I Hope You’re Still Alive When Tomorrow Comes - 5

Chapter 5: A Kind Person

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I saw Nanami during the free time before the morning homeroom began. 

“Kan-chan, can I talk with you for a moment?”

Nanami, who had come to my classroom, said so and took me out of the room. 

At first, it seemed like she only wanted to talk in the hallway but she decided otherwise. The students passing by in the hallway seemed to bother her. 

“Let’s go over there.”

Nanami said. She walked and I followed her. She finally stopped when we reached a deserted alley, away from the hustle and bustle of school in the morning. 

“Umm… You see…”

While smiling shyly, Nanami turned to look at me. She fidgeted, seemingly nervous as she adjusted the hem of her uniform.

“I have…Something to tell Kan-chan… Something that I’ve always wanted to tell you…”

At that moment, I could already guess what was coming next.

“Umm…”

Nanami looked down, her cheeks were flushed in pink. She looked really embarrassed to say this until finally..

“Yesterday, I… I got a boyfriend!”

“…Ah, I see.”

True to my expectation, she said the words I had guessed. 

Now, there was no more room for me to run away from the truth. The 99% potential had become 100% true. 

Yesterday, she said? That means the moment I witnessed yesterday was the turning point? A new couple was born right at that moment? Or maybe the point before it? Before they held hands? Before they kissed?

I fell silent, pondering about foolish things. 

“He’s in the same class as me. His name is Hiwatari Suguru.”

Ignoring my lack of enthusiasm, Nanami continued on, still looking excited.

“Kan-chan, do you know him?”

“I don’t know. I can’t remember anyone with that name.”

Suguru Hiwatari.

I mulled over that name, as if I wanted to engrave that name in my mind. 

“…You guys have been close for a while?”

“Yes. Suguru-kun is also in the student council and we… Ended up spending a lot of time together. We became friends from then on.”

Ah, I knew it. He was in the student council too. Why did I encourage Nanami to join the student council that day? If I knew this would happen, I would’ve opposed it with all of my might. 

“…Nanami.”

“Hm?”

“Do you really like him? That guy?”

“Huh? Yeah.”

Nanami blinked, seemingly puzzled at my question.

“I mean… Of course. I wouldn’t confess to him if I didn’t like him.”

“…Huh?”

For a moment, my brain failed to comprehend what was being said. 

Confess?

“Nanami? You? Confessed?”

“Yes. I did.”

I stared at Nanami, taken aback. On the other hand, Nanami shyly played with her bangs. Her face still retained the innocence of her youth. She was blushing and fidgeting. 

“I did my best in confessing. I was really nervous though.”

Impossible…

I stared at my childhood friend in disbelief. 

Nanami? Confessed? That Nanami? The timid, quiet Nanami? The shy, introverted Nanami? The one who found it difficult to talk with other people? The one worrying if she would fit in before she entered high school? That Nanami confessed to a male classmate that she liked him? That Nanami asked him to become her boyfriend?

I couldn’t even imagine it. It was the polar opposite of the Nanami I knew. I couldn’t believe Nanami had the courage to pull that kind of thing. 

Even if they were dating, at first I thought the guy must’ve persuaded Nanami somehow, probably forcing her a little since Nanami was a pushover. It seemed like the obvious thing to me. That was the only possibility I could think of. The only thing that I used as a way to console my heart. 

Does she like him that much? That guy?

“Why?”

“Huh?”

“Why did you fall for him? To that guy?”

“Umm..”

Nanami cast her gaze downward, blushing slightly. She looked a bit embarrassed. 

“Because… Suguru-kun… Is really kind.”

“…Kind?”

“Yes. He always helps me with my studies and stuff.”

Just over that?

The words got stuck in my throat. If kindness was the reason then it should be me. I was the one that had been kind to her all along. Back in elementary school, in middle school too…. I was the one who taught Nanami when she was struggling to keep up with the class. In the morning, I told her the answers to the questions that she might get asked in class. I let her copy my homework when she couldn’t do it.

Before our high school entrance exam, I helped her study in between my own study sessions. When she successfully passed the entrance exam for this high school, even though she only received ‘C’, she looked really happy. 

“It’s all thanks to you, Kan-chan. Thank you!.”

She thanked me with a smile on her face when she passed the exam.

Were those not the definition of kindness for Nanami? Did none of those count for her?

I gazed at Nanami, who was still smiling shyly in front of me. While on the inside, I was stunned. My mind kept mulling things over. 

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T/N: Bro…. ( ´･･)ﾉ(._.`)