Did Asakura-san Just Smile?
Monday.
“...I’m sleepy.”
The morning train.
I stared absentmindedly at my own reflection in the window.
It had been almost a month since high school started.
At first, I had felt incredibly awkward simply riding the train in a girl's uniform.
But by now, I was used to it.
...Good grief.
Even now, sometimes when I woke up in the morning and looked in the mirror, I would think—
“I’m a girl now, you know...”
Somehow, even that had started to feel surprisingly normal.
“Rin!”
“...Yeah?”
On my way from the train station to school, I heard a voice behind me.
I turned around.
“Good morning!”
“Morning, Noa.”
Noa Mizuno.
She was the first girl to become my friend after I entered high school.
She had light brown, shoulder-length bobbed hair and large brown eyes.
Whenever she smiled, a small dimple appeared on her cheek.
She was a little shorter than me and always seemed full of energy.
“You look sleepy today.”
“I stayed up a little late last night.”
“Isn’t that unusual?”
“Huh?”
“Yeah. You seem like the type who’s responsible every single day.”
“...That’s not true.”
I laughed.
“See?”
Noa stared at my face.
“What?”
“Nothing...”
“?”
“Rin really is pretty, huh?”
“......”
Being told that out of nowhere was a little embarrassing.
“...Thank you?”
“Why did you make it sound like a question?”
“Well, I’m not used to compliments like that.”
“Wow, I thought you’d be used to them by now.”
“I’m not.”
I gave her an awkward smile.
Noa smiled back.
“That’s what makes you so interesting, Rin.”
I entered the classroom.
“Good morning.”
“Good morning, Asakura-san.”
“Morning.”
Several people greeted me.
“Good morning.”
I returned each greeting one by one.
Try to smile as much as possible.
Be cheerful.
I wasn't the kind of person who did things like this in my previous life.
That's why I had realized something after starting high school.
Speak politely to other people.
Smile properly.
My high school life was completely different from the life I had before.
And that was exactly what I had decided for myself.
“Rin.”
“Yeah?”
As I sat down, Noa, who was sitting beside me, leaned closer and looked at my face.
“Today...”
“Yeah?”
“Rin, are you smiling?”
“...What?”
“You look a little scarier than usual today.”
“Scarier?!”
My voice unintentionally grew louder.
“See? Right there!”
Noa smiled.
“That reaction is so adorable.”
“......”
“But usually...”
Noa imitated me.
“‘Good morning.’”
“......”
“‘Yeah.’”
“......”
“‘I see.’”
“......”
“...See? It’s cool.”
“No, no, no.”
I immediately protested.
“I think I’m pretty friendly.”
“Huh?”
“...Huh?”
Noa fell silent for a moment.
“...Rin, are you serious?”
“Completely serious.”
“...Hehehe.”
“Why are you laughing?”
“No, sorry.”
Noa's shoulders trembled as she tried to hold back her laughter.
“Rin, you're really interesting.”
“......?”
“But I like that about you.”
“...I see.”
I laughed too.
“Thanks.”
“...Ah.”
Noa suddenly froze.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing...”
“?”
“That smile you just gave me was unfair.”
“......?”
I had no idea what she meant.
I tilted my head.
Lunch break.
Noa and I were eating lunch together.
“By the way, Rin...”
“Yeah?”
“Are you free this Saturday?”
“This Saturday?”
“Yeah. A few of us are planning to go out and have some fun.”
“...Sorry.”
I gave her an apologetic look.
“I already have plans for Saturday night.”
“Plans?”
“Yeah.”
“What kind?”
“...Secret.”
“Another secret?”
Noa puffed out her cheeks.
“Don’t you have an awful lot of secrets, Rin?”
“Do I?”
“You do.”
Noa looked at me suspiciously.
“Is it your boyfriend?”
“No.”
“Then... someone you like?”
“No.”
“Then what is it?”
“...Secret.”
“Come on!”
Noa smiled.
I laughed too.
Moments like this...
Lately, I had actually been having a lot of fun.
—A few days earlier.
The night after my first livestream.
I was sitting in front of my computer.
The stream results were displayed on the screen.
Peak Concurrent Viewers: 10
Subscribers: 7
“...Seven people.”
It was still a tiny number.
But...
Seven people had watched my livestream.
“...I wonder if they'll come back next time.”
That's when I realized something.
“...Ah.”
I had nowhere to announce my streaming schedule.
Almost no one even knew that I had done my first livestream.
“Of course the numbers aren't going to grow like this.”
I picked up my smartphone.
I installed the social media app commonly used by streamers.
Created an account.
The name was—
Kimiya Kishin
My profile picture was the demon lord avatar.
And for my bio, I wrote:
“Kimiya Kishin | New Streamer”
That was all.
“...Okay.”
This was my first post.
“Thank you for joining my first livestream yesterday.”
The next episode is scheduled for Saturday night.
Post.
“......”
I waited.
A notification appeared.
“...Oh.”
Nice.
One.
Then another.
“...No way.”
I couldn't help but laugh.
It was only a handful of reactions.
Just that.
And yet...
I was happy.
“Rin?”
“...Huh?”
Before I knew it, Noa was staring at me.
“Have you been grinning this whole time?”
“I have not.”
“You have.”
“I have not.”
“What are you thinking about?”
“Secret.”
“Again?!”
Noa smiled.
I laughed too.
“Well, you'll find out eventually.”
“Really?”
“Maybe.”
“All right. I'll look forward to it.”
“Yeah.”
The bell signaling the end of lunch rang.
I put my lunchbox away.
—At school, I was Asakura Rin.
I talked with my friends.
I smiled.
I lived like an ordinary high school girl.
And then, when I went home—
I became Onimiya Onigami.
Another version of myself that no one knew about.
Noa-chan
Light brown hair
Soft, shoulder-length bob
Large brown eyes
Height: approximately 158 cm
Slightly shorter than Rin
Wears her school uniform a little messily
Cute casual outfits
Very expressive face
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