When I started High School, My Childhood Friend, who had suddenly become distant and cold, was harassed by a stranger. I stepped in to help, and as a result, from the following day, My Childhood Friend's behavior became unusual. - Chapter 5

“It feels empty, having only my own memories to keep today.”
Natsuki Sawatari muttered to himself as he walked through the rain on a dreary weekend afternoon.

He had spent the entire afternoon playing at the game center alone. While Natsuki was used to being by himself, seeing groups of friends laughing and having fun made him feel a pang of loneliness. He thought it would be enjoyable to have friends to share moments with but knew deep down that he wasn’t interested in making any new ones.

(It’s only natural that I don’t have friends when I don’t even try to make them.)

Natsuki didn’t like interacting with people much. For him, being with Shizune and Keito was enough.

He was a sensitive and introspective person, always acutely aware of his surroundings. This made forming friendships difficult; while people seemed friendly on the surface, they often spoke ill of each other behind closed doors. The duplicity bothered him deeply. Everyone wore masks to some extent, but Natsuki couldn’t stand the idea. Yes, loneliness was hard, but making superficial friends and getting hurt was worse.
Maybe it was the rain, but his thoughts grew more melancholic. As he walked, he glanced ahead and saw someone familiar come into view.

Sitting alone on a bench in the park, with her feet swinging and eyes downcast, was Shizune Aizawa. She seemed lost in thought, surrounded by an air of gloom. Natsuki noticed she didn’t have an umbrella.

“Are you stranded without an umbrella?” he called as he approached.

“N-Natsuki? What a coincidence. What are you doing here?” Shizune replied, startled, before forcing a smile.

But Natsuki saw through it instantly. It was a smile that masked deeper emotions.

“Don’t force yourself to smile. It only makes it harder.”

“What do you mean? I’m fine, really.”

“Come on, Shizune. We’re childhood friends. I can tell when you’re hiding something.”

She laughed lightly, a sound tinged with resignation. “I guess you do know me too well.”

Natsuki didn’t need her to confide in him. What he did want was for her to stop pretending, even in front of him. Seeing Shizune put on a brave face, even lying to herself, was painful to watch. There was a saying that in tough times, you should smile, but Natsuki believed it was okay to show vulnerability and express pain when things were truly difficult.

Shizune and Natsuki were opposites in many ways, yet they had always shared the same tendency to worry about others.

“I’m not saying you need to tell me everything. But please, don’t force yourself to smile. It’s okay to show when you’re hurting.”

“…You’re right.”

At his words, her forced smile faded. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and exhaled slowly.

“…I’ll tell you, Natsuki. Because if I tell anyone, it’ll only be you.”

She began to speak, her voice trembling as she admitted, “You remember when I was harassed on the train, right? You helped me then, but… it left me with a trauma. I still feel scared, which is why you’re walking to school with me. It’s not just that, though—crowded places like elevators terrify me now. I thought it would get better over time, but it hasn’t. It’s only gotten worse.”

As she spoke, her hands shook, and her eyes reflected the fear she still carried.

Natsuki’s heart clenched. What she had experienced must have been terrifying, enough to leave her with a lasting fear of men in general.

“But Natsuki, you’re okay. You saved me, and you’re my childhood friend. It’s just… I can’t act normally around other male friends. Talking to strangers, especially men, is even harder… I don’t know what to do anymore. That’s what I’m struggling with.”

The weight of her words hit Natsuki harder than he’d expected.

(She can’t even talk to her male friends…)

“I see,” he said softly.

“Thanks for listening. It feels a bit better to talk about it.”
“Have you told anyone else?”

“No. If I did, things wouldn’t be the same between us anymore. Besides, I don’t want anyone to know about what happened. My parents know about the incident, but I haven’t told them how it’s affected me.”

“Even so, I think you should tell a close friend or two. It might help.”

If she didn’t, misunderstandings could arise. People might think she was avoiding them or disliked them, which could lead to broken relationships.

“…You’re probably right.”

Shizune fell silent after that.

(Back in middle school, when I was struggling, what did Shizune do for me…)

Natsuki recalled the support she had given him during his own tough times. If what Shizune needed now was a pillar to lean on, then he would be that pillar, just as she had been for him.

“You can take things slow, one step at a time. If it ever gets too much, I’m always here.”

“…Natsuki.”

“At least you have one person you can talk to. I’ll always be here to listen.”

“…Yeah, thank you.”

Tears welled up in Shizune’s eyes, but this time, her smile was genuine.

Natsuki felt a flush of embarrassment from saying something so uncharacteristically open, and he looked away from her.

“Anyway, staying here in the rain is a bit depressing… Shall we head home?”

“Yeah, let’s go home.”

“Do you have an umbrella?”

“No, it started raining when I was already sitting here.”

“Then I’ll walk you home. I only have one umbrella, though.”

“Perfect, we can share.”

“…You’re annoying.”

“Are you really worried about that now? We used to share umbrellas all the time.”

Smiling at their playful exchange, Natsuki walked Shizune home under the cover of the shared umbrella.