The Love of My Childhood Friend, Who Has Overcome a Terminally Ill Diagnosis, Is Overwhelming
I walked up to Kanadeโs room and stood frozen in front of the door for a few seconds.
Even though Kanadeโs mom and I had been told to go get herโฆ how on earth was I supposed to get her to come out of her room when sheโd gone so far as to say she didnโt want to see me?
For the time being, I stood there in front of the door, racking my brain.
I tried every trick in the book to figure out a way to get Kanade out of her roomโฆ but no brilliant idea came to mind.
Damn it.
If Iโd known it would come to this, I shouldโve just lost the test.
If I had, Kanade wouldnโt be angry, and todayโs visit to the Ichinose household would have ended on good terms.
โฆNo, how could I have let myself lose?
This test was a gamble for meโit was about whether or not I would give up my goal of studying abroad in France. If I had lost to Kanade, wouldnโt I have had to give up on studying in France?
Thatโs why I took the test seriously.
โฆBut thatโs not all.
I knew even before the contest began that there was a chance I might upset someone important to me.
Even so, the fact that I didnโt slack off on the test despite knowing the risk of upsetting Kanadeโthatโs what it means.
โฆItโs not just about whether or not to give up on my goal.
Iโve been working hard at my studies all this time.
On hot days, on cold days, even when I had a feverโฆ no matter what happened, I never spared any effort when it came to studying.
In other words.
The risk of upsetting someone important to meโฆ wasnโt something I should prioritize over all the effort Iโve put in so far.
Thatโs why I didnโt slack off on the test.
โฆSo even if Kanade challenges me to another test battle like this in the future, I absolutely wonโt slack off.
โKanade. Kanade.โ
Now that I know losing the test isnโt an option,
In that case, all thatโs left isโฆ to find a way to get her back in a good mood.
Iโฆ couldnโt come up with any specific plan to cheer Kanade up, so I decided to just go with the flow for now.
I knocked on the door and called out to her, butโฆ
โโฆโฆโ
No answer.
โฆI never expected losing the test would upset Kanade this much.
I guess that means she was taking the match that seriously.
Or maybeโฆ
โKanade. โฆCan you hear me?โ
I spoke to the door.
โโฆAbout the other dayโฆโ
I started to say โIโm sorry,โ but stopped myself.
Becauseโฆ just as Iโd thought a moment ago, I donโt believe it was wrong for me to give it my all in the test and defeat Kanade.
It would be strange to apologize for something that wasnโt wrong.
โโฆLast time, we both gave it our all, didnโt we?โ
So, I wonโt apologize.
โThere were some mishapsโฆ but in the end, Iโm really glad we both managed to finish the test safely.โ
โฆI wanted to commend each otherโs efforts.
โLetโs compete again in the next test, too.โ
I thought that was my way of showing sincerity.
โโฆIโll give it my all against you again this time. So youโฆ if youโre still trying to make me give up on studying in France, come at me again.โ
There was no reply from the other side of the door.
โLetโs keep pushing each other to be better like this.โ
โฆNo matter how much I try to spur him on, does it not reach Kanade?
โโฆโฆKanade.โ
โฆโฆI was starting to feel a little anxious.
I was beginning to feel a similar mood to the day I parted ways with Kanade.
โฆโฆWas I really going to end up parting ways with Kanade on bad terms like this?
โโฆโฆKanade, please come out.โ
That was the one thing I didnโt want.
โโฆโฆIf youโll just come out, Iโll do anything.โ
It was hard to tell if she heard me from the other side of the doorโฆ Unlike before, my voice had lost its vigor and grown weak.
โฆBut then.
Tap, tap, tapโฆ
โAkkun.โ
Kanade opened the door for me.
โAkkun. What did you just say?โ
Kanadeโฆ was smiling so broadly, it was as if the argument had never happened.
โAkkun. Akkun. โฆWhat did you just say?โ
โฆHad something that happy happened?
โโฆUmโฆโ
โAkkun. Akkun. You just said it, didnโt you? You said youโd do anything, didnโt you?โ
โโฆYeah.โ
โAkkun. Akkun. You just said youโd do anything, didnโt you? You just said youโd do anything, didnโt you?โ
โฆWhy are you repeating that so much?
Is she a broken record or something?
โโฆI did say it.โ
โThatโs right. You did say it. You just said youโd do anything, didnโt you?โ
โโฆYeah.โ
โWhat should I have you do? What should I have A-kun do?โ
Kanade was all excited.
Honestly, it was hard to believe this was the same person who had been angry and locked herself in her room just a moment ago.
โฆCould it beโฆ did she set me up?
โฆNo, no.
No, no, no.
Kanade, of all people, wouldnโt do something like thatโฆ
โHehehe. Hehehehehe. I wonder what I should have Akkun do for me. Hehehehehehe.โ
โฆโฆ
โAkkun. Can we go over the rules first?โ
โRules?โ
โYeah. You said youโd do anything just now, but does that really mean youโll do absolutely anything?โ
โโฆThere are limits.โ
โHuh? So even though you said youโd do anything, you wonโt actually do everything? Did you lie? Akkun, did you lie to me?โ
โYeah. I lied.โ
When she pressed me like that, I had no choice but to admit it was a lie.
So, I declared it immediately.
โโฆโฆI see.โ
The light faded from Kanadeโs eyes.
โHehehe. Hehehehehe. So, just how far would you go to do anything for me, Akkun?โ
โโฆโฆHow far, I wonder?โ
โFor exampleโฆโฆโ
Kanade tilted her head cutely.
โDoes giving up on studying abroad in France count?โ
โThatโs not included.โ
Thatโs definitely out of the question.
If that were allowed, it would make the whole test challenge meaningless.
โNot included, huh? โฆHmm. Well then. Well then?โ
Kanade was smiling cutely.
โIs it possible to use the โright to do anythingโ to increase the scope of that right?โ
โNo.โ
โHehe. No? I see. Well then. Well then?โ
Kanade took a step closer to me.
โAkkun. Akkun. Is it okay if you teach me my studies every day from now on?โ
โฆโฆHuh?
I-Is that all it takes?
Given how intense she was just a moment ago, I thought she was going to demand something much more extreme.
โSure.โ
โฆโฆHaha.
Since our first conversation after making up was her asking me for a favor, I guess I was bracing myself a little too much.
โReally? Yay!โ
Kanade was delighted.
โWell then, from now on, letโs study at your place every day!โ
โYeah.โ
โAt least one hour a day!โ
โOkay.โ
โIn your room!โ
โOkay.โ
โAnd I get to decide where I sit!โ
โOkay! โฆWait, what?โ
โAnd of course, that includes both Saturday and Sunday, right?โ
โโฆOkay.โ
Hmm.
There were a few requests that gave me pauseโฆ but well, I guess theyโre within acceptable limits?
Compared to her demand that I give up on studying abroad in France, this is at least a whole lot better.
โฆThough I canโt help but feel like this might be a standard negotiation tacticโstarting with an unreasonable demand to lower the bar for subsequent requests.
โItโs a deal. Definitely a deal.โ
โGot it.โ
โA man of his word?โ
โYeah.โ
โGood boy. Thatโs A-kun for you! So cool!โ
โHehe. Donโt praise me that much.โ
โWell then, shall we go to the living room?โ
โYeah.โ
โฆWell. If Kanadeโs in a good mood now, I guess thatโs fine.
โSkip, skip, skip!โ
Seeing Kanade skipping along happily made me feel a little happy too, and I smiled.ใ
Maiasa