After My First Love Who is My Classmate Became My Family, My Childhood Friend Became Really Sweet to Me - Chapter 20

One Day at The Student Council/Kohai-chan’s Help/First Love Will Never End

“Yuto paisen, did you have a sister and brother fight with president Hinata recently?”

Yarihara suddenly asked me.

With only a few days left before the Holy Night Festival, our high school is in a full preparation mode for the festival.

“Don’t ask me such a serious question out of the blue. Yarihara is the only one who worries about my relationship with Hinata at such a busy time.”

“That’s because president Hinata has obviously kept her distance from paisen recently. Did paisen told president Hinata that today’s lunch wasn’t good enough?”

“Why are you assuming I’m the bad guy… besides, if I were to say something that rude, I’m sure I would get down on my knees and apologize to her in a split second.”

“…hmm.”

However, Yarihara’s face doesn’t look convinced at all.

With the paperwork in my hand, I look for Hinata in the student council office. There are so many things I need to discuss with the student council president at the Holy Night Festival is approaching.

“Hinata, can I talk to you for a second?”

“——!!”

I can see Hinata is startled when I call out to her.

Hinata smiles to me awkwardly.

“…yeah, what can I do for you?”

“The art club has finished the special architecture for the Holy Night Festival, but it costed more than we thought. I want to talk to you about it because we need to cut the budget somewhere.”

“I’m sorry, I’m a little busy right now. I’ll check the paperwork as soon as possible and send you a message later, is that okay?”

“…that’s right, the president is really busy at these times. I understand, I’ll be waiting for your message.”

I put down the paperwork and returned to my seat. Yarihara is looking at me as if trying to say ‘see, told you so.’

What Yarihara said isn’t completely wrong.

Since that night when Hinata told me it’s okay for me to go out with Tsukino, we haven’t been able to return to our normal relationship.

The biggest change came after I got home from Tsukino’s apartment.

Obviously Hinata is refusing to talk to me.

For example, when we were eating together. Hinata didn’t speak to me on her own, she only eats in silence until I speak to her. Normally she would talk to me a lot.

It’s as if we’re strangers living together in the same roof.

The reason for that is probably because she feels guilty becoming my family.

Because she is living together with me as a family, Tsukino’s feelings is unrequited. Although I blame myself for that.

“Yarihara-san. There’s something I’d like you to help me with.”

As I’m working on the accounting documents, I heard Hinata calling out to Yarihara.

“I need you to come with me to see how many tents we’re going to use for the Holy Night Festival.”

“Is it for our stands? Ah, but I have to go help my class now. We’re going to have a cat café this year, and they need me as their advisor.”

“Is that so? Then I can ask someone else—”

“How about Yuto paisen?”

I reflexively looked up from my paperwork.

Yarihara who is smiling like a little devil is looking at me. Hinata seems to widened her eyes in surprise.

“It looks like you’re free right now, right paisen?”

“Eh… me?”

“Of course you’ll go, right? It’s a request from your cute junior.”

“A-Ahh, I don’t really have a reason to say no.”

When I nodded my head to Yarihara, she smiles innocently at me.

“That’s why I love paisen so much. Then, help me out, okay?”

“Ya-Yarihara-san…!?”

Yarihara walks out the student council room without looking back when Hinata calls out to her.

“Umm, do you want to go with me?”

“…umm, yeah.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We didn’t talk at all until we arrive at the warehouse where all the tents are stored.

Even after we arrive at the warehouse, we only talk about necessary things related to work. We may look like a good example of student council members who concentrate on their work without having private conversations, but in reality, it just feels really awkward.

I can’t do this any longer, we need to break this awkwardness talk first.

“Yarihara said she is worried about us. She said it is really obvious that our relationship is growing apart.”

“…I really messed up. I can’t believe I made not only Tsukino-chan, but the whole student council worried.”

“That’s not true, it’s just Yarihara is too sharp about these things. The rest of the student council didn’t realize it at all.”

“…I don’t know what kind of person should I be in front of Yuto.”

As if to escape this conversation, Hinata turns her back on me.

“When I’m with Yuto, I’m always reminded of Tsukino-chan. I wonder if it’s really okay for me to live with Yuto who already has Tsukino-chan. Every time I think about it, I feel pain deep within my chest.”

“…Hinata.”

“I thought I wanted to live with Yuto and be someone special to you. But was I wrong to do it?”

Hinata turns around while holding her chest.

Hinata is smiling at me, but I can feel she is crying in her heart. That face doesn’t suit Hinata at all.

“Perhaps I shouldn’t have become Yuto’s sister.”

“—that’s not true!”

My voice echoes throughout the walls of the warehouse.

“I’m so happy that Hinata became my family! Hinata always helps me, I feel calm when I’m next to Hinata, and from the bottom of my heart, I want to continue to be with Hinata! …so don’t tell me, don’t tell me that you shouldn’t have become my family.”

“…Yuto, you.”

Tears are dropping down Hinata’s cheeks.

Without wiping her tears first, Hinata smiles embarrassedly.

“I’m such a useless person. Even at a time like this, Yuto’s words make me so happy that I’m trembling, but I shouldn’t take advantage of Yuto’s kindness. The more I want to be a family with Yuto, the more unhappy Tsukino-chan I will make.”

Hinata puts on a serious face.

“Bye-bye Yuto. Let’s keep our distance now. Just like in the old days, when we were classmates.”

“Hinata…!”

As she walks pass me to leave the warehouse… I noticed it. I noticed that the tent equipment which are on the edge of the shelf by the door, is about to fall.

But Hinata doesn’t seem to notice it. As the tent equipment about to fall on her head—I reflexively pulled her hand away.

“——!”

The falling tent equipment made both of us to lose our balance and fall on the floor. We are tangled with this tent equipment. It had happened so fast that I didn’t understand what had happened.

“—Yuto…?”

The voice coming from directly above me brought me back to my senses. –both me and Hinata are stunned.

Hinata’s face which is slightly blushing, is so close to me that I could’ve breathed on it.

With Hinata on top of me, neither of us can move a single fingertip. It’s like a scene from a romance movie, where a lover is pushed down onto the bed and kissed.

At this moment, my head is full of Hinata.

The fact that I haven’t had a proper conversation with Hinata for the past few days, the heat of the argument that we had just had, the anguish of not being able to stay in this relationship with these two girls. All of that are painted over by Hinata who is in front of me.

It would be nice if the world would just stop like this. Hinata and I are just staring at each other without a word—

—see, there it is again, I’m looking at Hinata as someone more than my family.

I’m horrified by the voice that echoed in the back of my head.

What in the world am I doing?

Hinata is the first person I fell in love with. I still can’t, and probably never will forget my first love. Right now, I’m completely aware of Hinata as a girl.

Even though Tsukino is holding back her own feelings so that me and Hinata can be a family.

I think Hinata and Tsukino are suffering because—I can’t put my first love to an end.

“Are you okay? Can you move, Hinata?”

“Ah… y-yeah.”

Hinata gets up and Hinata’s warmth on my belly is gone.

“Umm, thank you. For protecting me.”

“No, it’s fine. I’m glad Hinata didn’t get hurt.”

That’s only natural for me to do.

“Are you okay? Are you hurt?”

“No, I’m fine.”

“Thank goodness.”

Hinata looks relieved as she puts her hand on the door again.

“But let’s keep our distance from each other from now on, shall we? We used to be classmates anyway, and we’ve lived apart all our lives until recently.”

That was the moment when a clear boundary line was drawn between me and Hinata.

I want to stay by Hinata’s side, but I can’t find a way to say it to her.

I’m too aware of Hinata as a girl that it is impossible to call her my family, but she is too precious for me to call her my classmate.

If Hinata is not a classmate or a family to me—then what in the world is she to me?

I don’t even know the answer to that anymore.