Chapter 55: Because I Want to Cherish It

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Translator: Soafp

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Ginji was troubled. No—he was seriously troubled. Sora stood there, head down, clutching the hem of her school uniform. She was clearly upset.

But the only time Ginji could recall making a girl cry was back in elementary school, when his sharp gaze had frightened someone. He genuinely had no idea why Sora was this mad.

Was it about Aika? Or the part where Mio accidentally knocked him over? Or maybe getting slapped?
Any of them could be the reason—but none of them felt quite right.

“Hey, Sora. Come on, cheer up, will you?”

“……”

She glanced up at him, then quickly turned her face away with a huff. By the way, there was a cold patch on Ginji's cheek—courtesy of Sora. Trying to reason with her on the walk to the bike lot didn't seem promising.

Before long, they arrived. Ginji decided that if it had come to this, he might as well face it head-on.

“I honestly don't know why you're mad. So let's just talk it out, face to face. We're having dinner at my place tonight, right?”

“…If we're going to talk, I want it to be just the two of us.”

Ginji let out a breath of relief—she finally spoke. But if it had to be just the two of them, that meant his little brother would be a problem.

“Then let's go to your place. Hang on, I'll let Tetsu know.”

He stepped away and called on his phone. Tetsuya picked up right away—he must've already been home.

“Hello? What's up?”

“Hey, sorry about this. Thing is, I made Sora mad. I am going to stop by her place. Can I leave dinner to you?”

“Sure. It's rare for you and Sora-senpai to fight.”

“Not really a fight, it's just… complicated. I don't even know exactly what she's mad about.”

“You really don't have any idea?”

“…I mean, maybe letting that girl hug me so easily was dumb?”

“…What was that?”

“Some girl hugged me. That's all.”

“Does Sora-senpai know about that?”

“Know? It happened right in front of her!”

“…You're the one in the wrong. Go apologize properly to Sora-senpai.”

“Wait, hey, Tetsu—!”

The call ended. …Why did he sound mad at the end too?

Ginji returned to Sora, and the two of them rode downhill on his bike.

He thought he could feel Sora's warmth more strongly than usual against his back.

“…Sorry, Ginji.”

Sora's voice came from behind him.

“Why are you apologizing? I mean, not that I even know what I should be apologizing for…”

“I'm… such an awful person. I hate myself right now.”

“No, you're not. I can tell you're mad because of me. And that doesn't make me feel bad, you know?”

“…Okay.”

They continued forward through the warm breeze and sunset until they reached Sora's house.

After stepping inside and heading up to the second-floor living room, Sora quietly took Ginji's hand and had him sit with her on the couch.

For a while, they sat in silence—until Ginji finally spoke.

“Can you tell me why you're angry?”

Sora nodded, buried her face in a cushion, and began to speak.

“When it looked like you were being hugged by Hazuki-san, even though I knew it wasn't like that, my chest tightened up so much it hurt. When you got slapped, it hurt me more than when I got hit. It was so painful and suffocating, I couldn't take it. And then I acted like this… even though that's not what I wanted at all. I really wanted to say thank you. But I don't even understand myself anymore…”

Clutching the cushion, she leaned into Ginji, her voice trembling as she bared her heart.

Her hazel eyes were glossy with tears. Ginji gently stroked her head.

“…I see.”

This wasn't how a “best friend” felt. Ginji had already begun to realize their closeness was something special.
And because of that, he wanted to take his time—take it seriously.

“Guess now I can finally apologize. I'm sorry. If I saw some guy hugging you, I'd probably get mad too. So I guess we're even.”

“…You're so kind, Ginji.”

“Not really.”

“Hey, Ginji?”

“What is it?”

“Just for today… Can I be spoiled instead?”

Those pleading eyes—Sora had always been alone in that big house and at school. Ginji understood how much courage it took her to say those words.

And because of that—because he wanted to cherish her—

“…Just in moderation.”

He said it with a smirk, trying to act tough. Sora loved that about him—so very much. Tears spilled down her cheeks as she threw her arms around him.

For the girl who had always been alone, this warmth was just too kind, too precious—like something out of a dream.