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 4

A moment of silence fell over the rooftop of the school.

Toma Suzuki was sitting on a bench, just about to be fed a piece of tamagoyaki by Suzuha Kamiya.

At that very moment, his childhood friend, Saori Azusa, was staring at them intently.

It was the most awkward situation imaginable, and Toma was at a loss for how to react.

The atmosphere was painfully tense.

Suzuha placed the tamagoyaki into Toma’s mouth.

Now that it was in his mouth, the only thing he could do was chew.

Besides thinking that it was delicious, the overwhelming feeling of awkwardness from being watched by Saori dominated his thoughts.

Saori did not show any particular reaction.

She didn’t storm off the rooftop but instead walked onto it as if nothing had happened.

Moreover, she was walking directly toward Toma.

Wondering what she wanted, Toma watched her cautiously.

“Toma, are you eating lunch with Kamiya-san?”

“Y-Yeah, I am. Why?”

Despite previously telling him not to talk to her, Saori was now the one starting a conversation.

“I don’t think there’s anything wrong with me having lunch with whoever I want.”

“That’s true… That’s true, but…”

“You started dating someone else, right? So wouldn’t it be better if we kept our distance?”

“Y-Yeah… but…”

“But?”

“N-Nothing, really. Do whatever you want.”

Turning her face away with a displeased expression, Saori walked off the rooftop.

“What was that about?”

Suzuha, still holding her bento box, looked curiously at the rooftop door through which Saori had just left.

“Who knows…”

“By the way, what’s going on between you and Azusa-san?”

Sitting beside him, Suzuha asked the question.

“Not much progress. It’s still as awkward as before, as you just saw.”

“I see… But wasn’t Azusa-san usually more cheerful? She didn’t seem like that before.”

Suzuha placed a hand on her chin as she spoke about Saori.

“Yeah… But since yesterday, she’s been acting like this.”

“I see. I don’t know much about Azusa-san, but I didn’t think people could change that much.”

“Apparently, they can. Honestly, I’m surprised too.”

Toma felt troubled by how much Saori had changed.

If this was a decision she had made for herself, then maybe it was best to respect her wishes and keep his distance from her from now on.

That was the conclusion Toma was beginning to reach.

“Judging by how she acted just now, I don’t think you’ll be able to fix things with her.”

“Y-Yeah… I also think it’s best to just end things with Saori. She seems to have her own reasons. We used to get along really well, but I guess time changes things.”

“Well, maybe for now, you should just keep your distance. Then, if the opportunity arises, you can slowly rebuild your relationship as childhood friends.”

“Yeah, that might be the best approach.”

Toma nodded in agreement with Suzuha’s suggestion.

“You’re with me now, anyway. Let’s change the mood. It might help you feel better, right?”

Suzuha spoke in a way that encouraged him.

This was probably her way of comforting him.

Realizing that dwelling on the past wouldn’t do him any good, Toma began to make up his mind.

“Here, this is for you.”

“A rice ball?”

“Yep! It has salmon inside. I used flour and fried it in a pan, so it tastes a bit different from regular salmon rice balls. But it’s really good, so I recommend it!”

Toma took the rice ball Suzuha handed him.

It was wrapped in what looked like foil. Peeling it back, he revealed the seaweed-covered top of the rice ball.

He took a bite.

It was incredibly delicious.

The salmon had been prepared like a meunière, and because it was fried with flour, it had a slightly crispy texture.

“This is really good.”

“Right? I’m glad you like it! Though it does take some effort to make.”

Suzuha smiled shyly.

“Yeah, but it’s totally worth it. Unlike store-bought salmon rice balls, this one tastes really fresh. I like this texture too.”

“I’m happy to hear that. Since we’re dating, I’ll make you rice balls more often. Do you have any requests for the filling?”

She looked at him intently.

“Anything’s fine. But honestly, I’d love another salmon one like this. It’s really good.”

“Thanks! Okay, I’ll make another salmon one next time.”

Suzuha responded with a bright smile.

After finishing the meunière-style salmon rice ball, Toma also ate some of the leftover side dishes from Suzuha’s bento.

In the afternoon, they had PE class, where students could choose whatever sport they wanted.

However, due to space limitations, the available sports were somewhat restricted.

Toma was playing badminton with Suzuha in the gym.

As he played, he felt someone’s gaze on him from afar.

Looking toward the source of the gaze, he saw Saori.

She was playing table tennis with someone else, but she kept glancing at Toma.

W-Why is she looking at me?

Toma couldn’t help but glance back at her while continuing his badminton match.

Saori had said they shouldn’t be involved anymore, yet she seemed to be watching him.

“Toma, is something wrong?”

Suzuha, still playing badminton with him, asked.

“Nah, it’s nothing. Don’t worry about it.”

“Okay?”

Suzuha tilted her head in confusion.

She then chased after the shuttlecock he had returned and hit it back toward him.

Despite feeling Saori’s gaze on him the whole time, Toma continued his PE class.