The Love of My Childhood Friend, Who Has Overcome a Terminally Ill Diagnosis, Is Overwhelming
“Phew, I feel kind of hot all over.”
It had been a while since that massage that caused such a commotion.
We were getting ready for bed, pushing the table to the side and laying out the futons, when Kanade—who had already flopped down on the bed ahead of me—suddenly said that.
After we’d finished making the bed, I looked at her to see what she really meant.
There was a thin sheen of sweat on Kanade’s forehead.
Her cheeks were flushed too… she definitely looked a little hot.
“Should I turn the AC down?”
I asked Kanade, who was fanning herself with her hand.
There was no reply.
Instead, Kanade pulled at the neck of her T-shirt and started fanning her upper body as well.
…I looked away from Kanade.
Because she’d pulled at the neck of her T-shirt herself, I could see a glimpse of her skin there.
For a high school boy, it was a scene that was just a little too stimulating.
For the time being, I turned the air conditioner down one notch without asking.
“Mmm…”
I thought this would cool her down, but Kanade looked somewhat dissatisfied.
“…Kanade, let’s go to sleep.”
“Hey, Akkun.”
“What?”
“Since we’re here anyway, why don’t we sleep together in the bed?”
“No way.”
“…Why not?”
Kanade’s voice dropped a notch.
“Well, you’re all flushed and hot, aren’t you? If the two of us sleep in a single bed, it’ll be cramped and make you even hotter.”
“…You’re right.”
Kanade seemed convinced.
“Alright, I’m turning off the lights.”
“Okay.”
After turning off the lights, in the pitch-black room, I made my way to the futon and slowly lay down.
“……Phew.”
Finally, today is over.
……Today, too, between studying and school, it was a pretty tough day.
I felt like I wanted to pay myself some respect for getting through such a tough day.
I closed my eyes.
Tomorrow, I’ll wake up at the usual time and, as usual… spend the whole day studying. That’s what I was thinking.
“Akkun.”
But today, for once, the girl I share this room with called out to me.
“…Akkun?”
To tell the truth, I’d started feeling a little sleepy even before I closed my eyes.
The moment I closed my eyes, that drowsiness peaked… and I was starting to feel too lazy to even reply to Kanade.
“A-kun—”
So… I was just on the verge of falling asleep; it definitely wasn’t like I was ignoring Kanade or anything like that.
…I fell into a deep sleep, snoring softly.
“Ei!”
“Gya!”
…I just wanted to fall into a deep sleep.
A few seconds after I heard the bed creak, I sensed a presence under the covers.
And the moment I sensed it, Kanade’s voice reached my ear.
“Mouu. Don’t ignore me.”
It seemed Kanade had gotten out of bed and crawled into my futon.
“…I wasn’t ignoring you.”
“Don’t ignore me.”
“I’m not ignoring you.”
“Don’t ignore me.”
“…Sorry.”
“Okay.”
Kanade’s voice sounded satisfied.
“……So, what’s up?”
“Huh? ……Ahaha. I feel kind of hot all over. I’m not sleepy.”
“Is that so……”
“Yeah. Want to talk a little more?”
“……I’m sleepy, though.”
“……Oh.”
Kanade’s tone dropped again.
“You don’t care about me, do you, A-kun?”
“Haha.”
“What’s so funny?”
Kanade’s tone… dropped even further.
“Of course I care about you.”
I wasn’t sure why my voice had dropped, but I spoke from the heart.
“……You’ve always been my driving force.”
“……”
“Even when I tried to study hard. Even when I decided to study abroad in France. Everything…… was an action born out of my connection with you.”
“…………”
“It’s precisely because you’re important to me that I started to really think about what I wanted for myself and strive for the best possible outcome.”
“……………”
“Well, I haven’t achieved anything yet, though.”
That’s what makes it a little frustrating.
“……Akkun. You really don’t plan on lowering your goals?”
Kanade’s voice and breath near my ear made me feel a little ticklish.
“No.”
“Even though I—the one who was your driving force—am right here beside you now?”
“Yeah. Even so, no.”
“……I see.”
Ever since we reunited and I told her about my goals—my plan to study in France, and the goals beyond that—Kanade has been asking me to scale them back.
But… to be honest, I can’t help but feel like she hasn’t given up on me yet.
No matter what Kanade says… to avoid repeating the same mistakes I made back when I felt powerless, I have absolutely no intention of changing my resolve, which I’ve already steeled.
“Akkun.”
…I wanted to get some sleep quickly to prepare for the next day so I could achieve that goal, but it seemed Kanade had no intention of letting me rest just yet.
“…Want to have a contest with me?”
It was a sudden proposal.
“A contest?”
“Yeah. The next test—want to see who can get a higher score?”
“Why on earth…”
“It’s the result of my own thinking.”
“Thinking about what?”
“How I can stop you from studying abroad in France.”
……How on earth does that lead to a test competition?
“Well… knowing your personality, you’d probably think that someone who can’t even get first place on a test shouldn’t have such lofty goals, right?”
……I see.
Well, that’s true… If I were backed into a corner, I might end up thinking that way too.
“So, let’s have a test showdown—with a trip to France after high school on the line?”
“…Alright.”
There wasn’t really any reason to refuse.
After all, even without a formal declaration of war… tests are, by their very nature, a competition of academic ability among students.
After all, as long as we’re taking tests on the same playing field, we’re enemies—at least during exam season.
“……I’m going to do my best.”
“I’ll do my best, too.”
“I’m definitely going to enjoy college life with you, A-kun.”
As my motivation for the test rose just a little, a thought suddenly crossed my mind.
……Why does Kanade want to spend college life with me so badly?
Maiasa