Interlude Chapter 1 | I Like

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“I like Yuri. From now on, I want you to be Yuri’s girlfriend, not my childhood friend.”

In the second year of junior high school, I gathered up my courage and confessed my feelings to Yuri.

It’s okay. I should have been able to confess as I usually do.

I was so embarrassed and afraid of being rejected that I made a curt confession, which made me feel very depressed inside.

I think I am really not a pretty person. People around me say I am mature and beautiful, but the real me is just a coward. I just limit my words and actions because I’m afraid that people might not like me if I reveal my true feelings. The truth is, I want to be like Kanade, who is always cheerful and bright. I wanted to be a pretty girl like that.

“How is it?”

Yuri’s reply was slow, and I looked up fearfully to see Yuri frozen in place with his mouth hanging open.

“What’s wrong? Did you really dislike my confession so much?”

Oh, I embarrassed Yuri. I didn’t mean to do that. I knew I shouldn’t have confessed to him.

“I’m sorry. Actually, I was going to confess my feelings too. But I didn’t expect Hazuki to confess to me, so I was surprised.”

Yuri’s reply made me pause.

“I’m very happy about it. Thank you very much. Please go out with me if you’re okay with me. I love you, Hazuki.”

I was so happy, but I couldn’t believe it and couldn’t stop crying. He gently hugged my shoulder and stroked my head for a long time until I stopped crying.

———

I started to think of Yuri as someone special when my dad died of illness when I was in the fifth grade of elementary school. I loved my dad so much that I could not accept the fact that he was gone from our house.

The house has not changed at all from when my dad was here. I couldn’t help but picture the usual image of my dad sitting on the couch, drinking coffee and watching TV. It was very hard for me to go home and feel the shadow of my dad.

Yuri was the one who thought of me first.

After school, he always invited me to Hanasaki Park to play with him when I was depressed. One particular day, after a few days of such incidents, I whined to Yuri, “I don’t want to go home without my dad.”

“Hazuki, are you okay? It’s really tough to stay home, isn’t it? Then why don’t you stay at my place until Hazuki and Sakuya-san are okay? I have an extra room, so I’m sure we can manage a couple of people.”

I was so surprised that he made such a suggestion that I couldn’t respond to him. As soon as he got home, he was very determined to persuade Yuri’s mom and dad and my mom.

Yuri is amazing. How could he do this?

How could he be so kind to me?

With Yuri’s persuasion, my mom and I were allowed to stay over at Yuri’s house. My mom, who was listening to Yuri’s persuasion, was surprised at first and said, “I can’t be such a bother,” but Yuri’s mom and dad also persuaded her, so in the end, she said, “Thank you,” and hugged Yuri. Seeing this, I felt somewhat frustrated and hugged Yuri together with mom.

When I thought back to what I had done earlier, I was so embarrassed and happy that I panicked and found myself rolling around on the bed. Perhaps it was at this moment that Yuri became special to me.

I want to have a more special relationship with Yuri.

This desire remained unchanged even in junior high school.

However, when I was afraid that this relationship would fall apart and I couldn’t take the first step, Kouki encouraged me by saying, “It’s okay, you should confess your feelings to him.”

Believing that if Kouki, Yuri’s best friend, said so, it should be okay, I confessed my feelings to him at their annual joint birthday party.

Then Yuri also told me that he was planning to confess his feelings to me that day.

I was so happy.

I was happy to know that Yuri also thought that he liked me.

I was so happy that I could have a special relationship with someone special.

I was able to be special to Yuri.