My Childhood Friend, Who I Made a Promise To Spend the Future With, Dumped Me... But Ever Since I Started Dating a Beautiful Girl From School, My Childhood Friend Has Been Acting Strange - Episode 18

I was honestly surprised to hear that my junior, Tsubaki, was thinking about becoming a virtual streamer.

Sakurada Tsubaki, who usually only reads books, considering live streaming? That’s unexpected.

However, now that I think about it, it was Tsubaki who introduced me to virtual streamers in the first place. So maybe it was only natural that she would eventually want to become one herself.

According to Tsubaki, her content would be related to novels.

These days, it’s harder for novels to sell, and she said she wanted more people to appreciate literature. That’s why she wanted to give streaming a try.

That sounded just like her.

Since it was something she had decided on, I had no intention of stopping her.

Still, being a virtual streamer comes with a lot of uncertainties and worries.

One of the streamers I used to follow also retired one day, just like that.

Thinking about that past experience, I couldn’t help but feel a slight concern that Tsubaki might face the same fate.

But rather than voicing any objections, I chose to accept her decision.

Because doing nothing and regretting it later would be far worse.

I figured I’d simply watch over her and see how things unfolded.

“Onii-chan, what do you want for dinner tonight?”

“Huh? Oh, I don’t know. I’m fine with anything… Maybe katsu?”

After parting ways with Tsubaki at the bookstore, Suzuki Toma was walking toward the supermarket with his younger sister, Emi, as planned.

“Katsu, huh? That sounds good. But is that all? Do you want anything else?”

“Hmm….”

As they walked, Toma pondered their dinner options.

When it comes to katsu, it pairs best with curry. So he suggested katsu curry.

“Katsu curry? Yeah, that sounds good. Let’s go with that.”

Emi quickly agreed.

“If we’re having katsu curry, we should get some pickled red ginger too. Do we have any in the fridge?”

“Uh… I don’t think so.”

Toma mentally reviewed the fridge’s contents but couldn’t recall seeing any.

“In that case, we should buy some. Oh, and how about adding a salad too?”

“Salad with curry, huh? Some restaurants serve it as a side.”

In fancy places, curry often comes with a Caesar salad.

Eating salad after a bite of curry helps balance out the spiciness.

Toma decided to go along with Emi’s suggestion.

“Maybe a coleslaw salad would be good too?”

“Oh, that sounds nice.”

Talking about dinner made Toma’s mouth water.

But since they were out in public, he kept his lips tightly sealed, determined not to show any unsightly expressions.

“Hey, Emi, do you know how to make spinach and bacon stir-fry?”

“I can make it, but it might be tough timewise.”

It was already past 5:30 PM. By the time they got home, just making the curry would take until 7:00.

“How about we just get some pre-made veggies from the supermarket today? I can cook it some other time when we have more time.”

“Yeah, that makes sense. I’ll look forward to it another day then.”

Toma made sure not to burden Emi.

After all, she was busy with her studies too.

“By the way, Emi, didn’t you buy a new book recently?”

“Yeah, the light novel you recommended.”

“You should read it when we get home. I’ll cook the curry tonight.”

“Are you sure, Onii-chan?”

“Yeah, it’s no big deal.”

“In that case, I’ll let you handle it.”

Being relied on by Emi made Toma happy.

Besides, lately, he had been putting effort into making bento for Suzuha, so his confidence in cooking had grown.

He felt like he’d be able to bring Suzuha her lunch sometime this week.

Before they knew it, they had arrived near the supermarket.

“Come on, let’s go in!”

As they headed for the entrance, a person exited the store.

“Ah….”

Toma let out a small sound.

The person who stepped out was Azusa Saori.

“What?”

Saori was holding a shopping bag, having just finished her errands.

“It’s… nothing.”

Their eyes met for a moment, and her cold attitude made him hesitate.

“If there’s nothing, I’ll be going now.”

Saori walked past him and left.

Emi looked like she wanted to say something to her, but Toma quickly stopped her.

Saori got into a car that was waiting for her, and the vehicle drove off.

“Onii-chan, was that okay?”

“You saw it too, right? Saori doesn’t talk to me like she used to anymore.”

“Yeah… She’s changed so much.”

“She’s not the Saori I used to know. I thought maybe we could go back to how things were, for your sake too… but it’s just not possible.”

“Onii-chan…”

Emi looked at him with concern.

“That’s why I’m going to keep my distance from her. You heard her just now—she was cold to me.”

“Yeah…”

“Instead of clinging to a lost past, I’d rather cherish what I have now. I have Suzuha and Tsubaki. I know it might be hard for you, but—”

“It’s okay.”

“You sure?”

“Yeah. If it’s your decision, I’ll support it. I don’t want to see you suffer, Onii-chan.”

Her eyes glistened slightly with emotion.

Of course, she had her own feelings about the past.

But there are things in life that you have to move on from.

“Anyway, let’s do our shopping!”

Emi playfully nudged him forward.

They had decided on katsu curry for dinner.

Even though something unpleasant had just happened, Toma wanted to enjoy tonight’s meal.

Together, he and his sister stepped into the supermarket.