Volume 1 - The Abandoned Kitten, Her, and Me.
Chapter 6Minamino Chinatsu had been cute since she was a child. Neither her parents nor her grandparents had any foreign blood, but her features were so well-defined that they seemed to carry a hint of Eastern European ancestry. In fact, she had even been scouted as a model several times and had appeared in magazines.
"Back in elementary school, I was surprisingly tall for my age. And, it seemed that they also had these expectations of me becoming a tall model and all. However, my growth spurt came to a halt during middle school, so I ended up quitting."
And as she transitioned from elementary school to middle school, many boys, who had also started awakening many things, started to notice her, resulting in confessions from them left and right. Well, I can understand why. She was not only cute but also naturally outgoing and cheerful. And with the added bonus of being a former model, it's no wonder she gained popularity. Although some girls felt jealous, as she grew up, her beauty increased, not to mention her pleasant personality. Moreover, she excelled in both academics and sports. Faced with such an all-rounded girl with no apparent flaws, many girls were unable to exploit any openings, opting instead to pursue a path of friendship rather than rivalry.
"Well, I can't say there weren't any instances of bullying or teasing, but back then, it didn't really bother me much. I had more of a 'Bring it on!' kind of attitude."
Furthermore, amidst the storm of confessions, she was even forced to try dating a few boys at the suggestion of her past female friends.
"Now that I think about it, even though it's quite a bit err… of me to say this, but I was quite popular back then, so I guess I wanted to quickly try being with someone. I was told things like, 'You might start liking them if you give it a try,' And, being someone who had no romantic experience, I thought maybe that's how it worked and decided to give it a shot. However, there was absolutely no sign of any romantic feelings developing on my part. There were also times when, even though the other party is known for being a pleasant handsome guy or someone who is sincere and faithful, whether they were a senior, a classmate, or a high school student, they would quickly become pushy as soon as we were alone together. It made me wonder, weren't we supposed to take it slow and start as friends like what they told me when they confessed?"
"...Well, they were healthy teenage boys."
Obviously, I don't think any middle school teenage boys would be able to resist their desires when they have a beautiful girl like her as their girlfriend.
"But you know, it's quite rude to keep rejecting those advances when you're in a relationship and it will end up very troublesome for myself since I didn't really want to force myself into such things either, so we ended up breaking up. I went through that cycle several times."
With that, rumors started to spread.
They started calling Minamino Chinatsu a "boy-switcher bitch" who changed boyfriends one after the other. As she had attended a combined middle and high school, her relationships extended beyond grade levels, and naturally, there were plenty of malicious gossips.
"Honestly, it was frustrating. When I didn't have a boyfriend, they would release this kind of pressure where they wanted me to be with someone quickly and they would recommend me guys like they were pointing fingers randomly. Still, boys being the boys they are, they would all get hyped up and confess. If they had approached me seriously, I would have had to consider it, but it took up my lunch breaks and after-school time. So, at some point, I just started declining them outright."
As a result, she gained enemies out of jealousy and spite. Still, she managed to have a reasonably good time, until a certain point. As the balance began to shift, Minamino-san at that time failed to realize it.
"I had a best friend, you know? She was petite, cute, excelled in studies, and was kind. She was a serious girl who even served as the class representative. When we became desk neighbors, she didn't care about the bad rumors surrounding me at all. Thanks to that, I was able to have fun somehow because she was there, or at least that's what I thought."
With a melancholic tone, Minamino-san spoke. I couldn't see her face, but I thought it was better that I was facing away from her.
"Mm."
"Then, suddenly, she said something to me."
(Don't steal my crush, my boyfriend. Chinatsu-chan, you already have everything, don't you? Why do you have to take what's mine?)
Naturally, Minamino-san had no memory of stealing anyone's boyfriend. She hadn't even intended to be especially close with her best friend's boyfriend, but they had talked fairly often just because he was her best friend's boyfriend. At that time, Minamino-san didn't wear her mask, and she felt secure since he was her best friend's boyfriend.
But that didn't go well.
The beautiful girl who turns down various confessions from boys and hardly talks to any boys, was only talking to me.
Her best friend's boyfriend, caught in that misunderstanding, fell for Minamino Chinatsu without a second thought.
("I fell in love with Chinatsu. So let's break up," he told me. Why? Why are you ogling other people's boyfriend? You've already stolen boyfriends from various people, and you're even including me!?)
"I wanted to say, 'I don't know what you're talking about!?'' Or rather, I did say it."
But, you know… she continued.
The quiet girl who cried miserably after losing her boyfriend was in the right, while the beautiful and flashy girl, who wasn't crying, was in the wrong.
Moreover, afterward, when her best friend's boyfriend became single, he confessed to her behind the school building.
Of course, she turned him down. However...
"Why? I broke up for your sake, for you! Quit giving me mixed signals and saying suggestive things!"
"Don't f*ck with me! Stop falling for me on your own and talking nonsense!"
He got very angry and pinned her down, where they ended up in a scuffle. She barely escaped when a patrolling teacher came to their rescue.
"Then yeah, I guess I was saved, but the teacher knew about the rumors too. He even told me the words 'Learn your lesson and start treating people properly.' At that point, something inside me snapped."
And from then on. Minamino-san treated everyone equally. She didn't date, and whether someone was handsome or introverted, she interacted with everyone without distinction. If someone seemed to dislike her, she would approach them regardless of gender and try to become friends to some extent. However, she didn't make any more boyfriends or best friends. Still, she didn't want to stay at that school anymore. Even though she treated everyone equally, there were still people she didn't want to talk to ever again, which created differences. Above all, she was tired of rumors and relationships. She didn't think she could put up with going from middle school to high school in that place.
"So, normally people go on to high school through same-school admission, but I persuaded my parents to let me take the entrance exam for my current high school. I also considered all-girls' schools, but that felt like running away in a sense, so I chose a co-ed school where the academic load wasn't too heavy and it was easy to commute from home."
"...Despite being tired from all that, you're still popular even in high school."
As I turned around and placed the prepared dishes on the table, Minamino-san gave me a wry smile.
"That's true, but it's been quite overwhelming than I thought during the entrance ceremony. I stood out more than I expected, and it's a bit difficult to step back now. So, when you told me that earlier, it felt like some of the tension I had built up was released. ...Ah, this is also the first time I've ever talked about this to someone!"
"Do you feel a bit refreshed?"
"Yeah... Also, your cooking's impressive. There isn't just one side dish, but there are miso-marinated mackerel, ginger pork, salad, and even miso soup as well."
"Except for the salad, everything else is just thawed from the freezer. Plus, the miso soup is an instant. So I can assure you of the taste. After eating this, take a bath and go to bed. Also, of course I'll listen to your story, we're friends after all."
"Ah... Yeah, thanks."
Minamino-san replied meekly, as if a weight had been lifted off from her shoulders.
