Vol 2 Chapter 1 (1/2)
1: Childhood Friend's Love Letter? It's Mayhem
Eleven o’clock at night, when I finished today’s studying for final exams—
Once again, I unfolded the letter I had received after school
—I have always liked you
—Let’s bind ourselves together again like we did in the distant past
”Ah”
I re-read it h
There was no name
And because it was typed on a co
The writer didn’t even specify what she wanted to do
This was soh I rationally thought that, I felt 'If that were the case, it wouldn’t have been written like this' If they were trying to seea fake love letter, they would have written 'I loooooove Kido-kun! I have always stared at youuuu!' So those lines, with above mentioned effect
'Let’s bind ourselves together again like we did in the distant past'
The implied overtones of this statement made me very concerned
It exuded such a 'seriousness', it was impossible to take as a joke
”Anyways, why meee?!”
I actually received a love letter, it’s abnormal! It has to be a mistake
Speaking of which, this hy I hated 'love'
The reason were my parents
When I had been little, they used to say stuff like 'Even though our parents strongly opposed it, Dad fir as I have Dad and Ei-kun atelse!' But when I enrolled inthereed that their relationshi+p as lovers evaporated If my aunt Saeko-san had not taken me in, I do not knoould have happened to me by now
Thus, I became 'anti-romance'
'Ro'! I firainst such system of values In other words I' someone with the same values, I was naturally the choice to be her 'boyfriend'Fake
But, regarding the fact that I am 'anti-romance', only Masuzu who shares similar ideals knows
It's not like I go around shouting stuff like: 'I am anti-love! I reject romantic comedy!'
The letter I have just received, it's not like doing that is going to make it disappear
”Uuuun”
Just where is the one who actually wrote this?
♦
The next day during lunch break:
”Hey, Kaoru, there’s so I want to ask you”
”What is it? Why are you being so formal?”
My close friend, Asoi Kaoru, tilted his head, puzzled
As long as there were no jien-otsu activities, I would eat lunch with Kaoru in the classroo around with ' this time could be
I don't think there is anything that can beat a good friendshi+p between uy
”What do you think 'Let’s bind ourselves together again like we did in the distant past' means?”
”What is that?”
Just after tearing a s it in hisirl, but it suited him wonderfully His skin hite and his appearance was beautiful If you insisted he was a girl, seven out of ten people would believe it
”Nothing When I was practicing the English exam, this was the translated answer to one of the problems What do you think it means?”
Since I couldn’t say it was a love letter, I used this kind of thing to cover it up
After taking a sip of milk with his straw, he said:
”Generally speaking, it should refer to a forirlfriend ant to mend fences”
”Mhm”
I also came to that same conclusion
But I actually didn’t have any 'ex-girlfriends' Give the amount of experience I had as a 15-years-old, how could I have that kind of relationshi+p? What type of riajuu would I be if I did? I would have replaced two kanji's of my name by the word 'popular'[1] if I did
”And then there is also Chihuahua-chan”
”Ah? Chiwa?”
”A 'childhood friend' From Eita’s perspective, shouldn’t the person ants to bind theether like in the distance past be Chihuahua-chan?”
I was in the rilled sal my chopsticks
”B-But, Chiwa and I are still getting along well 'Bind ourselves together like in the distant past' would be a weird thing to say, right?
”That way of thinking, could it only be limited to Eita?”
Kaoru’s eyes suddenly became mischievous like a child
”Froet closer to Eita, at least that the feeling I get”
”Even if you say that, we are still close enough to dine together!”
”But——”
Kaoru temporarily came to a halt
”The Eita of 'now' has a girlfriend And that would be Natsukawa-san”
”[]”
”From Chihuahua-chan's perspective, there’s no way your relationshi+p could be the saht?”
That was a blind spot
Now that I think of it, Chiwa has been very earnest reading teenage fashi+on es fulled with frivolous slogans fro Love Letters to get Boyfriends♪'
Since Chiwa an easily influenced girl, it's quite likely that she was affected by theabout her actions
Yesterday , subsequently she came out with that out-of-nowhere line:
'Froether to the school?'
Wrong
Wrongrong
W-W-Wait
Why would Chiant to do so like that?
Chiwa d-d-d-didn’t have any r-r-r-reason to do that kind of thing
”What’s wrong, Eita? You are covered in sweat”
I didn’t have ti in my mouth
I just don't understand this
About the egg, I intentionally put a lot of sugar, so it should have been sweet, but it was like chewing sand; without flavor
—I have to confirm it!
Using assuerous and I certainly am not the race to take the fish bait I have to cautiously check on Chiwa before I can decide whether she sent the love letter or not
Then after the confirmation——
”What should I doooooo?!”
”Wah— Eita, don’t spit your fried egg out!”
In short!
In short: I wanted to confirm it!
♦
”Hey, Chiwa, the weather today is really nice, hahaha”
”It’s a really cloudy day”
—A sudden mistake already!
After school, I went to the jien-otsu club room
Luckily, Chiwa and I were alone Masuzu seemed to be busy and told ot back, there was no other way but to make the move at this time!
”R-Really? My judgic aren’t the same In ood weather”
”Mhm—”
Chiwa disinterestedly e bite of curry bread She continued to fix her eyes on the other cabbage-and-sauce pork cutlet sandwich Recently, she'd been snacking a lot after school I’ve told her: 'Don’t eat both sandwiches', but she replied: 'If I had a fried-pork-cutlet-and-curry sandwich, I would be fine with eating just one' As expected of a woman who thinks entirely with her stomach If we let her alone, maybe she'd cause a bread industry revolution
”Ei-kun, how did you suddenly becoety?”
”N-No, I haven’t! How could I…?”
I lifted up ht
”And Natsukawa? Why isn’t she here? Is she dead?”
”She said she had so to do and would be late twenty minutes or so”
”So, for the ti, it'll only be the two of us”
The dialogue stopped here
I stole a peek at Chiwa from the shadow of my reference book and found her with her head lowered bashfully Half of her curry bread was unfinished; her face seemed very red
What's going on?
What is with this posture’s appearance?
Even though I urgently wanted to face Chiwa and confirm it all, I couldn’t think of a subtle way to ask about it
What would I do if I confir, anyways?
If Chiwa answered 'Yeah, I wrote it', then, what should I do?
Would we 'start over' and 'bind ourselves together again like we did in the distant past'?
This would mean, Chiwa and me——
While I was still hesitating and pondering in this maze, Chias the first to make an action
hustlehustle She dragged her folding chair next to mine
”Ehehe♪”
Did she have soainst my shoulder
”W-W-Wh-Wh-What are you doing?!”
”Ah, Ei-kun, I want to practice a little”
”P-P-Practice?”
Chiwa’s hair drifted by and it had a war my voice to soften
I always felt this sic
”Right, practice Before I becoet a boyfriend!”
Chiwa leaned her entire head against my shoulder
Rubbed it back and forth
She looked just like a puppy, with her face rubbing my shoulder several times
”Y-Y-You, d-don’t misunderstand! This is just a 'club activity'!”
”G-G-G-Got it— It's the club, merely for the club!”
In the beginning Chias a little shy, but gradually she began to rub closer and faster, so hed a kun sound She was really like a puppy
”Ei-kun, do you remember?”
”W-What?”
”In the past, I used to always fall asleep like this”
”R-Really?”
”My mom and dad would always come home late, so Ei-kun would stay with ot dark Then ould always sleep on the bench like this, until someone came to pick us up, remember?”
”I remember”
Chiwa’s smell
It was iet
”Really?”
Chiwa put on a small smile
”So it’s not just reat”
Chiwa an to 'rub back and forth' and kun
At each stroke her fragrant hair brushed by my cheek
Sigh
Chihuahua was really comfortable
—Wait, this isn't it!
This was a good opportunity!
After all the trouble, we are talking about the past, right? This is the perfect time to ask! 'Were-you-the-one-rote-that-letter?' It's only eight words I’ll count to three and firmly say it!
Okay, come on!
3
2
1
”W-Were sou te one who frote that lietter?”
Wuuaaaaahhhhhh! Why did I say it in Nagoya dialeeeeeeect![2]
”What’s wrong, Ei-kun? What did you just say?”
”N-N-N-Nothing! Nothing! Ish Noshi+ng!”
”I thought I heard 'lietter', was it letter?”
”N-No! What are you talking about? The lietter play! I was talking about the e are rare in the world[3], so I’ forward to iiiiiiit!”
Just as I felt like this excuse was about to explode, at that time——
”Knock-knock! Is anyone the~~re♪?”
Accompanied with this voice, an outstretched hand pressed Chiwa’s face harshly down the table
”Mukyu!”
This hand specifically and very thoughtfully used the half-eaten curry bread as padding below Thanks to this action, Chiwa’s face was forced into the predica her favorite curry bread
There was only one person in the world who could defeat Chiith such beautiful technique
”Sorry to keep you waiting, Eita-kun♪! Your cute girlfriend has returned!”