第81話 やきもちとくべつ
「......なあ、冬華」
「なんでしょう、朝陽くん」
事前の打ち合わせ通り、二班で合流して中華街を観光する間、朝陽は隣を歩く冬華に声をかけた。
「気のせいだったらいいんだけどさ......なんか怒ってる?」
「怒ってませんよ。朝陽くんの気のせいです」
「そ、そうか......」
キッパリとした物言いに、思わず怯んでしまう朝陽。
気のせいだと冬華は言うが、その表情は明らかに不機嫌そうだった。
対照的に、前を歩く千昭と日菜美は楽しそうに笑い合っている。途中で買った肉まんを頬張って、いつものように二人でイチャイチャとしていた。
宣言通り龍馬にべったりの明日香も、幸せそうな笑顔を浮かべている。
そんな様子を眺めていると、ふと後ろを振り返った明日香と目が合った。すると明日香は口をパクパクとさせ、何やらアイコンタクトを図り始めた。
(ご、め、ん、ね......が、ん、ば、れ?)
何だそれ、と朝陽は微笑する。
そんな朝陽を見て、冬華は一層顔を曇らせた。
「......朝陽くんは、宮本さんと仲がいいんですね」
抑揚のない声で話す冬華。その視線は明日香に向けられている。
「仲がいいかというか......まあ、最近よく話すな」
同じようなことを千昭にも言われたな、と朝陽は思い出しながら返事をした。
「そうですか」
聞くだけ聞いて、冬華は朝陽から顔を背けてしまう。そもそも、合流してから一度も目が合っていないような気さえする。
相変わらず不機嫌そうで、何やらはっきりとしない冬華。その珍しい様子を不思議に思っていると、ぴたりと冬華の足が止まった。
「どうした? 体調悪いなら先生に......」
朝陽も足を止めて心配から声をかけると、冬華は首を横に振った。
他の班員は前にいて、後ろを歩いていた二人の異変に気付く様子はない。
「宮本さんと......よく話す、だけですか?」
先程の平坦な声とは変わって、その声は少しだけ震えていた。
不安そうな表情を浮かべる冬華と一瞬目が合って、すぐにまたうつむいてしまう。
質問の意図を掴み損ね、朝陽は首を捻った。
冬華が何を言いたいのか、何を聞きたいのかわからない。
それでもこれ以上はヒントをもらえないらしい。
「宮本とは普通に友達だぞ」
結果として回答は当り障りもないものになった。
しかし、それが冬華にとっては求めていたものだったらしい。
「......よかった」
「よかった?」
「あっ、いえ。こちらの話です」
ほっ、と胸をなでおろした冬華は安堵の表情が浮かんでいる。その姿は普段通り、優しく穏やかだ。
「友達、なんですよね?」
「そうだけど......そんなに気になるか?」
「だって......」
もにょもにょと口を動かし、言い淀む冬華が頬を淡く染める。
「かがみん」
ポツリ、と冬華が朝陽を呼んだ。その瞬間、胸が跳ねるのを感じる。
いつもと違う呼び方で、それでも自分を呼んでいるのだとはっきりわかった。
それは日菜美に付けられかけたあだ名であり、明日香に呼ばれるようになったあだ名だ。
「どうしてそれを......」
「宮本さんが言っていたのを聞きました」
なるほど、と朝陽は頷く。
それから、なるほど? と首を捻った。
「それがどうしたんだ」
「二人が仲睦まじい様子だったので......いいなあって」
頬の色を一層赤くした冬華が上目遣いで朝陽を見つめる。
その姿は非常に可愛らしく、愛らしい。
「やきもちか?」
朝陽としては、冗談のつもりだった。
その冗談を冬華は同じく冗談で返す。
少し間が空いて帰って来た言葉にいったいどう反応すればいいのか。
冬華は顔をほんのりと赤く染めたまま笑顔を浮かべた。
またしても朝陽の心が静かに騒めき、それからチクリと痛みを感じる。
「山田くんですか?」
「......ほら、呼び方変わってる」
ただ、これを機に気になっていることを聞きたかった
「そうですね、趣味が合うので仲良しだとは思います」
迷いのない肯定の言葉に胸の痛みが鋭くなる。
龍馬はよく冬華と恋愛小説の話をすると言っていた。同じクラスになってから何度かオススメの作品を語り合っている二人も見かけている。
その姿はとても楽しそうで、とても華やかだった。
そして朝陽は、決まって心がモヤモヤとして、胸が痛くなった。
「でも」
冬華が短く話を区切る。
「名前呼びは朝陽くんだけですよ?」
それが何を意味するのか、気付かないほど朝陽も鈍感ではない。
遠回しに、特別だと言われているのだ。
顔が熱くなる朝陽に、冬華は一歩前に近づく。
いつの間にか上機嫌になっていると、その表情から感じ取れた。
ふふっ、と笑った冬華は軽やかに身を翻して朝陽に背を向ける。
みんなに置いて行かれてしまいます」
二人は並んで、一緒に歩き出す。
それから少し歩いて、また立ち止まる。
先に進んでも、見慣れた後ろ姿が見つからない。
人混みが段々と多くなり、雲行きが怪しくなってくる。
「これは......はぐれてしまったかもしれません」
一難去ってまた一難。
二人は顔を見合わせ、それから笑った。
Ch 81
"...Say, Fuyuka?"
"What is it, Asahi-kun?"
With the two groups met up for a sightseeing tour of Chinatown as planned, Asahi called out to Fuyuka, who was walking next to him.
"Is it just me or...are you mad at something?"
"I'm not. It's just your imagination, Asahi-kun."
"O-okay..."
Asahi was intimidated by her crisp words.
Fuyuka said it was just his imagination, but her expression said otherwise.
In contrast, Chiaki and Hinami were laughing happily at each other in front. They were chewing on the steamed meat buns they had bought on the way, and were making out as usual.
Asuka, who was all over Ryoma as she had declared, also had a happy smile on her face.
As he was watching her, his eyes met Asuka's as she suddenly turned around. She began to make eye contact with him like she was conveying something.
'Sorry...and...good...luck?'
"What's with that?" Asahi smiled.
Fuyuka's face became even more cloudy when she saw Asahi's expression.
"...Asahi-kun, you seem to be getting along with Miyamoto-san, aren't you?"
Fuyuka spoke in a flat voice. Her gaze was fixed on Asuka.
"We get along...? Well, we've been talking quite often."
Asahi replied, remembering that Chiaki had said the same thing to him.
"Is that so?"
Fuyuka turned her face away from Asahi after listening to him. They'd never even looked at each other once since they met up in the first place.
Fuyuka still looked unhappy and vague. As he was wondering why she was so unusual, Fuyuka's footsteps came to a halt.
"What's up? If you're not feeling well, we can inform the teacher..."
When Asahi also stopped and called out to her out of concern, Fuyuka shook her head.
The others who were in front and didn't seem to notice anything strange about the two walking behind them.
"Do you just...talk often with Miyamoto-san...?"
Her voice was a little shaky, a change from the flat voice she had used earlier.
Asahi's eyes met Fuyuka's for a moment, who had an anxious expression on her face, and she immediately slumped down again.
Asahi tilted his head, failing to grasp the intent of the question.
He didn't know what Fuyuka wanted to say or what she meant to ask.
Still, he couldn't get any more hints.
"We're just regular friends."
As a result, the answer was bland.
However, it seemed that this was what Fuyuka was looking for.
"...I'm glad."
"Glad?"
"Ah, it's nothing. I was just talking to myself."
Fuyuka displayed an expression of relief on her face. Her appearance was gentle and calm as usual.
"You two are just friends, right?"
"I guess...but does it bother you that much?"
"I mean..."
Fuyuka's cheeks turned pale as she wriggled her mouth and stumbled over her words.
"Kagamin."
Fuyuka called out to Asahi. At that moment, he felt his heart jump.
It was a different way of calling, but Asahi knew exactly that it was still calling him.
It was the nickname that Hinami had almost given him, and the nickname that Asuka had come to call him.
"How do you..."
"I heard Miyamoto-san say it."
"I see." Asahi nodded.
He then tilted his head.
"What about it?"
"I thought it would be nice...since you two seem to be getting along so well."
Fuyuka, whose cheeks had become even redder, looked up at Asahi.
That appearance was very cute and adorable.
"Are you jealous?"
As far as Asahi was concerned, it was supposed to be a joke.
Fuyuka would reply to the joke with a joke of her own.
How should he interpret those words?
Fuyuka smiled as her face turned slightly red.
Once again, Asahi's heart quietly rumbled, and then he felt a stinging pain.
"Yamada-kun, is it?"
"...Look, the way you address him changed."
However, he just wanted to take this opportunity to ask her something that had been bothering him.
"I suppose, I think we're good friends because our interests match."
The pain in his chest sharpened as he heard the affirmation without hesitation.
Ryoma told him that he and Fuyuka often talked about romance novels. Asahi also had seen the two of them discussing their recommendations several times since they'd been in the same class.
She looked so happy and gorgeous in that way.
And Asahi was decidedly bewildered, and his heart ached.
"But,"
Fuyuka broke the conversation short.
"Only you, I will call on a first name basis, Asahi-kun."
Asahi was not so insensitive as to not realize what that meant.
In a roundabout way, he was being told that he was special.
As Asahi's face grew hot, Fuyuka took a step closer to him.
He could sense from her expression that she was in a good mood all of the sudden.
She smiled and lightly flipped herself around to turn her back on Asahi.
"We should go. We'll be left behind by everyone else."
They lined up and started walking together.
Then they walked a bit and stopped again.
As they continued onward, they couldn't find anyone familiar.
The crowds were getting bigger and bigger, and the clouds were getting darker and darker.
"We might...have been separated from the group."
One problem gone, another problem came.
They looked at each other and then laughed.
How To Melt the Ice Lady
【コミカライズ連載中】氷の令嬢の溶かし方　～クールで素っ気ないお隣さんがデレるとめちゃくちゃ可愛い件～
https://www.novelupdates.com/series/how-to-melt-the-ice-lady/
Comedy Romance School Life Slice of Life
Adapted to Manga Beautiful Female Lead Caring Protagonist Cooking Cute Story Famous Parents Kind Love Interests Kuudere Male Protagonist Modern Day Popular Love Interests
https://ncode.syosetu.com/n2567fv/
高峰 翔