After Distancing Myself From the Childhood Friend Couple Who Looked Down on Me, I Started Interacting With a Small Animal-Like Beautiful Girl - Chapter 24

“…It’s not coming.”

I sighed as I leaned back against the chair’s backrest.

On the study desk in my room is my smartphone, and what is displayed on it is the chat screen with Daiki after unblocking him.

Yokokawa… After hearing Shirou’s story, I immediately sent Daiki a message saying “I want to talk,” but there was no reply, not even a read receipt. Even after sending another message when I got home and trying to call once, there was no response, and before I knew it, it was past 6 PM.

He’s definitely ignoring it on purpose, right?

I feel like he thinks I blocked him first, though.

According to Shirou, it seems that today, Daiki and Shirou’s girlfriend were going home together again.

I would think they would have gone home by now…

–––I didn’t want to doubt her. But maybe, just maybe, she has already crossed a line with Ootomo, and I couldn’t help but feel anxious about it, so…

The image of Shirou shedding tears comes back to me.

To prevent his anxiety from becoming a reality, I need to talk to Daiki soon. There might be a possibility.

When I went from my room to the living room, I called out to my mom who was standing in the kitchen.

“I’m going out for a bit.”

“Now? Dinner will be ready soon.”

“I’m sorry. I will be back soon.”

“Where are you going?”

“…Just around the corner.”

I hesitated to reveal my destination for some reason.

Heading towards the entrance as if fleeing, I go outside.

The sky is not yet dark, and a bit of blue is gradually spreading. It’s been getting hot lately, but this time of day has been quite mild.

I hurriedly headed towards Daiki’s house and pressed the intercom. I heard a woman’s voice saying, “Yes.”

“Ah, Yukito-kun? Long time no see~”

“Good evening. I’m sorry for bothering you at this hour.”

“Not at all. Just wait a moment~”

The owner of the voice is Daiki’s mother.

After a while, a woman with a gentle demeanor appeared from the opened door as her voice suggested.

“Yukito-kun, you’ve gotten quite handsome since I last saw you.”

“I don’t think that’s the case, but…”

“That’s where thank you is enough~”

“Y-yes. Thank you.”

I haven’t seen her in a while, but she hasn’t changed at all.

At first glance, she doesn’t seem like someone who would get angry easily. However, when we were in second grade and the three of us were playing together, it was incredible how Daiki made Serika cry by not letting her use the game console in her turn. I remember seeing Daiki, who should have been completely at fault, trembling and half-crying, despite his smile not matching the completely unfriendly atmosphere, and I felt a bit sorry for him.

Daiki’s tendency to maintain a smile while applying pressure might be something he inherited from his mother.

“Um, has Daiki come back?”

“Daiki? He’s still out if it’s him. He went to karaoke with his friends and said he’d be back by 8 PM.”

“I see…”

“It’s a bit later than usual when they hang out, you know. If I think about it, it’s a good thing that they’re having fun with the friends he made in high school.”

The friends that Daiki’s mom imagines are probably the group member Higashi and other close classmates.

But today, he went home not with them, but with Shirou’s girlfriend. The friends who are still at karaoke, without a doubt…

“It’s great that he’s been socializing more, but if he keeps coming home late every time, well… High school students these days might be like this, but…”

I greet Daiki’s mother as she is smiling cheerfully, and slowly make my way back along the path I came.

I can’t shake this feeling of unease.

No way, could Daiki and Shirou’s girlfriend already be…

I lightly shake my head as if desperately trying to shake off the worst predictions that come to mind.

Even after returning home and having dinner, the anxiety that spread within me did not disappear.

While I was lying on my bed in my room, it seemed that Maru had followed me without me noticing and jumped onto the bed, coming right in front of my face. As if to say “Did something happen?” It comes closer with a puffy face.

I think while gently stroking its round back with a soft smile. Going to Daiki’s house again at 8 PM would be a nuisance to his family, so that’s definitely not a good idea. I should just try calling again around the time Daiki gets home. There’s no guarantee that he will answer, but that’s all I have left.

–––And finally, as the clock struck 8 PM, I called Daiki.

Riiiiing, Riiiiing…

“Come on, Daiki…”

I wait for Daiki with a half-praying heart.

I wonder how many times the call rang. Even though only a minute had passed, it felt like hours.

Finally, I heard a familiar voice.

“…Damn it, Yukito. You keep calling me over and over again.”

The usual refreshing, handsome tone is nowhere to be found. Instead, it’s a low voice full of annoyance. I even felt a sense of nostalgia seeing him in his natural state in front of me after such a long time.

Thinking that the communication might continue after this, I decided to wrap things up quickly. Or maybe it’s just that it’s rare for me to reach out multiple times. Either way, I’m glad he answered.

“I’m sorry for the sudden message. I have something I want to ask you.”

“Something you want to ask? Ah, is it that you finally decided to rely on me because there’s something you don’t understand in your homework? The way you think is completely different–––”

“That’s not it. Even if there were, you’d just mock me anyway, so I won’t rely on you.”

“…I see.”

Is it just my imagination, or does his voice sound a bit sulky?

I need to move things along faster than that.

“So? What do you want to ask me about besides studying?”

“That is…”

I took a breath, and then I asked the question.

“Recently, you haven’t been with the group, have you? Especially with Serika… Did something happen?”

I weave words while striving to remain as natural as possible. Just that alone made me feel like half of my stamina had been drained.

During today’s lunch break, Daiki was in the classroom as he also saw me being called out by Shirou. If I suddenly ask about Shirou’s girlfriend, he won’t confess easily, thinking I’m acting on his behalf.

So, I indirectly ask about the situation that has been changing around here lately.

“Ha? Why do you care about that?”

“We may have parted ways, but we were former group members, and since I’m your and Serika’s childhood friend, it’s only natural. Besides, from anyone’s perspective, you and Serika were doing well together.”

“Hmm… Oh, did you start having regrets after leaving the group? Absolutely!”

“…No.”

“Yeah, yeah, I guess that’s true. Even if you get to interact with Saitou Ino, the time we’ve spent together is longer, so you would be lonely, right?”

He’s nodding on his own, and somehow he’s in a good mood.

It wasn’t good that I hesitated a bit when asked if I had any lingering feelings. For a moment, my mind went blank, wondering what on earth he was suddenly talking about.

Fortunately, Daiki seemed to interpret things in a way that suited him as he began to speak with a lively voice, dispelling the slight hint of suspicion.

“The other day, Serika and I kinda got into a bit of a fight, you know? So I suggested we take a break from each other for a bit, and naturally, the guys started hanging out with the guys and the girls with the girls.”

“Fight?”

When we were younger, they used to fight quite a bit, but now it’s rare for them to argue since they seem to be all lovey-dovey wherever they go.

On the other end of the smartphone, I can hear a voice that sounds like, “Yeah, I know, right?”

“Serika hasn’t let me do anything at all. Almost a month! Isn’t it crazy?”

“…Ha.”

“She said she would do anything for me, but when the time came, she refused… When I tried pushing her away as a form of punishment, she just kept staring at me intensely!”

I can almost see Daiki’s face as he talks with delight.

…Is that really all it takes?

I cover my mouth with one hand and desperately hold back the urge to speak.

“Also, I haven’t told the group about this yet.”

On the other side of the call screen, Daiki was probably grinning while speaking in a proud tone as if recounting his heroic tales.

“Yokokawa who came to talk to you earlier, he’s there, right? I just made his girlfriend mine.”

“…”

“Takagi Yuika, you know her, the one from the neighboring class. It seems like while I was listening to her troubles about her boyfriend, she realized that I was the better choice. I had a lot of pent-up feelings because of Serika, and since Yuika didn’t like Yokokawa’s shyness either, it worked out perfectly.”

After that, Daiki kept chattering away about his karaoke antics and Takagi’s reactions. The confidence in his voice conveys that he is the hero.

Most of the conversation didn’t reach my ears, and my hand covering my mouth trembled. If I let my guard down, I felt like I would start screaming.

I endured the rising disgust and nausea, waiting for Daiki’s bragging session to end.

“It’s about time I take a bath, so I’m hanging up. Are you satisfied with this?”

“…Aah.”

“Then fine. If you ever want to come back to the group, just let me know, okay? I will make a special effort to help you out.”

With a final “Well then,” the call with Daiki ended.

“…U-ugh…”

I feel sick. I feel nauseous.

When I collapsed onto the bed, the tears that had gathered at the corner of my eye flowed sideways, creating a stain on the sheets.

I didn’t want to believe it.

I didn’t want to know that Daiki had fallen so low.

Since when? Why?

How can he talk about such terrible things so cheerfully?

I close my eyes tightly and hug my own body.

I shivered from the chill that came from knowing the terrifying side of my childhood friend.

When I felt a damp sensation on the back of my hand covering my mouth and opened my eyes, amber-colored eyes were peering at me. The small meow seemed to be concerned for me, and my vision blurred again.

I quietly swallowed the cruel reality while being close to Maru.

Until I am able to report to Shirou.