Harem of Side Characters [Rewrite]

Yume Kobashi - Self Destruct

I'm in a rather isolated part of the ship. Nobody really comes here, at least that's what I thought at least.

"Yume... please don't do this..."

"I'm...I'm not doing anything, Chihiro."

I hear two people from Class B. Their conversation doesn't seem to be something pretty though, judging by the tone of things. While I am curious, I should probably make my presence known. Taking a step towards them, they both turn in my direction.

"...Hey."

"Oh, Ayanokouji... Fancy seeing you here." Kobashi turns to me with a smile.

"Did...did you hear what we were talking about?" Shiranami asks.

"Only a little bit. I don't know what exactly is wrong, but I just wanted to tell you that if anyone were to wander here they would hear you. If it's something serious, you should probably talk somewhere else." I tell them. While rarely anyone comes here, there is a chance some people might. If those people have bad intentions, they may even use whatever they hear in order to break Class B from the inside.

"...It's nothing serious. I've just been feeling bad because I have a fever." Kobashi explains. Shiranami opens her mouth to say something, but closes it quickly after. I can deduce that Kobashi is probably lying, but it's understandable. I wasn't close to her, so she wouldn't disclose anything to me.

"...Yes, a fever. I keep telling you over and over to rest until you get better...but you won't listen."

"Well...it's the only time I can see everyone. Meeting new people and hanging out with friends, isn't that the best part of a vacation?" Kobashi explains.

"...Sorry if it seems like I'm interrupting, but you should probably put your health above all of those things." I say.

"Yes... Ayanokouji is right. Everyone in the class will understand if you're not feeling well."

"Can we please not do this right now?...It's not like walking around and talking is particularly exhausting anyway..." Kobashi pleads.

"You say the same thing every time. I just wa-"

"Just drop it, okay!? I'm fine!" Shiranami jumps at the sudden shout. Thankfully, no one else was nearby or they might rush over to check what happened. It's the first time I've seen Kobashi raise her voice... and I can't say I like it. Clearly something big is going on with her.

Though if Shiranami, who is almost a sister to Kobashi, can't get it out, Shiranami might be forced to let Kobashi deal with it on her own. I suppose that's fine, though. Solving things on your own is one of the best ways to become stronger.

While I am certainly not opposed to helping others to a certain extent, I can't deny that it's mostly due to my own curiosity rather than a need to make them feel better.

"...Yume... I'm..." Shiranami is still in shock.

"Oh no! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to yell at you like that, I've just been pretty stressed lately and...I wish you would stop trying to get involved... It's nice, but it's making things a little harder for me..." Kobashi quickly apologizes and goes back to her regular soft tone.

"I just want you to know that I'm here for you, Yume..."

"I know that you are, and I'm glad... but if I wanted your help, I would have accepted it by now. There are ju-"

"Don't." Shiranami quickly interrupts.

"Huh?"

"Don't say anything about how you need to deal with certain things on your own. That's where you were going, wasn't it? You were about to say that friends can't fix everything. That you need to be independent and responsible for yourself, and things like that. But... sometimes you need to rely on someone else." Shiranami glances at me for a moment, a silent thank you, before returning her gaze to Kobashi.

"I wouldn't be so worried if you actually started to take care of yourself, Yume."

"...Are you saying... I can't take care of myself?"

"No. I'm saying you won't take care of yourself. You're perfectly capable of doing that, but you still choose not to. Then when the people close to you start to notice, you get angry and defensive." This was probably the most I've heard Shiranami talk in such a short amount of time.

"...I think this is getting too personal, I should probably leave you two alone." I say. It's not my place to be here.

"...I want you to stay, Ayanokouji. You've helped me before, and there's a chance you might be able to help her too." Shiranami disagrees. I can't help but think that I've gotten caught up in a dispute between best friends. However these things are bound to happen, and I should never believe otherwise.

I respect Kobashi's privacy, so I shake my head.

"Thanks, Shiranami. But I'll step away and make sure no one bothers you. Kobashi probably wants to keep it a secret, and she's not obligated to share it." I give Shiranami a light pat on the head, before quietly going back.

"Thank you, Ayanokouji..." I hear Kobashi whisper as I walk away. No one seems to be around, so the two girls shouldn't be bothered. If someone does come however, I'll probably try to deter them away.

-----

"Yume... I care about you, a lot. But you need to stop this. It's dangerous."

"Stop what, Chihiro? I told you I'm not doing anything." Kobashi continues to deny everything.

"...When was the last time you ate anything?"

"Yester-" Kobashi was cut off.

"Without throwing it up immediately after?"

"..."

"...I realize what's going on. You've been doing it ever since school started, maybe even before that, and you don't want anyone to know because you're embarrassed." Shiranami grabs Kobashi's shoulders, a soft but determined gaze on her face.

"No matter how many times I, or anyone else, says that you're beautiful or pretty...You can't think the same. So all of those compliments don't mean anything if you don't agree with them... right?"

"..."

"...Please, say something."

"...You wouldn't get it..." Kobashi sighs, before letting a small smile fall on her face.

"...I'm just trying to feel a bit better about myself. I don't want to go back to my old, unhealthy life. I'm reinventing myself!... I promise I'll go back to normal soon. But before that... I just want to be a little happier first."

"These things won't make you happy! It just makes it worse! You're destroying your own body, Yume!" Shiranami continues to plead for her friend to return to her senses.

"Good. This body deserves to be destroyed." Kobashi says without the slightest hesitation.

"Yume, please! This is your best friend... your sister begging you to stop killing yourself because you hate the way you look! We can go to the gym together, I'll go on a diet with you, I'll do whatever you want! Just please... stop it..." Tears glistened in Shiranami's eyes.

"...Chihiro..."

"Please... cut it out already..." Shiranami was sobbing by this point.

"...I'll try. That's all I can promise. I don't know if it will work or not... but I'll try."

"...Thank you..." Shiranami pulls Kobashi into a tight hug.

"...No, I should thank you, Chihiro. Even if you won't let me do things my way."

-----

The two girls soon come out. Fortunately nobody came near this area, or I might have had to knock them out.

"...I see you've sorted things out."

"For the most part, I think. Thanks for stepping out and letting us talk alone." Kobashi bows.

"Don't worry about it, it's none of my business." The two girls go on their way, and I go back to wandering the ship.