The Love of My Childhood Friend, Who Has Overcome a Terminally Ill Diagnosis, Is Overwhelming
The first weekday after the party at Kanadeโs house.
I woke up, yawning.
โAaaahโฆโ
Yesterday, just as weโd agreed, Kanade came over to my place, and we ended up studying.
We studied for about three hours. She arrived just after noon and went home just before evening.
โAkkun. Akkun. Thereโs a problem I donโt understand. Can you help me?โ
However, even after she went home, we continued to study at each otherโs houses.
During that time, whenever Kanade encountered a problem she didnโt understand, she would call me to ask how to solve it.
Our calls with Kanade ended up being several five-minute conversations.
I said โseveral,โ but I donโt remember the exact number.
Thatโs because after a five-minute call, five minutes would pass, and Kanade would call again.
โฆIf she was going to call that many times, she should have just stayed over at my place.
Thinking that to myself, I taught her how to solve the problems while also working hard on my own studies.
โAkkun. Akkun. Itโs hard to understand over the phone, so why donโt we switch to a video call?โ
Kanadeโs demands knew no bounds.
At first, I was reluctantโฆ
โAkkun. Is there someone else in your room?โ
And things like that.
โโฆIf there isnโt, then itโs no problem, right? Or is there something you donโt want me to see on a video call?โ
And things like that.
Anyway, overwhelmed by Kanadeโs pressure over the phone, I ended up talking to her on a video call for about three hours.
โAkkun. Are you sleepy already? Should I sing you a lullaby?โ
By the end, Kanade was even taking care of me as I was overcome by drowsiness.
Honestlyโฆ I felt nothing but sorry, but anyway, because of that study session with Kanade, I was a bit sleep-deprived today.
โGood morning, A-kun.โ
โGood morning, Kanade.โ
When I went into the living room, Kanade was eating breakfast.
โA-kun. You look really sleepy.โ
Once again, Kanade was worried about how I was feeling.
โDid you stay up for a while after that call yesterday?โ
โNope. I went to sleep right away.โ
โHmmโฆโ
I felt Kanadeโs intense gaze on me, but I rubbed my sleepy eyes and sat down next to her.
โAtsushi. What do you want for breakfast?โ
โHmm. Anythingโs fine.โ
โAtsushi. โAnythingโs fineโ is the hardest thing to deal with. You have to tell me what you actually want to eat.โ
โThatโs right, thatโs right.โ
โโฆAlright then, rice with raw egg.โ
โOkay.โ
I yawned again.
โโฆAkkun. Did you even like rice with raw egg?โ
Kanade, sitting next to me, asked.
โHm? Hmm. I donโt hate it, I guess?โ
โSo, you donโt really like it either?โ
โโฆIf I had to say whether I like it or not, I guess I like it.โ
โI see.โ
โฆWhat on earth was the point of that?
โKanadeโฆโ
Just as I was about to ask Kanade why sheโd been grilling me about raw egg on riceโฆ
โAuntie. How do you make raw egg on rice?โ
Kanade had already headed for the kitchen.
โฆFeeling a slight sense of exclusion, I turned on the TV and stared blankly at the morning news program.
โAkkunโ
Kanade called out to me from the kitchen.
โAkkun, you always watch that news show in the morning, donโt you?โ
โHuh? โฆOh. I guess so.โ
I hadnโt really given it much thought; I just watch it because thatโs the show that comes on when I turn on the TV in the morning.
Thereโs nothing particularly deep or thought-provoking about it.
โโฆAkkun, do you happen to have a thing for people like the anchor on that show?โ
Just then, on TV, the station announcer appearing on the news program flashed a smile that seemed designed to captivate viewers.
โNah, sheโs not really my type.โ
โHmm. Why not?โ
โโฆI donโt know, it just feels like a fake smile. Calculated, I guess. Superficial. I get the sense thereโs something hidden behind her.โ
I gave a wry smile.
โThatโs a far cry from you, whoโs so genuine.โ
โฆโฆAfter a brief silence,
โOh, Mouu. Akun, what are you saying? Seriously.โ
Kanade was wriggling her body happily.
โItโs fine for you two to be all lovey-dovey, but you really need to get out of the house soon. Youโre going to be late.โ
Hearing my motherโs voice, my sleep-fogged mind finally cleared.
โOh no. We have to hurry.โ
I scrambled to my feet and quickly got ready for school.
โWell then, weโre off.โ
โSee you later, Auntie.โ
โOkay. Have a good day.โ
We waved to my mom, who had come to see us off at the front door, and left the house.
We walked to the station, saw the station building come into view, and boarded the trainโฆ
โWait a minute.โ
Just as I grabbed the overhead strap, it hit me.
โKanade, did you actually stay over at my place last night?โ
โHahaha. A-kun, what are you talking about? We talked on the phone so much yesterday. Of course I went home.โ
Oh, right.
If she had been at my place, there would have been absolutely no need to talk on the phone.
โโฆโฆHuh? Then why were you at my place?โ
โWhy, you askโฆโฆ Haha. Youโre saying such funny things, A-kun.โ
Kanade was smiling.
โI just came to see you, A-kun.โ
If thatโs the caseโฆโฆ then it wouldnโt have mattered if weโd met at school.
Perhaps sheโd seen the look of confusion on my face, because there was no sparkle in Kanadeโs eyes.ใ
Maiasa