Chapter 17: Friendship Tiers and Unexpected Encounters

Friendship Consultation Meeting.

This idea originated with Shiraishi and Kobayashi.

After securing agreement from Hayato and me, they drafted an outline of questions.

Hayato and I would answer separately, then exchange our responses to read each other’s.

As the project was still in its initial stages, the main creators needed to conceptualize the general storyline before finalizing the questions.

‘Could Shiraishi possibly enjoy watching variety shows?’

– Aoyama Ren and Watanabe Hayato, a super introvert and a super extrovert—how did these two polar opposites become friends? The reason is truly astonishing!

An unfamiliar man’s voice inexplicably echoed in my mind, accompanied by narration and canned laughter.

The date was set for the day after tomorrow, a Thursday.

Little Black Cat Lingling remained at the manga club, apparently having something to discuss with Shiraishi.

Bidding farewell to Shiraishi, Hayato and I departed the clubroom, preparing to head downstairs.

Had there been no unforeseen circumstances, we would currently be walking home.

My phone didn’t ring; the sound emanated from Hayato’s backpack.

“Hayato, are you free right now?”

After he pressed the answer button, I heard a deep, resonant voice that exuded an air of reliability.

“Yes, President. We just finished the student council activities. What’s wrong?”

Hayato halted, and I stood beside him.

Few classrooms on this floor were used by clubs, making the surroundings quite tranquil.

Faintly, the sounds of instruments from the brass band club could be heard.

“Kenichi fell off his bike on the way home yesterday and injured himself. Without telling any of us, he played half a practice match again today.”

“Is it serious?”

Hayato asked.

“Ah…” the voice on the other end replied, “His ankle is badly swollen. He just went to the infirmary for an ice pack. Kazuya and Daisuke will help him home.”

“You’re preparing for the match against Nanbara High School soon, aren’t you?”

After a brief pause, Hayato spoke.

“My apologies. I had originally intended for you to focus solely on student council work this semester, Hayato, but now, you’re the only one with the same skill level as Kenichi.”

“I’m on my way. Please wait a moment.”

“Thanks.”

The call disconnected.

Hayato scrolled through his phone messages, replying to each one.

Watching Hayato, I couldn’t help but sigh.

‘What a busy savior he was.’

The student council, the manga club, and the basketball club—all seemed to require Hayato’s presence.

In my first year, as a member of the ‘go-home club’ (TL Note: A common Japanese term for students who don’t join any after-school clubs and go straight home), I naturally had no involvement in such social interactions.

Although I had now joined the manga club, it seemed unlikely I would be of much help.

“Ren, do you want to head back first?”

Hayato turned his head and asked me.

“I actually have quite a bit of free time.”

For some reason, I found myself wanting to spend time with Hayato more than with my gaming console.

It hadn’t been like this before.

For years, I had spent countless hours with Hayato, so games and anime had always been my top priority.

“Isn’t today the premiere of Magical Girl Lelouch? You’ve been looking forward to it for ages.”

‘Huh? Had I ever told Hayato I was so invested in that original project?’

I had completely forgotten about it, yet Hayato still remembered.

It was an original anime that blended mecha, political intrigue, war, and magical girls, boasting a top-tier production team.

The old me would already be online, dissecting leaked anime information with other otaku.

Having been preoccupied all day with worries about my relationship with Hayato, I had almost entirely forgotten this crucial date.

Thinking about it now, the pull of *this* situation seemed far greater to me.

After a moment of hesitation, I still told Hayato:

“I can always watch the recording later.”

‘See, this is friendship and connection!’

“Is that so? The practice match should finish around 6:30 PM, still plenty of time to get home.”

‘Hayato even remembered the anime’s premiere time? I was always the one dragging him to watch anime before.’

‘I never realized he was so interested.’

Arriving at the basketball court’s spectator stands, I settled into a corner seat.

In the direction of the locker room, a group of students in white jerseys had gathered, speaking to a boy seated on a chair.

The boy’s tone, however, seemed exceedingly impatient.

“Didn’t I say I could get back on the court after a short rest?”

“Kenichi, just heal your injury properly. You’ll still be fine for next week’s game.”

The boy in the number nine jersey placed a hand on his shoulder.

“Then what about today’s practice?”

“President… he sent Hayato over…”

Another shorter boy scratched his head.

“Sho!”

The boy in the number nine jersey admonished him in a low voice.

“How ridiculous! Is the entire basketball club relying solely on Hayato?”

The boy named Kenichi stood up, and the other two quickly moved to support him, only to be roughly pushed away.

Hugging my knees, I watched him limp onto the court, approaching the boy wearing jersey number four.

Even the girls from the neighboring volleyball club seemed to notice the basketball team’s conflict, turning their gazes our way.

“Aoyama-san?”

Suddenly, someone nearby called my name.

I was startled.

I quickly turned my head to see a guy who exuded an air of instant familiarity.

He had dyed brown hair; I couldn’t fathom how he’d evaded the disciplinary committee’s checks.

“H-hello?”

To my recollection, I didn’t know him, so I simply offered a greeting.

“Since you’re here, it means Hayato must have arrived too, right?”

He said, moving a little closer to me.

‘Oh no, is this how subtle normies’ (TL Note: ‘Normie’ is a slang term for a person who is not an otaku, implying they have a socially conventional life) sense of personal space is?’

But I was already at the edge of the spectator stands; there was no more room to move sideways.

However, his words did reveal why he knew me.

‘I was probably like the moon orbiting the Earth.’

‘Anyone who knew the term “Earth” would likely also know the celestial body “Moon”.’

“He just went to another locker room to change.”

I replied to him.

“I see.”

The guy nodded, wearing an expression that suggested he’d seen through all truths.

I watched the two on the court, who had nearly erupted into an argument, return to the locker room. A few conjectures formed in my mind, and I looked at him with some hesitation.

“Is Hayato… not well-liked here?”

“No, no, Aoyama-san, Hayato is the basketball club’s biggest star!”

The brown-haired boy shook his head dramatically, then proceeded to sling an arm around my shoulder.

‘Hey, hey! Besides fearing ridicule, encountering people like this is precisely why I want nothing to do with socializing!’

‘It’s terrifying!’

“Kenichi, also a key player in the basketball club, isn’t inferior to Hayato in skill, but he’s just not handsome enough, which means a whole bunch of girls don’t pay him any attention.”

“Ah, what a pity. Guys like me, who aren’t skilled and aren’t good-looking enough, will probably never find a girlfriend.”

‘Right, right, I get it. You’re desperate to find a girl who will shower you with affection.’

‘But could you please let go of me first?’

I closed my eyes, my brain threatening to tremble.

“Kazuya, what are you doing to Ren?”

‘Hayato!’

I wished I could immediately stand up and hide behind Hayato.

The brown-haired boy, identified as Kazuya, finally released me after hearing Hayato’s words.

His appearance seemed to bring me a measure of calm.

I had initially believed my social anxiety had lessened considerably, yet simply being in such a normie (TL Note: ‘Normie’ is a slang term for a person who is not an otaku, implying they have a socially conventional life) environment still left me highly strung.

I looked up at Hayato, who, in his white jersey, resembled a leading man from a television drama.

The girls from the neighboring volleyball club began excitedly whispering and exclaiming.

“What’s going on? Didn’t they say Watanabe-kun wasn’t playing today?”

“The intel was wrong! Yumi, get over here quickly!”

“I’ve already notified the group chat. Watanabe-kun’s practice match is today!”

…

‘How should I put it? It was the first time I had so directly experienced Watanabe’s immense popularity.’

‘Speaking of group chats, was there actually a group that regularly tracked Hayato’s whereabouts at school?’

‘I wouldn’t end up on their hit list, would I?’

In contrast to the excited volleyball girls, Kazuya immediately stood up and slung an arm around Hayato’s neck, acting like a close buddy.

“Come on, don’t be like that. Aoyama-san rarely comes to the basketball club; let her also feel the fiery passion of youth too!”

‘Ugh, what a frivolous guy.’

‘I’m completely helpless against people like him.’

‘No wonder this guy can’t find a girl who likes him.’

“Stop that, Ren will be bothered.”

Hayato broke free from Kazuya’s embrace and looked at me.

“If this guy keeps bothering you, make sure to tell me.”

‘I knew that wasn’t meant for me.’

Upon hearing this, Kazuya dramatically pressed his hands to his cheeks, wriggling back and forth around Hayato.

“But everyone’s really curious about who gets to be Hayato’s friend.”

“You idiot, aren’t you my friend too?”

Hayato said impatiently, yet I couldn’t detect any genuine annoyance in his tone.

‘It was the first time I’d seen Hayato interact with a peer in such a way.’

‘Was this also friendship?’

“It’s different, isn’t it? Friendship has different tiers!”

Kazuya nudged Hayato, urging him onto the court.

Yes, while I didn’t particularly care for Kazuya, friendship truly did have different levels; everyone held a certain weight in another person’s heart.

To gauge this weight, one needed to compare it against another person.

For instance, if two friends invited you out, one in the east and one in the west, and you could only choose one, your ultimate decision would undoubtedly favor the friend with whom you shared a deeper bond.

This was an unavoidable and helpless truth.

Of course, my circle of friends was small, so I wouldn’t face such a perplexing dilemma.

Even if I were to become a super normie (TL Note: ‘Normie’ is a slang term for a person who is not an otaku, implying they have a socially conventional life) in the future, my best friend would still only be Hayato.

Therefore, the answer was singular.

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