Chapter 26: TS Reincarnated Person Has Few Friends and Because Birds of Feather Flock Together, Their Friends Also Have Few Friends. Find the Probability That the Friends are Friends with Each Other

TS Reincarnated Person Has Few Friends. And Because Birds of Feather Flock Together, Their Friends Also Have Few Friends. When They Gather Friends in Such a Situation, Find the Probability That the Friends are Friends with Each Other

As Sensei sees me off, seemingly asking if I'm really okay with that, I leave my beloved dojo.

I'll admit that the most beautiful ending would have been for me to lose normally or to persuade him with words. No doubt about it. But then I'd either end up hurting myself, or I'd have forced Shota-kun to become independent without the match ever even starting.

Surely, Shota-kun would have been able to shake me off and become a fine, sparkling young man.

But that's not good enough!

I want my own sparkle, and no amount of sparkle is worthless if you can't have it.

By ending it this way, I'm freeing Shota-kun from the past while leaving him with the impression that he still lost to me.

In essence, I've imprinted my existence on his mind in a different way. It wasn't just some random whim that made me want to toy with the boy's heart. That's only half the reason. Plus, I wanted to secure a violent device to use if something happened.

Beautiful girls are full of danger, so that's important.

This whole incident made me realize that I can't beat a properly trained boy.

...Eh, you knew that all along? Haha, I wonder what are you talking about?

Anyway, it would be good to have a fighting force that's relatively friendly towards me and would be happy if I asked them for help.

I don't plan on using them.

Because if such an opportunity exists, it means I've messed up somewhere. I act like a perfect beautiful girl, so aside from a little jealousy, I don't live my life in a way that would attract genuine malice.

Just kidding.

I live my life in a way that would make it possible for them to do so, but for now, no one is directing it at me.

Shota-kun tells me to call him if anything happens, telling me I need to rely on him. When I ask him can I even call someone who lost to me, he sulks and makes excuses. He says; "If only I'm not careless, and if there's a next time, I'll beat you to a pulp." 

His howl of defeat is so satisfying.

I think I told you at the beginning, there's no next time for you. And I won't listen to excuses. I knew this would happen, so I had to set all sorts of conditions.

After making sure he was joking, he promises to protect me if anything happens. I then gently intertwine our pinky fingers and threatens to make him swallow a porcupine fish if he lies, and it's perfect.

I've got his word. If he lies, I'll make him swallow a live porcupine fish. Poor porcupine fish, swallowed whole despite being innocent.

And so, with an emergency weapon, or rather a new sparkling candidate, my school life became peaceful again.

Tomohiro-kun, who walks to school with me as usual, and Miho-san, who somehow feels relieved. Shota-kun, who started following Satoshi-kun, who greets me so ridiculously, saying he doesn't want me to lose to anyone other than him, has started following me around. Since I won't be fighting you anymore, that means I won't be able to lose to anyone.

Those fun friends are the end of my main circle of friends.

I talk to a lot of other people, but I mostly just want to maintain a minimum level of human interaction, so I don't really feel like they're my friends.

I worry about who exactly counts as a friend and whether they consider me a friend, so I'm a typical socially awkward person.

In other words, I'm a friendly, popular, beautiful girl with social anxiety.

You don't know what I'm talking about, don't you?

"Now that I think of it, Mashiro, why did you quit karate? With your skills, you could have made it to the elementary school division even if there was a slight difference in your physique, right?"

It was a typical lunch break, and Miho-san and I were enjoying a friendly lunch together when suddenly, a strange object appeared in our lily garden: Shota-kun, whose brain is about a quarter made from karate.

I don't really mind, so I'll forgive him, but if you did that anywhere else, you'd get ripped to shreds. Be careful.

I wonder what would have happened if I hadn't been an artificial flower, and think about how to answer Shota-kun's question.

If he had just been some uncouth bastard, I'd have told him to just get lost without answering, but Miho-san, who was worried about my safety, seemed to be somewhat interested in my past.

Well, if a cute girl like me had been challenged to a match by someone like Shota-kun and won, I suppose she'd be interested.

"Hmm, there's no real reason. I guess it was because I'd reached the limit of my physical growth, and I'd already mastered enough for self-defense. If I wasn't aiming for a higher level, I'd only practice kata. And then I could just do it in front of the mirror without having to go to the dojo."

Normally, it might be hard to tell even by looking in the mirror, but I have an amazing, high-spec body. Thanks to that, I'd never had any reason to keep going to the dojo.

When I told Shota-kun this random reason, he looked serious, as if to say, "Oh, that's it."

It's cute that he was fooled by such a lie.

Actually, I thought "Soft Girl" sounded cuter than "Karate Girl," and it was there that I learned the seoi nage (shoulder throw) I used to defeat Shota-kun.

Incidentally, I quit that dojo after three days because my little sister told me I stink.

But yeah, there are some truths in this world that are best left unsaid. I'm the type of person who cares about those kinds of things. There's no need to go out of my way to tell anyone.

Miho-san is leisurely impressed, saying, "I never knew Mashiro-san was that amazing," while Shota-kun praises me, saying I'm the only opponent he's never beaten, even though he's never lost to anyone his age.

Stop it, I'm embarrassed. Now I'm just an ordinary, high-spec, beautiful girl.

As Shota-kun joins us for our yuri-yuri lunch as if it were the most natural thing in the world, I ate my lunch, thinking how clueless he is.

Today's furikake is bonito flakes! Yay! Hikari loves bonito flakes! 

I like any bento Mama prepares for me, not just furikake. Even if the bento forgets the Japanese flag, I'll happily finish it.

After this pleasant lunch, Shota-kun asks me to come and cheer him on for his upcoming match.

Why should I have to cheer for someone like you?

I'm not going to say, or even think, "You loser, know your place!" So I tell him I'll come and cheer him on if I can.

You can get a general idea of ​​someone's ability by their appearance, but the only way to tell how much spark they actually have is by seeing them work hard at sports and in matches. If he's not sparkling enough, I can give up on him right then and there and look for someone else who sparks.

There are plenty of karate connections, so it's worth going.

However, going alone would be lonely, so I invite Miho-san to join me on a non-date basis.

Shota-kun agrees, saying it doesn't matter how many cheering fans there are, and Miho-san doesn't seem completely opposed to going out with me. Hm, maybe there's a chance?

While thinking that it would have been better to go with my sister if we were going on a date, which is rude to Miho-san, I tell Shota-kun that I'll invite anyone else who seems interested

Since he said it was fine for anyone to go, he can't say no, but Shota-kun is overconfident and agrees, thinking that there probably aren't that many people who would be interested in his match anyway.

I know, I know, you really just wanted to invite me. But it's annoying to have to do things the way you want.

After playing with the heart of the poor boy who mistook obsession for love in my hands and finishing classes that haven't really started yet except for math, it's a happy, fun time walking home from school.

Sorry to keep you waiting, Tomohiro-kun. Shall we go home together?

I left Shota-kun, who was trying to invite me home, behind and went home together with Tomohiro-kun.

Hehe, Tomohiro-kun, you've made some friends with other students from outside the school. Now you don't have to lie to your mom about your friends other than me.

That's good for you.

Tomohiro-kun should be happier and more excited, but strangely, his expression was not very good.

I wonder what could have happened.

Just as he was excited about his new friend, his favorite childhood friend ended up playing a match with someone he didn't really know, and after it was over, they became good friends. And that guy was acting all friendly and close.

Yeah, it was enough to make you a little cloudy. Is that why your eyes are sticky now?

"Mashiro-san, what happened with that Rokkaku guy? You said it was okay, so I didn't say anything about the duel, but I'm still curious."

Rokka-something is Shota-kun's last name.  

Of course, Tomohiro-kun, who is in the same class, knows about Shota-kun's constant fussing about duels, so I've been trying to brush it off by telling him not to worry because it won't be a big deal.

If we'd become such close friends overnight, it's only natural that he'd be surprised, curious, and even a little jealous. That's healthy behavior for an adolescent boy.

"We just had a quick chat, cleared up some misunderstandings, and reminisced about old times."

I told Tomohiro-kun I couldn't go into the details because it was Shota-kun's privacy, but being the kind of kid he is, he didn't dig any deeper. He's grown into a kind kid who respects others. As someone who was involved in his upbringing, I'm very proud of him.

"He may be a little eccentric, but Shota-kun's not that weird, so it's okay. ...By the way, I'm going to see Shota-kun's match soon. Want to come, Hiro-chan?"

It's a sport match you're not interested in, and it's a classmate you've never really spoken to.

You might ask what's so fun about going to see something like that, but it's a different story if your beloved is accompanying you.

Whether it's a clear sea of ​​clouds on a sunny day, a snowy landscape made of artificial snow, or a water reflection on a stormy day, it's a spectacular sight when you're with the person you love. Who you see it with is more important than what you see. So, if I'm there, there's a good chance Tomohiro-kun will come to watch the karate match.

"Go! I'll go!"

I cast my hook with just a simple bait, without much expectation, and the fish took the bait right away.

Fish! Is it a feeding frenzy?

I recommend Tomohiro-kun's fishing to beginner anglers. The bait is just an outing disguised as a date with a childhood friend. It's easy to prepare.

I act happy that Tomohiro-kun is with me, and pat him on the back for his self-esteem.

It's so exciting that the person you love is happy to go out with you. It makes you feel so happy, like you're worth it. 

Don't get too cocky, Snack-kun.