Why wasn't I the one who got the male lead's script?

"I... am not very good at greeting people directly and building good relationships."

"It's okay. That guy is just an idiot who's grateful for anything that someone does for him. There's no need to consider the possibility that he might feel bad about your kindness."

"Really……?"

"That's right, and besides, in my impression, he's not the type to criticize other people's figures... If he and Matsumoto were the same, he wouldn't have fought over you, right?"

What's going on? This weird feeling that I'm trying to exonerate myself while seemingly praising others.

"Well……"

Futaba glanced at the boy in front of her with some doubt, and then her flickering eyes gradually calmed down, and she seemed to reluctantly believe what Hoshimi said.

"Hmm, what a great way to deflect the blame. I'll leave it to you, my past self."

Hoshimi silently gave herself a passing grade for her on-the-spot reaction and adaptability, while her gaze remained on Futaba in front of her.

"........."

He wanted to say something, but in the end he stopped and closed his mouth.

There were some things he shouldn't have said—at least not from this moment, many years later.

“Try to understand the person who shakes his fist for himself.”

The young man adjusted his glasses and finally uttered these rather ambiguous words in a soft voice.

"...?"

"If you want answers, he should give them to you."

"But... someone like me... who was the trigger for the fight between him and his best friend, is that really okay...?"

"No problem. That guy is a bit stubborn and won't think too much."

Having said that, Xingjian seemed to have thought of something, and the corners of his mouth raised slightly - although this was covered by the mask, Futaba definitely couldn't see it.

"Besides...if you still feel guilty towards that Hoshimi brat because you destroyed their friendship, why don't you just become his friend?"

"------"

"Well, I'm just saying it casually."

Xingjian knew when to stop, worried that if he continued talking he would reveal more flaws, so he waved goodbye to Futaba.

He found a secluded corner and traveled through time and space, returning to the time and space where he was supposed to be—and also returned safely to his home.

"Huh... I've unearthed some hidden bond between me and my friends from the past."

The burden brought to the body by time and space travel turned into fatigue at this moment, slowly hitting the heart again and again like a tide. Xingjian, who felt that he had done something very meaningful, simply washed up and fell asleep.

"So Futaba used to be such a self-conscious person... She was very awkward and hesitant when talking to strangers. She's definitely quite different from now."

As time went by, Futaba, who was originally a bit introverted and timid, gradually developed a hard shell in her heart to protect herself. The coldness and sharp tongue that others could only see on weekdays were probably the self-defense she had to show against strangers.

But the same thing is that she has always been a very conflicted and taciturn person, and she dare not easily express her kindness to others - these have never changed, but because she hid it so well, she has become more and more stubborn.

He's such a dishonest yet totally unpleasant guy.

As she closed her eyes and yet fell asleep, Xingjian thought this sincerely while lying in her really soft bed.

No wonder when Hoshimi first met Futaba not long after he entered high school, Futaba didn't object to him often visiting her laboratory to hang out and daydream - it turned out that he was not an ordinary classmate who was a complete stranger to her.

If I hadn't been angered by Matsumoto's words and hadn't acted as a hero, would I have lost my connection with Futaba and the two of us would never have become friends in high school?

When I think about it carefully, I still feel a little scared.

He was very glad that he was able to see the hidden side of Futaba, and he was the only one.

If this person wasn't him, I'd feel a little unbalanced...

"………………?"

Xingjian, who had radiated his emotions here, paused, then suddenly opened his eyes, and the sleepiness that had just been brewing disappeared in an instant.

and many more.

——Why should he feel unbalanced.

To be honest, because Hoshimi and Futaba are friends of the opposite sex, when they were close friends, Hoshimi more or less maintained some social relationships with Futaba that should be maintained between men and women who are not boyfriend and girlfriend.

Even so, close friends wouldn't feel unbalanced because of something like this... I always feel something is weird.

Or is this actually what some people often call "possessiveness"...?

"Wait, it's not right to be possessive of your friends..."

He vaguely remembered that Futaba had actually had a good relationship with Azusagawa before - although it didn't seem as close as the two of them.

"That's right, even though Azusagawa and Futaba have such a good relationship, I've never felt unbalanced. There must be something wrong."

The black-haired boy tossed and turned, then buried his head under the pillow and forced himself not to think too much.

but.

If the person who stretched out his fist wasn't him, but Azusagawa...would Azusagawa be the one who has the best relationship with Futaba now?

"…………!"

Oh my god, I can’t sleep at all now.

The black-haired boy, who was so concerned that he was distracted, sat up from the bed a little irritably. He couldn't imagine the scene of another person replacing himself as Futaba's best friend.

What's going on? This inexplicable possessiveness is like a flood or a beast.

A sentence Xingjian had heard suddenly appeared in his mind -

"Being able to become close friends probably involves a little bit of love."

[Futaba Line] Destiny: Chapter 2: He and She Intertwine in Time and Space (Part 3)

To be honest, due to her lack of experience in love, Xingjian has always believed that she is not suitable for love and has no need to fall in love.

It is normal for him to think this way. People in the 21st century cannot live without love - getting it is icing on the cake, and not getting it is also a matter of indifference.

Xingjian is actually not a completely emotionless person. He actually secretly had a good impression of a girl in the same class. The reason might be that the other party once extended a helping hand to him unintentionally.

But in the final analysis, he never tried to shorten the distance with the object of his affection, and always maintained an ordinary classmate relationship that was neither too close nor too distant.

If you ask why, he always has the answer in his heart.

Many times, people may be attracted to another person simply because they have not seen the whole picture of that person. They fall in love with that person simply because of the advantages that the other person inadvertently shows, thus completely beautifying the image of that person in their mind.

But is this really the case?

Not at all.

Everyone has flaws. Someone who seems wonderful when you first meet them may actually have some unpleasant qualities behind their backs.

The girl that Xing Jian had once been attracted to was a very popular girl in the class. She was kind, gentle and generous to everyone.

She must be a very good person, but this is ultimately just my one-sided perception.

Putting aside any possible shortcomings of that girl, the fact that she had never paid any attention to herself was enough reason for Xingjian to defend the city and not take the initiative to attack it.

Some relationships really don't require possessiveness. Just like Xingjian's feelings for that girl, he didn't actually have the slightest possessiveness or the urge to confess his feelings to her.

He was just attracted by the girl's kindness, and from then on he felt that she was special. In the end, he couldn't even say that he liked her.

He really likes the feeling of admiring the person he likes from a distance. Even though it is a one-way relationship that no one knows about, it is enough to satisfy him.

——So, the boy Hoshimi, who had only had this kind of long-distance crush experience since he was born, felt a little uneasy and at a loss after realizing his strange possessiveness towards his best friend Futaba.

He has never been the type to take advantage of those he knows, and he has also imagined that if he were to fall in love in the future, he would definitely not start with those around him.

However, when he stood in front of Xiao Shuangye from three years ago and witnessed everything she had experienced, and witnessed her timidity and bravery, the heartache and pity that sprouted in his heart could definitely not be fake.

“What the hell is going on here…?”

The most plausible explanation at the moment is probably that I have feelings for Futaba that are different from those of friends.

But this is too...

"That guy has always considered me his best friend..."

How would she react if she knew that I was looking at her like this?

The worst outcome would probably be that Futaba would be so disappointed with herself that she would completely draw a line between them and they wouldn't even be able to be friends anymore.

When Xingjian thought of what he had vowed to himself, "I plan to find a lifelong friend with Futaba," he scratched his hair in annoyance, and for the first time, he felt panic in his heart.

He had never imagined that he would fall in love with his best friend.

"No... maybe I'm just overthinking it."

No matter what kind of relationship two people have, they will have some possessiveness towards each other.

For example, when a child sees their parents showing affection to another child, they may burst into tears due to psychological imbalance. Even if two girls are in a pure friendship, it is difficult for them to tolerate a third person intervening and turning it into a threesome.

Well, maybe I'm just overthinking it.

There are already enough things going on during this period of time, so don't add any more inexplicable and insignificant worries.

After Xingjian hurriedly gave himself an explanation, he buried his head in the quilt, trying to keep instilling the message of going to bed quickly into his mind.

He still has a lot of things to do and cannot be distracted by such vague and uncertain things.

——After that, daily life continued as usual, and the boy maintained a rhythm of life that matched time and space travel with daily life.

However, Hoshimi kept everything he learned during the private event that day a secret from Futaba, and he also hid his own wild thoughts very well.

For now, he still wants to manage their relationship well.

Once friendship is corroded by ulterior motives, it will either transform into a love affair where both parties are in love, or it will decay into a smelly and heart-breaking relationship, which will eventually be forgotten by both parties who are embarrassed.

Besides, friends can talk about anything and will stand by each other unconditionally no matter what difficulties they encounter - but if they are lovers, it is not uncommon for them to oppose and hurt each other in the relationship.

After lovers break up, they may never contact each other again, but ideally, close friends can accompany each other for a lifetime.

Hoshimi doesn't want to lose her hard-earned friendship with Futaba.

So, it is obvious what is more important and how to choose.

Once people force themselves to be busy, time will fly by quickly.

A week passed in a flash, and soon it was time for the team-building trip arranged by Eriri Sawamura.

Xingjian, who was full of worries, still planned to follow the previous world line. In order to minimize possible changes, he restored all his actions basically as he remembered.

On the day of departure, he greeted Miss Hayasaka who came to wake him up, and on the way to meet up, he picked up Futaba who had just left. When he arrived at the hotel, he pretended to be surprised to meet Shirogane Ishigami and the others.

Although Xingjian never considered himself a very competent actor, it was still easy for him to minimize his presence and follow others throughout the whole process.

——The change probably occurred on the first night after arriving at the hotel.

Hoshimi, who was sleeping on the tatami, looked out the window at the torii gates and stone paths that stretched up the mountain not far away, and was lost in thought for a while.

Then, as if possessed by some mysterious force, an idea came into his mind.

"Let's go to that shrine in advance."

Originally, Eriri had also included this project in her plan.

Inexplicably driven by this idea, Hoshimi walked out of the room carefully. It took him about ten minutes to walk from the hotel to the shrine mountain.

He hesitated for a moment, and finally made a secret wish in the shrine with great respect.

It is also the wish that he most wants to realize in his heart.

Then, he breathed a sigh of relief and tried to return to the hotel in the dark, but he slipped on the stairs going down the mountain.

Suddenly, everything in front of my eyes went dark.

After an unknown amount of time, when he woke up again, what greeted his eyes was an extremely unfamiliar scene.

It's so strange that it's a bit weird.

[Futaba Line] Destiny: Chapter 3: A Strange Future (Part 1)

When I woke up, I saw the dazzling sunshine and the endless cloudless light blue sky.

And his back seemed to be leaning against something hard, causing him pain.

“…What’s going on?”

Xingjian blinked in confusion, then subconsciously reached out to cover his face, trying to restore his eyes, which were almost burned by the dazzling sunlight, to normal.

After gradually recovering, the boy looked around carefully.