Source
https://kakuyomu.jp/works/16818093089220129356/episodes/16818093090465474065
Usually, Ayase never stays over at my house.
No matter how late it got, I made sure to get her home, and in the first place, it would cause a lot of problems if a man and a woman who are not in a relationship were to stay under one roof.
Of course, there might be some people who might …… do that kind of thing between friends of the opposite gender
But if they had the guts to do that, they would have done it long ago, and if they could, they would want to keep such things to themselves with people they like.
Ayase may also know this, and has never stayed at my house until now, even if it’s late.
However, for the first time since becoming friends with Ayase, she mentioned that she wanted to stay over.
I —-.
“…… For the time being, I’ll just call my mother.”
“……Eh?”
“You’re staying over, aren’t you? At least give Ayase’s parents a heads up.”
I take out my smartphone and call my mom, then turn my back to Ayase and head straight to the living room.
Then, Ayase, who was following me, said something a little strangely.
“I-is it okay ……? I don’t usually stay over.”
“Well, no matter how good of friends we are, it’s not good for a man and a woman to live under the same roof. Ayase knows that, right?”
“W-well… ……”
“But if you look at me like that and say that, I’ll nod my head. I told you, I’m worried.”
Of course, I’m not going to do anything. I speak honestly, I have no ulterior motives whatsoever.
But it’s just because I’m worried about Ayase.
It’s worse to push away when she makes a face like that—
“Nn?”
Suddenly, my phone trembles.
I’ve just contacted my mother, so did she reply to that?
I open the screen of my phone again and…
Mom: ‘So my son is finally climbing the ladder to adulthood! I wonder if you’re still Cinderella!’
I’m going to knock you over
“B-but …… Ikkun, you have a blue streak on your forehead.”
‘Don’t worry, you can’t see it, but I think it’s probably just a blue streak against my people.”
The fact that you’ve suddenly included a song that I know is exquisitely annoying.
“Well, let’s just wash the dishes and watch some TV. My favorite idol is about to perform at the song festival.”
When I said that, Ayase looked a little sad and went to the kitchen.
The only sound in the living room was the sound of running water for a little while as I collected the dishes and put them in the sink.
Then —.
“……you won’t ask?”
“Hmm?”
“Don’t you usually wonder? If I suddenly start asking you to stay over, or if I’m a little depressed”
Ayase says this while wiping the dishes.
“Well, if you’re wondering if I’m interested, I’m really curious…but I’m not going to force myself to ask.”
“Is that so?”
“It’s just speculation, and I’d be embarrassed if I’m wrong, but Ayase is trying to tell me the truth, right? So, she said she wanted to stay the night because she needed some time to sort out her feelings.”
If it was something that could be said right away, it could be done over a little cup of tea without having to say stay over.
However, the fact that she didn’t make such a suggestion was because she didn’t know when she could say it.
Then, there is no need to force her to ask.
If she decided to stay, there would still be plenty of time.
(Besides, she might not want to go home, or she might just want to be with someone for now …….)
If that’s the case, I’ll stay by Ayase’s side until she’s convinced.
No matter what the circumstances are, I’m going to do the best I can—because Ayase is an important person in my heart.
“…Ikkun is so kind.”
“Kacha.” There is a slight sound of dishes being placed.
Perhaps because the silence continued for a while, there were only a few dishes left in the sink.
Thanks to Ayase putting it back on the shelf, I’ll be able to clean it up quickly.
“You understand everything about me.”
‘If I understood everything, I wouldn’t have gone through all this trouble, seriously.”
“……full of lies.”
And then…
“I know you do.”
Suddenly, a soft touch and warmth spread to my back.
“If you didn’t know, you wouldn’t have said that to me. When I want it, Ikkun will give me the right words, and he will wait for me,…… and he will take care of me as me.”
…… Honestly, if you go this far, I can’t help but think about it
I thought I might be wrong. I have no experience with this, so I had my doubts, but it is more difficult to deny it when I review all the things so far.
— You may find this surprising, but Ayase is very guarded about the opposite gender.
Although she has many friends of the opposite gender, she refrained from aggressive skinship, and even the skinship she received from the other side was avoided as much as possible.
I think Ayase’s friend said, as I recall, that it was because she had someone she liked.
[I’m a beginner in love, but …… even when I look like this, I’m a very aggressive person]
Suddenly, in the back of my brain, her words when she found out that I was her first love come to mind.
But…
(…… Well, that’s not something to think about now.)
I turn off the tap and pull Ayase away a little.
Then I gently patted her little head.
“That’s right, I’ll take good care of you. You know Ayase, but my friendships are narrow. …… In my mind, Ayase is the one I’ve been with the longest and the closest to.”
When I said this, Ayase looked surprised for a moment.
But it too returned soon after,
“I know ……. Ikkun, you’re a gloomy character, aren’t you?”
“Oops, I’ll knock you down here, you.”
“Fufu, but it has nothing to do with me. …… Ikkun is just Ikkun.”
Despite pulling away, Ayase buries her face in my chest.
A small arm was put around the back, and I could hear her breath as she gently took one deep breath.
“You know Ikkun”
Ayase buries her face in my chest–
“…… just now, my mother told me that she and my father are getting a divorce.”
—The reason why she was depressed was spoken out.
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