V4Ch4: Part 1

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Translator: Soafp

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Shu, facing me, had a truly calm expression.

As I mentioned earlier, he must have thought about various things during these two months. If it’s heading in a positive direction, I have no objections… Now, I really want to hear what Shu has to say.

“I’ve thought about a lot… Since I stopped talking to you guys and spent more time alone. In the end, I realized I was only thinking about myself, and I hadn’t really thought about you or Ayana… It was just as you pointed out to me on the rooftop.”

Shu said that much and then looked away from me, gazing up at the sky. From his profile, I could sense an atmosphere as if a burden had been lifted, so it seemed unlikely that we’d end up arguing like we did on that rooftop.

“At that time, I didn’t try to understand the meaning behind your words, no matter how much I thought about it… But now I understand. It’s really too late, I wish I had realized it sooner.”

“Well, it was indeed late.”

“Yeah… Seriously, I’m at my wits’ end.”

With that, Shu cut his words short and stood in front of me.

“First of all, Towa… I want to apologize to you. The apology in that hospital room wasn’t enough.”

“No, that wasn’t your fault.”

“No, it was an accident caused by my carelessness. So Towa… I’m really sorry.”

With a serious expression, Shu bowed deeply to me.

Accepting this apology brought back memories of that time within me… It’s no longer a trauma since it’s a past we’ve overcome, and it’s not something to condemn again.

That accident… certainly happened as I tried to protect Shu, who was absent-minded.

However, it seemed there were still words Shu needed to say.

“Towa, you were someone I admired. You were good at studying, good at sports, and above all, kind and cool… But you never flaunted any of that. While I admired you for being so amazing, at the same time, I felt intense jealousy.”

“…………”

Shu’s voice was trembling, but he wasn’t shedding tears.

He struggled to hold back the tears that threatened to spill over, and continued speaking.

“I remembered what Ayana said to me… why I laughed at you when you were in despair. I laughed at you out of jealousy… I laughed at you when you were desperate because you couldn’t participate in the competition… I… I…”

At that point, Shu couldn’t hold back his tears any longer.

Shu, shedding large tears, desperately tried to stop them from flowing by bringing his hands to his eyes… Ahh, he really is such a crybaby.

“…Seriously, you’re still a crybaby even in high school.”

Unable to bear watching Shu like that, I stood up and hugged him.

It’s a shame it’s not Ayana I’m holding… I couldn’t help but smile wryly at that thought, and I gently stroked his back to calm him down.

“I accept your apology… so don’t cry about it anymore.”

“Towa… I…”

“Come on, don’t get snot on my shirt, okay?”

I said that, but it was already too late. My shirt was already stained with Shu’s tears and snot. A~ah, I’m probably going to get questioned about this by my mom.

“I thought you’d end up crying, seeing your determined face slowly starting to tremble. You really thought things through.”

By admitting the reality he didn’t want to face, Shu must have struggled. By reflecting on himself, he could calmly analyze the situation around him, which he hadn’t been able to see before… that led to the Shu of today and, consequently, this apology.

“I want your forgiveness… no, it’s okay if you don’t forgive me. But I wanted to apologize to you… Even if I’m told it’s unnecessary, the regret from back then continues to haunt me… so I wanted to apologize to you.”

“Yeah… I understand.”

“And… I wanted to say this too. I… liked the time we spent together with everyone. That’s why I want to talk to you and Ayana again… and I just hope you two will be happy.”

“Yeah…I get it.”

No matter what form it takes, it’s painful and sad when someone you’ve always been with starts to leave… even if you think it’s not worth worrying about, it will continue to weigh on your heart.

“Thanks. I’m glad we could talk like this.”

“Yeah… yeah…!”

A~ah, he’s crying even more now.

But that’s how it’s always been… Shu is a crybaby, and Ayana and I have comforted him like this many times before.

“I accept your apology again. But as I said before, both Ayana and I have started to move forward. So I don’t mind anymore, and I don’t worry about it. So don’t worry about it… Shu, you too, hold your head up high and move forward.”

“Towa… thank you.”

Well, I continued.

“To be honest, it’s not like I didn’t care. Even though we had those misunderstandings, it wasn’t a lie that we laughed like idiots together… hey Shu, remember when we played soccer together and Ayana swung and missed so badly?”

“…Of course I do. We laughed at Ayana when she fell over.”

“Yeah, yeah! And then Ayana got all mad and chased us with that scary face.”

“At that time, Ayana was faster than Towa, so I was surprised.”

“That’s right.”

Shu was still crying, but I was relieved to see his smile had completely returned.

Thinking back, it was clear that what we really needed was a conversation, but what Shu needed most was time to reflect on himself.

“Ah, there’s one more thing I haven’t responded to.”

“Eh?”

I separated from Shu for a moment and extended my fist toward him.

“I’ll take care of Ayana. We’ll definitely be happy together. I’ll protect her smile forever.”

Shu nodded in response to my declaration.

“Yeah… Towa and Ayana will be fine. I’m rooting for you.”

And then, our fists lightly collided.

This scene could easily be from a youth drama or a fantasy story, with a reconciliation scene.

“Today… was a good day. I almost forgot about the morning anxiety.”

“Anxiety?”

“Ah, it’s nothing. Want another juice?”

“Sure. This time, I’ll treat you.”

“Thanks.”

Yeah, there’s clearly no longer any barrier between us.

But it wasn’t completely awkward either. With this, one of the big obstacles in my path has been removed.

“So Towa, what are you going to do now?”

“I’m bored, so I think I’ll go home now.”

“I see. Then I’ll head home too.”

“Are you going to talk to Ayana about this?”

“You know Towa, I still think I’m a coward. I gathered the courage to talk to you today, so I want to pick another day to talk to Ayana.”

“I see.”

Well, I think that’s fine. Certainly, Shu seemed admirable today, but at the same time, he seemed to be pushing himself… For now, I think it’s best to give him time to calm down, and if he wants to talk to Ayana again, I’m willing to help.

“When that time comes, I might be nervous in many ways. Because Ayana’s charm is incredible, especially since she’s with you.”

“Ah, you’re saying something nice. That’s right, Ayana’s charm knows no bounds.”

“Haha, Towa, you’re saying that kind of thing too.”

“I do. About my cute girlfriend, I can say it as much as you want.”

But… now that it’s come to this, there’s something I want to ask.

“What about you, Shu? Especially with Iori… I mean, the student council president?”

“I-Iori…!?”

“Yeah, she stood next to you this morning.”

“…!”

Shu blushed so clearly that it was almost comical.

I think it might be rude to ask any further, but as childhood friends, these things do pique my curiosity!

“I talked to her… I mean, she listened to me today. I gathered the courage to do it myself today, but she’s the one who gave me the strength to start walking forward again.”

“I see.”

“…Not just Iori. Mari also reached out to me… I apologized for ignoring her all this time.”

“I see.”

Apart from Iori, it seems things have settled with Maria as well. It’s not something I should be asking about here… Ayana might ask subtly, but anyway, I’m glad.

(But… now I’m curious about where these two are headed.)

What will happen with Shu and Iori… I’ll watch over them and lend a hand if something happens—it’s for my childhood friends.

“But really, when was the last time we walked together like this?”

“Yeah… Even though it’s been quite a while, two months ago this was normal.”

“Yeah…”

From then until we parted ways, we walked… It was during that time.

It was a place with poor visibility, but without checking, a moped turned the corner.

“!?”

“Towa!”

Shu grabbed my shoulder in surprise and pulled me back.

Thanks to that, we didn’t collide with the moped, but the young man riding it bowed deeply, looking very apologetic, and then hurried away.

“That was close…”

“Yeah, I think he should have at least apologized instead of just bowing his head.”

Certainly, it was that close.

I think I reacted in time to avoid a collision… but I was saved by Shu this time.

“Haha, I guess I was the one who got saved this time?”

“This time… Towa! That’s not something to joke about, you know!?”

“Sorry, sorry. Well, it’s been quite a while since then, and thanks to what happened earlier, I can say this now. It would be nice if someday, when we talk about old times, we can laugh about this incident too, don’t you think?”

“It’s not something to joke about!?”

It’s just a wish that we could laugh about it someday when reminiscing about the past, even if it’s a joke.

“I can’t let that happen again. If something like Towa getting into an accident happens in front of me again, I don’t think I’ll ever recover.”

“My bad, seriously, I’m sorry.”

“I mean it!”

After that, needless to say, I found myself apologizing to Shu several times. Later, we parted ways at the fork that leads to each other’s homes… Just as I thought earlier, I feel refreshed as if a large burden has been lifted off my shoulders.

“….Hehe.”

Almost unintentionally, I burst into a surprisingly innocent laughter, feeling unusually cheerful right now.

Right after I decided to talk to Ayana about this tonight, I coughed a bit stronger than I intended.

“Cough!? Cough!?”

It was such a big cough that I involuntarily stopped walking.

It was intense enough that I had to lean my back against a utility pole, but no matter how much I coughed, the uncomfortable tickling sensation in my throat wouldn’t go away.

“… Could it be a cold? … Cough!?”

No, I probably don’t have a cold… But seriously, this cough won’t stop.

I could endure it if I tried… But still, my throat is tickling, and without coughing, I can’t feel even a moment of relief.

“Towa-boy, are you okay?”

“… Eh?”

At that moment, I was approached while rubbing my back.

The voice was gentle and comforting, and the way she called me was familiar. I couldn’t believe it when I looked up.

“Cough… Kanzaki-san?”

“That’s right, it’s me. Here, calm down and drink some water… It’s my half-empty bottle, but please help yourself.”

“I don’t particularly mind that… Thank you.”

I took the PET bottle from Kanzaki-san and gulped it down eagerly.

While the tickling sensation didn’t completely disappear, the water helped alleviate it to some extent.

Gradually, the intense cough subsided, and I finally felt relieved enough to take a breath.

“Is it a cold?”

“No… My throat suddenly started tickling while I was walking… Ah, thanks for the water.”

“It’s fine. But I was surprised, you know? Towa-boy suddenly coughing so violently… Are you really okay?”

“Yes, I’m okay… I think?”

Wait, huh? Behind Kanzaki-san… is someone there?

Thanks to the cough subsiding, I noticed, but there was a woman standing behind Kanzaki-san… She seemed to be in her late twenties, very beautiful, but like Kanzaki-san, she gave off a somewhat cold impression.

“… Who are you?”

“Oh, this one’s my underling. And she’s a big fan of Ane-san.”

“A big… fan?”

My mom’s fan… What is she talking about with a fan for my mom?

Looking at the woman again, she blushed slightly and bowed her head shyly towards me.

“This kid looks cool on the outside, but she’s actually shy. But she’s like my secretary, good at her job.”

“I see… Well, I won’t ask for details.”

“That’s the spirit.”

If Kanzaki-san’s family background is like that, I thought they might have subordinates or something… But to actually have one.

“… Fue.”

However, that cough earlier was really bad.

I want to believe it’s nothing serious, but I’ll make sure to check my temperature before going to bed so I don’t worry Ayana or my mom.

“A roundabout indirect kiss with Towa-boy, huh~”

“Kanzaki-san, you really don’t mind saying things like that, do you?”

“Ara… Towa-boy, you really don’t see me as a woman, do you?”

“Please don’t look so disappointed.”

I wasn’t sure how serious she was, so I was at a loss for how to react. Hearing this, Kanzaki-san burst into laughter, as if her earlier concern had been a lie, and playfully patted my back.

“You dodged that like a pro, Towa-boy… Truly, you’re something else.”

“What do you mean…?”

“Well, if nothing happened, then that’s fine. We’re heading off now, but we’ll visit you again sometime. Oh, and if you see us around town, feel free to say hi~”

“O-Okay.”

I waved back enthusiastically as Kanzaki-san left, then resumed my journey homeward.

I cleared my throat a few times and checked my throat, feeling remarkably clear.

Maybe it really wasn’t anything serious after all.

“Hmm?”

As I neared home, I noticed a message from Shu had arrived.

“Thanks for today, Towa. I’m going to face Kotone and Mom properly. You’re an important childhood friend to me.”

“… This guy, he’s really changed.”

Kotone and Hatsune-san… Shu’s family, and for me, people with whom there’s an unspoken connection.

Things have turned out well for Shu, but I’ve resigned myself to not being able to get along with them… I’ll tell Shu not to strain himself and that there’s no need to worsen family relations because of me.

“But it wouldn’t hurt if I laid it out straight to Iori sometimes… Maybe that would actually be a good thing.”

Thinking about such matters, I arrived home.