I Tried Pulling When Pushing My Childhood Friend Didn’t Work, and It Totally Broke Me Inside - Chapter 2

The next day, I went to school earlier than usual.

I’d normally go with Yuna, but I decided to follow her mom’s advice and keep some distance.

I had already sent her a message saying I’d go ahead, so she wouldn’t have to wait.

It hurt a little… no, it really hurts…

When I got to school, there wasn’t much to do, so I started scrolling through SNS on my phone.

“Hey, you’re early today. Aren’t you with Shiraishi-san?”

Tanaka, a classmate, spoke up.

“No, not today.”

“Did you guys fight or something?”

“We’re not kids.”

“Huh, alright then.”

He headed back to his seat.

School feels boring today without Yuna here.

But I reminded myself about her mom’s advice…

Alright, just three days. I’ll see how it goes.

After that, I’ll confess.

“Daisuke.”

“Huh? Yuna? You surprised me…”

Yuna was standing right next to me.

“What were you doing today?”

“Nothing, I had something to take care of.”

“I see, what about after school?”

“I’m sorry.”

“Yeah.”

“And tomorrow?”

“I’m sorry, I won’t be able to walk to and from school with you for a while.”

“I see, got it.”

She said that and went to her seat.

I’m sorry… Yuna. Just for three days.

After that, I spent the day alone, even though I usually stayed with Yuna.

I spent breaks and lunchtime by myself.

It’s boring… maybe I should just give up.

No, I can’t…

“Akikawa.”

“Yes?”

When class ended, and I was about to leave, the teacher called me over.

“Take this and put it on the teacher’s desk in the preparation room.”

They handed me a stack of handouts. It was a lot.

“Got it.”

The teacher left the classroom. It was a hassle, but I had no choice.

As I picked up the papers, someone spoke up.

“Akikawa-kun, I’ll help you.”

“Satou-san?”

Satou-san is the class representative and is trusted by the teachers.

“Thank you, that really helps.”

“No problem. Let’s carry them quickly.”

“Then, let’s split them in half.”

We walked down the hallway together.

“Hey, you weren’t with Shiraishi-san today.”

“Ah, yeah, that’s right.”

“I think you two make a good pair, you know.”

“Really?”

If other people see it that way, it makes me happy.

“If Shiraishi-san enjoys being with you more than with us, then that’s a good sign.”

“Is that so?”

Yuna usually doesn’t show much expression, so it’s hard to tell if she’s happy.

We kept talking until we reached the staff room.

“Phew, that was pretty heavy.”

“You did well.”

“Then, I’m going home now.”

She smiled and waved as she left.

She was really nice.

I should head home too.

I didn’t notice that Yuna was watching me from a distance.

“Daisuke…”

“Why are you talking and laughing with other people like that? Don’t you like me? Why are you so cold today? Why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why?”