After Distancing Myself From the Childhood Friend Couple Who Looked Down on Me, I Started Interacting With a Small Animal-Like Beautiful Girl - Chapter 23

[Daiki’s Side]

“~~~♪”

Her singing resonated in the private room while she was sitting next to me in time with the music.

I was shaking the tambourine just enough not to disturb her while she was singing, adding to the lively atmosphere.

I came to the karaoke box in front of the station with her–––Takagi Yuika.

The trigger was Takagi’s request to talk. Once I listened to her, she asked me again, and before I knew it, “listening to her troubles” became an excuse for us to meet, and we started going out like this after school.

We originally had some interaction, but now I can say she was the closest among my female friends.

“How was it, I wonder?”

“You’re really good! Takagi’s voice is cute, so it suited this song.”

“R-really? When Ootomo-kun says it, I feel more confident.”

Takagi sat next to me with a shy smile.

Her black hair, which reaches her shoulders, is styled in a half-updo, and although her makeup is light, it sufficiently brings out her delicate beauty. The so-called “pure and innocent” Takagi is the complete opposite of Serika, who always has a strong glamorous impression with her perfectly done makeup and natural brightness.

Maybe it’s because Serika was always by my side, but ever since I started spending time with Takagi like this, I have been feeling a refreshing sense of novelty.

“Hey, it’s Ootomo-kun’s turn next.”

I was handed the microphone by Takagi.

The title of the song I just entered is displayed on the large screen, and I stand up holding the microphone.

Shall I give it a shot?

“~~~…♪”

I boldly sang along to the song that started playing, Takagi was looking at me with a smile on her face. Singing while being watched by a cute girl feels really nice.

After finishing the song, Takagi clapped her hands excitedly.

“Ootomo-kun, you’re really good at singing?! You were so cool!”

“Really? I think I made a little mistake along the way.”

“Eh, no way! I didn’t mind it at all. Ootomo-kun, you can do anything!!”

Hearing her say that for the umpteenth time, I feel my self-esteem being fulfilled as I lift the corners of my mouth.

It seems like a sparkling smile that everyone admires and longs for.

“That’s not true. But when a cute girl like Takagi says that, it really boosts my confidence.”

A refreshing handsome guy smiled at her as Takagi’s cheeks turned a light pink.

She glares at me, but I’m not scared at all.

“Ootomo-kun, it’s unfair how you can say things like that so casually.”

“I just told the truth, you know. Maybe you’re not used to being told that?”

“N-no. My boyfriend sometimes says it too, but it’s rare. Unlike Ootomo-kun as you tell me every time we meet, I have never experienced anything like that.”

“Really? If it were me, I’d say it every day.”

“Every day?! If you say it like that, my heart won’t be able to take it…!!”

Takagi holds her cheeks with both hands and looks embarrassed.

That demeanor was also innocent and adorable. Her way of blushing was different from Serika as expected, making me want to see more of her various reactions.

…It’s about time, right?

“Takagi, are you happy with Yokokawa? You keep coming to me for advice like this, but that just means you’re dissatisfied with your current situation, right?”

When I said that and pretended to be casually curious, Takagi’s long eyelashes cast a shadow.

Takagi’s boyfriend is my classmate, Yokokawa Shirou, and her worries are related to him. Although Takagi’s relationship with Yokokawa was good as they started dating right after graduating from middle school, her concern was that he was slow to move forward.

It was surprising that that seemingly flirtatious guy was actually shy, but I listened to Takagi’s story and even gave her some advice. Then Takagi said, “Can I ask you again?” She kept asking repeatedly, and I gradually understood that her requests were changing to reasons just to see me.

I became convinced when Takagi’s gaze towards me started to heat up and she began to spill complaints, which were essentially insults, about her boyfriend. That her heart is leaning towards me.

Today, Yokokawa is so pathetic that it’s laughable as she complained to me.

Takagi is intertwining her fingers and moving her closed lips in a squishy manner.

There haven’t been any noticeable troubles in their romantic relationship, so I can’t possibly say that she only has negative feelings towards Yokokawa now. She probably has some awareness of being the worst girlfriend.

So I will push her from behind and make Takagi become an even worse woman to the point where she won’t feel any guilt.

To make her comfortable. And for my own sake.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to trouble you… It’s just that Takagi is similar to me.”

“We’re similar?”

“Yeah. I’m also kind of awkward with her, right? There are various complaints I haven’t been able to tell her, and honestly, there are times when I think it’s just impossible anymore. But I can’t bring myself to do it.”

“…”

“Maybe Takagi is like that too.”

I glanced over and Takagi’s eyes glinted for a moment.

It seems she fell for the excuse I made for her.

Add more bait to that.

“You know, ever since I started meeting with Takagi like this, I have been having fun. I used to think we were similar on my own… but it’s been a really long time since I have felt this relaxed being with someone.”

“Ootomo-kun…”

“Having such a cute girlfriend, Yokokawa is a lucky guy. Even so, it’s not really okay to be so troubled that you feel the need to consult someone, right?”

While scratching her cheek with her index finger and giving a mischievous smile, Takagi opened her mouth as if she could no longer hold back.

“–––M-me too! I also feel happy when I’m with Ootomo-kun, and I want to be together with you all the time. Even when I’m with Shirou, I can’t feel that way, and it always feels like there’s a hole in my heart. Ootomo-kun changed that for me…!”

“Takagi…”

“I thought it was wrong to feel this way without being able to make the decision to break up with Shirou, but Ootomo-kun felt the same way.”

Takagi closes the distance between us with a relieved smile.

We’re just a few millimeters away from our fingertips touching.

“Ootomo-kun is the kind of cool person who listens to me and can casually give me compliments. Yet, Sasai-san is not just a lucky person. She makes her boyfriend bottle up all sorts of things… Even though she’s your girlfriend.”

Takagi gripped her hand tightly as she looked up at me with a determined expression on her face.

“…Ootomo-kun. I want to take on everything you’ve been holding back. Can you let me fill the void she couldn’t fill?”

“That is…”

“I’ve been holding it in for so long… but I can’t anymore. I ended up falling in love with Ootomo-kun. Hey, isn’t it okay with me?”

I gaze at Takagi as she is desperately speaking with tears in her eyes.

–––She fell for it.

“Actually… I also think that Takagi is good in that way.”

I can’t help but tremble with laughter.

On the contrary, it seems that it increased the realism of pretending to reveal the feelings she had been hiding.

Takagi opened her eyes wide and then smiled as if a flower had bloomed.

“I-I’m so happy…”

I lock eyes with Takagi as she whispers in a trembling voice. It’s like a scene from a shoujo manga.

Before we knew it, our hands had intertwined, and our faces were drawing closer to each other.

The moment our lips touched, the line between me and Takagi’s friend collapsed.

“Mm… ugh, Ootomo-kun…”

As the kiss gradually deepened, Takagi wrapped her arms around the back of my neck. Despite her seemingly innocent appearance, she’s surprisingly proactive.

That gap also became an exciting factor, and I pulled her body closer to me. Her chest pressed against me, though not as ample as Serika’s, and the soft sensation and warmth that came through the shirt, along with the faint sweet scent, made my brain go numb. It’s been a long time since Serika rejected me, a woman’s body.

The feature on the latest trending artists playing on the screen is nothing but background noise to me and Takagi right now.

I only noticed the message that had arrived on my phone placed on the table after everything was over.