The Love of My Childhood Friend, Who Has Overcome a Terminally Ill Diagnosis, Is Overwhelming
Although there was a bit of a commotion early in the morning, nothing else out of the ordinary happened after that, and the day flew by in the blink of an eye.
“Well then, Kadokura-san. Shall we go?”
“U-huh.”
Just like yesterday, I thought Kanade would invite me to go somewhere after school, but true to her promise from this morning, she left the classroom with Kadokura-san.
It seems that, on only the second day, Kanade had already decided I wasn’t worth hanging out with after school.
Well, even if that was the case, I wasn’t as shocked as I might have expected.
To begin with, Kanade and I had been growing apart little by little ever since just before she entered the lower grades of elementary school.
No matter how… as Kanade put it, “fateful” our reunion might have been, it was obvious without even thinking that we wouldn’t follow the same path as before.
“Let’s go to the library.”
The classroom was still noisy with a few classmates lingering.
Staying there to study would be too much to handle.
So, I quickly gathered my things and headed to the library.
I’m currently planning to study abroad after graduating from high school.
However, I haven’t started attending a prep school yet.
[Studying abroad is expensive enough as it is—there’s no way we could afford to send you to a prep school too.]
To put it simply, my parents told me I could only do one or the other: study abroad or go to prep school.
Financially speaking, studying abroad and attending prep school are completely incompatible… but I suppose that was just my parents’ way of showing their support for their ambitious son.
[Well, no matter how smart you are, there’s no way you’re going abroad. Your dad and I were both hopeless at school! Hahahaha!]
…I suppose you could call that “sincerity.”
Anyway, determined to hit the books, I headed toward the library.
“Excuse me.”
…Perhaps due to the recent wave of digital media, the library after school was completely deserted.
Well, for someone like me who was planning to study in a quiet place, it was a blessing.
I sat down in a corner seat where I wouldn’t be noticed, and took my study materials out of my bag.
“Oh, studying again today?”
Alright. Time to get started.
Just as I thought that, a girl spoke to me.
“That’s right, but I want to concentrate, so please don’t bother me, Takagaki-san.”
Her name is Takagaki Ayaka.
“Of course. I’m here to study too, after all.”
……She’s one of my few friends at this school.
“……”
“……”
“…………”
“…………”
To describe the relationship between her and me… it doesn’t take a long time, nor is there any complicated dynamic.
“…How’s it going? Think you’ll get a good score on the final exam?”
She and I are what you might call “study buddies.”
We met about a month before the midterm exams in the first semester.
I was looking for a quiet place to study for the exams when I found this library… but as the exams got closer, the library naturally started to get crowded…
[Excuse me. Can I sit next to you?]
I started studying at the seat next to Takagaki-san.
From then on, Takagaki-san told me that we were in the same class and that, like me, her parents couldn’t afford to pay for cram school, and we hit it off.
We didn’t really talk in class, but since we started going to the library together like this, we’ve become the kind of friends who chat about everyday stuff from time to time.
…No, please don’t point out that I should at least remember the faces of students in my own class.
After all, when Takagaki-san first spoke to me, I tilted my head in confusion, thinking, “Who’s this?”—and I’ve already gotten that very same remark thrown at me.
Well, as you can tell from this exchange, Takagaki-san is basically a forgiving person.
“……I guess I’m doing okay.”
“Tch. The top student in the grade is getting a big head.”
……However, when it comes to studying, I don’t have much leeway, because she immediately gets snarky.
“You’re the one who asked me, so that’s not exactly the kind of answer I expected.”
“……”
Ignored.
……Oh well.
I’ll get back to studying too.
As usual, no one comes near the library.
Only the sound of Takagaki-san and I scribbling with our mechanical pencils echoes quietly.
……From the schoolyard, the boisterous voices of the soccer club and the sound of a ball being kicked frequently drift over.
From the school building, the melodies played by the wind ensemble can be heard.
“…Hagiwara-kun, you know…”
In the quiet library, Takagaki-san spoke to me.
“Are you dating Ichinose-san?”
That was… a repeat of the question she’d asked me this morning.
“We’re not dating. There’s no way we could date.”
“…I see. That must be tough.”
Even though she asked, Takagaki-san didn’t seem all that interested.
“……Well. It’s fine, I guess.”
Saying something like that basically means it’s not fine, though, right?
“Since we’ve finally become friends, I wish you’d told me.”
“……Told you what?”
“That you had such a cute childhood friend.”
I looked down.
……How could I possibly tell her?
Because all my stories involving Kanade… are nothing but pathetic tales.
As you can tell from the fact that I’m pushing myself to never experience that misery stemming from helplessness again, those memories are… like a trauma to me.
“……I’m heading home.”
“Mm.”
“……See ya.”
I hastily gathered my school supplies and stuffed them into my bag.
“……Hagiwara-kun.”
“……”
“See you tomorrow.”
“……See you tomorrow.”
I set off for home at a brisk pace.
The way to school.
The station.
I boarded the train, sat down, and opened my textbook again, but… my eyes skimmed over the pages, and the content wouldn’t sink in.
I gazed at the sunset through the train window.
The sky, where the crimson sun was beginning to set, showed a clear boundary between red and black.
…By the time I arrived at the station nearest my home, it was already pitch black outside.
I debated buying something at the convenience store, but… my parents should already be home by now.
I decided to eat dinner at home.
When I got home, I headed straight to the living room.
Before even taking off my uniform… I wanted to head toward the source of that delicious aroma and fill my stomach.
“Welcome home.”
“I’m home… Wait, what?”
In the living room, my parents were already gathered around the dining table.
…And there was Kanade.
“Did you make good progress studying in the library, Akkun?”
For some reason, she knew exactly where I’d been studying until just now.
Maiasa
I was going to say she missed the library love interest while interrogating the potential tsundere, but it looks like she was on top of things.