Actually, the Hungry Gyaru Who Eats a Lot Was Being Cheated On, so I Decided to Win Her Heart (And Stomach) From Her Jerk Boyfriend - 34

Chapter 34: Because You’re My First Friend

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“Umm… I’m sorry for ignoring your messages on LINE…”

After she showed me into the living room, Shizuku apologized to me by using a formal speech, something she had never done before. She was sitting across from me at the dining table, making herself appear as small as possible. She looked completely distraught. 

“It’s fine, don’t worry about it. But could you at least tell me the reason why?”

I made sure to ask in my usual nonchalant manner. If I made a huge fuss here, she would only feel more guilty. After a moment of silence, Shizuku began to speak, albeit hesitantly. Her tightly pressed lips were opening up a little. 

“It’s because I’ve been causing trouble to you, Suou-kun. I really feel bad about it. After all… You’re the person I don’t want to inconvenience the most… Now that things have become this messy, I started to feel scared to reach out to you. I know I’m being very selfish here, so… I’m really sorry.”

Ah, I see. So that’s why… Well, I already had a feeling it must be because of something like that. 

Shizuku had this odd tendency, like a mix of strong sense of responsibility and self-destruction. She tended to assume everything was her fault. It was one of Shizuku’s bad points, but at the same time, that was also what made her admirable. 

Upon reflecting on her behavior, I did my best to maintain a calm demeanor as I replied.

“You really don’t need to beat yourself over that, Shizuku.”

“But…”

“More importantly, how’s your condition? You look… Better than I expected.”

Yeah, she looked better than I expected, but that didn’t mean she looked good. She probably didn’t even have the energy to change out of her uniform even though she had already returned home earlier this morning. Shizuku was still in her school uniform. 

“Well, I did lie down a bit.”

She said while averting her gaze away from me before she changed the topic. 

“So… Suou-kun, why did you come to my place…?”

“I was just thinking of checking up on you and… to apologize. There are two things I need to apologize to you for, that’s why I’m here.”

After I said that, I bowed my head to Shizuku. 

“I’m sorry. I told Miura and the others about Yamachi’s affair with Katagiri.”

As soon as I said that, Shizuku’s eyes widened in shock. Her blue irises quivered faintly.

“…Huh? What? Are you… Kidding? You’re kidding, right?”

“I’m not. I even showed them the evidence and I also told them the real reason why you broke up with Yamachi. I’m sorry, but I wanted to clear the doubts cast on you. I want you to have as many allies as possible, but still… I ended up acting without consulting you first and for that, I apologize. I’m really sorry.”

Hearing that, Shizuku cast her gaze down. It seemed she finally understood my intention. 

“…I see. So that’s why you came all the way here to my house, huh, Suou-kun?”

“Yeah.”

I gave her a simple answer because that was the truth. 

“And then? What’s the other thing you want to apologize for?”

“That is—”

I took a deep breath and locked eyes with Shizuku as I said my next words firmly. 

“Tomorrow, I’m going to expose Yamachi’s evil deeds to everyone at school.”

Shizuku kept her head down. She opened her mouth as if to say something but immediately closed it again. Clear sorrow was etched on her face. It was the kind of expression someone made after seeing the tower of blocks they had painstakingly built collapsing to pieces. 

“I’m well aware that this isn’t the outcome that you want, Shizuku. Even so, I can’t just stand by and watch from the sidelines anymore. I don’t want you to be the one hurting all the time.”

Even though I was doing this out of nothing but a flimsy self-righteous feeling, but I had already decided to see through this mess to the end. I just had to do everything within my capabilities to put an end to this mess. 

“That’s why… I will apologize first. I’m sorry, Shizuku.”

Then, silence ensued between us. This spacious living room, which was lacking in a homey feeling a home supposed to have, only amplified the awkward silence even more. The silence probably didn’t last for more than a few minutes, but those few minutes felt like forever. 

Eventually, Shizuku slowly raised her head. She had a faint smile on her face, a resigned smile that seemed to be showcasing her helplessness at the whole situation. 

“…You know, Suou-kun, I already had a feeling that you’d do something like that.”

The voice that she spoke with much effort carried a note of sadness in it. 

“You always watch over me from behind, but in the end… You always step in when it really matters, just like what you did back then…”

“Shizuku…”

She took a breath, as if she was preparing herself from diving into deep water. A slow and deep breath.

“…I really don’t have any feelings toward Takashi anymore, but still… If it weren’t for him, I wouldn’t be who I am today. That fact doesn’t change—he’s still someone who helped me. That’s why I thought everything would be just fine if I endured it all, no matter how painful it was… But Suou-kun, why? Why do you have to step in?”

She stared at me, seemingly on the verge of tears. Her voice conveyed her plea and her brittle heart that had been hurt over and over again. 

Why, huh…? 

My answer remained the same. If someone within my reach was hurting, there was no way I would ignore them. That was all. But… Since Suzuki had asked me a similar question at school earlier, I started pondering about that. 

Was it really just that? I had questioned myself countless times since then and finally, I found my answer. A simple and clear answer. 

Exhaling the breath I had been holding, I let the tension in my chest go as I conveyed my thoughts to Shizuku into words. 

“I don’t know what you were like in middle school, or what Yamachi did to help you back then. To be honest, since I don’t really care about it. It’s all in the past and it happened so long ago. I really couldn’t force myself to care.”

I knew I might sound cold, but I made sure to say my thoughts firmly as I continued on. 

“What I care about is… The current Shizuku. The Shizuku that I’m looking at right now.”

“My current… Self?”

Shizuku asked while tilting her head to the side. 

“Yeah. Just like you treasure the past where Yamachi saved you, I also treasure the current Shizuku that can smile so brightly. That’s what’s important to me because… Shizuku, you’re the first real friend I ever made.”

It was a very selfish reason. But… My feelings, my circumstances, all those things were the things that drove me to this point. 

“If your friend is struggling, isn’t it normal for you to reach out to help your friend?”

I asked and at that question, Shizuku slightly parted her lips. Her eyes widened in surprise. For a moment, she only stared at me, seemingly in a daze. 

“…Hey, Suou-kun.”

She leaned forward timidly, peering into my faze. 

“Is it… Is it really okay for me to move forward from the past?”

“Of course. You’ve endured more than enough, Shizuku.”

I nodded firmly and almost immediately, tears started spilling down from her blue eyes. 

“…Thank you.”

But from between the tears, there came a blooming radiant smile. 

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