Hey, Best Friend. How About A Kiss Today Too? - Chapter 2: "See You Later, Okay?"

“See You Later, Okay?”

I kissed my childhood friend.

With the childhood friend I’ve been with since forever, the childhood friend I considered as family, the childhood friend who is the school’s most beautiful girl, Yakumo Sagiri… I kissed.

What does a kiss mean, exactly…? I think Sagiri mentioned something similar yesterday, but is it normal for best friends to kiss? I don’t know, my childhood friend, I don’t know. Does she like me…? But I only see her as a childhood friend, yet we kissed, and still, she calls me a best friend. Oh, ohhhhh…

“Hey Akahori… you have dark circles in your eyes!?”

“Oh, isn’t that my classmate Hasegawa…”

“No, you’re dizzy! Sit down, sit down first, you!!”

Guided by the sturdy classmate, Hasegawa Gou, I sat in my seat.

By the window at the far back, the summer sunlight streaming in seemed unusually strong today.

“If you’re not feeling well, shouldn’t you go home?”

“I’m fine, just couldn’t sleep.”

“Is that really okay? The usual serious you pulling an all-nighter… Is it because of Yakumo-chan?”

“W-Why would you think that!?”

“…Huh, really?”

Hasegawa moved closer from the front seat.

“Did something happen with Yakumo-chan, huh!?”

“N-No! Nothing happened! Absolutely nothing!”

“Liar! You always hang out with the school’s most beautiful girl like it’s nothing. There’s no way nothing happened!”

“It’s okay, nothing happened! Sagiri is just a childhood friend, and mine—”

“Hmm, Renji?”

“Wha—!?”

Suddenly, a familiar and sweet voice from the side. Sagiri, wrapped in the clear morning air, was laughing next to me.

“Hey, Yakumo-chan. Did something happen between you and Akahori yesterday?”

“Hagegawa!?”

You, out of nowhere, seriously!

“Good morning, Hasegawa-kun. No, everything’s as usual. Right, Renji?”

While I panicked, Sagiri, as always, smiled at me. Just that made my heart race.

“Uh, yeah…”

“Huh, really?”

“Yeah, really.”

“Then why do you have such dark circles?”

“…Just couldn’t sleep.”

“Seriously… Make sure to get some sleep, okay?”

Losing interest, Hasegawa returned to his seat. Despite his well-built physique, he sat right in the middle at the front. I wonder if he can see the blackboard from there.

“So, what were we talking about?”

Squatting down, Sagiri rested her arm on my desk and looked up at me. Contrary to my flustered state, she seemed as usual. Upturned eyes, I never thought I’d get excited by such a gesture from my childhood friend.

“…You know, I’m not getting enough sleep.”

“Uh, are you okay?”

“What, somehow…”

“If you  collapse, Renji, I’ll be the one to help.”

“I’ll try to avoid that.”

Normal. Sagiri was as usual. The childhood friend who didn’t change despite what happened yesterday.

Am I just too concerned?

But we did kiss…

Bell rings

“Oh, it’s time already.”

“Y-Yeah.”

The chime rang, and Sagiri stood up. Just that, her long white hair swayed near my face, and a pleasant fragrance tickled my nose.

“Well then, best friend.”

“…Huh?”

I unintentionally looked up, but it was already too late.

“See you later, okay?”

…See you later? What was that!?

Whispered in my ear as she left, Sagiri sat in the next seat.

“…Shh.”

Just like yesterday, she touched her lips with her index finger and smiled.

Again… She called me her best friend.