The Love of My Childhood Friend, Who Has Overcome a Terminally Ill Diagnosis, Is Overwhelming
After chatting with Kanade for a while longer, we arrived at the classroom, and Kanade immediately headed over to Kadokura and the others.
โGood morning, Kanade chan.โ
โGood morning, Kadokura san.โ
โฆโฆItโs a bit late to ask now, but why does Kadokura call Kanade by her first name, while Kanade calls Kadokura by her last name?
It seems they became friends the day before yesterday after school, without me knowing, but is it just my imagination, or do their mutual feelings for each other seem to be slightly out of sync?
โโฆโฆWell, whatever.โ
Well, trying to pry into other peopleโs friendships usually doesnโt end well.
Itโs probably wiser not to get involved in things like this, no matter how curious I am.
So, I decided to kill some time by studying until our morning homeroom started.
โGood morning, Hagiwara-kun.โ
But I was interrupted.
โโฆGood morning, Kihei-kun.โ
Thatโs because Kihei-kun, who sits in front of me, spoke to me.
Kihei-kun is the boy who invited Kanade to hang out with him after school on her first day at the new school.
Unlike me, a total wallflower, heโs the life of the party type who seems to be friends with most of our classmates.
To be honest, he wasnโt exactly my cup of tea.
โฆWhy exactly did I dislike him?
The reason was obvious.
Wallflowers are genetically programmed to dislike the popular kids.
โSo you walked to school with Ichinose-san again today, huh?โ
โYeah. Weโre childhood friends.โ
โI see. You two get along well, then.โ
Why on earth was he bringing that up?
โHagiwara-kun, Iโm thinking of hosting a get-together to help the class bond better. Would you like to join us?โ
โฆโฆIt was such an abrupt invitation.
โOf course, Ichinose-san should come too.โ
โโฆโฆThatโs a kind offer, but I think Iโll pass.โ
โI see. Thatโs too bad.โ
I thought heโd try to persuade me more persistently, but he backed off surprisingly easily.
โโฆโฆYou back off that easily, huh?โ
โItโs not like Iโm forcing you, is it?โ
He gave a wry smile.
โOr maybe you actually wanted me to keep pestering you?โ
โNo, definitely not.โ
โHaha. I figured.โ
Just then, the bell signaling the start of classes rang out through the school building, and Kippei turned his attention back to the front.
After that, we had our morning homeroom, and then, as usual, it was time to focus on class.
โFinally over!โ
A little while later, when the bell signaling lunch break rang, my classmatesโperhaps out of joy at being freed from the oppression of the long classesโstarted making noise or slouching in their seats.
โA-kun.โ
It was just as I was thinking about going to eat lunch.
โKanade.โ
โWant to go eat lunch together?โ
Kanade invited me to lunch.
The noisy classroom fell silent all at once.
โฆEver since Kanade transferred here, every time she and I interacted in this classroom, our classmates would hold their breath.
I donโt know why that happened.
But since Iโm not used to being the center of attention, I really wish theyโd stop.
โYeah, sure.โ
โThanks.โ
โButโฆ I want to make time for studying too, so I might have to leave partway through.โ
โGot it.โ
Kanade smiled.
โThen, after we eat lunch, letโs study together, okay?โ
โโฆUgh.โ
โโฆDonโt you want to?โ
I felt like the tone of Kanadeโs voice dropped.
โโฆI feel like Iโll have too much fun with you and wonโt be able to concentrate on studying.โ
โโฆโฆโ
โโฆโฆโ
โโฆโฆHehe. I see.โ
Kanade looked very happy.
โโฆโฆBut, please. Iโm in a bit of a bind for the upcoming test.โ
โHuh, really?โ
โYeah. โฆI havenโt been able to focus on studying for a while, so itโs affecting me.โ
โฆโฆI see.
The way she put it suggested that Kanade hadnโt been able to study much while she was focused on her medical treatment.
Even so, the fact that she managed to transfer into this prestigious school speaks to her natural intelligence.
โโฆโฆOkay.โ
โYay. Thanks.โ
Kanade beamed.
โSo, shall we go grab some lunch?โ
โSure.โ
โI know a quiet spot. Letโs eat there together, okay?โ
โHm? Sure.โ
โI think we can do whatever we want there.โ
โHaha. Thatโs a weird thing to say, Kanade. Iโm not going to do anything.โ
โHehe. I donโt think youโll do anything, but I think itโd be okay if you did?โ
โI see. But Iโm not going to do anything, so itโs fine.โ
โHehe. โฆ Hehehehe.โ
Kanade was smiling.
Still, that Kanadeโsheโs only been transferred to this school for a few days, and sheโs already found a secluded spot?
Maybe she already knows this school better than I do, even though Iโve been here for several months.
โWell then, letโs go.โ
โOkay.โ
I followed Kanade out of the classroom, which remained as quiet as ever.ใ
Maiasa