Chapter 26 | Abnormality of Childhood Friends

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It’s Thursday morning.

It’s right in the middle of an uninspiring week. Adding to that, it’s time to go to school, and I’m in a bad mood.

But I think positively. If I could just get through the next two days, I would have a fun holiday waiting for me… I opened the front door with such a positive attitude… and yet…

“Good morning, Yu-chan! Yu-chan!”

I found that woman standing in front of my house with a big smile on her face.

“……”

The sight of her made me gasp.

I was shocked to the point of being speechless.

“Let’s go together! You’re not mad at me anymore, are you?”

“……”

I’m sick and tired of hearing her talk.

Himeda Airi is a scum of the earth to me, an unnecessary and disturbing presence in my life. Her smile, which used to dazzle me so much, is now a weapon that amplifies my dislike for her.

“…Can you leave me?”

“Are you…still mad at me?”

Himeda Airi looks as if she can’t believe it. She was out until yesterday because she contracted the flu, and she seemed to think that my anger had cooled off while she was lying on the floor.

It’s really like Himeda Airi to take advantage of me.

She is considerate to others, but when it comes to me, she becomes selfish as if she has changed.

When she invited me to a movie theater, even though I was feeling sick, she tried to take me out saying, “It’s an interesting movie, so it’ll blow away your bad health,” my sister, before she became a Yankee, was really pissed off at her. I was taken to the pool even though I wasn’t good at swimming, I was forced to go to a festival with my sister when she wasn’t there, and for me, holidays were like nothing and Himeda Airi always followed me around, thus she was my everything and before I knew it I had just put up with anything she does. I was not interested in romantic movies, I didn’t like beetles, I didn’t like the way she made fun of my taste in clothes, I didn’t want to go to the swimming pool where so many people were soaked, I didn’t want to go to festivals…

And the festival…

I wanted to go with my sister at that time.

I still remember the sad look on my sister’s face when we were in elementary school.

I’m sorry, Sis. I’m still regretting the fact that I was swept away by Himeda AIri that day for a long, long time.

…

Oh no…I get crazy when I recall memories of spending time with this person. There must have been some good memories, but for some reason, I can’t recall them at all.

Why did I fancy this woman? Such questions are the only thing that taunts me.

“I was always interrupted by this girl when I was talking to other girls. That’s why she was my only friend of the opposite sex…”

“Eh? What’s wrong, Yuu-chan?”

You keep women away from me, and then you say, ‘I can only think of you as a childhood friend’ and ‘I don’t get excited when I’m with you’?

Don’t make fun of people, either. I don’t even like her, but she’s been interfering with my friendships, isn’t she?

“Yuu-chan? You’ve been acting weird since a while ago.”

“Stop! I’m not going to let you do it again! What kind of nerve do you have?”

This feeling is totally different from the one I have for Youka. Unlike that girl, I have a black, black hatred for Himeda Airi.

“What the hell? You’re too angry at me for having a boyfriend!”

“I didn’t tell you because I didn’t want to get into trouble at that time, but is it okay for you to have a lover and it’s not okay for me? You complained a lot about Youka, didn’t you?”

“I-I didn’t mean it like that.”

“Then what were you doing interrupting me all this time? I heard that you complained about any girl who was even remotely friendly with me. What did you mean by that? Tell me.”

“That’s…”

Airi’s eyes swam around.

After thinking for a moment, she uttered the shocking words.

“The girls are to blame for that…after all…they were the ones who chose to go away.”

“……”

I couldn’t even speak anymore.

Yuuji could not understand the thoughts of an abnormal person.

But Airi had not changed, this was just the way she always was, and what had changed was Yuuji’s way of thinking about her.

Yuuji did indeed wake up that day when he was told that she decided to go out with Ishida.

Just then, he heard the front door open behind him.

Then, Yuka appeared in front of them with a stunned expression on her face.

“You know, Airi…”

“Eh…Nee-chan?”

“Yu, Yuka?”

Yuka noticed the abnormality of the conversation and immediately ran out of the house, not peeking in like she had the other day.

“I’m sorry, but… can you go ahead like Yuuji said?”

“Eh? But I’ll go with you…”

“Please, Airi. I’ll take care of it for now, okay?”

“I understand.”

Airi left reluctantly.

Airi sensed that Yuka was definitely losing her temper right now. Yuka rarely gets angry, but she frequently gets angry when it comes to Airi, so she senses her anger.

(Hah…Yuka really has a bad personality…she gets angry easily…I hate her)

Airi turns around many times and heads to school alone.

“──Nee-chan, I’m sorry.”

“Don’t mind it.”

I’m really tired of dealing with that woman.

Maybe I should take the rest of the day off…? But I want to be praised by the teacher for being on time and not missing class, so I’m going to go.

“I’ll go with you since it’s a good opportunity.”

“Sure, but… aren’t you early today, Nee-chan?”

“I’m going to work a little harder too. She probably won’t pester you if I’m here, right?”

“Sure….”

“Nn. How about tomorrow?”

“You’re getting up early for me?”

“…Tch, that's a little… They say the early bird gets the worm right? That's why.”

“Um… are your grades okay in Japanese?”

“Well… wasn’t it the third year?”

“Hmm…”

“G….that’s a nasty laugh…!”

Nee-chan made a chance with Youka yesterday as well.

After the two of us had talked a lot, it was Nee-chan who suggested exchanging texts.

“Nee-chan.”

“Hmm?”

“…Thank you for everything.”

“……”

Yuka smiled happily when her brother thanked her.

However, the grin on her face was so creepy in Yuuji’s way that he vowed never to thank her again.

───────

When I arrived at school and was walking down the second-grade hallway, I bumped into Ishida. We greet each other since we are not strangers to each other.

“Good morning, Sakamoto! That’s just in time! I was just on my way to see you!”

“Oh, good morning, Ishida…what’s up?”

Since that e-mail was sent…or more precisely, since that day, Ishida has been visiting me frequently.

I was wary of his human nature because of the e-mail, but when I talked to him, he was a relatively decent guy and easy to talk to.

Ishida never talked to me about Airi, perhaps out of concern for me. As I don’t want to hear his name, I appreciate this consideration very much.

Incidentally, Ishida and I went to karaoke yesterday. It was raining and club activities were canceled, so he invited me after school… He said it was the first time for him to go with a boy, but doesn’t he have any male friends…?

I was actually going to stay out of it because he was Airi’s boyfriend, but I didn’t feel bad when he came over so friendly.

“I had a good time yesterday! Sakamoto!”

“Well…I’ll invite Usui and the others and have a big group next time. I’m sure it’ll be more fun!”

“Eh? Just the two of us are fine.”

“Oh, yeah.”

……Hmmm?

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