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 6
Inside the shop, there was someone familiar.
It was his junior, Tsubaki Sakurada.
“…Senpai? It’s been a while.”
“Yeah, it has. How have you been? Doing well?”
Tsubaki was the one who spoke first.
Tōma Suzuki walked closer to her.
“Yes. I’ve been doing okay, just the usual. You’ve seemed busy lately, Senpai. Speaking of which, what happened to Saori-san, the one who’s always with you?”
“A lot happened with Saori.”
“I see. Well, life is full of things, so I won’t ask any further.”
After closing the book she was reading, Tsubaki stood up from her seat and stared directly at Tōma.
“What’s wrong?”
“Who’s the person behind you?”
“This is the person I’m dating now.”
“…Is that so?”
Tsubaki stared intently at Suzuha Kamiya.
“Yeah.”
“Something wrong?”
“No, it’s nothing.”
Tsubaki was always a little hard to read.
She loved reading books and had a mysterious aura, but she wasn’t a bad person.
She simply wasn’t the type to open up to others easily, so she didn’t have a large circle of friends.
However, she was capable of having normal conversations with those she was close to.
“Should I be here?”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
“Since you’re with your girlfriend, I thought maybe I should leave.”
“It’s fine. Suzuha, what do you think? Is it okay if my junior stays?”
Tōma turned around and asked the girl behind him.
“I don’t mind.”
Suzuha responded with a smile.
“See? You don’t have to worry about it.”
“Alright, then I’ll stay. Also, do you two want any snacks or drinks? I can go buy them.”
“I’ll go buy them instead.”
As she was about to head to the food and drink area, Tōma stopped her.
“What do you want, Tsubaki?”
“French fries for me.”
“Got it. And you, Suzuha?”
“Just a Coke is fine.”
“Okay. I’ll get them, so you two wait here.”
Tōma left the two behind and headed toward the food and drink area.
Since Tōma often used this facility, he was familiar with the ordering process.
Upon arriving at the counter, he told the female employee what he wanted.
“One order of French fries and one Coke. Also, a milk tea.”
“That’ll be 900 yen. Do you have a membership card?”
“Here you go.”
Tōma handed over his membership card from his wallet.
Since he had already selected a plan upon entering, the data was stored in the membership system.
“You’re on the 1,000-yen plan, so it’s free. Please wait a moment while we prepare your order.”
The female employee smiled politely as she spoke.
“Your order is ready. Please enjoy.”
Five minutes later.
With another smile from the employee, Tōma received the tray holding freshly fried potatoes, a Coke, and a milk tea.
Holding the tray, he made his way back to the two.
Before reaching them, he could hear their conversation.
By the time he arrived, they were talking normally.
Tsubaki maintained her usual calm tone, but Suzuha asked her various questions, making the conversation lively.
“They seem to be getting along pretty well.”
Tōma walked up to them.
“Yeah, talking to her is fun. She seems to know a lot about different things.”
Suzuha responded with a smile.
“Tsubaki reads a lot, so she’s quite knowledgeable.”
Tōma explained.
“Oh, so you like books?”
“Yes. I’ve spent a lot of time alone since I was young, so I ended up reading all sorts of books.”
Tsubaki, usually expressionless, blushed slightly as she answered.
“I see.”
It seemed like Tsubaki and Suzuha got along well.
Seeing that made Tōma feel relieved.
The three of them spent time reading manga together and enjoying their drinks and snacks.
Before they knew it, their time was almost up—the one-hour plan was about to expire.
“What are you going to do?”
“I’ll stay a little longer.”
“What plan did you choose?”
“I went with the two-hour plan.”
“I see. So you still have some time left.”
“Yes. Also, thanks for treating me today.”
“It’s no big deal. We haven’t seen each other in a while.”
“Then next time, I’ll treat you.”
“Alright, I’ll look forward to it.”
“Okay.”
Tsubaki closed her book and gave Tōma a small nod.
“She’s actually a really nice girl.”
“Right? We’ve known each other since middle school.”
“She seemed a bit hard to approach at first, but once we talked, it was fun.”
“Glad to hear that.”
Tōma was happy that they got along so well.
After finishing their time at the shop, he and Suzuha returned their borrowed books and headed to the checkout counter to complete the exit process.
The entire procedure took about thirty seconds.
“Thank you for visiting.”
A staff member called out as they left.
The two returned to the shopping district.
After a few minutes, they reached the entrance of the arcade shopping area.
“I’ll be heading off here. See you tomorrow!”
Suzuha had some shopping to do, so they parted ways there.
Tōma walked alone through a residential area on his way home.
“Big brother!”
A voice called from behind him.
It was Emi Suzuki, his younger sister, who had short hair that suited her well.
“Are you heading home too, Emi?”
“Yeah. By the way, how are things with Saori-san?”
Caught off guard, Tōma felt his heart skip a beat at his sister’s unexpected question.