The Love of My Childhood Friend, Who Has Overcome a Terminally Ill Diagnosis, Is Overwhelming
“Excuse me for barging in.”
“Oh, come on. A-kun, you come into my room every other day, so you don’t need to be so formal.”
As I was shown into Kanade’s room, I couldn’t shake the feeling of being an outsider, even as she teased me.
There was a world of difference in the mental stress I felt between letting Kanade into my room and being invited into hers… for some reason.
“Well then, Akkun. Shall we do the usual?”
“Yeah.”
I felt a little fed up with what Kanade meant by “the usual.”
Kanade always takes a few minutes to get to this “usual” part. For me, who just wanted to get started studying right away, it was excruciatingly painful.
“Hmm. So, where should you sit today, Akkun?”
That “usual” thing… it refers to the seating arrangement for me and her that Kanade always agonizes over right before our study sessions.
The other day, Kanade and I had made a promise that I would leave the seating arrangement entirely up to her.
“Kanade, you’re cutting into our precious study time”
“Hmm. Hmm.”
Kanade ignored my warning and frowned, deep in thought.
Watching her like this… even though I know that’s not the case, I can’t help but suspect that she doesn’t really care about studying at all.
“Okay. I’ve decided.”
Kanade smiled smugly.
“Where Akkun is going to sit today is… right here!”
I sat down where Kanade pointed.
“And I’m going to sit right here!”
Then Kanade sat down right next to me—at such close quarters that our shoulders were practically touching.
“Yeah. It’s the usual setup.”
Ever since I’d given Kanade full authority over where we sat, she’d always sat next to me.
Well, it’s easier to get help with my studies when she’s next to me, so I don’t mind her sitting there.
But… if that’s the case, the whole process of deciding where Kanade would sit just seemed like a waste of time, and to be honest, I couldn’t see the point in what she was doing right now.
“Mouu. A-kun, get a grip!”
Kanade looked pretty annoyed.
“What about it?”
“You sat over there the day before yesterday, right? But today… compared to the day before yesterday, the study session starts earlier, and the weather outside is nice. So I picked a spot with as little sunlight as possible.”
“Oh, so you did put some thought into it after all.”
“Of course I did. What do you take me for?”
…It seemed I’d managed to upset Kanade.
“Sorry. You’re right… I guess I wasn’t considerate enough.”
“Hmph. I won’t forgive you.”
“Oh, come on. What do I have to do to make you forgive me?”
“……”
“……”
“…………”
“…………”
“……Hehe. Well then, I think I’ll stretch today’s one-hour study session out to three hours.”
“Is that all it takes?”
Huh. I thought she was going to ask for something more troublesome… but if that’s all, it’s no problem at all.
“Well then, shall we start studying?”
At Kanade’s prompting, I nodded.
From then on, we concentrated on our studies for a while.
Every now and then, she’d ask me about a problem she didn’t understand.
Every now and then, I’d pat her head as a reward for solving a problem.
We spent the study session just like any other day.
“Hehe. Hehehehe.”
I thought Kanade had been in a bad mood earlier, but maybe because she’s been solving problems smoothly today, she’s in a great mood now.
“Akkun. Akkun. I solved this problem all by myself!”
“Wow, that’s amazing.”
“Hehe. I knew it, didn’t I? Hehehehe.”
Just as I was about to pat her head for solving that difficult problem on her own—I took my left hand off my notebook and reached out toward her head—
“Akkun. Kanade. Why don’t you take a break and have some tea?”
Kanade’s mother walked into the room.
“Ugh.”
“Ah, Kanade! You shouldn’t say ‘ugh.’ ‘Ugh’ is…”
“…Hahaha. Thank you for the drink.”
“You’re welcome. Hehe. Akkun, you’re not even fazed by my arrival—you’re still stroking Kanade’s head.”
……Huh?
I mean, praising Kanade for solving a difficult problem on her own… isn’t that just my duty?
“……Mom, I told you not to interrupt us during our study session, didn’t I?”
Kanade’s voice was cold.
“Huh? I’m not interrupting you at all. I just thought you two might be getting tired by now, so I’m suggesting a break. How is that interrupting you?”
“……Mmmph.”
“There you go. Anyway, have some tea. Your concentration is probably starting to wane by now.”
“Thank you.”
“……Mmm. Thanks.”
And so, we enjoyed a brief respite.
After handing us our drinks, Kanade’s mother simply told us to bring the cups to the kitchen when we were done, then left Kanade’s room.
“Well then, shall we get back to studying?”
“Yeah…”
We finished our break and resumed studying.
My studying was going more smoothly than before.
After all, the fact that I wasn’t giving Kanade advice on the problems was probably the biggest reason my studying was going so well.
Ever since we started studying together, she’s become even more interested in her schoolwork.
However, she still… kept asking me for advice on problems she couldn’t solve on her own.
While I was giving her advice, my own study time was being cut short… I see. This is actually pretty convenient.
“Phew.”
Once I’d finished my own work for the time being, I decided to check on Kanade.
“…Huh?”
And then I noticed that Kanade, sitting next to me… was fast asleep.
“Somehow, it feels cruel to wake her up.”
Kanade has a side to her where she pushes herself really hard… so I’m sure she just overdid it.
I guess… I’ll just let her sleep until she wakes up on her own.
“Akkun. Would you like some snacks?”
Just then, Kanade’s mother appeared.
“…Oh my, did my daughter fall asleep and leave you here, Akkun?”
“Yes, it looks like so.”
“I see. …Oh”
Kanade’s mother clapped her hands with a beaming smile, as if she’d just had an idea.
“Well then, Akkun. Do you have a moment right now?”
Maiasa