"Um, Chihaya-san... do we really have to go this far?" Alex Shima asked as he followed behind her.
The two of them had walked all the way to the very end of the hallway—an isolated stairwell where no one would ever pass by.
At that moment, Chihaya Anon came to a complete stop.
She turned to face Alex, barely holding back her rising frustration.
She had heard every one of his thoughts as they walked—him mentally debating how best to gently reject her.Trying out different phrasing… choosing the most polite way to turn her down.
That part was still tolerable. At least it showed he wasn't a total jerk.
But seriously… how could someone be this full of himself?
She stepped closer.
"Shima-kun, you... actually know who I am, don't you?"
Alex blinked. "Didn't we just introduce ourselves earlier?"
"No, I mean—we've met before, right?"
"This is our first meeting, though?"
"Don't play dumb!" Anon snapped as she stepped closer, forcing Alex to back up until his back hit the wall.
With a loud thump, she slammed her hand beside his head—kabedon style.
Then, staring him down with sharp eyes, she declared,"We went to the same middle school. Don't even think about pretending otherwise."
Huh?
That's part of the setting?
Alex was stunned.
When he transmigrated, he didn't go through the usual ritual of receiving the original host's memories.So he honestly had no idea whether or not he and Chihaya Anon went to the same middle school.
Could it be just a crazy coincidence?
Let me think...
[So it's not a confession… She dragged me out here because she recognizes me, and she thinks I know about her embarrassing past?]
Alex started to piece it together.
[Oh, it's about her study-abroad fiasco—couldn't adapt, ran back to Japan, and now she sees that as her dark history…]
The moment Chihaya Anon heard that thought, she immediately crouched down in shame.
Stop. Please stop. Don't talk about it like you witnessed it in person!
Seeing her squatting there, face red and mumbling nonsense, Alex paused.
[Wait… what's going on with her?]
"Chihaya-san, are you… having stomach pain?"
Anon slowly lifted her head and gave him a resentful glare. "It's not stomach pain—seeing you gave me a headache!"
But wait a second…Could it be that I'm hearing his thoughts because… I have some kind of superpower?
Anon had started to realize—yes, she could hear his inner voice.But why she had that ability, she had no clue.
And why him, of all people?
"Can you promise not to tell anyone about my middle school stuff?"
"…Of course I won't," Alex replied, looking at her cute, vulnerable expression.
[I'm still counting on you to save Tomori. There's no way I'd do something to interfere with that.]
Anon blinked.
She'd heard him mention this "Tomori" person in his thoughts before.
That name came up a lot.
Save Tomori? What's that supposed to mean?
Tomori… That must be Tomori Takamatsu, the girl sitting next to me.
But we don't really talk. Why would he want me to save her?
And save is such a dramatic word, isn't it?
"Alright then, Chihaya-san. Now that we've cleared that up, let's head back. Honestly, I thought you were gonna confess to me for a second there."
Anon shot him a death glare."Who confesses to someone they just met, you narcissist?!"
"You were staring at me that whole class. It was hard not to misunderstand!"
"I had a reason for that!" she snapped back.
She stood up—well, tried to. But she'd been crouching too long and her leg had gone a little numb.
As she shifted her weight, she tripped over her own foot and started falling forward.
"Ah—!"
Anon's eyes squeezed shut, bracing herself for the impact.
But the next moment, Alex caught her.
Though he was a bit slow to react, he managed to steady her just in time.
One hand on her shoulder, the other supporting her from the front, palm against her stomach.
The warmth of his hand spread through her shirt and made her blush.
"T-Thanks…"
"No problem."
[Wait a second. Was that fall legit? Or was it one of those anime girl trademark skills—'tripping out of nowhere'?]
Alex glanced up.
And standing just a few meters away—Tomori Takamatsu.
She was staring at the two of them, expression blank and eyes wide.
From her angle, it absolutely looked like the two of them were in a full-on embrace.
Wait, was this actually a confession after all?
The thought passed through Tomori's mind—right before Alex's thoughts came flooding in again.
The very next second, Alex quickly pushed Anon off of him, awkwardly jumping back to create distance.
[Tomori! It's not what it looks like! Don't misunderstand! Anon came onto me out of nowhere—I only like you! And Bocchi-chan! And Nijika, of course!]
Anon, who just a moment ago had started warming up to Alex a little, glared at him again.
Excuse me?!Who are you calling shameless?!
She gave him a furious glare.
Then looked at Tomori.
So… she was the one he really liked?
He'd mentioned a bunch of names after that, none of which she recognized, but it was clear—Tomori mattered more to him than she did.
That left her with an odd, bitter feeling.
Not quite jealousy—her current affection level for Alex was hovering near zero.
But the double standard was kind of infuriating.
"A-Ah, Takamatsu-san! What are you doing here?" Alex said with a forced, sheepish laugh.
Tomori blinked slowly, then answered in her usual spacey tone.
"I just… wandered over. You two were…?"
"Nothing happened!" Alex blurted instantly, waving his hands in panic. "Totally innocent!"
Anon nodded quickly in agreement."Takamatsu-san, it was just an accident!"
Tomori blinked again. "...Okay."
"Shall we walk back together?" she asked casually.
The moment Alex realized she hadn't read too much into the scene, he let out a huge sigh of relief.
Thank God. My precious Tomori didn't misunderstand…
Chihaya Anon nodded and gave a friendly smile—but then couldn't resist shooting Alex one last sharp glare.