11 – I Don’t Like Sharp Girls

“I’m home~,” 

I called out as I staggered in, exhausted and ready to collapse.

No reply. Well, that’s to be expected. Both of my parents work late, and my sister’s busy with her club activities, so there shouldn’t be anyone home.

“Welcome back~.”

…Wait, there shouldn’t be anyone here, right? So why did I just hear a reply?

I brushed it off as my imagination and headed to my room to drop off my bag on the floor—

“Wait, seriously? No reaction?!”

“Uh, hello, police? I just got home, and there’s a weird person in my house…”

“Don’t just casually try to call the cops on me! It’s me, okay? It’s me!”

I turned towards the living room, and sure enough, there was a woman lounging lazily on the couch, watching TV. 

Actually, she looked more like a dad relaxing on a weekend than anything else.

“Hello, Risa-senpai. Waiting for Onee-chan again today?”

“Of course! I’ll be hanging out here until your sister finishes her club activities.”

The woman lounging on the couch was my sister’s friend, Risa-senpai. She’s basically Onee-chan’s best friend and is over at our house almost every day.

Are they, like… actually dating or something?

Well, I’ve heard there’s some story behind it, but honestly, on days like today when I’m totally exhausted, it can be a bit annoying—

“Oh yeah, I bought some pudding for you too. It’s from that really good shop near the station. Want some?”

“I’ll take it.”

“Wow, that was fast.”

Annoying? Not at all. I mean, every time she comes over, she brings sweets and shares them with me, so I’ve grown pretty fond of her.

And she’s got great taste too. Way better than my sister’s, that’s for sure.

“The pudding’s in the fridge, so help yourself~”

I put my bag in my room, changed clothes, washed my hands, and immediately took out the pudding. The moment I took a bite, I couldn’t help but savor it.

“Man, this is amazing…”

The caramel sauce was rich and perfectly complemented the smooth pudding. As I devoured it, Risa-senpai suddenly asked,

“By the way, not to pry or anything, but why do you look so beat up?”

“Huh?”

She caught me off guard.

“‘Huh?’ isn’t an answer. You looked like a salaryman who pulled three all-nighters and got chewed out by his boss.”

“That’s like the unluckiest situation possible.”

That’s basically a death sentence.

“Okay, maybe that was an exaggeration… but did you get into a fight or something?”

“…No comment.”

“That’s pretty much a comment. And by saying that, you’re basically admitting it, you know?”

Her sharpness… is terrifying.

“So, I guess you’ve gone all rebellious, huh?”

“No, that’s not it! I was just defending myself. It was unavoidable.”

“Hmm… I see. I was kind of hoping you’d finally gotten bold enough to take on someone in a fight. I’d be proud of you.”

“Are you low-key mocking me for not having friends all this time?”

“Oh, so that means you’ve made a friend now?”

Crap.

If she finds out, things are going to get really complicated…

“Well… I’m not sure if they feel the same way, but yeah, we did go to a family restaurant together just a bit ago.”

I said that with a bit of pride, but—

“Hmm, so it was a girl.”

Risa-senpai’s unexpected comment hit me like a ton of bricks.

“Wha—?!”

How did she figure that out? I’d been careful not to mention anything specific about Sena.

“Wait, seriously? It really was a girl?”

No way… I totally fell into her trap!

“So, spring has finally come for you, huh? I’m so happy, I might cry a little.”

“It’s not like that at all, okay?!”

“But still, going on a family restaurant date just the two of you? She’s definitely into you!”

“Is that really how it works?”

“Of course it is! …So, did that girl give you that paper bag and thermos too?”

“Huh? Oh, yeah, these.”

I glanced at the paper bag on the table.

“Hold on, isn’t that from that trendy bakery everyone’s talking about? Come on, let’s see what’s inside!”

“Uh… alright.”

Risa-senpai got up from the sofa. I was also curious since I hadn’t checked what was in the bag either. I decided to open it.

Inside were some beautifully wrapped pastries and bread, each one looking more delicious than the last. There was even a note attached.

“Oh wow, these look amazing,” Risa-senpai said, her eyes sparkling. “And she gave you these? She’s totally into you!”

I couldn’t help but feel a bit embarrassed as I looked at the note. All it said was, “Thank you for everything today.”

I wasn’t sure how to feel about it, but something about it made my chest feel warm.

“Bread and… a letter?”

“Wow, that’s kind of old-fashioned,” Risa-senpai commented, suddenly standing right next to me.

Ignoring her, I opened the letter. Inside, it read: 

“I’m sorry for everything that happened today. I know I caused you trouble, but I’ll be relying on you on Monday. If you decide you don’t want me to, please let me know.”

“She seems like such a polite and considerate person,” Risa-senpai said.

“Yeah, she is… Hey, it’s not cool to read over my shoulder like that.”

“Sorry, sorry… But what happened today? She’s apologizing pretty seriously here.”

I don’t like nosy people who ask too many questions. I decided to ignore her.

“Wait… Could it be that the fight you mentioned earlier was with some guy who likes this girl?”

I continued ignoring her, though the urge to respond was growing.

“Hey, come on, say something! Don’t tell me it’s actually true! Did you really get into a fight over something straight out of a TV drama?!”

Frustrated, I grabbed the paper bag and stormed off to my room, slamming the door shut behind me. Time to drown out everything with some gaming.

By the way, she apologized profusely later for prying too much.