← The Studious Boy and the Secret Account Girl
Volume 1
Chapter 08: The First Comment
Chapter 8: The First Comment
Even with a commotion in the staff room, a high schooler’s daily life continues on regardless.
School, part-time job, and chores. He didn’t forget his prep and review, either.
He got in the bath and washed away the sweat, dust, fatigue, and everything else until he was refreshed, then flopped onto his bed and checked his smartphone.
☆
RIKA@Secret Account
I’ll show you because something bad happened today.
※
☆
“Mmm…”
Thankfully, ‘RIKA’ had posted again today.
Checking the clock, it was almost exactly on time.
For some reason, he wondered if she might be a rather dutiful sort of person.
And today’s costume that this ‘RIKA’ had put together was…
“So the request didn’t go through, huh.”
He couldn’t help but look up at the ceiling and lament.
That aside, he couldn’t take his eyes off the image.
Today’s photo had less exposure than ‘RIKA’ usually went for.
Most of her well-shaped nice body was covered in a crimson fabric.
The exposure was her arms, and a slit that cut boldly up to around her waist.
“Too bad, but… the cheongsam looks great, too!”
He’d wanted to see the bunny girl, but the cheongsam suited her well.
Her shapely slender legs, with just the right amount of flesh, were emphasized to the utmost, and even compared to all her photos up to now, it was god-tier.
Even though he hadn’t requested it himself, he had to nod that the one who picked this knew what was up.
“The cheongsam really is the finest civilization China ever produced.”
For Tsutomu, China consisted of ramen, Romance of the Three Kingdoms, and cheongsams. Sometimes fried rice and gyoza mixed in, too.
He was disappointed that his own wish hadn’t been adopted, but there was no doubt that this, too, was a top-tier feast for the eyes.
He quietly pressed his hands together and gave a reverent bow, then hurriedly saved the image.
It was the moment a new collection joined the folder bearing the ‘RIKA’ name.
Even so… there was a part of today’s update that bothered him.
“‘A bad thing’… I wonder what happened.”
It wasn’t unusual for ‘RIKA’ to post a comment along with a photo.
Mostly in the form of ‘because of X, I’ll show you,’ and then she’d expose herself with no relation to what preceded.
If it were just a decorative phrase, he’d have no problem with it, but the fact that she’d deliberately mentioned ‘a bad thing’ was subtly worrying.
Indeed, even in the replies trailing her tweet, comments expressing concern for her were scattered about.
He had no memory of ever seeing a negative word in her posted comments.
He’d had the impression that she avoided phrasing that could be taken as seeking sympathy.
Whatever today’s event had been, it must have really been hard to stomach.
“If something troublesome happened and she stopped posting… I’d be dead.”
It wasn’t as if ‘RIKA’ was the only secret account of this sort. But there was no doubt that she was Tsutomu’s current favorite.
To think he could never see her images again — just imagining it made the decline in his will to live frightening.
She’d already got a firm grip on the stomach of his heart.
If ‘RIKA’ deleted her account, he might lose his mind from mental starvation.
That said, there was nothing Tsutomu could do. Though the frustration welled up, that was the reality.
Between him and the girl shining out in SNS (a beauty, probably) there was almost nothing one could call a connection.
He couldn’t help but be startled at the unexpected emotion he found in himself.
The real ‘Kariya Tsutomu’ had no dealings with the opposite sex.
The exceptions were his mother and stepsister, both of whom were family.
And yet this Tsutomu was worrying over the feelings of a member of the opposite sex, fretting over all sorts of things.
He had no memory of tormented himself over something like this for a real (?) member of the opposite sex of same age.
The other party’s face and name were unknown, and who she was or where she lived, he hadn’t the faintest idea. They’d never met, never conversed.
Given the nature of the matter, he had no mind to consult anyone about it. Even so, what worried him, worried him.
—At the very least, should I give her some support, then?
He decided to lift the ban on comments, which he’d stubbornly held back until now.
Part of it was that he couldn’t think of anything else within his ability… but to begin with, Tsutomu himself was using a secret account for browsing secret accounts, so there was no risk of giving himself away. Zero followers.
If so, there shouldn’t be any problem with stating his impressions and encouragement more freely.
—What on earth was I so afraid of, anyway.
The timidity that had been swirling in his head vanished, and his heart settled.
“Mmm.”
Just a comment, or rather, a comment all the same.
He’d voice himself to ‘RIKA,’ whom he might even call his aspiration.
Thinking about it, he felt a strange elation.
He could no longer laugh at his classmates who were so animated about idols and celebrities in the classroom.
‘So this is the feeling they had, then,’ he gained a new insight.
And yet—his fingers wouldn’t move.
“What do you say at a time like this?”
He’d resolved to post and racked his brain, but saying ‘do your best’ here felt wrong.
He couldn’t begin to guess the outline of the trouble that had befallen her, but if Tsutomu himself were caught up in some kind of dispute… he wouldn’t want someone so easily telling him ‘do your best.’
Because—the word ‘do your best’ felt to him to carry a hidden intent of ‘there’s still room for you to try harder, isn’t there? Why not work harder?’
Looking back on his own life so far, he’d had that experience a number of times. The one who said it may not have been fully aware, but the one who received it found it unbearable.
Tsutomu had never led a smooth-sailing life. He’d never voiced it, but more than once or twice someone’s offhand remark had pushed his anger to its breaking point.
It might be that ‘RIKA’ had been pushing herself near her limit all along, without needing anyone to tell her.
Looking at her usual tweets, she came across as someone who, by nature, rarely voiced complaints. If the feelings of such a girl had overflowed… then ‘do your best’ was a word he couldn’t use carelessly.
What words should he offer, then?
Facing his smartphone, he fell into a brief, deep contemplation.
‘Thank you for giving me the will to live every day.’
After much deliberation, the words Tsutomu’s fingers spun out had nothing to do with ’RIKA’s comment at all.
A hundred percent his own convenience. So selfish was it that even after posting, he gave himself a thumbs-down: ‘this isn’t going to fly.’
“Should I delete it after all… w-what, huh…”
‘RIKA@Secret Account replied.’
The finger he’d been about to touch the display trembled.
‘You’re overstating it with “will to live.” But thanks! I feel a little lifted now.’
“A reply!?”
He read the characters on the display again and again.
There was no misreading.
It said ‘thanks.’ He was being thanked.
Something welled up from the depths of his chest.
The fact that he’d given himself a thumbs-down a moment ago had flown off to some corner of his mind.
Knowing full well that he was deficient in interpersonal communication, that reply made him happy.
The sense of accomplishment that his words had cheered someone up, and the gratitude for being thanked.
—I’m glad I worked up the courage to comment.
It had been a day with unpleasant events, too… but just one phrase had saved him.
His heart was full.
He’d gone in to support and ended up supported.
“Grr… what am I supposed to do with this…”
☆
RIKA@Secret Account
Something good happened, so it’s service time, service!
※
☆
He was trembling over the unexpected turn of events when a new image was added to the feed. This time a back shot.
The pure white legs spilling from the slit of the crimson cheongsam were too dazzling.
Of course, he saved it at once.