The Losing Heroine Dumped by Her Shady Childhood Friend Will Definitely Win as Long as I’m Around!

It was right after I entered high school when I met Masa.

“My name is Masataka Sano. Nice to meet you.”

“…Hello, I’m Rin Sekiya.”

We were in the same class, sitting in front of me. Before the entrance ceremony started, a gaudy boy who I had never met before suddenly started talking to me. That was Masa.

Masa was not the type of guy who had a crush on me or tried to have a relationship with every girl he came across. He told me that at the time he was desperate to make friends quickly.

In fact, I was the one who was wary of him at the time. When a simple-looking boy talked to me, I reflexively became defensive.

After all, we only exchanged introductions at first. Masa was calling out to everyone seated near him, not just me.

He’s a cheerful guy. I remember that was my first impression of Masa.

※※※※※

I didn’t immediately become friends with Masa, but strangely enough, we had a connection.

“Oh, Sekiya’s next to me again. Nice to meet you.”

“Sano-kun is next to me again… There’s no fun in changing seats.”

“So cruel, don’t you feel better if you have a familiar face nearby?”

“If only Sano-kun had looked a little calmer.”

“eh ……What do I look like to Sekiya? I-I don’t think I have such a strange face, right? Say yes!”

Of the several times I had to change seats, all of them were next to Masa. I suspected that I was under some kind of curse.

We greeted each other. If I had something to say, I would talk to him. That was the only relationship we had.

“Masa is lucky to have a girl next to him–“

“We’re in the middle of a crowded boy zone. I envy you.”

“Masa!  Please! Let me sit next to a girl!”

If you sit next to me, the nickname “Masa” comes to my mind even if you don’t like it. The last guy was disgusting.

We were just normal classmates. I think that was our mutual understanding.

※※※※※

Winter of the first year of high school.

“Rin-chan …We should break up. ….”

“Eh?”

My boyfriend suddenly told me he was breaking up with me.

For a moment, my consciousness went blank. I tried desperately to get the reason out of him. I couldn’t think of anything, and I doubt if I was able to get the words right.

My boyfriend was my tutor when I was in middle school. He was a college student, and he was mature, patient, and very different from other boys my age. It didn’t take long for me to fall in love with him.

I tried my best to appeal to him and wanted him to praise me, so I concentrated on my studies and …. Despite that, I was a naive maiden.

I guess my efforts were rewarded. Before I knew it, we had become lovers.

“I got a job. It’s a big company. And yet I have a high school girlfriend. … Well, it’s strange, isn’t it? Rin-chan, you are smart enough to understand, right?”

I have no idea. ……

He probably thought he was trying to convince me. He said many things in a gentle tone that hurt me. And yet I didn’t like the way he tried to justify himself by saying, “It’s for Rin-chan’s sake, too.”

“……”

It’s not because he repeated the words over and over again. I was not convinced. But I couldn’t say anything.

Because I like him. I know he has his place. To him, I was still considered a child. … I could feel that painfully.

I was overflowing with so many emotions that I couldn’t speak. Just trying to open my mouth was enough to bring tears to my eyes.

I guess my attitude made him think that I understood him. He breathed a sigh of relief and smiled.

“I was glad. I knew you would understand, Rin-chan. Really, thank you for everything you’ve done for me. …”

He was kind to the end and left me with a smile.

I couldn’t reach out to stall him, and it was an easy end. I stood there, unable to do anything about it.

‘”Waaaaa…

He was gone, there was no one else in the place, and then I finally let out ,y years.

I cried for a while. I didn’t know what to do. I couldn’t move from this place.

“Sekiya!? Why are you crying !?”

……Why are you calling me? I really thought so.

Masa, who happened to be passing by, saw me crying and ran up to me and called out.

“….leave me alone.”

“That’s impossible. Anyway, here’s a handkerchief. Your face is terrible right now. A passerby will see it.”

What do you mean, “you face is terrible”?. That’s not a word for a girl.

I was angry, but I didn’t have enough time to glare at him. I buried my face in the handkerchief he handed me.

That’s how we were alone, and I asked Masa to listen to the story of my broken heart.