My Childhood Friend Is Just Too CuteโI Canโt Have a Normal Relationship!!
โWhy canโt I get a girlfriend?โ
My first year of high school is over, and as of today, Iโm officially a sophomore.
IโMakoto Taniguchiโhave gotten used to school life to some extent, and suddenly, that question popped into my head.
โMy face isnโt that bad. Iโm not particularly dumb, either. In fact, Iโm smart enough to attend one of the top academic high schools in the prefecture.โ
I looked in the mirror at my own face.
Reflected there was the face Iโd seen almost every day for the past sixteen years.
Sharp, blue, almond-shaped eyes and a high nose.
My hair was neatly styled and looked clean.
โHmm. Thereโs nothing particularly wrong with my appearance.โ
After confirming that with my own eyes, I turned my attention to reflecting on my behavior up to this point.
Iโve always been proactive in helping people in need, and Iโve tried to treat everyone with sincerity.
โโฆโฆIs there something wrong with me?โ
โWhat are you muttering to yourself all alone first thing in the morning? Youโre gross.โ
โYou barge into my room without even knocking first thing in the morning, and thatโs the first thing you say? Fumika.โ
The one who had barged into my room without permission first thing in the morning was my childhood friend, Fumika Akizuki. Weโve known each other since kindergarten, and sheโs the type whoโs always hurling harsh words at me.
โWell, itโs because you were standing in front of the mirror first thing in the morning, muttering to yourself. Itโs absolutely disgusting.โ
Her long, translucent black hair flowed as she stared at me with blue eyes as cold as absolute zero. She was looking at me with utter contempt.
I thought that was pretty harsh, considering sheโd just barged in.
โUgh, sorry about that. So? Why did you go out of your way to come to my house? I mean, I locked the door, didnโt I?โ
โaunt gave me a spare key. So, weโre going to school together.โ
โYeah, yeah. By the way, I havenโt had breakfast yet.โ
โIn that case, Iโll make it for you right now. You just change into your uniform and wait in the living room.โ
โGot it.โ
I didnโt hear anything about her giving Fumika a spare key, thoughโฆ
Just how careless is Mom? I was really surprised when she suddenly announced she was going on a long-term world trip with Dad on a whim.
โHas she always been this careless? Thereโs no point in worrying about it. She said she wouldnโt be back for a year anyway. I guess Iโll just live a carefree life for the next year.โ
First, I need to change and head to the living room.
If I take too long, Fumikaโll kick me.
I think she should really work on breaking that habit of resorting to violence so quickly.
After all, Iโm the one who ends up on the receiving end of it.
โMakoto~. Hurry up and come to the living room~!โ
โI know~. Iโll be right there.โ
I quickly changed into my school uniform and went to the living room, where a delicious-looking breakfast was waiting for me.
Toast browned to a golden hue and a fried egg.
Sausages and hot coffee.
It was the best breakfast ever.
โCome on, weโre running out of time, so eat up.โ
โThanks. Letโs eat.โ
I clasped my hands together and ate the breakfast Fumika had prepared.
Itโs incredibly delicious.
She used to be hopeless at all household chores, but now she can make meals this delicious.
It makes me feel a little emotional.
โYeah, itโs really delicious.โ
โYeah. Well, itโs pretty easy, though. Why donโt you try cooking too?โ
โNo, I can do it, butโฆ itโs just such a hassle. I just canโt bring myself to do it.โ
Itโs not that Iโm particularly bad at cooking, but I just canโt help finding it a hassle.
Itโd be one thing if I were cooking for someone else, but I donโt want to spend that much time on it just for myself.
โThatโs just an excuse. You canโt cook anyway.โ
โFine, call it that. Anyway, weโre second-years starting todayโtime sure flies.โ
โYeah. I wonder what our class will be like this year.โ
โWho knows? Class assignments are something we canโt really influence.โ
โThatโs boring. Donโt you have any thoughts about wanting to be in the same class with someone in particular?โ
I didnโt know how to respond to that.
There wasnโt anyone in particular I wanted to be in the same class with, but there wasnโt anyone I didnโt want to be in the same class with either. To be honest, I didnโt really care.
I was confident that no matter who I ended up in the same class with, Iโd be able to get along just fine.
โNope. On the flip side, Fumika, is there anyone youโd like to be in class with?โ
โโฆI donโt have anyone either.โ
Fumika turned her head away with a huff and wouldnโt meet my gaze.
Did I say something that rubbed her the wrong way?
I wasnโt aware of it, but itโd be a hassle if I said anything else and she snapped at me. Better safe than sorry. Iโll just pretend I didnโt see anything.
โThanks for the meal. That was really good.โ
โIt was nothing. Well, letโs head to school.โ
โYeah. Itโd be a pain to be late for the opening ceremony.โ
Being late for events like that gets you singled out by both teachers and studentsโitโs a huge hassle. Thatโs why I left the house with plenty of time to spare, to avoid being late as much as possible.
โLet me carry your bag. Iโll hold it.โ
โI can carry this much on my own, you know.โ
โCome on. Here.โ
I took Fumikaโs school bag and carried it along with my own. I was carrying two bags today since I didnโt have any classes, but they were relatively light.
โOh, thanks.โ
โItโs no big deal. Iโm doing this because I want to, anyway. More importantly, the cherry blossoms are really beautiful, arenโt they?โ
โYeah. I actually really like this row of cherry trees.โ
โMe too. It really makes me feel like spring is here, you know?โ
Fumika, walking beside me, had a serene expression on her face. Sheโd be incredibly cute if she always looked this serene.
โฆWell, actually, itโs fine if she looks scary sometimes, but Iโd prefer it if sheโd stop with the harsh words.
โI know what you mean. Moments like this are nice, arenโt they?โ
โYeah. I feel like we had a conversation just like this last year, too.โ
โWe might have. But itโs fine to have this kind of conversation every year, isnโt it?โ
โYeah. Well, letโs hurry up and head to school. Iโm curious about the class assignment results, too.โ
After passing through the row of cherry trees and walking a short distance, we could see the slightly futuristic, glass-walled school building of Tenju High School, affiliated with Tenno University, where we attend.
Itโs a school Iโve gotten used to over the past year.
โSo, shall we go check the bulletin board?โ
โSure. Iโll carry my own bag from now on.โ
โGot it. Here you go.โ
As I handed Fumika her bag, we headed toward the bulletin board where a crowd had gathered. Iโm pretty tall, so I can just barely see the board, but Fumikaโs on the shorter side, so she probably canโt see it.
โCan you see the bulletin board?โ
โโฆโฆI can see it.โ
โDonโt lie. You definitely canโt see it.โ
โAre you calling me short?! Donโt call me short!!โ
โI didnโt say that. Stop being so paranoid. Want me to carry you?โ
โโฆJust kidding. I donโt need you to do thatโIโll be able to see it if I just go up front.โ
Pouting angrily, Fumika walked off toward the front of the bulletin board. Sheโd always been self-conscious about her short stature, and it seemed that hadnโt changed.
โWhich class am I in?โ
Looking at the bulletin board, it appeared Fumika was in Class 1. I casually scanned the Class 1 roster and found my name listed a little below the middle.
โSo weโre in the same class this year. Well, I guess Iโll just have to make the best of it.โ
I hoped I could get through school life while keeping a proper distance so as not to upset her too much.
โWait, Alice is in the same class too?โ
At the very bottom of Class 1, I spotted a familiar name.
Alice Watanabe.
Like Fumika, sheโs a childhood friend Iโve known since kindergarten. By the way, as her name suggests, sheโs half-Japanese and has beautiful, vibrant blonde hair.
โMakoto, weโre in the same class, arenโt we?”
โYeah. And Alice is in the same class too. Itโs like all my childhood friends are here.โ
โYeah. โฆTch.โ
โDid you just click your tongue?โ
โWhat? No, I didnโt. I wouldnโt do something like that.โ
Iโm pretty sure she definitely did, though.
Did she really hate being in the same class as me that much?
Nah, Iโd better stop thinking about it.
Itโd be pretty sad if she really felt that way.
ใโ
โGood morning~ Makoto! And Fumi-chan, too!โ
โGood morning, Alice. Youโre as energetic as ever today.โ
โHehehe~ Being energetic is my best trait, after all!โ
The one who came running up to me like a puppy the moment I entered the classroom was my childhood friend, Alice. She had eye-catching, vibrant blonde hair that fell just past her shoulders, and her deep crimson eyes, fixed on me, were so beautiful I felt like I might get sucked right in.
Unlike Fumika, she was on the taller side at about 165 centimeters, making her one of the tallest girls in the class.
โGood morning, Alice. You really are always full of energy, arenโt you?โ
โWell, yeah! I was just so happy to be in the same class as the three of you!โ
โAlice, youโre such a sincere and nice person. Fumika should take a cue from you.โ
โWhat exactly am I supposed to learn from her?โ
โher cheerful side, Alice. Youโre such a grouch.โ
โYouโฆ Do you want me to kill you?โ
Fumika gave me a look as if I were a piece of trash.
Even though I was really just giving her advice with the best of intentions.
โIโm sorry.โ
I decided to just apologize flat out.
If I didnโt, she might just kick me.
โGood morning, Makoto. Youโre still getting along great with those two, arenโt you?โ
โGood morning, Yamato. Well, weโre childhood friends, after all.โ
โIโm jealous. To have such cute childhood friends.โ
โReally? Itโs actually surprisingly hard to get along with them, you know?โ
You never know when Fumikaโs mood will sour or what will set her off. Alice is way too energetic, and Iโm constantly being dragged around by her.
โEven so, man. Iโd love to have cute childhood friends like that, too.โ
โSo, the grass is always greener on the other side, huh?โ
โMaybe. But Makoto, donโt you ever think about dating those two?โ
โโฆโฆIโve never really thought about it.โ
Those two are, after all, just childhood friends.
Nothing more than that.
Thatโs how I see it.
โSo, you donโt want a girlfriend right now?โ
โNo, actually, I was seriously thinking this morning about why I canโt get a girlfriend.โ
โI see. Youโre in deep trouble, man.โ
โHuh? What do you mean by that?โ
โFor example, what do you think of that girl over there?โ
Saying that, Yamato pointed to a black-haired female student in the classroom. Even if you ask me what I think, isnโt she just a regular girl?
โIsnโt she just an ordinary girl?โ
โโฆSheโs the kind of girl whoโs really popular with the guys at school and gets called cute. And you just called her โordinary.โโ
โโฆWhat are you trying to say?โ
โIn other words, the girls you hang out with. To put it bluntly, because your two childhood friends are way too cute, youโve become incapable of having a normal romantic relationship.โ
โW-What!?โ
S-so youโre saying I canโt get a girlfriend?
To go through all this high school life and not be able to get a girlfriendโis that really okay?
โNo!!
Thereโs no way thatโs okay.
โHow do you think you can have a normal relationship?โ
โFor starters, how about putting some distance between you and those two? Or maybe dating one of them?โ
โIโd prefer the distance option, please.โ
โWell, then, why donโt you just do that?โ
Oh, right! So I just needed to put some distance between myself and those two! I hadnโt realized that at all.
โAll right! This year, Iโm definitely going to get a girlfriend whoโs insanely cute!!โ
Maigetsu