I Went Out With a Losing Heroine, But Before I knew It, My Childhood Friend, Who's Supposed to

“Let’s return to them now.”

“O-Okay…”

　When Yō called out to her, Marin replied with a shy, downcast look on her face.

    Her face was reddish and looked as if it could be misinterpreted by anyone who could see it from this spot.

　After a pause, she reached up and pinched the sleeve of Yō’s shirt with her finger.

“Marin…?”

“~~~~~!”

　And when Yō called her name, her face turned bright red and she squirmed in agony.

　Is she embarrassed or pleased?

　Yō doesn’t know, but if she returns like this, she is likely to incur Kasumi’s wrath.

　But if he made them wait too long, Kasumi and Nagisa would eventually get suspicious.

　Even more so, the fact that he felt chills earlier meant that Kasumi was definitely looking at him.

　The fact that she did not feel their eyes on him right now might mean that Nagisa was holding her back.

　If so, making her wait would cause her further dissatisfaction.

“For now, we’re going back to them, I think it’s best if we don’t do this.”

“Oh…s-sorry…”

　When he pointed out that she was pinching at his clothes, Marin apologetically released her fingers.

　After seeing Marin like this, Yō scratched his cheek with his finger and slowly began to speak up.

“I don’t mind it, so you don’t have to worry about it. It’s just that I don’t know what I’d do if we upset Kasumi, so I can’t do it.”

　Trying to keep the two of them on good terms is meaningless if it leads to more fights.

　So, Yō subdued Marin.

“I-I see, thank you very much.”

　Marin, who had been feeling down, was happy to hear Yō’s follow-up, and her cheeks loosened cutely.

　Yō thought it was adorable that she’s so honest at times like this.

“When it’s just the two of us, it’s okay for you to be selfish.”

“―Fueh!? T-Then, that means…!”

“Hmm? Did I say something weird?”

“N-No, you did not…”

　Marin’s face turned red again in response to Yō’s words, but she understood that she was mistaken when she saw Yō’s face, which did not seem to care.

　She then looked at Yō’s face with some resentment.

“Why are you being so grumpy…?”

“I already know you’re that kind of person. Yes, I’m not mistaken about anything.”

“…Eh? Are you sulking…?”

“No, I’m not sulking…!”

　Marin’s expression and mannerisms led Yō to think that she was sulking, but she turned away.

　Her cheeks were flushed red and she looked somewhat embarrassed.

(Girls are so difficult to understand…)

　With that in mind, Yō returned to Kasumi and Nagisa together with Marin.