I Was Oblivious to the Subtle ‘Yandere’ Side of My Nonchalant Sex Friend Gyaru - Chapter 12-13

Chapter 12: 

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“I’m sorry, Aoyama-kun, for everything today. I’ve been nothing but a bother to you today.”

“No, it’s fine. Besides, after seeing all that, there’s no way I could let you walk home alone.”

After leaving the part-time job, I was walking Asou-san home. Along the way, every time we passed a shadow or saw someone in the distance, her shoulders would flinch noticeably—her fear was almost excessive.

She had probably been controlled by that kind of pressure the whole time she’d been with him. I used to think domestic violence was something you only saw on the news, but tonight reminded me that it could exist right nearby.

“Make sure you lock up properly once you get home. And if anything happens, you can contact me.”

“Yeah… Really, I’m so sorry.”

She stopped walking as she apologized.

“This is my house.”

“Oh, it’s closer than I thought.”

It was a large, impressive house. Very different from my parents’ place.

“Well, I’ll get going then.”

“Ah, w-wait!”

“What is it?”

“Um, well…”

Asou-san, who had called me back, fidgeted, looking like she wanted to say something.

“…Are you scared?”

“Y-yeah. Um, would you stay for a bit? I’ll make you some tea.”

Her shoulders were trembling slightly. Well, considering what had just happened, it made perfect sense for her to be anxious.

“If it gets too late, I won’t be able to get home, you know.”

“T-then… You could stay over…! Ah, no, I mean, we have lots of rooms, so…”

“I’m not going to misunderstand your intentions, don’t worry.”

Besides, leaving her alone like this made me uneasy too. That guy had tracked her all the way to her part-time job—there was no guarantee he wouldn’t show up at her house. He was a college student, so he could easily wander around at night… 

Wait. What the hell am I doing again? Seriously, what’s gotten into me lately?

“Well, there’s nothing waiting for me at home anyway. I’ll come in.”

“O-okay. Really, I’m sorry.”

Judging from the situation, I couldn’t possibly refuse her. So, I was invited into Asou-san’s home. When she turned on the light in the dark entryway, a clean, polished wooden floor appeared.

“This is a beautiful house.”

“We had been renting before, but two years ago, my parents bought a newly built house.”

“Wow, that’s nice.”

“Is it? They used to be home a lot, but lately they’ve been out constantly to keep up with the mortgage payments. I guess… I was just lonely.”

She gave a self-deprecating laugh, then led me through to the living room at the back.

“Make yourself comfortable. I’ll make some tea.”

“Thank you.”

I sat on the sofa and looked around the room, noticing piles of study materials and English vocabulary books on the table.

“Asou-san, I didn’t take you for the studious type.”

Hearing me call out to her in the kitchen as she boiled water, she answered.

“I wasn’t really planning on going to college, you know. I thought I’d just work right after high school.”

“Because things are tough at home?”

“Well, yeah. My parents told me not to worry, that they’d manage the money somehow. They can be pretty overprotective. But watching how hard they’ve been working lately, I couldn’t just sit back.”

“But you changed your mind?”

“I guess… It was his influence to be honest. I thought if I went to the same college as him, we could be together at least for a little while. So I bought all these study materials like an idiot. Even my parents were surprised.”

“Well, whatever the reason, studying is a good thing. As for me, I’ve just been working part-time and doing nothing else.”

“But in the end, it came to this. I barely touched those materials. But I didn’t want to disappoint my parents, so I left them out where they’d see them… I don’t even know what I’m doing anymore.”

She let out a tired sigh and set a cup of hot tea next to the study materials, then sat down on the sofa across from me.

“Every family has their own stuff going on, huh.”

“What’s your family like, Aoyama-kun? Living alone since high school is pretty unusual.”

True—even I thought it was rare to live alone in another prefecture just for high school without a sports scholarship or something. Right after enrolling, my classmates asked me a lot of questions. Of course, I never saw a reason to be honest—and I didn’t want people prying, so I brushed them off.

But for some reason, I told Asou-san this.

“My parents… They aren’t around.”

“Huh?”

“Ah—no, please don’t feel awkward about it. They divorced a long time ago, and my mom just… Well, she basically just disappeared somewhere. But I have my grandparents.”

“…Sorry. I shouldn’t have asked.”

An awkward silence fell over us. Why did I say something like that when I knew it would get like this? I scratched my head. Even Kurenai had never asked me this question, and I’d never answered anyone before.

“Ah, please don’t get all gloomy on me. It’s not like I’m suffering or anything.”

“But… Didn’t my story make you angry?”

“Why would it?”

“I mean, listening to me must’ve made you think my problems were petty compared to yours.”

“Like I said before, everyone has their own struggles. And if you look around, there are plenty of people in far worse situations than mine.”

Kids who grew up poor with single parents. Kids who were beaten by their parents. There were people like that even in my middle school. Thanks to my grandparents, I’d lived pretty comfortably. I’d never really felt lonely.

I had to work part-time to cover living expenses, but they provided enough money for high school. Complaining about my situation would be downright ungrateful. 

“Well, if I go to college, it’ll be with a scholarship.”

“Somehow… I think I understand a bit more why you seem so mature, Aoyama-kun.”

She slowly sipped her still-steaming tea with a quiet sigh. And then..

“Hey,”

She looked up at me with an embarrassed, upward gaze and said,

“Um… Would you… Would you like to come to my room?”

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Chapter 13: 

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Asou-san’s room was tidier and simpler than I had expected. There weren’t any stuffed animals like you often saw in girls’ rooms—just a neatly organized study desk, a single bed, and a bookshelf.

I sat down on a round floor cushion, while she perched on her bed.

“This is a nice room.”

“R-really? Well… I guess I’ve been spending most of my time at his place lately.”

She looked a bit awkward as she spoke, and I glanced around the first girl’s room I’d ever been in. Then my eyes fell on a picture frame lying face down on the desk.

“Hm.”

“Ah—no, it’s not like I’m still hung up on him or anything! It’s just… Photos are kind of hard to throw away.”

“I haven’t said anything yet.”

“B-but… You were probably about to say something like, ‘Wow, you’re still totally not over him,’ right?”

“Well, maybe. So…Are you still hung up on him?”

“I don’t think so anymore.”

Asou-san stood up, picked up the picture frame, and took the photo out. In it, a man and a woman stood shoulder to shoulder, smiling at the camera.

“Haha… This takes me back. Really… I’m such an idiot, falling for someone just because they were nice to me. I’m so stupid…”

She crumpled the photo in her hand. Tears slowly welled up in Asou-san’s eyes. Seeing her like that, I wanted to say something.

Like how it was strange to still have feelings for someone who treated her so terribly. Or that getting caught up with scumbags like that was exactly why she kept getting hurt. But…

No matter what kind of guy it was, I couldn’t bring myself to mock Asou-san for loving someone so earnestly, for caring so much it made her suffer.

“Sorry… For crying like this.”

“No, it’s okay. This is your room, after all.”

“Ahaha… What’s with that? You’re so calm even at a time like this—it’s kind of funny.”

As she scrunched up her eyes, big tears rolled down her cheeks.

“…Hey.”

Wiping her tears, Asou-sa clutched the crumpled photo even tighter and came over next to me. She then said, in a small, trembling voice that was barely a whisper. 

“Tonight… Could you stay with me like this?”

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