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

"………Very good."

After staring at the gray-haired girl in front of him for a long time, the boy breathed a sigh of relief as if a heavy burden had been lifted from his shoulders, and then he unconsciously leaned his head gently on Futaba's shoulder.

"Futaba is right here...and hasn't gone anywhere."

"........."

Futaba, who was originally planning to get angry at this guy, probably realized something.

Although she was still a little overwhelmed by this sudden situation, after Futaba calmed down, her face slightly reddened and she gently patted the boy's back with her hand.

"Alright, alright... I wasn't going anywhere anyway."

Is this considered being pampered? This thought suddenly occurred to Miss Futaba.

[Futaba Line] Destiny: Chapter 9: Necessary Changes (Part 2)

"Really...what's wrong with you?"

She quietly comforted the boy in front of her who had suddenly become fragile, and her previous anger had long since disappeared.

"Come in and talk about anything."

----

At 2:30 in the middle of the night, when almost all people with normal schedules had already fallen asleep, Futaba Rio was suddenly woken up.

Logically speaking, if she was in a very bad mood when waking up, she would suppress her voice with an unhappy look on her face and scold the guy who disturbed her sleep.

"...If it weren't for that Hoshimi guy, who immediately showed an expression that made people feel a little concerned."

Miss Futaba, who could only suppress her resentment, curled her lips and tried not to let her current mood be dominated by her bad mood.

"So, what's going on? What's wrong with you?"

She turned on the light switch and led the boy to sit on the tatami.

This room was originally just a bedroom, not a place for entertaining guests, so she could only awkwardly let Hoshimi sit down next to her bed. Futaba herself sat on the bed about a meter away from Hoshimi, clearly showing the basic social distance.

"I'll be clear in advance that I'm actually quite grumpy when I wake up, so if you wake me up from my sweet dream for even the smallest thing, I'll definitely punch you."

“…I seem to have time traveled again.”

"...?"

Futaba, who was originally a little listless, immediately became serious after hearing Hoshimi say this in an indescribably complex tone.

"Wait... time travel? You took the initiative? Why didn't you discuss this with me in advance?"

"It wasn't something I did on my own initiative..."

"After missing a step on the shrine stairs and traveling ten years into the future before dying, it wasn't something I did on my own initiative... And I'm not sure if I can tell Futaba about what I saw and heard after traveling into the future."

Xingjian looked away in embarrassment, then scratched his cheek - Futaba saw that he was indeed a little embarrassed to explain this matter, so she relaxed her expression and had no intention of continuing to ask further questions.

"…Is it something you can't talk about?"

She actually knew that there were many experiences regarding time travel that could not be shared publicly.

"Well, although I really want Futaba to know, but if I do, there might be unexpected situations."

"That's it."

After understanding Hoshimi's attitude, Futaba shrugged noncommittally, and her expression became much more relaxed.

"That's no big deal, is it?"

"...?"

"At least you are sitting here safe and sound, nothing serious is wrong with you."

The gray-haired girl yawned sleepily, her expression looking lazy and tired again.

Maybe in her opinion, as long as she is fine, it's fine.

As Hoshimi thought about this, the face of Futaba ten years later emerged in his mind.

"........."

He frowned, then straightened his back slightly and cleared his throat.

"I say, Futaba."

"Huh? What else?"

"What if, I mean what if... what if we are not friends in the future, will this affect your life?"

"………………What strange questions you have."

Futaba, who was originally lazy and about to fall asleep at any time, was stunned when she heard this question, and then her facial expression slowly became subtle.

"It's just an assumption."

"Generally speaking, in a relationship, this kind of assumption is almost always a precursor to infidelity. So, are you asking this with the intention of ending our friendship? I can't quite remember who was the first person to say we were lifelong friends."

"Hey, hey. Don't make any random assumptions."

And the last pointed sarcasm will really make the already fragile friendship even worse.

"--But since you mentioned lovers."

Hoshimi raised an eyebrow, watching as Futaba slowly shifted.

——He unconsciously moved forward, and the girl with glasses who was originally sitting on the bed also noticed his approach and shrank back cautiously.

“…W-What are you doing?”

Ms. Futaba forced herself to remain calm and asked in a calm and strong tone, but to Hoshimi, this sounded more like a show of bravado.

In the past, Xingjian would probably think that this was Ms. Futaba's way of being self-vigilant and keeping distance purely out of "friendship".

But after meeting Futaba ten years later, his opinion of her has changed somewhat.

Perhaps ten years later she will be the one who truly shows her true self without any disguise.

At least Xingjian's idea has been confirmed by himself.

She treats me as more than just a friend.

The reason why she is now more fake than she will be ten years later is probably because she is bound by the "friendship" and has to pretend to be like this.

"There were a few times before when you and I were alone together, Futaba, and we were often mistaken for a couple."

"……what do you want to say?"

Miss Futaba, who was completely passive, kept retreating, but she still kept a calm tone and asked back - after all, she must not fall behind in momentum.

"Isn't it normal for friends of the opposite sex to occasionally be mistaken for another relationship? If you're honest, there's nothing wrong with that."

"...A person with a clear conscience fears no slander."

This guy can really say things against his will without blushing or beating his heart.

The words she said when she parted with Futaba ten years later flashed back to his mind.

Please, let her know what you're thinking.

【Don’t wait until you lose something to regret it. 】

Since Futaba can't be honest, then this time it's her turn to be the one to take the initiative.

Having made up his mind, Hoshimi moved his throat, then looked directly at Futaba in front of him with a flickering look and questioned her.

"how about you?"

"...?"

"Have you never thought about the relationship between us?"

"What's wrong with you today? You just ask some weird questions—"

"This is very important, Futaba."

Hoshimi, who always listened carefully to others finish speaking before expressing her opinion, interrupted Futaba for the first time - which also prevented her from wanting to change the subject.

"This concerns the future of both of us, so there is no room for reckless behavior."

"…I'm sorry, but I still don't understand the point of your asking this question. Do you think there's no such thing as pure friendship between opposite-sex friends? Such an absolute conclusion, which one can understand without any research, is truly presumptuous—"

"That means you don't like me at all and have no feelings towards me other than friendship."

How do you get the true thoughts of someone who is both thoughtful and adept at changing the subject?

——Actually, it’s just about hitting straight balls continuously.

As it happens, Xingjian is actually very good at doing this.

[Futaba Line] Destiny: Chapter 9: Necessary Changes (Part 3)

"…Are you an idiot, Xingjian?"

Futaba, who had been forced into a corner but was still stubborn, gently covered the lower half of her cheek with her hands. While her eyes were wandering, one could vaguely see a little blush on her face.

"Making such a… completely illogical and inexplicable request—is there something wrong with your brain? Do you need me to perform brain surgery on you?"

It appeared - Miss Futaba's [Attack is Defense] tactics.

In short, although I have been confused, I can still confuse the opponent by breaking down his defense with words.

Others might not be able to see it, but Hoshimi knows Futaba's thinking pattern very well.

For someone like Futaba Rio, who is clear about right and wrong and decisive, no means no, and yes means yes. She is definitely the type of person who will righteously and firmly express her dislike for something if she doesn't like it.

But on the other hand, Ms. Futaba is actually a little shy to admit what she likes.

So for her, an ambiguous rejection of a preference is actually a disguised acknowledgement.

Faced with Miss Futaba's almost subconscious push and pull, Xingjian just curled his lips, and then sat slightly straighter in front of Futaba, restraining his somewhat aggressive aura.

"...If you don't express your true feelings, you might not even have another chance in the future."

It's not a good idea to keep pursuing Futaba, and Xingjian is not sure whether this will irritate her.

His tone wasn't one of condemnation—it was closer to a melancholy sigh.

"We've been friends for a long time, Futaba. I always thought...there were no secrets between us."

So he changed to a gentler and more subtle way to hint at it.

"........."

Futaba's expression gradually became complicated, and the expression that could barely be considered strong just now now became much weaker.

“…What on earth are you talking about?”

But it can be seen that she went through some brainstorming and finally chose to play dumb.

"I... don't understand at all."

"I understand what you're worried about, Futaba."

"I've already told you—stop talking to yourself, you idiot!"

Futaba, who had been under direct attack, seemed to finally be unable to bear it and growled in a voice with a hint of anger.

Xingjian looked at her quietly, while the gray-haired girl returned to her normal sitting position on the mat, and the displeased expression she gave him seemed to be a bit of anger and embarrassment.

"What on earth do you understand? How could you know the things I've been worried about? Yes, just like you said, there have always been secrets between us - you don't understand me at all, so don't presume to speculate on my feelings in such a self-righteous tone!"

The emotions that had been suppressed for so long were finally released, even overshadowing the restraint and rationality that Futaba had always been proud of.

How could she reveal the secret that she had kept in her heart for years so easily?

“…I understand this, too.”

"You're still saying this now—"

"I'm not some egomaniac, so when I say I understand, I really do."

Xingjian shook his head lightly, not caring about Futaba's angry expression at all, and his expression remained calm, composed, and easy-going.

"I know everything you want to hide. Including the fact that we went to the same middle school, the fact that I helped you unintentionally, and also..."

He paused, and finally said the most important words in his original tone.

"Including the fact that you've always liked me."

"------"