I Was Oblivious to the Subtle ‘Yandere’ Side of My Nonchalant Sex Friend Gyaru - Chapter 36-37

Chapter 36: 

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“Oh, hey, it’s Minato. What are you doing here?”

Not long after I left Kurenai’s house, I heard a familiar voice from behind me and turned around with a start.

“Yu-Yumekawa? What about you, what are you doing here?”

“I went to that convenience store over there. Did you have some business around here, Minato?”

“Ah, well… I just had some time, so I was wandering around.”

“I see. Hey, you’re working today too, right?”

“Yeah. They told me I could take the day off since I just got over being sick, but I don’t want to cause any trouble for everyone.”

“Hm. Is Asou-senpai working with you?”

“Ah, I’m not sure. She has fewer shifts than I do.”

“Hm.”

Yumekawa kept repeating “hm,” looking like she wanted to say something. But I figured even if I asked, it wouldn’t be anything good. Just as I was about to head home, Yumekawa spoke up.

“Minato, do you have someone you like?”

She asked, unusually awkward.

“Huh? What’s with that all of a sudden?”

“No reason, just… You never seem too enthusiastic when I invite you out. So I was wondering if there’s someone else you’re interested in.”

“…That’s none of your business.”

“None of my business, huh. Yeah, I guess you’re right. But… I feel kind of relieved.”

“About what?”

“That you’re actually interested in love. I thought you didn’t care about that stuff at all.”

“Seriously, what do you even think of me?”

“Hehe, who knows? Anyway, you remember our promise for tomorrow, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Then I’ll see you tomorrow. Maybe if a girl you like sees you hanging out with me, she’ll get jealous.”

“Why are you assuming there’s someone? There’s… No one like that.”

“Okay then.”

I turned my back on Yumekawa and headed home.

♡♡♡

A little while after he left my house, the doorbell rang again.

“…Did he forget something?”

I knew my mom would be home late tonight, and no one else ever came to our house. I was certain it was him coming back, so I went to the door and opened it.

“What is it, did you forget something—”

“Hey, Yuzu.”

“Arisu… Why?”

“Well, I was worried about whether you were feeling okay. But more importantly… Did someone come by?”

“Ah, no, it’s nothing… A-and I’m fine.”

“I see, that’s good. Hey, is it okay if I come in for a bit? I wanted to talk to you.”

It was the first time Arisu had come to my house, and I felt flustered. But after having just let him in, the hurdle to letting her in felt lower, and I couldn’t bring myself to turn her away.

“Could you stay in that room?”

I led her to the same living room where he’d been earlier, and Arisu slowly sat down in the exact spot he’d used. At that moment, something inside me twisted uncomfortably.

Don’t sit there.

I recognized the stupid jealousy swirling in my chest and let out a deep breath.

“…Seriously, what am I thinking?”

I went into the kitchen to make tea. I didn’t know what Arisu was here for, but I decided I’d show her I was fine and send her home quickly. When I returned to the living room, Arisu was staring intently at my photos.

“…Hey. Don’t look at those so much.”

“Ah, sorry, Yuzu. But they’re nostalgic. You were the ace and cleanup hitter, right?”

“Yeah, but my level wasn’t that high or anything.”

“But you got awards all the time. I really admired you, Yuzu.”

Arisu spoke nostalgically, looking at old photos of me. But I didn’t want to talk about the past right now.

“Anyway, here’s your tea. I’m fine now, so once you finish, you should probably—”

“Did someone come?”

“…Huh?”

Still staring at the photos, Arisu cut me off and asked with a hint of unease.

“Yuzu… You always swoop in and take the best moments, don’t you?”

“Wait, what are you talking about?”

“I saw him. I saw Minato coming out of here.”

“Wha…”

“So you two are actually close, huh? But you acted like you barely knew each other around me. Why? Is there something going on between you two?”

“T-that’s…”

“You know how I feel about him, don’t you, Yuzu? Yet you were meeting up with him in secret… were you laughing at me behind my back?”

Her voice trembled. She looked up at me, eyes wide and shimmering with tears.

“Arisu, it’s not like that. He just happened to—”

“Then why did you hide that you two knew each other? Yuzu, do you like Minato too?”

“I-I…”

I almost wanted to just say it right here and then. I wanted to tell her that he and I were in that kind of relationship. That what we had wasn’t even love. That we were sex friends.

But—

“…Of course not. He just happened to be passing by and dropped in to check on me.”

“Then how did he know your address?”

“He saw the nameplate. It was just a whim. He’s just… That kind of guy, right? He’s nice to everyone.”

“…Yeah… Maybe. So you’re not serious about him?”

“…There’s nothing serious or unserious about it.”

As I said it, my chest tightened painfully. And watching Arisu wipe her tears, looking satisfied with my lie, made it even harder for me to breathe.

“…I’m still not feeling well, so can we call it a night?”

“Ah, sorry, Yuzu… Will you be at school tomorrow?”

“Yes. I’ll see you then.”

“Yeah… See you tomorrow.”

Arisu left quickly after that. Alone again in the quiet living room, I sat there.

“…Idiot.”

I murmured and before I knew it, tears were already streaming down my cheeks.

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Chapter 37: 

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♤♤♤

“Manager, good work today!”

“Oh, Aoyama-kun, good work. Are you feeling better now?”

“Yes, thanks to you.”

After going home once, I headed to my part-time job. Today, Asou-san wasn’t around and the manager was running the place alone.

“I was actually thinking of having you take today off too, but it looks like Asou-kun couldn’t come in. For now, could you do the dishes?”

“Yes, got it.”

I felt a bit relieved. It wasn’t that I hated seeing Asou-san, but I honestly still didn’t know how to talk to her if we did meet. I wanted to make up for what happened the other day, but I wondered if it was really okay for me to invite her out for a meal when I didn’t actually have those kinds of feelings toward her.

Maybe we couldn’t just stay as friends or as senior and junior anymore. Was it impossible for men and women to have that kind of relationship in the first place? Was it different with Yumekawa? And Kurenai—what was she to me, really?

I kept worrying over questions with no answers as time passed by steadily. When my shift ended and I was changing in the locker room, I noticed I had a new message on LINE.

『I’m looking forward to tomorrow. Let’s have a nice, long chat on LINE.』

It was from Yumekawa. Right, we had exchanged LINE IDs this morning. I casually replied right then and there. And as soon as I left the shop, I got another reply right away.

『Just finished work? Good job!』

We were going to see each other tomorrow anyway. I thought it was kind of a hassle to keep coming up with replies every time, and maybe that feeling got across, because suddenly my phone started ringing.

“…Hello?”

“Minato, good job today! Are you heading home now?”

“Yeah. So, what is it?”

“Geez. It’s nothing important. Can’t I just call you?”

“I never said you couldn’t. So, what’s up?”

“Where did you really go today?”

“Huh?”

I was so surprised I couldn’t hide it, and Yumekawa immediately asked me again. 

“Do you just not want to tell me?” 

She sounded suspicious of me. I thought it over. It was not like anything happened at Kurenai’s house today, and honestly, whatever kind of relationship Kurenai and I had wasn’t any of Yumekawa’s business. I didn’t know why she was suddenly bringing this up, but I figured trying to dodge the question would just make her more suspicious, which would result in a bigger mess in the future.

“…I went to check on Kurenai.”

“Huh, Yuzu’s place?”

“Yeah. But it wasn’t a big deal. I just stopped by since I was in the area.”

“But… Were you two that close?”

“Not really. Right after we started high school, I helped her out when she was getting harassed by someone. That’s about it.”

“I see… Minato, you really are kind to everyone.”

“I told you, that’s not true.”

“Hm… Then… No, it’s nothing.”

“What is it? You can’t just say something like that and leave me hanging.”

“It’s nothing, really. Okay, I’ll see you at school tomorrow.”

With that, Yumekawa hung up. I put my phone back in my pocket, feeling exasperated and wondering what that was all about. Just then, I realized I’d arrived in front of my apartment building.

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