I Was Oblivious to the Subtle ‘Yandere’ Side of My Nonchalant Sex Friend Gyaru - Chapter 8-9

Chapter 8: 

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“Thank you for coming! Over here we have the ‘Hit the Target Together Game!’”

The shopping street was completely transformed from its usual run-down look into a bustling, lively place. Since it was an event for couples, there were activities for pairs happening all over, and we stopped in front of the booth where they were giving away the stuffed animal we were after.

“That must be it. But it looks like they don’t just give it to anyone.”

“And it seems like there’s a participation fee too.”

It was 500 yen per try. As a participation prize, they were giving out towels with the featured Lover Rabbits design, and anyone who hit the target would win the grand prize: the stuffed animal.

“Well, since we’ve come all the way here, let’s do it. Uh, but you’ll have to join in too.”

“We’ve come this far, so I’ll go along. Here, pay up.”

“Y-yeah.”

I thought she’d complain more, but Kurenai casually grabbed a borrowed glove without hesitation. One person would pitch, and the other would bat. If the ball hit the target in the back, we’d win the prize—simple enough, but…

The pair before us had the woman throwing the ball, which fell way short, and the man swung desperately but couldn’t connect with the target at all. Even so, when they finished, they looked happy as they took their participation prize and walked off hand in hand into the shopping street.

“All right, it’s our turn. I’m helping you, so make sure you hit it.”

“Make sure you pitch it right too.”

Without making eye contact, we took our positions. I wondered if even a pair like us looked like a couple to the people around us.

As I picked up the light metal bat, the familiar weight made me straighten my back a bit. Then, I looked over at Kurenai. Standing with a surprisingly natural posture, she raised her arm lightly and threw the ball toward me.

“Whoa.”

I had expected a soft, lobbed ball like the woman before, but her throw had a firm snap to it, and I panicked, swinging the bat just a bit too late.

“Hey. Hit it properly.”

“S-sorry.”

She’s unexpectedly athletic.

Thinking that, I refocused and waited for her next pitch. Then—

“Hmph!”

Aiming straight for the target, I swung through, and the soft ball seemed to get sucked right into the bullseye.

“Whoa—!”

Cheers erupted the moment the ball bounced off the target.

“Congratulations! Amazing, that’s our first grand prize winner today!”

An attendant carrying a large stuffed animal ran over and immediately held it out to Kurenai. As she accepted it, she looked over at me awkwardly.

“Come on, let’s go.”

She said before walking off ahead, leaving me scrambling to set the bat down. I could feel the lively atmosphere around us suddenly cooling down. Even the staff looked a bit confused watching us, so I gave them a small bow before hurrying after her and leaving the venue.

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“Hey, wait up.”

“What? We got what we came for, so let’s just hurry back home.”

I called out to Kurenai just after we’d left the shopping street, and she turned with an annoyed glare, still hugging the stuffed animal.

“There’s no need to rush so much.”

“I don’t like crowded places like that. And…”

She trailed off, looking forward.

“And what?”

“Nothing. By the way, did you use to play baseball?”

“…Yeah.”

I’d never told anyone in high school that I’d been on the baseball team until middle school. There was no point; I wasn’t going to play baseball anymore anyway.

“You don’t do club activities now?”

“What about you? Didn’t you do something?”

“Well, softball.”

“Softball, huh. But you don’t play anymore?”

“My high school doesn’t have a softball team. And team sports are just a pain.”

Her usual flat tone sounded a little irritated, but maybe I was imagining things.

“Well, anyway, thanks. I bet the manager will be happy when I give this to him tomorrow.”

“Yeah. He seems like a good guy.”

“Is that your type or something?”

“I told you, jealousy is gross.”

She snapped back, sounding irritated, and for some reason hugged the stuffed animal tighter.

“Hey, it’s heavy, right? Let me carry it.”

“…No.”

“What, do you want to keep it?”

“If I said I did, would you give it to me?”

“…Huh?”

“I’m joking. But you touched that bat earlier, so your hands are dirty. It wouldn’t be right to give someone a gift with dirty hands, you know.”

Saying that, once again… Kurenai walked ahead, leaving me behind.

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Chapter 9: 

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“Hey.”

At night. While we were lying together on the bed, Kurenai called out to me, which was unusual for her.

“What is it?”

“Who are you texting on LINE?”

“Hm? Oh, a senior from work.”

“A woman?”

“Well, yeah. She’s a senior from school too. Do you know Mariko Asou?”

“No. So, do you like her?”

“Huh? Of course not.”

“But you keep texting her.”

“I gave her some advice before, and this is about that.”

I answered casually, brushing it off, but the truth was I couldn’t stop worrying about Asou-san’s messages. Of course, it wasn’t because I liked her. It was because the things she’d been sending were all so heavy.

『Turns out he really did have another girlfriend. I’m so stupid, aren’t I?』

『Ugh, I seriously just want to die. How do you stay so detached like you do, Aoyama-kun?』

『Hey, could we meet up for a bit?』

I’d come up with excuses to turn her down when she asked to meet, but even so, her messages kept coming as if to push me harder.

“Hm. Why don’t you just go see her?”

“I told you, it’s not like that. Asou-san already has someone she likes.”

“So you talk about love stuff with her?”

“She brought it up on her own. But it doesn’t seem to be going well.”

I wasn’t trying to be considerate of Kurenai’s feelings, but I couldn’t help feeling it would be a bit shameless to leave a girl naked next to me and go call or meet another woman. Doing that would be no different from the jerk who was toying with Asou-san.

And I didn’t want to be like that kind of guy. Still, did that make me a hypocrite?

“Hoaaam… I’m getting sleepy. Hey, can I stay over again tonight?”

“You’ve been staying a lot lately. Are you sure it’s okay?”

“You don’t have to worry about my folks. Or did you want to invite that senpai of yours over instead?”

“No way.”

“But you do want to go see her, don’t you?”

“…Don’t get the wrong idea. I’m just worried about her as a senior at work. We were swamped today since she wasn’t there.”

When I said it like an excuse, she replied.

“Then go. I’m going to sleep, so make sure you lock up.” 

She then turned her back to me, pulling the blanket over her head like she was hiding.

“…Good night.”

I said those words to her for the first time, but there was no reply. I got out of bed, changed clothes, and headed outside alone.

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“So, right after it was over he told me, ‘Talking to you is annoying, so just go home.’ Then, when I was watching the door from outside, another girl went in. What do you think of that?”

“Well, that’s… Pretty terrible.”

I contacted Asou-san right after leaving home, and when she said she was alone at our workplace, I hurried over to meet her at a family restaurant. When I walked into the nearly empty restaurant, the manager looked a bit worried as he guided me to her table.

As soon as I sat down, she launched straight into venting.

“Seriously, why did I ever fall for such a jerk?”

“Well, you can’t really know what someone’s like until you get close to them.”

“And how close is close? At first, they’re all sweet, right? But the moment you sleep with them, they get that look like they’re already bored of you.”

She practically chugged her cola like it was cheap liquor.

“If that’s the case, then maybe you shouldn’t have done it with him so easily.”

“But if you really like someone, it’s hard to say no when they want it, you know? If I did, I’d worry he’d just go to someone else.”

“You should have more confidence in yourself. You’re beautiful, Asou-san.”

I said it as a polite formality, but honestly, I did think she was beautiful. I hadn’t known her well before tonight, but there were plenty of guys at school who said they admired her.

“…Really? You think I’m beautiful?”

“Well, yeah, I do.”

“Hm. So I should be more confident?”

“Definitely. By the way, what happened to that guy?”

“When I went back to the room, he was kissing another girl. So I threw his shoes across the entryway and left. But he hasn’t contacted me since, so I guess it’s all over for us.”

Staring off distantly, she then said. 

“Another cola, please.”

With a sigh, I got up from my seat.

“Asou-kun… Is she going to be okay?”

While I was refilling her drink at the soda fountain, the manager came up with a worried look.

“Well, she just cut ties with a lousy guy, so I think she’ll be fine.”

“I see. You go through a lot when you’re a student.”

“By the way, did you and your girlfriend meet back when you were still students, Manager?”

“Yeah, we started dating in college. We’re talking about moving in together next year, but we barely see each other lately. We’re lucky if we meet once a month. I miss those days as a student.”

“Oh, that reminds me—”

In the middle of our chat, I suddenly remembered the stuffed animal I’d won earlier. I was about to offer it, saying it might make a nice gift for his girlfriend. But then the words got caught in my throat.

“Hm? What is it?”

“Ah, nothing. I’ll just get back to Asou-san.”

I practically fled back to our table. For some reason, I just couldn’t bring myself to bring up the stuffed animal. What if Kurenai actually wanted to keep it?

Of course, it was unlikely she’d say that—but still. I decided I’d ask her directly when I got home. If she said she didn’t want it, I could give it to the manager.

“Sorry to keep you waiting, Asou-san.”

“Oh, thanks. Hey, he actually just texted me. Guess what he said?”

“You look happy. Was it good news?”

“Yeah. He said, ‘Sorry about earlier. Can you come back?’”

“I see.”

Seriously? What an idiot.

I couldn’t help thinking. Not just about the college guy, but about Asou-san herself. As if she could read my mind, Asou-san suddenly slammed her glass down on the table with a bang.

“Like hell I’m going back! He can’t just treat people like that!”

Her voice echoed through the restaurant.

The startled manager rushed over and gently scolded her.

“Asou-kun, keep it down a bit, okay?” 

Manager said before heading back to the kitchen.

“…Sorry.”

“Oh, don’t worry—I wasn’t mad at you, Aoyama-kun.”

“I know. But I’m relieved.”

“You thought I’d go running back, didn’t you?”

“Well… A little.”

“Haha~ You’re so honest. But honestly, the old me probably would’ve.”

“You’re different now, huh?”

“Maybe thanks to you, Aoyama-kun.”

“Me? I haven’t done anything.”

“No, really. I couldn’t even talk about this kind of thing with my friends. I’d just brood on it alone, then end up doing what felt easiest. But you, you’d just come right out and say ‘How dumb’ when something’s wrong. So now, when I’m tempted to make the same mistake, I hear your voice in my head saying, ‘Are you stupid or something?’ and it makes me think, ‘I’m done with this.’”

Asou-san laughed. Though her smile looked a little stiff, there was a sense she’d broken free of something.

“Well, I was honestly thinking about that. Sorry.”

“Fufu, I could tell. You had that look.”

“You seem okay now. Make sure you show up for your shifts.”

As if to signal our conversation was over, I stood up, and Asou-san looked surprised.

“You’re leaving already?”

“Yeah. I’ve got an early day tomorrow, and I’d rather not risk being late.”

“…I see. Okay. Thanks for staying so late with me. Can I message you again?”

“Well, within reason.”

I said a quick goodbye to the manager and stepped out into the night. As I walked home in the dark, Kurenai came to mind—she should be still sleeping at my place.

What was she thinking, being in this kind of relationship with me? Was it just something that happened, or was there more behind it? Or maybe even less.

Now wasn’t the time to ask. No, maybe I was just afraid of asking. Afraid that if I wanted more, she’d reject me. And if she wanted more, I wasn’t sure what I’d do either.

In the end, I was stuck in between. In that sense, I was no different from the college guy who’d made Asou-san cry.

What a joke. A guy like me, giving love advice to others? “It’s all thanks to you,” huh? You’re really overestimating me.

While thinking about my conversation with Asou-san, I found myself standing in front of my place. I wondered if she was asleep already. I quietly and slowly opened the door. Without turning on the light, I groped my way through the dark hallway. Then I stepped into the room.

“…Heh.”

Seeing Kurenai sleeping on the bed in the moonlight, I let out a small laugh. There she was, asleep on the bed. And in her arms, hugged like something precious, was the stuffed animal we’d won earlier.

So she did want it after all. She really did have a girlish side like that.

Thinking that, I couldn’t help smiling. But there was no space left on the bed, so I lay down on the sofa, pulled a towel blanket over myself, and closed my eyes.

“…Good night.”

I said it to her one more time. But, as always, there was no reply.

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