Starting Over as a Kindergartener to Fulfill My First Love! - Episode 3.5

As the first-year relay was about to begin, Tsune-chan and I were in the empty infirmary.

The school nurse was extremely busy attending to the children who got injured during the sports day on the field.

So, Tsune-chan told the school nurse, “I’ll take care of Ryu-kun’s first aid,” and ended up being asked in return, “That would be a big help, could you please?”

“Ryu-kun, could you sit in that chair over there and take off the sock on the foot that hurts?”

Tsuneko said that and then took out bandages and ointments from the shelf in the infirmary.

I can’t believe it’s just the two of us with Tsune-chan…

I was sitting in a chair, slightly nervous, trying to take off my socks while thinking that.

And then Tsune-chan slightly lifted my injured foot and applied the ointment she had taken from the shelf.

“Ugh, it’s cold and it hurts!!”

“Hehe, you’re a boy, right? Just hold on a bit…”

Tsune-chan was trying to firmly apply a medicated patch to my leg with a cheerful smile on her face.

I was watching Tsune-chan, who was applying a pain relief patch to my leg, with a slightly flushed face, when suddenly Tsune-chan spoke to me.

“Ryu-kun, it’s a shame you couldn’t run today, but teacher, it was really great to see your cool side…”

“Huh?”

I didn’t understand what Tsune-chan was saying.

“W-Why? I haven’t shown Tsune-chan anything cool at all!! On the contrary, I even injured my leg and Tsune-chan had to take care of me…”

So when I said it in a weak voice…

Grrr… Squeeze…

“Huh!!??”

Tsune-chan suddenly hugged me.

My mind went completely blank.

Even though I am an “adult” on the inside, I was bewildered by Tsune-chan’s sudden actions and felt an indescribable embarrassment.

Tsune-chan starts talking to me in a very gentle voice.

“Takashi-kun… being ‘cool’ isn’t just about excelling in the relay or enduring the pain in your legs to keep running. It’s about honestly telling everyone in the class that your legs hurt and asking the teacher to let someone else take your place… that’s what being really cool is all about…”

I was very surprised because I never expected Tsune-chan to say that my actions were cool.

“Teacher, I was really moved by the actions Tak-kun took. I think it’s an action that ‘ordinary first graders’ wouldn’t even consider. So, Tak-kun… cheer up. Just seeing you like that today made me really happy…”

A cold substance flows down my cheek…

Tears welled up in the eyes of the nearly fifty-year-old “old man,” and I felt embarrassed, but I couldn’t stop the tears no matter what.

And Tsune-chan also said this.

“And I’m sorry, Tak-kun… You hurt your leg when you rushed over to check on the teacher during lunch break, right? The teacher happened to look over at you while talking to Kotozuki-san… and then you two made eye contact… You were worried and tried to come to the teacher, right? I’m really sorry…”

Tsune-chan said that and hugged Ryu even tighter.

I’m glad…

The reason I got hurt doesn’t really matter…

More importantly, my “choice” wasn’t wrong.

I felt a bit annoyed with myself for having acted like an adult, but Tsune-chan said it was cool.

I was rewarded.

What a lucky guy I am…

I fell down and cried tears of frustration and pain from my injuries in the ‘real world’…

Even if I can’t participate, this world where I can shed happy tears in the hearts of those who acknowledge me…

I want to stay in “this world” forever.

I want to live in “this world” while feeling the warmth of my beloved Tsune-chan.

God, please. Don’t send me back to the “real world”……

I wished for that while feeling the warmth of “Tsune-chan.”

The result of the relay was that Takayama, who stood in for me, did his best, and our class came in second place.

It seems that my classmates felt more joy in achieving second place without me participating, rather than regret over not coming in first.

And when I returned to the field after finishing my treatment, Takayama and my classmates welcomed me with smiles, all of them concerned about my foot.

Takayama was passionately talking to me about his achievements, but I was so moved by my classmates’ kindness that I was shedding tears “in my heart,” so Takayama’s enthusiastic voice didn’t reach my ears.

The sports festival has safely concluded, and now it’s already November…

And today is my “birthday”……

I turned seven years old.

Sigh… I’ve finally hit the big 50…