Source
https://kakuyomu.jp/works/2912051596567318343/episodes/2912051596888767604
Asakura Chika .
We lived close by and had been good friends since elementary school.
Even after we entered middle school, when the boys tended to stick with the boys and the girls with the girls, we’d still chat in class from time to time, and if our schedules aligned, we’d go to McDonald’s together after school. She was that kind of easygoing girl.
And then, in the fall of our third year of middle school, she stopped talking to me entirely.
The reason we stopped talking was that I broke a promise.
I never showed up at the station where she was waiting.
“Huh? Do you two know each other?”
“Well…”
“Sort of, I guess.”
We both turned our faces away and fell silent.
It’s awkward. Extremely awkward.
“W-wait, are you two… in a relationship or something?”
Hanazawa’s face went pale. She hesitated for a moment, then tried to hug herself to stop trembling, but both Asakura and I hurriedly spoke up.
“N-no! That’s not it, Yuna! We’re just nervous because we haven’t seen each other in a while!”
“Relax, Hanazawa! She’s just a girl I don’t have anything to do with—that’s why I am nervous!”
“Oh, really? That’s a relief. I thought I’d messed up again.”
Well, I had messed up, but seeing her smile—so bright it could blind the sun—I decided not to call her out on it.
I glanced at Asakura, and our eyes met.
“Don’t say anything stupid,” was probably what she was thinking.
I nodded and spoke to Hanazawa.
“Right, right. Let’s go to the café.”
“Oh, yeah. That’s right! Ibusuki-kun!”
“Can’t you stop calling me ‘Ibusuki-kun’? It’s kind of… weird being called that by Hanazawa-san…”
“No way. I won’t budge on this one.”
I flinched, sensing her unwavering resolve.
Personally, I’d feel more at ease if she called me “Shy Guy”…
Hanazawa-san had returned to her usual self, but that one thing hadn’t changed.
“Alright then, let’s go! Ibusuki-kun, Chika!”
“Right, Yuna. I’m definitely charging you for that coaching session the other day.”
“You really saved me back then~. Thanks to you, I didn’t get treated like a newbie in that magazine interview. Oh, do you play games too, Ibusuki-kun? There’s this game called Verolants…”
I play it occasionally, and I’ve uploaded a few videos.
So the answer is, yes, I do.
Asakura’s cherry-pink lips pursed.
We used to dive into ranked matches as a duo all the time.
Those memories came flooding back, making things incredibly awkward.
“Yeah. Just once in a while, though.”
“Really! Then maybe you and Chika will have something in common! Right, Chika?”
“Eh… well, I guess we might get along.”
We do get along. That’s exactly why we were able to stay friends.
A piercing, accusing gaze. It seems the hatred from that day hasn’t faded yet, and there’s not a trace of her former self left.
Ugh, this is awkward.
But it’ll make for good stream content.
Phew, I’m glad there’s a silver lining. I’m really glad I do streams.
“Ehh~! Seriously!? Then we’ll be able to become friends today!”
“Hahaha, I wonder? Chika, let’s go.”
“Yeah! I’m looking forward to it!”
Saying that, Hanazawa-san walks ahead full of energy, as if to say, “Follow me!”
Asakura and I follow her with heavy footsteps.
“Sawa… Ibusuki-san. You get it, right?”
“Yeah. Hanazawa-san has nothing to do with our situation. I won’t let her see anything weird.”
“Right. Then that’s fine.”
Asakura averted her gaze from me and walked a step behind.
“Our situation,” huh.
A knit top in pastel colors that hugged her figure, paired with a high-waisted skirt.
Lustrous, shoulder-length black hair, translucent white skin, and features that combined the best of both cute and beautiful.
That outfit, blending allure and cuteness, suited Asakura perfectly.
She could never have dressed like this back when she was still involved with me.
A warm feeling settled in my chest as I thought, I’m really glad we cut ties.
I looked away from Asakura and gazed up at the sky.
It was November of our third year of junior high—a cold time of year.
[Hey, I can’t take it anymore.]
As entrance exams approached, Asakura was being driven to the brink by the pressure.
Her mother was a strict woman.
Curfews were strictly enforced; her hair had to be in a braid; only conservative clothing was allowed; she wasn’t given a game console or a smartphone; she was tied down by her studies.
Asakura vented her frustrations, born of that suffocating atmosphere, to me via the computer her father had bought her for studying.
When we were alone together, Asakura would occasionally let her guard down.
I would comfort her and encourage her.
It was our usual routine, but that day was different.
[Sawa, I can’t do this anymore.]
Her mother was trying to get Asakura into the very best of the best high schools so she could go to medical school, but Asakura had had enough.
Asakura is by no means stupid.
In fact, she’s quite smart.
But her mother’s expectations were too high, and it was difficult to meet them.
[My grades weren’t good enough, and Mom was crying and screaming. But I just can’t take it anymore…]
I could tell her spirit was breaking under the weight of her unattainable grades.
[I’m running away. I just want to disappear.]
The conversation continued, and when she reached that conclusion, I said to her,
[I understand. I’ll take you. Let’s go see the ocean.]
[You’ll run away with me?]
[Of course.]
[…Yeah. Yeah! Thanks! Sawa!!]
I made a promise. I meant it.
But I knew that wouldn’t make Asakura happy.
So on the day we’d agreed, I contacted her mother.
With Asakura’s mother in a panic over her daughter’s absence, I sat down to negotiate, using Asakura’s whereabouts as leverage.
I passionately explained just how much Asakura was suffering. With Asakura’s father involved and my own parents cooperating over the phone, I persuaded her to reconsider their parent-child relationship.
As a result, I succeeded in getting her to change her mind.
Finally, I told her where Asakura was and urged her to go pick her up.
[Please keep it a secret that I came here today. If Asakura finds out, it will surely leave a rift in your relationship. Just when her mother has finally started looking forward, if she finds out she came because a male classmate told her to, she might see you as a failure as a mother.]
“So go to the station and tell her,” I said.
[So she was here, Sawa. I’m sorry. I was wrong. Please, come home.’]
“Please tell her that,” I said.
“Is that really okay with you?” she asked, but I smiled and said, “It’s fine.”
If it meant I wouldn’t have to see Asakura’s gloomy face anymore, whatever the outcome would be a small price to pay.
In fact, it ended up with Asakura resenting me for thinking I’d sold her out to her mother, but the feeling that I’d done the right thing far outweighed any regrets.
Even now, seeing Asakura in that outfit she wasn’t allowed to wear, I feel a warm emotion welling up inside me; far from having any regrets, I even feel a sense of pride.
It’s just… This current situation is, to be honest, unbearably awkward.
I’m really sorry I’m here.
“Hmm, hmm. You two, wait at your seats! I come to this café often, so I’ve got some great coupons!”
When we arrived at the café, Hanazawa-san headed to the counter.
Asakura and I sat at an empty table in the back.
On top of the silence, an icy glare pierced through me.
……T-this is awkward.
“Sorry to keep you waiting, you two!!”
P-phew, what a relief. I looked at Hanazawa-san with a sigh of relief.
But when I saw what was on the tray, a cold sweat ran down my spine.
“Here! A cake and drinks from the couple’s menu! I had a coupon, so you two should share it!”
With a thud, a heart-shaped cake was placed down. Along with it, a drink with a straw twisted into a heart shape……
“Models have to watch their calories, so please, don’t hold back—enjoy it together!”
Seeing Hanazawa-san’s beaming smile as she urged us to eat it, my stomach twisted in knots.
This is way too awkward…….
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