A Childhood Friend Told Me “I Can’t Get a Boyfriend Because of You,” So I Distanced Myself From Her and She Stopped Coming to School the Next Day
“I don’t know if this is the right time to ask this, but …… what have you been doing the last few days?”
“I didn’t feel like doing anything, so I’ve been …… lounging around and watching heartwarming anime.”
When I asked modestly, Natsuki answered with a slightly awkward look on her face.
“What about your parents?”
“They said if I didn’t want to go, I didn’t have to.”
“I don’t know how to say it, but it seems like it.”
I gave a small laugh.
Natsuki’s parents are people who respect their children’s wishes.
“Will your mother be back soon?”
“Probably. Why?”
Natsuki tilted her head curiously.
“I just thought I’d say hello or something.”
“Eh—“
Natsuki looked at me as if surprised.
She shifts her eyes and pouts her lips.
“Y-You don’t need to worry about that.”
“But it’s polite, and it’s my fault Natsuki was absent.”
It might be awkward for Natsuki, but I wasn’t going to give in on this point.
Perhaps she could sense how serious I was, because after a few back and forth exchanges, she reluctantly agreed.
“I’m home.”
Natsuki’s mother, Mitsue, returned shortly after.
“Ara?”
When she came into the living room, she saw me and looked at me for a moment.
But the next moment, she gently narrowed her eyes as if she had guessed something.
“It’s Rei kun. It’s been a long time.”
”……It’s been a while.”
A little nervous, I bowed my head.
“What are you doing today?”
“I came to visit Natsuki, …… but, can I talk to you for a minute?”
“Yes.”
Mitsue gently nodded without any sign of surprise, and had probably already guessed the general idea.
“It all started with a misunderstanding on my part…”
I honestly told her everything that had happened since the misunderstanding with Natsuki.
Mitsue listened to me without interrupting until the very end.
“So, may I go out with …… Natsuki?”
I asked her and Mitsue-san let out a giggle,
“You don’t have to be so nervous, I won’t object if Natsuki decides to go out with you.”
“Thank you….”
I relaxed my shoulders in relief.
“I’m glad that you’re reporting back to me in this way. Originally, I wasn’t worried if it was Rei-kun, but …… take care of Natsuki, okay?”
Mitsue-san smiled mischievously, but her eyes were looking straight at me.
–The eyes of a parent.
“Yeah. Leave it to me.”
I nodded my head. I nodded my head, with all the respect I could muster, without pretense.
“You’re a good boy, aren’t you? Fufu”
Mitsue-san giggled.
The same mischievous expression that Natsuki has when she is in a good mood.
“Ah, But…”
Mitsue-san’s voice suddenly turned serious.
Both Natsuki and I involuntarily straightened our posture.
“As an elder, I have one piece of advice for you. From what I’ve heard, it’s all about lack of communication, isn’t it?”
“….yeah.”
Natsuki agreed awkwardly.
I don’t disagree with you.
“This time it was settled, which is good, but from now on it is better to talk about it more. No matter how much you like the person you are dating, there will always be things you don’t like and things you don’t agree with.”
Mitsue’s words were straightforward and somewhat calm.
“If either one of you holds back or doesn’t tell the other, then you could end up in a bad situation like this one, with differences like this. If there is no stress, it means that one of you is always compromising.”
“…..”
I naturally looked at Natsuki next to me.
Natsuki was looking my way in the same way.
We didn’t exchange words, but we were sure we were both thinking the same thing.
“Yes.”
“I understand.”
I and Natsuki turned to Mitsue and nodded firmly.
“Good.”
Mitsue-san smiled with satisfaction and patted us on the head.
After that, we retreated to Natsuki’s room and decided to actually follow her advice.
“Natsuki said a lot of things to me earlier, and I think they were all good arguments, but …… if there’s anything else besides that, don’t hesitate to tell me.”
“I guess so,…….”
Natsuki’s eyes were downcast as she thought about it.
“…. then I’d like you to be a little more brazen”
“Brazen?”
“Yeah. Even though we go to and from school together, you think people think you’re a nuisance. You’re belittling yourself a bit too much, Rei.”
“Ugh. ……”
I was at a loss for words. I was aware that I was being mean.
“You should be more confident. …… I’m the one in love with you.”
The words were supercilious, but his expression was somewhat uneasy, and he glanced up at me as if to see how I was doing.
I naturally smiled.
“Yeah. I’ll try to do my best, little by little.”
“….Yeah.”
Natsuki responded with a composed expression, but the corners of her mouth turned up slightly.
“So, what about you?”
“Eh?”
I blinked and looked back at Natsuki.
“It’s not fair if it’s just me. Is there anything you want to say, Rei? Just now, I was the one blaming you.”
“Oh, that’s right …….”
I thought for a moment and then answered honestly.
“Basically it was my fault for being so whiny, so I don’t really have any complaints, but… I wish you had at least marked the message as read. It would be a way to check on your safety.”
“Ugh …… sorry. that’s …….”
Natsuki looked embarrassed, lowered her eyes, and hesitated to speak.
“If there’s something you want to say, just say it. Your mother told you not to bottle things up.”
“Well, then, …….”
Natsuki opened her mouth awkwardly, fiddling with her fingertips.
“Well, this might be an excuse, but… if Rei were to tell me that you are dating someone, I wouldn’t be able to recover, so I’m scared…”
“—“
I couldn’t help but hold my breath. A warmth grew deep in my chest, and I felt an overwhelming fondness for the girl in front of me.
“…You don’t need to worry about that anymore.”
“….Yes.”
Natsuki’s cheeks flushed slightly and the corners of her lips relaxed, as if she were somehow relieved.
Feeling embarrassed, I pointed to the top of my desk.
“You should probably check your e-mail just in case. The whole class was worried about you.”
“Y-yes.”
Natsuki also picked up her cell phone with a deceptively quick movement.
“Ah …….”
She let out a small voice.
The cheeks were tightened, and the blood drained from her face.
“What’s wrong?”
When I peeked in, Natsuki squeezed out her voice, clutching the phone with a face that looked as if she was about to cry.
“…. Come with me to tomorrow’s club activities.”
“Eh, why?”
I raised my eyebrows.
I asked her about it, and she told me that the missed calls and worried texts from her club mates had made her realize that she had been slacking off, and that she was afraid to go by herself.
“But it would be even weirder if I went.”
“W-What? You’re making it my responsibility alone?”
Natsuki raised her eyebrows and attacked
“I’m not. Think about it calmly.”
I put my hands on her shoulders and tried to persuade her in a calm tone.
“What would you think, Natsuki, if someone who’d been slacking suddenly brought their boyfriend and said they’d missed the day because of him?”
“I’d want to beat him to a pulp.”
“Right? So I don’t think I should go.”
“I agree……”
Natsuki pursed her lips. She understood, but it seemed like she couldn’t accept it.
I scratched behind my ear and continued in a small voice.
“─ I’ll go with you to …… school, you know.”
“……!
Natsuki’s face suddenly lights up.
However, she quickly averts her gaze and turns away.
“Of course. You have responsibilities too… You’re my boyfriend, after all.”
“Y-You’re right.”
(I’m your boyfriend…huh”
It sounds sweeter than I thought it would. I ruminate about it over and over in my head.
“… what are you grinning at?”
“no, nothing.”
Natsuki gave me a cold look and I quickly turned my face away.
Maiban