My Childhood Friend, Sometimes a Schoolgirl—She Only Wears That Ribbon Around Me - Episode 29

“Sora-kun, you seem unusually cheerful today?”

“R-Really?”

After school, on the way home after getting off at the local station—while pushing her bike beside me, Yua peeked at my face.

“Yeah. You’ve been unusually focused on your phone too.”

She pointed to the smartphone sitting in the bike’s front basket, narrowing her eyes as if suspicious.

“…You really do watch me closely, huh.”

She was right about both things—I was in a good mood, and I was distracted by my phone. Of course—today was a special day because I had just exchanged contact info with the girl I admired.

After receiving a note with Minamikata’s contact details, I rushed into the locker room and immediately added her on LINE.

Friends… Seeing Minamikata’s name in my friends list was a moment I would never forget.

Right after adding her, I sent a message saying, “This is Tsuzuki.” Since then, we exchanged messages one by one during breaks.

So far, we’ve decided on the day to hang out, and now we were trying to pick the place—I couldn’t wait for the phone to buzz with another notification.

…but,

“Sora-kun, did something good happen?”

I still hadn’t told Yua that I’d exchanged numbers with Minamikata and was about to go on a date with her.

We weren’t even a couple, so there was no real need to tell her what I was doing with another girl. Still, I felt an unclear pressure, like I had to say something, pushing me from inside.

“Well… um…”

But this wasn’t something I could decide on my own.

Minamikata might not want others to know about going out with me, and even though Yua was special, I didn’t want to casually bring it up.

“…Yua, what would you think if I told you I was going out with a girl?”

Without saying who it was, I tried to hint that I’d be seeing a girl on a day off—after thinking about it, I asked in a way that felt overly self-conscious.

“Hmm, so a girl asked you out on a date?”

My vague hint ended up being too obvious. From just that one question, she instantly understood my situation.

“Are you trying to hide who it is? But it’s obvious from how you act.”

“W-Wait, you even know who it is!?”

“Yeah. You’re pretty easy to read.”

“By the way, who do you think it is?”

“The most likely is Minamikata Saho, I guess?”

That was right… I do know I’m easy to read, but how could she guess my exact name?

Seeing my reaction, Yua smiled and said, “I knew it.”

“I’ve noticed a lot since you started spending more time with me at school. Besides me, the only person you ever showed interest in was Minamikata-san.”

“You really watch me closely… honestly.”

“That’s because I care. Just like you.”

“What did you just say?”

Yua muttered something quietly, but I couldn’t catch it clearly.

“Hmm, it’s nothing! So, you wanted to know how I’d feel if you went out with Minamikata-san, right?”

“The secret’s out, and yeah, that’s basically it.”

I nodded, holding my head, and she thought for a few seconds.

“…I guess I’d say, ‘Congratulations.’”

“C-Congratulations…?”

Her words froze my thoughts for a moment.

Seeing me confused, she explained.

“From the way you act, you might not be in love with Minamikata-san, but you do admire her, right?”

No matter how much I tried to hide it, it seemed everything was obvious.

“Minamikata-san’s girly and cute. Even from a girl’s point of view, I can see why you admire her. So, being asked out on a date by a girl like that is really amazing!”

“But this whole thing started because she wanted to apologize for that misunderstanding by the girls’ restroom the other day, so it’s kind of a coincidence…”

“No matter the reason, it’s still a chance, right?”

“I-It’s not like it’s a chance or anything—”

—Wait, what?

Why am I denying what Yua is saying?

She’s being supportive, saying ‘congratulations’ about me going out with Minamikata—so why can’t I just accept it?

“Have fun, Sora-kun, okay?”

“…”

Yua’s calm smile made my chest tighten.

“Y-Yeah…”

I wanted her to say she didn’t want me to go on the date. Wanted her to ask me to refuse the invitation. Wanted her to stop me from contacting Minamikata.

Maybe somewhere deep down, I thought she would say those things… No, I definitely thought so.

Even without saying a word, I expected her to show a negative reaction.

It had been just over ten days since we reconnected—Yua had shown at least some feelings for me. That much was clear, making it even harder.

Maybe I was just full of myself. What I was doing now was the worst kind of thing—like testing Yua’s feelings.

I couldn’t even look at her properly while walking beside her.

Compared to her straightforward nature, I felt pathetic.

The embarrassment from my selfish hope that Yua would try to stop me, and the guilt toward her, blurred my vision.

The heavy feeling in my heart didn’t clear even after several minutes.

For the rest of the walk home, I couldn’t say a word to Yua.