I Risked My Life To Save The Cheeky Girl, And As A Result, I Lost My Right Arm. - Chapter 16.2: The Flames Of Love Under The Torrential Rain. —2

The Flames Of Love Under The Torrential Rain. —2

“…Hey, hey, everyone, listen up~. Recently, I’ve been interested in someone~.”

It was around 4 PM after school. I, Kurasaki Momoka, had come with two friends to a café about a 10-minute walk from school.

One of my friends was Natsuki-chan. The other was Saho-chan.

Natsuki-chan was a girl with black hair tied up at the back and a sporty, sun-kissed complexion.

In contrast, Saho-chan had bright brown hair styled in a cute, loose perm, giving off a gal vibe.

We sat together at a round table, with frappuccinos in front of me, cocoa in front of Natsuki-chan, and strawberry smoothies in front of Saho-chan.

Saho-chan, with her cheeks flushed, hesitated a bit before telling me and Natsuki-chan, “I’m only telling you two this, but…”

“Recently, I’ve been kind of into Asai-kun~. I’m not sure what to do about it~.”

“Eh? Asai, the guy from the track team?” Natsuki-chan asked, and Saho-chan nodded happily, “Yeah.”

“He’s kind of… quiet? I think that’s cool~.”

“You’re so easy to fall for, Saho. Just recently, you were chasing after Miyamoto-senpai from the soccer team.”

“Eh? But everyone’s cool~. I can’t just choose one~.”

“Sigh, you’re always thinking about love, huh?”

“Mmm, you’re being so mean! Then how about you, Natsuki? Do you have anyone you like?”

“Me?”

Natsuki-chan rested her chin in her hand and hummed thoughtfully for a moment.

“I don’t really have anyone like that.”

“Eh? Really~?”

“Honestly, right now I want to focus on tennis. Next month, I’m going to be a third-year, and this year, I really want to make it to the national tournament.”

“I see~. So you’re not really in the mood for love and stuff, huh?”

“Exactly. If I’m going to spend time, I’d rather spend it practicing than going on dates.”

“Wow, so serious~! Well, that’s so like you, Natsuki.”

I was sipping my frappuccino as I watched Natsuki-chan and Saho-chan get all excited about our classmates.

“Hey, hey, Momoka-chan. Is there anyone you’re interested in~?”

“W-Who, me?”

When Saho-chan asked me this, I stuttered without meaning to. I put my frappuccino down on the table and furrowed my brows, thinking.

“Someone I’m interested in… huh?”

“Yeah, like, someone you can’t help but keep an eye on~!”

“……Hmm, if I had to say…”

While watching the white steam rising from my frappuccino, I answered, “It’d be Nakamura-kun, I guess.”

“Nakamura-kun? The one who… got into that accident?”

“Yeah.”

“Wow! Momoka-chan, you like that kind of person, huh~! I had no idea!”

Saho-chan was surprised, but Natsuki-chan’s reaction was more subdued as she muttered, “I figured.”

“I thought so. Recently, I’ve been seeing you talk to Nakamura-kun a lot, so I figured that might be the case.”

“Yeah, I just… can’t leave him alone.”

“Well, with his arm like that… I feel sorry for him too.”

“Yeah, I really do. Nakamura-kun’s such a kind person, so it’s even harder to watch him struggle…”

“Then, Momoka-chan, if you like Nakamura-kun, why don’t you confess?”

“Eh? N-No, how should I put it… I don’t think it’s quite at the ‘like’ stage yet.”

“Eh? What do you mean?”

“Well… I think he’s a kind person, and I really want to help him, but I’m not sure if it’s love or not yet… But I definitely care about him, that’s for sure.”

“Ah, I see~.”

“But didn’t Nakamura have a girlfriend?”

“Eh? Really? Natsuki-chan?”

“You know, I’ve seen him with that first-year girl a lot, right? Isn’t she his girlfriend? I’ve seen her holding his bag sometimes.”

“Ah, no, she’s not his girlfriend. It’s not like that.”

“Really? Then why is she always with him? His little sister or something?”

“Well, apparently, that girl is the one Nakamura-kun saved from the accident.”

“……Ahhh, I see.”

“Yeah, yeah. It’s probably because… you know. He feels guilty about it. So, she’s helping him out, taking care of him…”

“I see. That makes sense. But that’s amazing. I don’t think I could do that. It’d be too awkward to meet, I wouldn’t have the courage to face him.”

“Yeah, at least, I don’t think we can ever go back to how things were before…”

“By the way, isn’t it kind of hard to know how to act around Nakamura? I wouldn’t want to say something wrong and step on a landmine, but ignoring him feels wrong too.”

“I think about that a lot too. But I want Nakamura-kun to feel a little brighter, even just a little. That’s why I’m trying my best. When I talk to him, I try to act cheerful, even if it’s just a little.”

“As expected of you, Momoka-chan~! So kind~!”

“A-Ahaha…”

I tried to hide the embarrassment from being praised by sipping my frappuccino again.

Szzzzzz…

By the time we left the café, the rain had become quite heavy.

“Well then, see you later, Momoka-chan!”

“See you, Momoka. I’ll see you at school tomorrow!”

Saho-chan and Natsuki-chan waved at me and said their goodbyes before walking away.

I took out the foldable umbrella I had brought and began walking in the rain.

Puddles on the ground were rippling as raindrops fell, creating countless circles on the water’s surface.

(…Love, huh)

The truth is, I’ve never really experienced a proper romantic relationship.

I’ve been confessed to many times, and many people have asked me to be their girlfriend. But I never really understood my own feelings, so I ended up rejecting them all.

So, I’m not really sure if what I feel for Nakamura-kun is love.

“……………”

But…

Whenever I see him with Hasegawa-chan, my chest stirs just a little.

Is that what they call jealousy? I thought, almost as if it were someone else’s business.

“…Huh?”

Suddenly, I noticed someone standing about 10 meters ahead of me.

They were waiting for the red light to cross the road on the right side.

Despite the torrential rain, they weren’t holding an umbrella, letting the rain pour down on them.

“…!”

It was Nakamura-kun.

He was facing sideways, so I didn’t recognize him at first, but when I saw his right arm wasn’t there, I immediately realized it was him.

“Nakamura-kun!”

I ran over to him and held my umbrella over his head.

“Don’t you have an umbrella? You’ll catch a cold if you stay out like this.”

“……………”

“Where are you going? I’ll walk with you until then. Let’s walk under my umbrella, okay?”

“……………”

“Ah, hehe, could it be that you’re embarrassed? Nakamura-kun, you’re kind of shy, aren’t you?”

“……………”

As usual, I brightly spoke to him. Nakamura-kun didn’t say anything but slowly turned his face toward me.

The expression on his face at that moment… I’ll probably never forget it.

He had such a sorrowful expression, it was overwhelming.