Chapter 1: First Part

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Translator: Soafp

This was requested by Haw and I kinda like it. If you want to submit short novels or Oneshot, you can do it in the forums.

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It seems like my childhood friend Rio is pregnant.

I first heard about it while we were having dinner as usual.

“What!? Rio!?”

I almost spat out the miso soup I had in my mouth and asked my mother, who was washing dishes in the kitchen.

“Yeah! I was surprised too when I heard it from Rio’s mom.”

While washing the dishes, my mother turned towards me and replied.

“Rio’s pregnant… Who’s the father?”

“I didn’t get that much information. I heard that the person who got her pregnant came with their parents to apologize, though.”

“So, what about Rio?”

“Apparently, Rio has been holed up in her room since she got pregnant. Even Rio’s mom said she doesn’t respond when she talks to her.”

“I see…”

Since she’s shutting herself in, it must have been an unwanted pregnancy. Or perhaps she was forced into the relationship. I can’t say for sure since I don’t know the details.

As I pondered over my dinner, wiping the dishes with a towel, my mother called out to me, “Hey, Sou.”

“Can you lend Rio a listening ear? I’m a bit worried… Since Rio’s mom seems to be having trouble talking to her, could you just go see her for a bit? Maybe she’ll talk to you.”

We were indeed close friends when we were kids. We used to visit each other’s houses often and play together.

But things are different now that we’re in high school. Our friendship from the past is just that, in the past.

Even if I were to go talk to her in our current distant relationship, I think I’d be turned away at the gate.

“No, I’ll pass. I think it’d be pointless for me to go.”

“Why? Did you and Rio have a fight?”

“We didn’t fight, but…”

“But?”

“…”

I can’t say.

It’s my fault that things got awkward between Rio and me.

Especially since I confessed to Rio once when we were in the second year of junior high and got rejected outright. I can’t even bring myself to say it.

“But what’s the matter?”

“…It’s nothing.”

“If it’s nothing, then there’s no problem with you going to see Rio, right? So, I’m counting on you to talk to Rio.”

“…”

My response to my mother’s request was neither a nod nor a shake of my head; instead, I pretended to be engrossed in sipping my miso soup, avoiding the matter.

The moment I started seeing Rio not just as a childhood friend, but as a girl, was when I reached fifth grade. Until then, our interactions were ordinary, but during the sports festival when we were paired up for the three-legged race, I couldn’t help but feel the typical delicacy and softness of a girl’s body, sending my heart racing.

That night, I found it hard to fall asleep.

From that moment on, I found myself unconsciously tracking Rio’s every move with my eyes, and she became the center of my thoughts.

That was when I experienced my first love—falling for Rio.

Several years passed, and it was the spring of my second year in junior high when I mustered up the courage to confess to Rio. We arranged to meet at the park where we used to play together as kids.

Under the falling cherry blossom petals, Rio furrowed her brows slightly and replied,

[…I’m sorry. Sou, I like you as a childhood friend, but I can’t see you as anything more than that.]

And just like that, my first love came to an abrupt end.

After that, an awkwardness settled between us, and we drifted apart, no longer interacting as we once did.

And this awkwardness persists even now, as fate would have it, we ended up attending the same high school.

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The next day.

As the autumn, which was still referred to as summer-like, had completely hidden its presence, and the sighs turned white as they touched the cold air.

When I arrived at my high school, pedaling my bicycle vigorously in the chilly morning air, I noticed that my usual companion and best friend, Haruaki, was nowhere to be seen at the usual time.

Well, of course, there were days when we couldn’t meet due to things like catching a cold, or occasionally (mostly Haruaki’s fault) oversleeping, but usually, he would always let me know in advance. However, on this particular day, there was no such communication.

“Well, it’s not like we had any plans anyway…”

Moreover, we hadn’t established any rule that required us to contact each other if something came up. Occasionally, there are days when one of us is absent or running late without notice.

As I thought about this, I walked alone through the path to our classroom, where I usually went with Haruaki, but this time, I entered the school building alone.

The high school I attend is a public one, so while the rules are somewhat strict, it’s not overly restrictive, and everyone enjoys their student life freely.

As for me, with my naturally gloomy personality, I always occupy a rather inconspicuous position in the classroom. My friends are similar, and we generally don’t do anything to stand out (not that I want to).

In contrast to me, who belongs to the introverted group, Haruaki is a handsome and athletic extrovert, so he’s quite popular in class.

His popularity extends beyond our class, and there are many rumors even among seniors that many people are after him.

In other words, while I’m the complete opposite of him, residing in the shadowy world, Haruaki somehow treats even me amiably. Well, it may be because we’ve been friends since elementary school, but for some reason, Haruaki and I have always gotten along surprisingly well.

Even though our hobbies don’t necessarily align.

Perhaps it’s largely thanks to Haruaki’s equal treatment of everyone, but more than that, I think one of the reasons we’re close is that, even though I’m not good at communicating with people in general, for some reason, I feel comfortable talking to Haruaki.

Before I knew it, we had become close enough to call each other best friends.

Haruaki came to the classroom around the time just before lunch, when the fourth period was about to end.

“Ou, Fujimura. Isn’t it quite late to go to school? Don’t tell me you were out late with girls until the wee hours? That’s no good, you know, getting a girlfriend before a bachelor like me.”

The teacher joked, and it seemed like the whole class joined in, saying things like, “That’s right, Haruaki! Don’t get married before the teacher!” “Even the teacher is desperate, going to matchmaking parties and all!”

Amidst such lively banter, Haruaki bowed his head with a downcast expression and said, “…Sorry. I just overslept.”

“O-ou, I see… Well, for now, take your seat.”

“….U-usu.”

Passing by the somewhat dumbfounded teacher, Haruaki made his way to his seat in silence.

Even my classmates, perhaps feeling intimidated by the unusual behavior of Haruaki, did not dare to speak to him.

Though, there were many whispering conversations happening among those sitting nearby.

As for me, without speaking to anyone—since I don’t have many friends to begin with—I kept my eyes on Haruaki the whole time.

Seeing Haruaki in such a gloomy state was a first for me.

I didn’t know what had happened, but I thought I might casually ask him later via messaging app.

Just as the chime signaling the end of the fourth period rang out, the teacher announced, “Alright, that’s it for today. We’ll have a quiz next week, so make sure to review!”

As the teacher left the classroom, my classmates began to disperse in groups of three or five.

Some pushed their desks together, while others hurried to the cafeteria to buy bread.

Watching everyone scatter, I stood up to head to where my friend, with whom I usually ate lunch, was sitting, but before I could move, Haruaki called out to me.

“Sou. Can I talk to you for a moment?”

“Eh? Well, I don’t mind… What is it?”

“Well… Can we talk somewhere else? I’d prefer somewhere we can be alone.”

“Right now?”

“Yeah.”

“Is it going to take long?”

“I don’t think it’ll take that long.”

Nodding in understanding, I put away my lunchbox back into my bag.

“Sorry about this…”

“No, it’s okay. It seems serious, even though I don’t really understand what’s going on.”

“Well, yeah…”

Despite feeling a bit strange about his oddly hesitant response, I left the classroom with Haruaki.