"I’ve also been lonely because I couldn't see you for five days... Since I'm getting the chance to stay over, I want to feel you close to me, Kazunari-san... Is that not allowed?"
That was the ultimate blow to my defenses, delivered by Sara-san with a sweet, pleading look on her face.
When she put it like that, I couldn't possibly refuse.
After all, a part of me wanted to be pampered too...
In short, what was Sara-san actually suggesting? Was it an invitation to sleep together? A request? That’s what it boiled down to.
It started with her suggestion, made with the lighthearted vibe of a sleepover: "If we're going to talk, let’s do it while we’re lying down."
It should be fine, right? We were just going to have a serious conversation...
Sara-san was being completely sincere, so as long as I maintained my self-control, there shouldn't be any issues.
"I-I understand. But are we really going to lie down while I tell my story?"
"Yes. If it’s going to be a long talk, we’ll both be more comfortable lying down, won’t we?"
When she said it with such an air of innocence, I found myself thinking that actually made sense.
Since the bed was too small for two, I pulled out the spare futon and laid it on the carpet.
...Even though I’d supposedly accepted this, looking at the futon on the floor made me wonder... Is this really okay?
Was it just my imagination, or did something feel inherently wrong about this?
Sara-san lay down first, then patted the spot beside her.
"Come now, Kazunari-san, you lie down too."
Sara-san looked incredibly happy.
If I chickened out now, she would surely be disappointed... I didn’t want that, which meant I had no choice.
I decided to just take the plunge and let myself be spoiled.
"P-Pardon me."
For some reason, those formal words escaped my lips. As I timidly lay down, Sara-san pulled me into a hug as if she’d been waiting for that exact moment.
Perhaps because she’d just finished her bath, a wonderful fragrance wafted from her.
It wasn’t the scent of the body soap or shampoo I used. She must have brought her usual products with her in her luggage.
And because she was wearing thin pajamas unlike her usual attire, the moment she embraced me, I felt Sara-san's soft curves...
Since Sara-san didn’t know the depth of the resolution I’d made, she was probably just trying to make it even a little easier for me to open up.
At least, that’s what I chose to believe.
Before my resolve could waver, I decided to lay it all out at once.
"Sara-san, please listen to my story. It starts around the time I began my third year of middle school."
Finally, I began to recount the past I had avoided for so long.
Upon hearing my words, Sara-san slightly loosened her grip on me.
"Yes, I'm listening."
As I spoke, the memories of those days began to return vividly to my mind...
"Kazu-chan..."
When we were little, Yuzuha was shy and a crybaby, and she never left my side.
In my young heart, I truly believed it was my job to protect her.
"Kazu-chan, I love you!"
That didn't change even after we started elementary school.
Yuzuha refused to leave me, and because of that, she couldn't make any friends.
She would look enviously at the other girls playing together, but she couldn't bring herself to join them. Back then, I hadn't realized that her being bullied behind my back was one of the reasons.
Beep beep beep... Beep beep beep...
Click.
I had a nostalgic dream.
The Yuzuha from those days was long gone.
The her of today was...
"Morning, Kazunari."
"Morning, Yuji."
It had been about a month since my third year of middle school started.
I had finally started to blend in with my current classmates, but it was still a shame that my best friend, Yuji, wasn't in the same class.
I had some people I’d been in class with before and some friends, but...
Yuji was in a league of his own.
After parting ways with Yuji, I ran into Yuzuha on the way to the classroom.
Her makeup was as flashy as ever.
With her brown hair and her school uniform worn loosely on purpose, she looked like a typical gyaru—and frankly, it didn't suit her at all.
She would be a hundred times cuter if she just looked normal...
Perhaps sensing something in my gaze, her expression twisted further, her eyes turning into the look one gives a piece of trash.
"What? You got a problem with me?"
She had been so cute in elementary school. How did she end up like this...
"Less a problem and more that your hair and makeup are school violations. Just stop it already."
"Everyone else is doing it, so why should I be the only one to stop? More importantly, don't talk to me with that face. Your dullness might be contagious~"
I still couldn't believe this was the same quiet, sweet Yuzuha.
I knew she’d been influenced by the people around her, but those "friends" were only half-mocking her.
But Yuzuha was so happy just to be included that she accepted it all.
She’d probably wanted female friends for a long time, so I could understand her feelings to an extent...
"You're gross, so could you just get lost already?"
"Fine, I get it."
Even while trading barbs, I still believed that someday Yuzuha would find her true self again.
Despite everything, she was my childhood friend.
And... I was still dragging around the fact that I’d once been in love with her...
"Yamasaki-kun, morning!"
"Morning, Yamasaki-kun~"
"Hey, hey, Yamasaki-kun!"
Yamasaki, Yamasaki... they were so noisy.
Every morning had been like this since I joined this class.
Kazuma Yamasaki.
I didn't know him personally, but according to the girls, he’d apparently done some modeling. He certainly had the looks to back it up.
His father was the president of some company, and maybe because of that, he had a ridiculous amount of brand-name personal items.
If you asked me, he was an insufferable, flashy guy—bordering on a total playboy.
Incidentally, I often heard nasty rumors about his relationships with girls, but no one spoke them aloud because the girls would just mock them as "bitter jealousy from an unpopular guy."
"Yamasaki-kun, about next time—"
The one currently making a move was Yuzuha.
She seemed serious about Yamasaki and was always blatantly hanging around him.
I hadn't heard that she’d confessed, but she was definitely engaged in a cold war with the other girls.
There was a massive gap between Yamasaki's looks and mine, and I suspected Yuzuha had hated me for quite a while now.
So, deep down, I felt like I should just give up on her.
But I’d spent so much time watching over her, even at the cost of my own social life.
If the result of all that was being hated by Yuzuha for no reason only to have her taken by a guy like that...
It felt like there was no justice—like my efforts had gone completely unrewarded.
But even so, it wasn't as if I could do anything about it...