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Welcome, My Friend
“…This is nothing but a lie! I’m not happy about this in the slightest! If I wanted to win in such a pathetic way, I would have slowly worked on it like a swallow building its nest!”
Taken from the Yokodera notes’ second volume.
“Yo, yo, what do you think is the most important thing to do during summer?”
“Cumulonimbus clouds in the far and high-up sky, a festival at a local shrine, fireworks disappearing into the sky, the sight of the girl you like in her yukata, and time that doesn’t ever come back.”
“Aren’t you a bit sensitive today?” Ponta tilted his head with a dubious look.
Bathed in the morning sun, we rode on our bikes to school. On our way, we passed a bus, and the students getting off of it gave us sidelong glances. It’s been quite some time since I went to school with this old friend of mine—Or not quite.
“Oh yeah, what about your morning practice?”
“I’ve had a lot to think about, and I was hanging out with a friend of mine for a long time yesterday.”
“A man or a woman?”
“A girl.”
“Ohh, you said it so bluntly, you womanizer. I get it, you call yourselves ‘friends,’ but when you move it to the bed, that’s where the real ‘friendship’ starts. Ahhh, I’m so jealous, damn it!” Ponta started to laugh about it heartily, swinging his hips on the bike seat.
As you can see, he always thinks about perverted things, hence his nickname ‘Ponta.’ He’s so full of lust and desires that he can’t even study for his exams, which earns him supplementary lessons all the time. If there were some god who would take his lust from him, then he might be able to get back on track. But alas, such a thing does not exist in this world.
Nothing could be found at the foot of the cedar tree. The wooden stony cat statue that had been born after a conflict between two sisters in a different world doesn’t exist here, since Tsukiko-chan made sure this didn’t happen.
“What about you, Ponta? What’s summer look like for you?”
“Swimsuits, transparent bras, sweat building up on top of all sorts of bulges on a woman’s body! …Hey, what’s that fed-up face for?”
“No… it’s just that I really liked that response.”
“Haha, what do you even mean?”
Ponta was the same guy as always, filled with lust and desires. Thanks to that, we got along as well as ever.
After we made it past the pedestrian crossing, we found a crowd of people inside the school gate. It was like a flock of people watching a street performer. We got off our bikes and walked the rest of the way, and we spotted a larger and a smaller shadow jump out of the crowd. One was a small puppy, jumping up and down. The other was—
“Woof! Woof woof! No running awoof! If you’re not careful, you’ll end up in a whale’s cradle, awooo!”
A girl. Her hands and feet were on the ground, and she was chasing a puppy like she was another dog. She seemed desperate like a mother dog, not even caring about the people looking at her. I don’t know if it’s just my imagination, but it looks like she has puppy ears on her head as well.
“That’s right, woof, just stop… Good, good, woof… Just a bit… more…” She tried reaching for the puppy and catching it in her arms, but that didn’t work out. “Ahhh! No panicking, woof! W-Woof!?”
Blinded by the sight of the puppy, she jumped right into my waist and fell backwards.
“Hauuu…”
Her eyes were spinning, and the small puppy tilted its head, acting innocent.
“Hey hey hey, why are you getting in her way like that? Don’t interrupt her adventure like that, you moron. It’s not like this is the first time you’ve seen Azuki Azusa’s animal time for the animal raising club.” Ponta tapped me on the back with a bothered tone.
“Azuki Azusa’s animal time…?”
It was a weird name I felt like I had heard a long time ago. Every morning, Azuki Azusa’s whatsit time would happen. Wasn’t it that she was always confessed to, only for her to reject the confessor like a sadist?
My head was creating its own odd image by combining the memories I had from this world and the world I had learned about through the Yokodera-kun notes. But, more importantly…
“Are you okay? Did you hurt yourself?” I took the girl’s arm and pulled her up.
“Auuu…”
Her dog ears were glued to her ruffled hair as she sat faceup on the ground. Her chin was around the area of my thighs as she gasped for air.
“Sorry to bother your club activities. You’re working hard every morning, huh? And can I just mention how cute that puppy is?”
After talking to her, she seemed to recover, and she looked up at me.
“You… Um, where have we…?”
“Ah, I’m a second-year as well. Name’s Yokodera. We’re in a different class… but we might have run into each other in the hallway.” When I said that, I felt a faint pain running through my chest.
In this world, that’s as deep as my relationship with Azuki Azusa goes. The same as it was in the past, and the same as it’ll be in the future, never changing. She’s living her life, and I’m busy with mine. The cat statue that had connected us doesn’t exist in this world. Earth is turning as it’s supposed to.
“…Really…? Um… that’s not…” Azuki Azusa blinked several times.
“That’s not what?”
“I don’t know, I feel like a swallow that missed its chance to go south… But…” She looked up at me. “…You seem like a good person!” She smiled innocently, like she was greeting a person she had met for the first time.
“…Thanks. I hope your club gets more club members.”
“Likewise. Do your best at the track-and-field club, Yokodera-san!”
There was no sight of her leather choker that contained my facade around her neck. She was honest and kind. Her smile was as dazzling as a fairy’s jewels.
*
“Why didn’t you push her down right there?”
“There!? Where!?”
“It was your perfect chance to get entangled with A-chan.”
“Why would you even think that, Tsukiko-chan?!”
During lunch break, Tsutsukakushi was stuffing her cheeks with her lunch. She had a three-tiered homemade lunch box. How does all that food fit into her small mouth, let alone her stomach? Is she actually a black hole or something?
“A-chan and the puppy’s playtime is part of the animal-raising-club’s morning practice. A lot of people talk to A-chan in the morning, so we don’t know how much of an impression you’ll leave by just talking to her once.”
“Well, she does seem more like a puppy than a human, doesn’t she…?”
“Nothing will start if you don’t challenge it. You acted a lot bolder in the past.”
“In the past… Ah, do you mean the world written in the notes?”
“That’s right. Back then, you were more of a wild beast, pushing me down whenever you pleased, even if I cried.”
“I feel like I can sense some kind of story fabrication here!”
“However, that is how the other girls started to like you.”
“You’re telling me to do something as difficult as that in my own world now!?”
What even is the correct choice in this shitty game? My predecessor Yokodera-kun extremist seemed to like such rough roleplaying, but as a moderate Yokodera-kun, I want to get closer to a girl the normal way. Or in other words, it’s fine even if we don’t grow closer as long as Azuki Azusa is happy. If the sadness she experienced in another world doesn’t befall her here, then I am more than relieved.
“…Senpai.” Tsukiko-chan stopped moving her chopsticks.
Her black gemstone eyes looked directly up at me.
“Weren’t you thinking something weird right now?”
“Huh? I would never.”
“You should be the one who would know. There’s no need to get all those things back. ‘I’ll just watch over A-chan without getting involved in her life.’ You were trying to satisfy yourself with that, right? I can tell.”
“…No…”
Of course, she had hit the bulls-eye.
“‘I just have to watch her from morning to night, starting with her morning bath to her bedtime. I’ll watch every part of A-chan’s day in great detail.’ So you’ve already turned into this much of a pervert. I can tell.”
“No?!”
That was not the bulls-eye. Dear private detective Tsukiko-chan, can you not make such a proud face? I mean, it’s cute when you have a confident expression on your face, but still…
“…I’m a bit unsure.”
“About what?”
“Is it really okay to bother these girls just because I helped with their problems in the past? Or rather, is it even necessary?”
“…Senpai.”
“Hm?”
“Open wide.”
“Hm…?”
She held a slice of rolled omelette out towards me.
“Open wide now.”
“Mm!?”
A second, and a third.
“There, there there there.”
“Mguhgh!?”
A fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth… Instead of offering them to me, it felt like she was searching for a small opening to stuff each one inside. Stop, Tsukiko-chan! A boy’s mouth can’t open that wide! My field of view was full of the expressionless devil Tsukio-chan, pushing me to my Dead End.
“…—Stop it already! I just got a taste, didn’t I!?” I pushed her away and gasped for air.
If not for the water bottle next to me, that would have been the end of me.
“…I did this instead of a slap.”
“Why the sudden torture!?”
“You’re no good, Senpai. No no good. A no-no-no-chan.” Tsukiko-chan was clearly annoyed with me. “No more ‘Is it really necessary?’ thoughts.”
“Um…” A complex color was buried behind the rage burning inside her eyes.
“Do you stay with other people just because they need your help? Do you choose the people you spend time with just because they have problems to deal with? Are you only staying with me because you feel forced to stay with me after reading the notes?”
“T-That’s not…”
“Can you not get closer to people because you want them to like you, because you want to get along with them?” Her eyes were pulling me in.
A fire that doesn’t anywhere else in the whole universe warmed my heart.
“Senpai. I want… I want us to have a more simple relationship. I want the person I love to be together with the people he loves.” Her eyes were pressing me as she grabbed the hem of my uniform.
I realized I had found myself at the wall behind the stairs. Even though I didn’t mean to back up, I had been forced to do so.
“Senpai, which is it?” Tsukiko-chan asked with a brilliant, almost begging voice. “Don’t you want to get along with the people you like?”
“I…” I was at a loss for words.
All of this happened without me experiencing it. The things I should have seen, the passionate feelings I had felt, none of them were within my grasp. Even so, it rested in my heart. This precious feeling that I can’t put into a shape, making me quiver deep inside.
I lived my life only to help others. I spend my days in a world where I offer my own memories to someone else, only existing to stop the girls around me from crying, like Oscar Wilde’s ‘Happy Prince’.
However—I had been taught in a distant past, and a non-existent future, that this wasn’t needed. I had been taught this by the substitute mother I loved so much.
“…Sorry, Tsukiko-chan.” I apologized for everything.
I’m sure she’s been saying the same things over and over.
“No.” She shook her head and blinked, dropping her gaze down to her lunchbox. “This is just me being selfish.”
“Selfish?”
“…I want to have a fair battle. I want the person I like to be able to do what he wants. I don’t want anybody to hold back just because it’s me.” She grabbed the final egg omelette, and held her chopsticks mid-air. “That just now didn’t count. Just imagine me slapping you again.” She opened her mouth and placed the food into it.
She munched on it, taking her time. I really don’t get what’s going on. Girls really are complicated.
*
July 2nd (Wed), clear with a few clouds
I get up at 6.30am.
I stay on standby at the school gate. ‘You’ve got some great eyes’, ‘Let’s get along’, is what some people tell me. They’re probably members of the secret Azuki Azusa Fanclub. I tell them a few words about our track-and-field club’s club president.
7.30. Animal time begins. Everyone watches this scene with relief. Today she falls over, and the puppy stands victorious on her butt.
Recess. I go over to Azuki Azusa’s class. I can’t find her. Her club must be busy. I ask her classmates, and it appears as if they share a good relationship.
Recess. I go to the clubroom building. I can’t find her. Next to the agriculture club’s field, I find a cage that has stray cats and dogs inside. They’re probably looking for foster parents. What a wonderful thing.
Recess. I head over to the clubroom building again. I spot her. She was sleeping inside the cage the entire time. Drool. A horrible sleeping posture. Her navel in full sight. Awawawa, it appears as if her stamina ran out mid-morning. I wake her up. She panics.
Lunch break. Azuki Azusa comes to meet me. She bows down, thanking me. “I slept like an ocean sunfish who ran out of stamina,” “Sorry, maybe I should have let you sleep some more?”, “No, next time I’ll do it to the very end.” Everyone is shocked. Azuki Azusa is confused.
Recess. Azuki Azusa comes to meet me. Her face is beet red. “I didn’t mean it that way earlier!” Everyone grins. They are all aware.
After school. I go over to Azuki Azusa’s class. She already went home with a friend.
I make my way home. I reread the Yokodera-kun notes. I’m happy, and also relieved.
I go to bed at roughly 1am.
*
“So you’re enjoying your communication with A-chan, is it? Is that so? What great progress this is.”
“I feel like your words and emotions aren’t matching up…”
“That is merely your imagination. I am happy that you’ve managed to recover this relationship.”
“Nope, it’s not my imagination at all!”
Tsutsukakushi avoided my gaze by looking over at the advertisement inside the train. I had trouble understanding what that gesture was about.
“It seems like Azuki Azusa remembers my face, since she’s been greeting me whenever we pass each other on the hallway, and she even smiles at me. I’m getting the feeling like we might be closer than before.”
“Is that so? I think that’s a wonderful thing.”
Sadly, it was a rainy Sunday. Tsutsukakushi invited me, and we went to the neighboring town to play. Of course, we put this together because of my report and future plans, but we’re still an adolescent boy and girl going out on a school-free day. How could I not be conscious of this? Naturally, I tried to style myself up, but I couldn’t hope to win against Tsutsukakushi.
She was wearing a chocolate-pleated skirt and a blouse that had cream-like frills. Every time the train shook, her hat, which looked like a cookie, moved up and down. She looks like a snack witch living in a gingerbread house. It’s very cute. My feelings were at an all-time high just from having her sit next to me. This is a date, right!? I can push her down right here and it would totally be okay, wouldn’t it!? Yeah, that’s not happening.
“I’m just trying my best not to hurt Azuki Azusa. Is that not good enough?”
“That’s not true. It’s totally fine. Really, A-chan deserves this. As she would say, it’s all ‘okay okay kay kay, kekekeke’.”
“Would she really say that?”
“Of course, of course, kakaka.”
Weird voices aside, I feel like we have a mood going that can’t exactly be called comfortable. I didn’t understand why she was so obsessed with Azuki Azusa. Tsutsukakushi was the one who was so fixated on me getting along with her. Where is the logic here? Maybe she wants me to bare my poisonous fangs at her friend. There’s the logic!
“That reminds me… You and Azuki Azusa… You and A-chan are pretty close, aren’t you?”
“Close… Yes, that is correct.” Tsutsukakushi nodded in affirmation. “Me and Nee-san, along with A-chan and Ma-chan have always been a complete set. We’ve done everything together with the four of us.”
“I see. A set of four, huh?”
I guess that’s how things ended up in this world. The quick-witted mini Steel-san and the starving-monster little sister Tsukiko-chan. Add in Azuki Azusa with her trademark large ribbon, and the tomboy Ma-chan, also known as the track-and-field vice club president Maimaki Mai.
That makes four people. These girls have known each other for years, and their relationship bloomed instead of breaking apart over the years. I think it’s a wonderful thing. Everyone grew up how I wanted them to in the other world.
“…Normally, we should be five people, if you add another boy.” Tsutsukakushi muttered, but I decided to pretend I didn’t hear that.
I think these words were aimed at herself. It seems that she can’t accept this current situation. As we slowly approached our destination, Tsutsukakushi stood up. We both remained silent, probably trying to calm down a bit after that conversation. She spun around on her heel and looked directly into my eyes.
“Maybe A-chan actually remembers something.”
I kept silent and pondered what she meant. The sound of the train rails suddenly became silent, making Tsutsukakushi’s voice seem even louder.
“The first time you met, and when you exchanged your first words, what did A-chan say when you split up?”
“Um…”
I remembered that bright smile.
‘Likewise. Do your best at the track-and-field club, Yokodera-san!’ That’s what she said.
The way she added the ‘san’ after my name didn’t exist in the previous world. Even so, it felt like we were much more distant.
“Not that. Senpai, did you ever tell A-chan what club you were in?”
“No, I didn’t…?” I shook my head.
However, we’re talking about a fairly small school community.
“She might have seen me before. Or MaiMai could have told her. You can never know for sure.”
“That’s right, we can never know how A-chan feels.”
The train came to a full stop, and the doors opened. She walked outside without making a sound, and slowly turned around.
“That’s why we just have to confirm it for ourselves.”
*
I was a bit confused as to what she was talking about. However, she didn’t seem to care about my confusion at all. She just headed towards a Japanese-themed cafe, located on the first floor of a multi-floor business building, facing the main street that came from the train station. The all-too-familiar logo shone even during this rainy landscape. It was your average chain store, but was not animal-themed, of course. However…
“Ah, Tsuu-chan, you came! And Yokodera-san as well.”
“W-Why is Azuki Azusa here!?”
The person who greeted us as we entered was a gleefully-working A-chan. While I was standing there baffled, Tsutsukakushi moved closer towards Azuki Azusa.
“Good work today. Senpai wanted to know more about A-chan, so I brought him here. I hope we’re not in the way.”
“Not at all! But being seen by a fellow classmate during my part-time work is a bit embarrassing…” Azuki Azusa hugged the tray she held, looking up at me.
Why do I feel so nostalgic seeing this? Feeling something between a sense of discomfort and deja vu, I found myself unable to move.
“You were planning for this from the very beginning?”
Sitting at the table we had been guided to, I rested my chin on both of my arms. I sat facing Tsukiko-chan, who stuffed the Mont Blanc she had ordered into her mouth while nodding to herself.
“Today, I wanted to teach you the joys of the common folk.”
“The joys of the common folk, you say?”
I felt like I had heard that phrase before. I think the girl’s father was a doctor, and her mother was a magazine editor. In a family with both parents working, she should have enough money that a part-time job wouldn’t be necessary. Maybe she was raised like this, or maybe it was just how she was born, but Azuki Azusa doesn’t look like a noble lady in the slightest right now.
Since we didn’t have our fight for facades and honest feelings, there was never any need to show her the joys of the common folk, so why would I need to do that now?
“I want Senpai to experience these joys, not A-chan.” Tsutsukakushi pointed her fork at me.
“Me?”
“Senpai doesn’t know what it’s like for a boy and girl to just go out like this. If you were to learn about this, you might get closer to her, and eventually reach her heart.”
“The end result might be accurate, but I have to take an objection with the premise! I know very well what a boy and girl do together!”
“Oho?”
“It’s not that complicated. You just have to click the pop-up icon on the map after classes are over.”
“I wasn’t talking about ‘Street-corner Marshmallow Visit Diary 2’, okay?” Tsutsukakushi spoke with a cold gaze.
Can you not name the title of one of my favorite gal games like that, especially in public!? Also, how did you even find that out? I doubt that information was necessary to write in the Yokodera-kun notes!
“Street-corner marshmallow…?” Azuki Azusa brought us a gateau au chocolat, only to hear the worst part of our conversation.
“You didn’t have to hear that part!”
“Really? I don’t really understand, but it sounds delicious. Could you explain it to me later?” The innocent girl looked at me with a confused expression.
Her defenseless attitude is really cute. It makes me want to teach her all sorts of things.
“I don’t think you need to teach her anything… By the way, A-chan, are you hungry by any chance?” She rubbed her stomach, so detective Tsutsukakushi arrived at a single conclusion as she munched on the gateau au chocolat.
Nobody is going to steal your food, Tsukiko-chan!
“Ugh… It seems like it…” She narrowed her eyes and made a distressed expression. “I actually had lunch earlier, but I seem to have gotten hungry again. I don’t want to get fat like a bear before hibernation, so I wanted to hold back until dinner. I wonder if I can hold back…”
“Then how about we go on a date after this?”
“D-Date!?” Azuki Azusa’s voice overlapped with mine.
“Yes, a very enjoyable date.” Tsutsukakushi maintained a stiff expression as she raised a finger.
*
In recent years, the game centers in our town have started to grow fewer in number. One reason for this is the spread of portable and home game consoles, as well as the overall changes in the city landscape. We have a single game center nearby that doesn’t exactly stand out compared to the rest, it simply stands out because it has no competition. It also offers activities that we are unable to replicate at home.
For example, a rhythm game that captures the movement of your entire body, a VR game setup that forces you to move around a lot, games with gun shooting, crane games that offer various prizes, etc. etc.
“Modern game centers are so shiny…”
Located in the corner of the entertainment district stood a game center targeted at families, but I don’t have any memories of coming here before. That’s why I couldn’t help but admire the place when we got inside.
“Hya! Waah! Towa!?” Azuki Azusa stood in front of a large screen, dancing to the character outline as she tried out a new rhythm game.
She was wearing a prim and proper white one-piece that fluttered when she moved, making it look like she had grown wings. Her golden hair danced through the air, and I felt like I was watching a fairy dance.
I have to be honest, watching Azuki Azusa in this game center makes me want to support her. I want to watch over her. This feeling is aching inside of my chest. Is this what they call the mixing of public and private affairs? Have my own reality and this world I had known before started biting at each other?
“Chowa! Ahhh! Wait!? Not so fast!” A cute girl was dancing like her life depended on it.
Of course, something like that would gather attention from the people around her, and they created a circle like she was some kind of street performer.
“I-I did it! Look, Tsuu-chan, is that the goal!?”
The music abruptly stopped, and the screen showed [STAGE FAILED].
“…Yes, you did great.” Tsutsukakushi nodded gently.
She had been busy playing another rhythm game, and was hitting every note perfectly without breaking a sweat. Tsukiko-chan really can do anything, huh? What she can’t do is skate, hold back when it comes to food, have a proper self-evaluation, grow in the area around her chest, face reality… Now that I think about it, she’s not as perfect as I thought.
“Ouch!?”
Oh, my leg just moved on its own. I guess I was still in my rhythm game mood, and it just suddenly moved. Fufu, fufufufu…”
“You were totally aiming at me, weren’t you!?”
I escaped from the angry kitten’s kicking dance and went to talk to Azuki Azusa.
“Good work. Do you actually play games here from time to time?”
“Ehehe, you caught me! I sometimes visit Tsuu-chan’s home to play, so my movement is as good as a turkey’s.” She flashed me a smile, drenched with sweat.
Man, how cute. She made a bashful peace sign. She raised her palm and we shared a natural high-five. Well, you know how it is. I’ll keep quiet about the fact that I could only see her as some kind of Christmas turkey laying on the table. If I have to guess, she’ll get eaten before she has a chance to fly.
We moved away from the ruckus and took a break on a bench in the corner of the first floor. We looked at all sorts of games on the way, and tried out most of them. It feels like it’s been a long time since the three of us went out together. The comfortable breeze entering from the open door dried the sweat on our foreheads.
“I guess this is a pretty good way to burn calories, isn’t it?”
“Indeed. We burned a lot, so now I can eat more later.” Tsutsukakushi nodded as she rubbed her stomach.
When she mentioned going on a date at the cafe, she first said that we should eat.
‘You shall eat when you are hungry. We have the ability to do so. Then we can work out later, no problem.’
This logic won over Azuki Azusa entirely, and she had a reaction like she had seen the light.
‘T-Tsuu-chan, you’re a genius…!’
‘No no, not at all. An aggressive diet is the enemy of all girls. You have to keep eating and then burn all of the fat off again afterwards.’
‘Yes!’ Azuki Azusa’s fate lit up.
After this, we left the cafe and visited several shops to buy crepes, steamed buns, and ice cream, all of which the two of them ate in masse. Now that they had replenished their energy, the first stop on the list was this game center. I hope you understand just how intense Tsutsukakushi’s gluttony skill is.
Before we went to the cafe, we had a hamburger lunch, and she ate a mont blanc with gateau au chocolat along with all the other food Azuki Azusa served us, and now she’s hungry again. Seriously, how is she not growing after eating all of that? A-chan, you have to be careful not to follow in her footsteps, or you really will turn into a turkey that won’t be able to fly! Of course, I didn’t have the courage to actually say that out loud.
“Eat all sorts of delicious things, enjoy yourself, and keep the body you have right now. It’s like magic! What a great Sunday.”
Do you think it’d be weird if I poured some tea for this bashfully-smiling princess? I want to protect that smile. I want her to stay as innocent as she is. But we’re not close enough for me to say any of that.
Just now, I said that it’s been a while since the three of us last played together, but that’s wrong. It’s from my own subjective view, not objective at all. After all, this is the first time I’ve played with her like this—in this world. Since we are but classmates.
“Good for you.” I stood next to Azuki Azusa and gave her a smile.
“………” Tsutsukakushi sat on the other end, looking like she wanted to say something.
*
We continued talking like this on the bench. Soon, the sun started to set. When we started talking about our plans after this, Tsutsukakushi abruptly stood up.
“I need to visit the toilet for a second.”
“Ah, then I’ll go as well…”
“No, the restroom is fairly narrow, so could you maybe watch over my belongings until I’m back?” She said confidently, and then practically ran away.
“Okaaaay~! …But is the restroom really that small?” Azuki Azusa luckily didn’t realize what Tsutsukakushi was planning.
However, it was clear as day to me that she had a goal in mind. Not to mention that I could see Tsukiko-chan’s tail-hair wagging behind a game character’s panel. At least hide properly, Tsukiko-chan! How has Azuki Azusa not seen you yet?!
“B-By the way, Azuki Azusa. Which do you like more? Long ones or thick ones?” In order to distract her, I brought up a random topic.
My communicative ability originates from watching girl videos and playing gal games, so the topics might be biased in nature.
“Uh… Well… if I had to choose, I think long and thick ones feel better than small and shallow ones?”
“H-Huuuuh!?”
“I mean, human relationships can change a lot with time. But I’d prefer a long-lasting and profound one.”
“Yeah… Yeah?”
“How many years have I known Tsuu-chan…” She put one finger on her chin as she started thinking.
So that’s what she was talking about. I was worried for a second.
“Ma-chan, Maimaki Mai-chan from the track-and-field club, introduced me to her a long time ago. That was in my first year of gradeschool, so it’s been at least ten years.”
“…Yeah, that sure is a long time.” I smiled.
By fighting and making up, doing what you would do in such a relationship, they had gained a much deeper trust of each other. They didn’t break up, nor did they live apart. The thing MaiMai worried about during the other world’s field trip has never happened here. That’s why Azuki Azusa didn’t have to force herself to become some kind of rich and isolated lady.
“A lot of stuff happened. A giant tortoise’s lifespan wouldn’t be enough to tell you everything. The four of us spent all our time together, whether it be summer break or Christmas, entrance exams or birthdays.” The normal girl in front of me made a normal smile. “Everyone is my important friend.” She spoke nonchalantly.
The sight of her made my heart shake because of all the memories I had been left with from the different world. It made me want to ask a question that had been on my mind for a while.
“…So do you feel blessed to have all your friends, Azuki Azusa?”
“Yup, lots!” She gave me an immediate answer.
I was happy. Just that was enough to make me feel like it was all worth it.
“Can I ask you a question of my own?” Azuki Azusa started fidgeting a bit. “Yokodera-san, say… Um, I don’t mean that in a weird way, but…”
“Yeah, what’s up?”
“Have you always been close with Tsuu-chan? I’m just a bit curious… See, when you came to the shop together, I was pretty surprised.” She put both her index fingers together in front of her chest, like she was having trouble putting it into words.
“I see… Well, how do I put it…” I acted like I was thinking about it.
The four-girl organization of Tsuu-chan, A-chan, Ma-chan and Steel King is a solid formation, so I guess she’s a bit leery of me suddenly joining the picture.
“We only really started talking as of late, but we’ve known each other for a long time. If I put it in your words, my relationship with Tsutsukakushi has been both long and short, I guess.”
“???” I could see question marks pop up on top of Azuki Azusa’s head.
How cute. I want to make even more question marks together with her.
“I don’t really get it, but that sounds amazing. Tsuu-chan has always felt like a wild hippopotamus to me. She always acts wary and distant from other boys.”
“Yeah, she’s our little Hippopotamus-chan.”
She opens her large mouth to shake off the people approaching her, crawling on all fours. That image of her is really cute. It makes me treasure her even more.
“That’s why this feels very fresh. When I saw you and Tsuu-chan play together, I started to have fun myself. It made me learn the joys of the common folk—” Azuki Azusa said, then she blinked in slight confusion.
I did as well.
“Common folk? Do you not come to places like this often?”
“Eh? No, I actually do. Playing at a game center is normal, after all… But it’s weird. Why does this feel so off?” Azuki Azusa scratched her cheek. “I don’t know… it just felt like I had to say that. Weird…” She opened and closed her lips, like she wanted to say something but couldn’t.
Finally, like she had made up her mind, she looked up at me.
“Um, you might think this is weird, but could you hear me out without laughing?”
“…Yeah?”
“Ever since you came and talked to me, Yokodera-san, I started to feel weird. Like I was forgetting something.”
“…What exactly?”
“That I don’t know. But it felt like something was stuck in my throat, like a swordfish that had lost its horn.” She touched her cheek, and the hand she used to do so was quivering. “When I saw you and Tsuu-chan come to the cafe and talk together, that feeling only grew stronger. Even more when we were playing together earlier. Like something unfair was going on.”
What Azuki Azusa said had no basis or proof. Even she herself sounded like she was just going crazy. I shook my head.
“…It’s just your imagination. And even if that were true, then it’d just be the world playing a prank on you. Believe in this world’s kindness and forget everything else.”
I could see Hippopotamus-chan shaking in anger behind the character panel. I’ll hear you out later, so calm down!
“That’s not what I meant.” Azuki Azusa removed her hand from her cheek.
“…Eh?”
“You’re wrong, Yokodera. The bad person doing something unfair is me.” She probably didn’t even realize that she grabbed my hand, let alone that she had changed the way she was addressing me. “In reality, I should have been straightforward, but I used this cheap method. It’s like I was the only one lying—And that made me feel really awful.”
Her eyes were so direct, and so dazzling. They looked like gemstones that were untainted by anything, sparkling as they reflected my face. That’s the kind of girl she is. She detests being unfair, she hurts herself in the process, and yet she still continues walking forwards. She always will be the swallow that saved the Happy Prince. She never abandoned him, no matter how grotesque and disgusting he looked.
“I don’t want to act unfair all on my own.”
She didn’t want to be all alone. My chest ached. The sight of her holding back her tears here at this very game center, the sight of her in her sleeping attire atop the hill with the single cedar, the sight of her in a swimsuit inside the storehouse, the smile she gave me during Christmas, all of these images burned themselves inside my brain. Subconsciously, I raised my hand.
“Um, Azuki Azusa, there is something I need to tell you…” My lips opened.
“…Yeah?”
“There is something I want you to read.”
We are both empty. Something precious has stolen from us. Almost as if only the two of us exist in this world, like a Prince and Princess connected by fate. We looked at each other, passion filling our gazes. Our quivering palms, seeking for each other’s heat—
“—Hey, what are you doing here?”
When a deep voice interrupted us.
*
When we turned around, standing there was—
“I’ve never heard of you two being this close. I don’t care, either.” MaiMai said, not even trying to hide her annoyance.
At the same time, spy Tsukiko-chan was obviously panicking, frantically waving her hands in the air. It seemed like time had ground to a halt.
“C-Close? That’s not…” Azuki Azusa tilted her head in an embarrassed fashion.
“What is that? What are you doing?” MaiMai’s eyes were narrowed further than I thought possible, sending me a sharp glare.
“What might you be referring to?” Azuki Azusa gave MaiMai a dubious gaze, glanced over at me, and then looked down at herself.
She held one hand of mine with hers, and the other gently touched my chest. We were close enough where I could count her eyelashes. My heart was racing faster than ever.
“……” Azuki Azusa looked at me one more time, blinked, and then— “Hyaaa!? Y-You’re wrong, Ma-chan! This… this is not what’s happening, okay!?” Out of shock, she fell backwards onto her behind.
She crouched down next to the bench, burying her face between her elbows and knees, tearing up. It seems like the Princess magic has worn off.
“Tch. Yokodera, what are you doing?”
I tried to offer her a hand, but that was brushed away by MaiMai. I’m not saying I’m entirely unrelated, but I think it’s mostly because of you, you know!
“You’re doing something like this in such a place? I can’t let down my guard at all.” She covered for her friend, putting her track-and-field jersey over the girl’s shoulders.
“You’re wrong, okay!” Since I had no lawyer with me, I had to make my own defense. “We were just having a serious talk. There’s nothing lewd to be found here! Although I know it looks fishy as hell!”
“Yeah, it’s fine. I’m aware of that.” MaiMai shrugged. “We’re in the same club. I know you’re not the type of person to do that.”
“O-Oh?”
“Sure. You probably wanted to win the other club members over because you couldn’t accept the fact that you weren’t the next club president. This is quite a deranged competitive spirit you’re showing, you psychopath.”
“That’s a serious accusation supported by practically nothing!”
MaiMai pointed her index finger at me, not listening to my protests in the slightest. Yeah, that’s how she’s supposed to be. Maybe it’s because we’re both people who were aiming for being the next club president, but in this worldline, she has quite a bit of hostility towards me. She wouldn’t even bother with me outside the club, or she’d just ignore everything I said, like she’s doing now.
“Who’d you come here with, anyway? Ah, some juniors of ours?” I spotted several familiar faces near the crane games, playing gleefully.
Of course, our track-and-field club wasn’t observing its members during their free time to make sure they practiced all the time.
“Hmph, it’s the duty of a senior to take care of their juniors.” MaiMai let out a snort.
She’s often misunderstood because of her personality, but she’s a diligent vice club president. All the other female members of the club have taken a liking to her, and I want to get along with her as well, to be honest.
“…It’s nice to see Ma-chan acting like a senior like that.” Azuki Azusa stood next to me.
She was still rubbing her eyes, but she at least had recovered from the pain. The jersey on her shoulders made her look like a junior. What a sight to have three of the four group members here like this!
“…Listen.”
“I decline. I see no reason to.”
When I called out to her, MaiMai instantly rejected me. I didn’t even ask anything yet!
“Since we’re all here, why don’t we play together?” Tsukiko-chan came along with a nice assist.
The way she looked up at me was cute as well. I want her to look at me that way all night.
“Please, MaiMai, it must have been destiny that we met each other here!”
“MaiMai…?” When I called MaiMai ‘MaiMai,’ MaiMai started shaking.
“Yeah? What happened, MaiMai? Are you not feeling well, my MaiMai? My my, cheer up, MaiMai.”
“S-Stop calling me that weird name…!” Her eyes shot open wide, and she put one hand on her cheek.
I think the skin showing between the gaps of her fingers was oddly red. Oh right, I only started calling her this in the past, and the future field trip in that other world, so this is her first time, so to speak. I want to see her blush more like this, my my MaiMai.
“I’ll kill you.” She grabbed me by the collar.
Oh, I think she’s pretty angry.
“You. Don’t have any right. To call me such a familiar-sounding nickname. Not in the slightest.”
“I get it I get so stop you’re choking me!” I begged for forgiveness by tapping her hand over and over.
Is there really any need for her to get this angry because I called her a nickname!?
“The worst. Disgusting.” She glared at me, and closed her eyes. “I feel sick… Ugh…” MaiMai leaned against a nearby wall, seemingly out of strength.
Oh, is it that day for you? I’m sorry. I was only joking around. I didn’t mean for you to suffer like this.
“M-Ma-chan, are you okay!? Here, sit down!”
“I will go bring something to drink. Are you fine with Pocari1?”
“No, I’m okay. I need to look after my junior, as well…” She ended up surrounded by a panicking Azuki Azusa and a worried Tsutsukakushi, but she waved her hand.
Her head was hanging low, and she was breathing heavily. It felt like I was watching the early stages of a cold. Even if she is angry at me, I couldn’t just ignore her like that.
“Ah, should I just look after them? Can I leave Mai… No, the vice club president to you two?” I asked and glanced at Tsukiko-chan.
Sorry that I had to ruin your date plan like this.
It’s an emergency situation, so it can’t be helped. Better luck next time!
Man, Tsukiko-chan really sucks at winking. It’s not subtle at all. Maybe she got that from her older sister.
“Your house is close by, right, Azuki Azusa? If you’re not feeling well, why not go to the hospital or take a break there?”
“…Yeah, that would probably be for the best… Sorry to break things apart even though you invited me.”
“No no, her health is more important.” I shook my head with a smile. “So then, vice club president, leave this to me, and get some good rest.”
MaiMai slowly raised her head.
“—Yeah, Yokodera, you can leave this to me. Goodbye forever.” She stuck out her tongue and showed me an arrogant face.
She clearly felt fine. Not to mention that her tongue was rosy red. She then turned towards Azuki Azusa and Tsutsukakushi.
“…A-chan, Tsuu-chan, I feel like this will take a bit. I’m feeling awful right now.” She rested against Azuki Azusa’s and Tsutsukakushi’s bodies, putting her hands around their shoulders as if to protect them.
“You…”
She set me up. Apparently, she was just acting sick in order to force us to split up. You damned fox of a woman. If only I had the strongest anti-MaiMai weapon, Cozy-sama, here. But I could only shrug my shoulders, and hand her off to these juniors of mine. You can’t help it, can you? I’ll just imagine myself training this cunning fox tonight. Yeah, my mindset is unbeatable!
*
But, I wonder why… Why does MaiMai hate Yokodera Youto to such an extent? It would make sense if I went around talking like a pervert like I did in the previous world, but in this worldline, nothing bad of that sort should have happened.
We’re merely in the same year at school, and fellow clubmates. We’re not at a level where we can understand each other. We never confronted each other in this world. Even if you have honest feelings, a facade will render them useless. Nobody can become happy like this.
*
“…Yeah, right.” I laughed at myself.
An outsider couldn’t hope to understand the bonds between childhood friends. If I just try my best to slowly get closer to them, then I’ll eventually understand. It’s a new world, so I have to take my time, step by step. I decided to not think about it too deeply, and I just shrugged.
1 Pocari Sweat, a popular Japanese soft drink.
CClaw Translations 