I Hope You’re Still Alive When Tomorrow Comes - 7

Chapter 7: The Reason

ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー

“Tsuchiya-kun, let’s have lunch together!”

Kiho appeared in front of me at the start of lunch break. A convenience store plastic bag could be seen dangling from her hand. 

“Ah… Umm… Okay.”

Unable to come up with a reason to refuse her, I gingerly nodded and stood up. And then, due to Kiho’s insistence, we walked to the courtyard to have our lunch there. 

Several other students were already in the courtyard. Each of them was sitting on the benches with their friends. Some were in the middle of unpacking their lunch boxes or opening their bread. 

“You see, ever since that day, I’ve been thinking…”

We were sitting side by side on an empty bench when Kiho spoke first. 

“About what?”

“A way to heal Tsuchiya-kun’s heart so Tsuchiya-kun won’t feel like wanting to die. In the end, I think the best way is for you to go out with me.”

“….Huh?”

Frowning, I stared at her incredulously. I was unable to comprehend the word she uttered with such a serious expression on her face. 

“When people are alone, their mind will naturally start to wander, causing them to think about useless stuff. I think it’s better if Tsuchiya-kun has someone by your side to distract your mind. Which is why, the best possible way to achieve that is by taking me as your girlfriend.”

“…No, wait. But-“

“I know!”

Kiho interrupted me mid-sentence. She sounded very firm, like she had come to term with her decision. 

“You don’t have to like me. Just like what I mentioned yesterday, you can treat me however you want. I will listen to everything you say. I’ll never be selfish. You can treat me like a convenient friend with benefits. You can call me whenever you want to do it. Just… Please, can you please keep me by your side, Tsuchiya-kun?”

Despite how scandalous her words were, Kiho was dead serious. 

For a moment, I seemed to be choking on my breath. 

Ahh, I knew it. 

I thought to myself. 

This girl… She really transferred school just to chase after me. 

“….Hey…”

I stopped my hand from opening my bento box and returned Kiho’s gaze. 

“Kiho, you transferred to our school at the start of the second semester, right?”

“Ah, yes. That’s right.”

“…Why?”

While looking straight into my face, Kiho said..

“Because I want to go to the same school as Tsuchiya-kun.”

She said without any hesitation. She wasn’t lying. I was sure of it. I knew that alone for sure. 

“I want to watch over Tsuchiya-kun. Always, no matter what, no matter when. Even at school.”

True to her words, Kiho’s eyes never left me while we were talking. It had been a month since the start of the second semester. Kiho had transferred here a month ago but she had never approached me before. 

She simply had been watching over me, at least until yesterday. 

“Why me?”

“Because Tsuchiya-kun spoke to me on that day.”

She gave me the same answer as yesterday’s. No matter how many times I heard it, I still couldn’t understand. Based on my memory, I didn’t say anything meaningful to Kiho. 

Are you okay? You look pale. Would you like to sit down?

That was all. That was the only thing I said to her. As for Kiho, I remembered she only stared blankly at me. She didn’t say a word back. 

So I didn’t understand why she would go to such lengths over those simple words? To the extent of transferring school even? I couldn’t understand her reasoning. Not at all. 

All I knew was…

“…Sorry.”

“Hm?”

Since she was being serious about this, I also had to give her a sincere answer. 

“About the stuff we were talking about just now.”

“Just now?”

“About you and me, dating.”

“Ah, right.”

Looking straight into Kiho’s eyes, I took a short breath. 

“I’m sorry but I can’t. I can’t date you, Kiho. I-“

After saying those words out loud, I became more aware of my feelings. My vision became clearer. 

“I can’t imagine going out with anyone but Nanami. At least, not yet. No matter what, I can’t do it now.”

Kiho listened intently to my words. 

A brief moment of silence ensued between us before Kiho spoke.

“So you’re still not giving up on her. On that girl.”

She said softly. 

“…That’s right.”

“I understand.”

Kiho was surprisingly calm about it. She didn’t look dejected. Instead, it looked like she had already anticipated my answer. 

“Well then, let’s go with that plan.”

“That plan?”

“Since Tsuchiya-kun is not going to give up on her, let’s start thinking of a way to cuckold Nanami-san. We need to become more proactive now.”

ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー

T/N: Tsuchiya, she’s your stalker. Of course she already knows what your answer is.