Harem of Side Characters [Rewrite]

Nanami Yabu - We Were Angels

I find myself on the school rooftop. There isn't a particular reason why I'm here, except just to get some fresh air. I step out onto the roof, being hit by a small gust of wind.

There, I spot a diligent girl staring out towards the rest of the campus. A look of melancholy was plastered on her face, perhaps she was contemplating something.

"Yabu." I call out the her.

"...Oh, Ayanokouji. What brings you here?" She turns and gives me a smile.

"I just wanted to get some fresh air. How about you? I'm surprised you're up here instead of being at the park surrounded by books like usual." I comment.

"Well... sometimes someone like me feels the need to escape every now and then." She turns her attention back to the view.

"Is that really necessary for you to come to a place like the school rooftop, though?" Yabu sighs to herself. It's not a heavy sigh, it's more like a sound someone makes when they've given up.

"You're right about that. I could probably visit the library, or even just my room. I don't have anything to gain by coming up here. I suppose I just wanted... a different view. Something different than the same, monotonous sights I see every day." She turns to me.

"It's a bit odd though, you came up here for some fresh air. Using your logic, couldn't you just head towards the school entrance instead of the roof?"

"I... guess you're right. I think I was just compelled to come here."

"Compelled by what?"

"I'm not exactly sure... Where are you going with this?"

"I'm just curious. Perhaps there was a hidden reason that brought you up here today. Perhaps the hidden urge to throw yourself off a building?" She says as if its the most normal thing in the world. Which is... slightly worrying.

"...Excuse me?"

"Did I say something strange? It's not uncommon for people to have those kinds of thoughts. Japan has the highest suicide rates in the entire world after all. So the chances that you had those intentions are quite high." She's still speaking in the same casual tone. But her words are really concerning. It was as if she was foreshadowing something that might happen in the future.

"...Sorry for asking this, but are you okay?"

"I am. Why do you ask?" She seems genuinely confused at my question.

"I just didn't think you were the type to go on depressing tangents like this."

"I'm just showing you what I think, I didn't mean to be depressing. I was speaking based off of logic and not emotion." She shows me a cheerful smile.

"Sorry if I made you uncomfortable. I'll try to keep those thoughts to myself next time."

"No need to apologize, I was just taken by surprise." I reply to her.

"Thank you for worrying about me though, its nice to see that someone else cares about my well-being other than Shiho, Saki, and Rika." She steps away from the edge of the roof, easing my worry a bit.

"Speaking of those two, how did you become friends, if you don't mind me asking." The three girls were wildly different from each other, and yet they somehow got together.

"Ah... well, Rika was the center of it all, if it wasn't obvious enough. It's a pretty long story."

"I don't mind. It's not like I have anything better to do."

"Well, the first time I saw Shiho and Rika was actually during the entrance exams..." She started.

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