Chapter 44: I'm Gonna Cheer You On with Everything I've Got!

Reading Settings

“Is your body all right now?”

Facing me again in the backyard, Naegi-san wore an expression like she had finally shaken something off. In other words, she had made up her mind. In that case, the only thing I needed to worry about was her physical condition.

“Ah, yeah… I caused you all kinds of trouble. I'm sorry.”

“It's way too late to worry about that now, so don't let it bother you. So, Naegi-san, what are you planning to do from here?”

“Um… I thought I'd try to make a fresh start and do my best. So I'm planning to drop out of university and work. My credits for the first semester were already hopeless anyway.”

“I see.”

I see.

So Naegi-san intended to work too, even if only to help Nishida pay back a little of the debt he was carrying.

Still, even then, I felt like she did not have to go as far as dropping out of university.

“So, what's Nishida planning to do? That's the important part.”

“I-I don't really know… but he did say he's going to get a proper, honest job and pay back the debt. It seems like he's changed his mind a little.”

“…Is he not planning to come back to university either?”

“I wonder… But I feel like university is the least of his problems right now.”

For some reason, the way Naegi-san said it sounded like she was talking about someone else's problem.

When she said university was the least of his problems, just how much debt was that guy carrying? If things went on like this, he might end up having to sell a kidney or something eventually.

But I understood.

That was exactly why Naegi-san could not abandon Nishida.

I had finally grasped it. Devoting herself to a hopeless man was Naegi-san's happiness.

This is pure love too, I'm sure. Wonderful!

I wanted Temari and Mahiro to hear this too. Those two really had no intention of breaking up after all. With that, I declared victory in my heart.

Still… I was not sure about this.

They had managed to get into a university that could easily be called top-tier, yet they were already dropping out before even half a year had passed. Wasn't that a little too damn quick to give up?

In the first place, they could say they were going to work and pay back the debt all they wanted, but if they quit here, they would be the same as high school graduates.

In this world, simply having a four-year university degree could change your starting salary, and with no time to do proper job hunting, I could not imagine them finding a respectable workplace with good pay.

If Naegi-san was driven into a corner and started working in the sex industry or something, that father of hers would be sad too.

And so, I began persuading her.

“…Hey. You don't have to quit university, do you?”

“…Huh?”

“You went through all that effort to get into a university people call difficult to enter. If you want to work hard and save money, couldn't you take a leave of absence, then come back once you have a path toward paying off the debt?”

“Uh, um…”

“I don't know how much debt Nishida is carrying, but even if it's something Nishida can't do anything about alone, I think the two of you can manage it in about a year if you both take it seriously and work hard.”

“N-No, wait a second. I'm already…”

“Don't say ‘already.' Let's do everything you can before giving up. Having an academic background never hurts, and it'll leave you with even a little more hope for the future. Of course, I understand your feelings very well. Nishida might look like he's completely hopeless, but at the very least, he's the man you chose, Naegi-san. I'm sure he isn't actually hopeless. He must have plenty of good points too.”

“…”

“I also believe that if Nishida has really changed his ways, he can surely make you happy, Naegi-san. You did reject me, but you were the first friend I made at this university, and Nishida was one too. If the two of you have made that decision, then as a friend, I have to believe in you.”

“…”

“And once you can see a path where the two of you can become happy together, you can both come back to university together, right? Life is long. Taking a little detour or going the long way around is no big deal.”

For some reason, once I started persuading her, Naegi-san's expression, which had seemed so resolved a moment earlier, seemed to grow darker right before my eyes.

Was she that anxious?

All right, just one more push.

“I don't think you need to overthink it. If you hold fast to that thing called love, you're sure to win in the end. You and Nishida had something money can't buy from the very start: love. And if you make another thing money can't buy—an academic background—your ally too, then even if you start from the bottom for a while, you'll be able to climb your way up fast. From where I stand, I'm honestly jealous of the love that exists between you and Nishida. It's something I couldn't get my hands on no matter how hard I tried.”

“Ah… ah…”

“So believe in it and push forward! All I can do is cheer you on, but I promise I'll cheer you on with everything I've got!”

Those who get in the way of other people's love are destined to be kicked by a horse. That was how the world worked.

After this final attempt at persuasion, I would stop butting in for their sake.

As a friend, the only thing I was allowed to do was watch over them warmly.

Maybe she could not get her thoughts in order, because Naegi-san stood there trembling. Unfortunately, class was about to begin soon. I could not take my time here.

“Well, class is about to start, so I'll leave it at that. Anyway, Naegi-san, don't take the easy way out and drop out, okay? See you!”

The class that took attendance at the start had zero tolerance for lateness.

Since I did not want to fail the course, I left Naegi-san there and headed off.

It was important, so I wanted Naegi-san to think about it very carefully.

With that, I sent Temari a message while walking and looking at my phone.

Yuuya: Looks like those two really aren't breaking up after all. Seems like they chose the thorny path of supporting each other.

Temari: No way!?

Instant reply.

Yuuya: Heh. It just means I understand those two better than you do. I am their friend, after all.