Source
https://kakuyomu.jp/works/16818093094088809262/episodes/16818093094416146809
◇Day 5
Before I knew it, the fifth day had arrived.
The morning light streaming in through the window was drawing pale patterns on the floor through the gaps in the curtains.
Three more days and this peaceful vacation will come to an end.
As the hands of the clock ticked away quietly, the days gone by seemed to fly by like a thin silk curtain.
Reclining on the sofa, the aroma of coffee tickling my nose, I reflect on the time that has passed.
If I had spent the past five days alone, doing nothing but being lazy, I would have been filled with boredom.
But this time spent with Yua chan was different.
Her small gestures and unspoken feelings add color to my gray days.
Like a drop of water falling on the surface of a calm lake and sending ripples spreading out, it left a soft lingering impression in my heart.
How should I spend the remaining three days?
I look out the window in a daze as the clouds slowly change shape.
Suddenly, I think of her. How about her studies?
For her, who has not attended school, learning could be the key to open new doors.
Time spent with her, like a blossoming flower of knowledge, may light a small light in her heart.
Such an expectation sprouts in the back of my mind.
As I wonder whether I should go out to buy educational materials for elementary school students, my phone suddenly begins to ring.
The name that comes to mind on the screen is [Azekura Soichi].
He was my friend in high school and the only one who didn’t leave me when he found out I had gone into the shady business.
Memories of those days come back to me.
On graduation day, we said goodbye to each other in front of the school gate, laughing.
After that, when my rumor spread, we lost touch with each other as if the tide had receded.
Soichi, however, was different.
Once a year, he would contact me on a whim, teasing me with his unchanging smile.
His voice on the other end of the phone is like a thin thread connecting the distant past and the present.
I press the call button, and his voice, as bright as ever, jumps into my ears.
“Oh ! There you are ! Hey there, how are you ! If you’re answering the phone right now, that means you’re free?” The voice sounded happy.
“It’s been a while. I’m on vacation right now, but…sorry, I can’t go out.”
“Why? Could it be that you’re finally getting a woman?”
It is a woman, but a little girl…
I wondered how to cut that explanation out in my head, but the tediousness prevailed.
“Well…something like that.” I replied vaguely and Soichi’s voice suddenly burst into laughter.
“Hey…..if you’ve got a girlfriend, you’re supposed to report it to me, your best friend ! So what kind of girl?”
“What kind of girl…just a normal one.”
“Really? Then introduce her to me !” As soon as he said that, the intercom rang.
….No way.
My heart jumped for a moment and I fearfully reached for the monitor.
On the screen was Soichi’s grinning face, holding up a peace sign. I was completely beaten.
I had never expected such a turn of events.
I clutched my head and let out a deep sigh.
How the hell did this happen, I lean back against the back of the sofa, muttering to myself.
[Hey ! I know you’re here ! Hurry up and open up !]
Soichi’s voice echoes through the monitor, and I realize there is no escape.
Considering the guy’s personality, the moment he goes up to the house, he’s going to start exploring all over the room with a curious mind.
If he finds Yua chan’s room, everything will come to light. It’s impossible to keep it hidden.
But he is my only friend. I had no choice but to have a heart-to-heart talk with him.
“Wait a minute. It’s too sudden.”
[Hurry up, hurry up !]
I had no choice but to open the door, and Soichi jumped in.
“Oh ! I haven’t seen you in about a year, but you haven’t changed at all !”
“Same goes for you. You can sit on the couch for now.”
“Oh !”
I let Soichi sit on the sofa and take a breath, a little relieved to see his nostalgic smile.
The air in the living room seems to have been brightened by his cheerfulness.
“Now…I’ll introduce you.” When I called out to him, he looked at the door plate and said, “Hey, hey, you live together? Look at this !” Teasingly.
I breathe lightly and knock on Yua chan’s door.
When I gently open it, I find her sitting on the edge of the bed.
An expressionless but sharp sense of alertness surrounds her.
A stranger had suddenly appeared in her house, so it was natural for her to be afraid.
Her small shoulders seem to tremble slightly, and my chest tightens.
I tell her softly, “Erm…my friend is over at the house right now…well…he’s my only friend…so I’d like to introduce him to Yua chan.” But she shakes her head.
Of course. It was all too sudden.
I don’t want the trust I’ve built up over the past few days to be shaken like this.
I feel bad for Soichi, but I’ll introduce her some other time.
Just as I was about to leave the room with that thought, the door opened with a bang and Soichi peeked out.
“Hello~! My name is Soichi, his best friend ! If you don’t mind, I’d like you to introduce me to your girlfriend who makes delicious pasta…” He was about to say, raising one hand and smiling, when he saw Yua chan and stopped moving.
Yua chan hurriedly pulled the futon over her head and closed it like a shell.
My heart tingles at the sight of the woman’s small body shrinking under the covers.
I quickly smacked Soichi lightly on the head, glared at him, and left the room.
Soichi, however, pays no attention to the smack on his head, and only his lower body begins to move while his upper body remains rigid, and he sits down on the sofa.
One hand still in the air, he slowly lowers it after a few seconds, carving a deep furrow between his eyebrows, “…Lolicon…?” He muttered.
This time it was completely my fault. I couldn’t bring myself to hit him, so I had no choice but to explain the situation again.
I told him without concealment that I had met her in the loan shark business, that I had taken her in to save her, and everything else.
Soichi swallows everything and then says, “No, isn’t that dangerous?” He said with a serious face.
“Well….I know it’s bad.”
If Soichi calls the police, they might come after me as a kidnapper.
But if the neighbors testify, Ito’s abuse will be exposed in the light of day, and most importantly, that guy didn’t need Yua chan enough to give her up for only 50,000 yen.
Every time I remember how little her existence meant to him, I get a hot feeling in the pit of my stomach.
“Well, I think I’ll be all right.”
If push came to shove…no, that would be too much.
The more I learn about Yua chan, the more my hatred for that person grows like a burning flame.
“Well fine. But don’t do anything too dangerous.”
“Oh.”:
“I think I’m in the way, so I’m going home. Let’s play another time.”
“Okay.”
After Soichi leaves, silence returns to the living room.
Suddenly, the door to Yua chan’s room opened slightly, and I saw her peeking through the crack.
[Illustration.]
https://kakuyomu.jp/users/tanakamatao01/news/16818093094426507278
“I’m sorry, he’s gone home already, it’s okay.”
“…”
“…..Hm? What’s wrong, Yua chan?”
“….I’m sorry…it’s my fault…”
“Ah, no, it’s totally fine. I’m happy just to see his face.”
“….Am I not….a nuisance?”
“Not at all. I want to be with Yua chan.”
“……”
She slowly closed the door.
What was in those eyes? Perhaps inexpressible feelings were swirling inside her.
In my heart, I gently reach out my hand to comfort her small back.
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