Chapter 243: Thank You for Liking Me

“Fever Fever, aim for victory! Red team…..”

Leaning his upper body back, supporting himself with both hands on the grass behind him, and listening to the cheer slogans ringing out once again, Tooru suddenly spoke to Miyahito beside him.

“I say, Miyahito, do you ever get the feeling that Ishigami is being ostracized?”

“Yeah.”

Sitting cross-legged and looking at his phone, Miyahito nodded carelessly.

“Yu at Shuchiin, well… how should I put it, he doesn’t get along very well with his classmates.”

“Why?” Tooru turned his head to look at Miyahito, his eyes full of confusion, and then looked at Yu in the formation. “Yu is actually a pretty good guy, and he’s not bad-looking either. It’s just that his hair is too long, giving him a gloomy vibe.”

“It can’t be that he’s inexplicably ostracized just because of his hairstyle, right?”

This was something Tooru couldn’t figure out no matter how hard he thought about it during this period.

When he first followed Miyahito to Shuchiin to join the fun and mess with Yu, Tooru had already faintly sensed the subtle distance between the surrounding Shuchiin students and Yu.

It seemed that most people didn’t really want to interact with Yu, especially the girls. When facing him, they almost had the word ‘disgust’ written all over their faces.

This made Tooru, who had noticed this, feel a bit uncomfortable in his heart.

After all, Yu was his good friend. Besides, after being friends and hanging out with him for this period, Tooru could clearly feel that ‘this is a good guy, worth making friends with’.

Seeing his friend being ostracized and disliked at his school, it was inevitable for Tooru to feel an indescribable sense of indignation and depression.

Why? Such a good person, why treat him like this.

Clearly, he hasn’t done anything wrong.

“Well, the reason is quite complicated.”

Miyahito could naturally feel Tooru’s indignation.

It’s just that.

“Tooru, do you think Yu was originally a gloomy person?”

“Huh?” Hearing this question, Tooru asked back in confusion, “What do you mean? I don’t quite understand.”

“Look.” Putting down his phone, Miyahito turned his face toward Yu in the formation and raised his chin. “Didn’t you just say that his appearance gives people a gloomy feeling?”

“Then do you think this is how he has always been originally?”

“…Probably, not.”

Tooru thought about it. Yu shouldn’t be the type of person who is naturally gloomy.

Generally speaking, if someone were truly gloomy and unsociable, they wouldn’t be participating in sports festival cheer squad activities like this… On the contrary, someone hiding alone in a dark corner, looking at their surroundings with indescribable indifference or malice, would fit Tooru’s impression of ‘gloomy’ much better.

“So there you have it.”

Miyahito shrugged.

“Since you also think Yu isn’t a gloomy person, then his current appearance and the way he interacts with other classmates must have a reason. Yeah, it’s probably an unfriendly memory.”

“Also, to correct one point: strictly speaking, Yu isn’t being ostracized by everyone.”

Looking at Tooru’s completely bewildered expression, Miyahito paused for a moment, took a breath, and spoke again.

“It’s him who is currently ostracizing others…..”

Building high walls, deeply burying his scarred heart within them.

…

Nighttime.

“What’s wrong with you guys?” Holding her boyfriend’s arm, Utaha tilted her head slightly to look at Miyahito. “Didn’t you guys agree to go to McDonald’s together? Why did you suddenly say you weren’t going?”

“Hmm?”

Turning his head to look at his girlfriend, whose gaze held a hint of curiosity, Miyahito hummed in response and asked back.

“Nothing much. Yu looked so exhausted from training, so we just decided to go another day.”

“That’s exactly what’s weird,” Utaha rolled her eyes cutely, clearly unconvinced. “At noon, you and Ishikawa-kun were so enthusiastically plotting how to prank Ishigami-kun. But in the end, it just fizzled out. That’s not like my Miyahito at all.”

“What kind of image do you even have of me?” Miyahito reached out and affectionately pinched Utaha’s delicate cheek. After she slapped his hand away in annoyance, he continued, “There’s no deep reason. Tooru probably just heard me talk about some of Yu’s past and got so depressed he withdrew into himself.”

“?”

A giant question mark practically floated over Utaha’s confused head.

What the heck? Hearing a story made him withdraw into himself? Is Ishikawa-kun’s brain okay?

“Don’t look at me like that.” Noticing her suspicious gaze, Miyahito flicked her forehead lightly. “I had nothing to do with it. It’s mainly Tooru getting stuck in his own head.”

He then briefly explained the conversation he had with Tooru that afternoon, along with the things he had learned about Ishigami’s past from Miyuki and Kaguya.

After he finished, Utaha lowered her eyes slightly and murmured, “…I didn’t expect Ishigami-kun to have gone through that…”

Seeing her looking a bit down, Miyahito’s eye twitched.

Hey! Kasumigaoka Utaha, watch your status. You have a boyfriend! You’re taken, got it?

Sensing a faint, inexplicable scent of jealousy drifting from beside him, Utaha paused and looked at him.

“Oh my.” A gentle, drowning smile bloomed on her pretty face as she rested her head against his arm, her eyes curved in amusement. “Are you jealous?”

“No.” Caught red-handed, Miyahito looked away in embarrassment, his words contradicting his heart. “Me, jealous? Please, I’m not a kid.”

“…That’s a very cute reaction.” Smiling, she tilted her face up and poked his slightly puffed cheek. After he impatiently slapped her hand away, she slowly softened her bright smile and said gently, “Actually, I was just thinking about you and Ishigami-kun.”

Both had fought for a girl they liked. Both had been forced to stay home and reflect after getting into a fight because someone badmouthed them. And both had gotten back on their feet thanks to Miyuki.

Miyahito and Yu’s past experiences were incredibly similar—practically identical, in fact.

The only difference was that the girl Miyahito liked—her, Kasumigaoka Utaha—liked him back.

Moreover, Utaha wasn’t stupid, nor was she the type to easily believe other people’s rumors.

“Hey, Miyahito.”

Utaha tilted her face up, looking at her boyfriend with eyes full of warmth and happiness.

“Thinking about it now, I’m so glad I already liked you back then.”

The moment she said this, Miyahito immediately understood her underlying meaning.

Because I like you, I believe you were protecting me.

And because I trust you, I will always stand by your side and never betray the you who protected me.

“Yeah.”

The corners of Miyahito’s mouth curled into a blissful smile.

“Thank you for liking me.”

Early Chapter and Support Me