Love in the Shadow of Roboko ~ My Feelings, Left Here ~ - Roboko in the Corner, Monday.

Monday morning. The chime echoed slowly through the seaside town of Minakaze. I sat by the window, second seat from the back. My assigned spot. The classroom air was the same as always. Buzzing with noise, yet somehow it all felt impossibly distant. "Takeru, yesterday—!" Akane-chan's bright voice burst out. Her usual ponytail swayed, and her wide, sparkling eyes looked up at the boy beside her. "Ah, that crepe? It was good, yeah." Takeru-kun smiled, a little sleepily. His dark brown hair had a few cowlicks springing up again today. His gentle eyes narrowed as he gazed at Akane-chan. I doodled in my notebook, sneaking a glance at them. Between the two of them, there was an atmosphere no one else could enter. Childhood friends, always together. Everyone in class said they "looked perfect together." They really did look perfect together. A small, sharp pang struck deep in my chest. Today, too, I was just a side character. ...Back in middle school, a boy in my class said my movements were like a robot's. I got so nervous in front of the person I liked that my arms went all stiff and jerky. They teased me for it, and ever since, they've called me "Roboko." My real name is Ruriko, but now, no one except the teachers calls me that. Ever since then, I've come to believe something. The protagonist of a love story is a girl who's cuter, who can move smoothly and gracefully. A girl like Akane-chan is the one who belongs at the center of the story. So, this is fine. I'm fine just being in the corner, just watching. That's what I thought. I really thought that. After school. Cleaning duty was over, and the classroom was empty. Through the window, the sunset sinking over the town of Minakaze streamed in, painting everything orange. Slowly, I walked to the center of the empty classroom. ...Takeru-kun's desk. The top of his desk was always tidy, just the corner of a textbook slightly folded. I reached out my fingers gently and touched the edge of the desk. It was cold. What came back to me was the day of our middle school graduation ceremony. The sunset had been beautiful then, too. After the ceremony, I was asked to help clean up and went to carry mats to the gym storage shed. I was dragging a heavy mat, heading deep into the dark back area, when— Behind me, a loud BANG echoed. The door had shut. That gym shed door was famously warped; everyone knew that from the inside, sometimes it wouldn't open even if you turned the knob. "...No way." I pounded on the door desperately. But no one came. It was after the graduation ceremony; everyone had already gone home. The old shed was dark and smelled musty. The scent of the vaulting boxes stung my nose. I grew more and more terrified, on the verge of tears, and then— "—You okay?" A voice called out. Someone from outside had opened the door. The light from outside was dazzling. Standing before me was Takeru-kun. The sunset made his cowlicked hair sparkle and shine. "...You okay?" He said it again, a little worried, and reached out his hand to me. I still remember that moment vividly. My reflection was in those big eyes of his. My heart was pounding, pounding, so loud. That was my first love. I returned to my own seat. From inside my desk, I pulled out a star-patterned notebook. When I opened it, there, written all over, were my feelings for Takeru-kun. But today, too, what I wrote about was Takeru-kun and Akane-chan. The two of them are childhood friends, living in the house next door. They've walked to school together since forever. Everyone in class teases them, calling it a "fixed race." Takeru-kun, finding it too much trouble to deny, always just gives a vague smile. Akane-chan is a little different. "There's no way I like Takeru! We're just childhood friends!" she always says with a bright laugh. But rumor has it, back in elementary school, her friends cornered her and said, "You like Takeru, don't you?" Both of them are probably keeping a lid on their true feelings. And that looks so, so painful. Which makes it even more impossible for me to say anything. If I said I liked Takeru-kun... I felt like I'd just tangle this already knotted-up relationship even further. In my notebook, I added: "Today, too, just watching." The tip of my pen trembled, just a little. The shopping district was overflowing with the smell of freshly baked bread and the bustle of people buying dinner. On my way back from club, I took a little detour to the shopping district. The "Strawberry Mountain Crepe" I bought at Sweetie was still faintly warm. I took a bite. Sweet, the taste of strawberries. (Ah...) Two shops down from the crepe stand in front of me. Under the eaves of the candy shop, two familiar figures seen from behind. Takeru-kun and Akane-chan. I reflexively hid myself in the shadow of a vending machine. "Look, look, Takeru! This was my absolute favorite when I was little!" Akane-chan held up some kind of ramune candy, looking delighted. "...You still eat that stuff, huh." "Oh, shut up! Ah, isn't this one nostalgic too!?" Laughing, Akane-chan naturally clung to Takeru-kun's arm. Tightly. Takeru-kun gave a wry smile, but he didn't shake her off. Close childhood friends. A scene straight out of a romance manga, almost embarrassing to watch. The crepe in my hand suddenly tasted sickly sweet. I knew it. There's no gap anywhere for me to slip into. I could hear their laughter. Making sure not to make a sound, I left that place behind. I climbed the stairs of Kageyama Heights, one step at a time, careful not to make any noise. I unlocked my door and said "I'm home" to the pitch-dark room. My mom wasn't back from work yet. Still in my uniform, I collapsed onto my bed. The image I'd just seen—Akane-chan clinging to Takeru-kun's arm—wouldn't leave my head. She was laughing so happily. And Takeru-kun didn't seem to mind it at all. I felt tears welling up in my eyes. (This is fine.) I'm a side character. (This is fine.) Whoever Takeru-kun likes, I'm fine just watching. I buried my face in the blankets. The overflowing tears left small stains on the sheets. And yet. Deep in my chest, something burned hot, like a fire. A feeling I couldn't give up on smoldered there. I hugged the star-patterned notebook tightly. Outside the window, night fell over the town of Minakaze, and somewhere, the faint sound of waves could be heard. I can't stay like this—only that premonition, in the quiet room, stirred my heart, just a little.

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Episode 1

Name: Love in the Shadow of Roboko ~ My Feelings, Left Here ~
Author: Novelia

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