.

While tidying up the desk, Xiao Chun Miura secretly glanced at the two as they left.

Kanzaki Sou was actually looking at her too.

Before leaving through the Library’s front door, Kanzaki Sou turned back, gave a small apologetic smile, then stepped outside.

His expression seemed to say, “Sorry for troubling you, Miura-san.”

Xiao Chun Miura stood in place.

Even though the two had left, the long-haired girl still felt restless.

That conversation just now, her tone……

“——Haah.”

She adjusted her glasses and let out a long sigh.

Before she realized it, her way of speaking had completely turned into that of a high school girl……