The Love of My Childhood Friend, Who Has Overcome a Terminally Ill Diagnosis, Is Overwhelming
I didn’t quite understand what Takagaki was getting at, but I decided to sit back in my seat and watch Kanade and Kadokura chat for a while.
“Giggles”
“Hehehe”
“Giggles”
“Hehehehe”
The two of them… kept chatting happily for quite a while.
They seemed so close that Takagaki and I couldn’t find a way to break into their conversation.
“You two, isn’t it about time?”
Takagaki, having lost her patience, said to the two of them.
“If you two keep this up… there’s no point in you taking time out of your busy schedules to come here today.”
Kanade and Kadokura exchanged glances at Takagaki’s next remark.
“Come to think of it, why were we invited here today, anyway?”
Kadokura-san said.
“I was just asked by Ayaka-chan if I wanted to have lunch with her, that’s all.”
“Oh, come to think of it, that’s how it was for me, too.”
As for me… I wasn’t even invited directly.
“Ayaka. Why did you invite us to lunch today?”
“……”
“For you to invite us to lunch… that’s really unusual.”
“You guys—you’ve changed your attitude way too suddenly from all that giggling and flirting just a moment ago, don’t you think?”
Takagaki let out a sigh.
“I was so taken aback by the sudden shift in tone that I was speechless.”
“Sorry, sorry. So, why did you call us?”
“…Well, let’s just eat lunch first.”
“Do you really need to beat around the bush? Just spit it out already.”
“You’re so noisy—just like always!”
…Aren’t you the noisy one?
“A-anyway… I want to prepare myself mentally, so let’s have lunch first.”
“…Hah.”
Kadokura was giving Takagaki a mischievous smile.
“So it’s just your usual thing, isn’t it?”
“What do you mean, ‘that’?”
“Tsundere.”
“…!”
Takagaki-san blushed and turned her head away.
“H-hmph… If none of you have any intention of deciding what to eat, I’ll just go ahead and decide on my own!”
“Sure. I’ve never once doubted your taste.”
“…Tsk. You’re such a pain.”
Takagaki-san let out a little click of her tongue, as if to hide her embarrassment.
“Hey, hey, A-kun. A-kun.”
“What? Kanade?”
“…Ayaka-chan and the others are really close, aren’t they?”
…Huh?
Is this… what you call ‘close’?
“We’re close, of course!”
“But I didn’t actually say anything just now…?”
How did she know I was doubting Kanade’s words?
“Well, that’s because we’re just as close as those two… no, wait. We’re so much closer—we totally beat them!”
She read my lips again.
“Well, I guess that’s true.”
Still, there’s no doubt that we’re just as close as those two.
After all, we’ve been together almost every day since we reunited.
…We’re together almost every day?
Come to think of it, we’re in my living room in the morning. At school for lunch. Studying at one of our houses in the evening. …And we’re together for just about everything else, too.
Actually, come to think of it… Kanade did force me to spend time with her once before.
……Wait, could it be?
Has our relationship gone beyond just being good friends???
……
…………
Ahaha.
That can’t be right.
“Excuse me!”
Takagaki-san leaves us to our own devices and efficiently takes our food orders.
……I’d known since the other day that Takagaki-san has a younger brother and a responsible side to her, but seeing her like this…… she really does have the air of an older sister.
“……I ordered on my own.”
“Thanks, Ayaka.”
“……Hmph.”
Takagaki-san blushed and turned her face away again.
Maiasa