I Was The One Who Saved You That Day - Chapter 55
Volume 2 Chapter 55: ‘Friend’ (END OF VOLUME 2)
The following Saturday, Atami and Kurokawa-san came to my house.
The two of them, who arrived in the early afternoon, began studying at a more leisurely pace than yesterday.
For some reason, there was a change in the seating arrangement. Yesterday, Atami and Kurokawa-san were studying side by side, but today, Kurokawa-san moved to the side. Although the arrangement where I faced Atami remained unchanged, it felt like Kurokawa-san had come a bit closer to us.
“…Atami and the others, is something strange? Did something happen?”
Kurokawa-san seemed oddly restless, and Atami frequently glanced at her. When she briefly turned her gaze toward me, she let out a small sigh. Although she tried to act naturally so as not to be noticed, if it happened multiple times, it was clear that something was amiss.
“Eh!? I-Is that so!?”
Kurokawa-san, with a conspicuously nonchalant attitude, looked around in the direction of the day after tomorrow while her gaze wandered anxiously. It seemed like she wasn’t good at lying. That was a new discovery.
Now, it was clear that Kurokawa-san was hiding something from me, but I couldn’t fathom the content at all. Even considering Atami’s attitude, it remained entirely elusive. It was a situation where one mystery led to another, and frankly, I was at a loss.
“Well, as long as it’s not backbiting or something.”
Although coming to my house and saying that was a bit much. People don’t just casually invade the house of someone they dislike.
“It’s not like that! It’s not what you think!”
At the point where she desperately uttered words of defense, it was confirmed that she was hiding something. She shrugged, glancing at Atami.
“Don’t worry about this. It won’t cause any trouble for Arima.”
“Yeah, well… I was just curious, and it’s not like I’d be bothered by any inconvenience.”
I expressed that if there’s something you can discuss, I’d like you to discuss it—implying that meaning. However, Atami cut off the conversation by saying, “It’s okay.” It seems to be a topic she doesn’t want to talk about.
If that’s the case, I’ll try not to pry too deeply, even though it piques my curiosity. Yufu once said that persistent guys are disliked, and I feel like I’ve seen it in manga too.
I shifted my gaze from Atami to Kurokawa-san; it seemed like she had also been looking at me, and our eyes met perfectly.
“Uh, n-nothing at all!”
For some reason, Kurokawa-san, who suddenly started using polite language, said that while hiding her face and looking down at her notebook.
I suspect this reaction might be because…
“Hey, Atami, is there something on my face or something?”
“Fool.”
For some reason, I got scolded.
For some reason, the restlessness of the two subsided after about an hour, and from then until 6 o’clock in the evening, the three of us studied diligently together. Since each of us had different subjects to tackle today, it felt like we were teaching each other.
After dropping Kurokawa-san off at the bus stop with Atami, we each went home, completed our chores, and gathered again at my house. The flow of events followed the usual pattern, but both Kurokawa-san and Atami seemed different, especially Atami, who appeared to be trying to keep a distance from me for some reason, not just Kurokawa-san.
Even as we sat on the sofa watching TV, she was sitting on the edge, as if trying to keep her distance.
“Atami-san…? Did I do something to upset you?”
We kept our conversation to a minimum, maintaining a certain distance and avoiding eye contact.
There wasn’t an atmosphere of anger, but given various cues, I became curious and decided to ask. She turned her face toward me, furrowing her brows.
“…Sorry, that wasn’t my intention.”
“I didn’t really want an apology… but are you sure everything’s okay?”
Because we spend a lot of time together, any change in her behavior stands out. If she were just a classmate, I might not have noticed the difference.
“Yeah, it’s fine, so don’t worry. I’m not really mad or anything. It’s just that I’m getting fed up with myself, or something like that… Anyway, it’s not Arima’s fault.”
Atami concluded her words with a sigh. It seemed like she truly meant what she said. She appeared to be blaming herself.
However, is that really a situation where she should blame herself?
Sure, everyone makes mistakes, and things don’t always go as planned. But I don’t think Atami would do something intentionally hurtful. Despite our short time together, she doesn’t strike me as the kind of girl who would harm someone. If anything, she seems like the kind of girl who neglects herself in her concern for others.
“Hey, Atami, look over here for a moment.”
I called out to her to see the change in her expression. Atami, while muttering, “What?” met my gaze.
“Atami, you always prioritize others over yourself. Are you holding back on something again?”
To that question, Atami gave a brief “not really” as an answer. However, she quickly averted her gaze, looking awkward. Probably, that hit the mark.
I don’t know what she might be holding back, but it feels like she doesn’t express her desires enough. I think she should be a bit more selfish.
“Tei!”
I gave her a light flick on the forehead. Not hard enough to make it red—just a slightly stronger attack.
“What… What was that for?”
Atami sent me a resentful look while holding her forehead with both hands.
“It’s a lie. You’re holding back on something, right? I don’t know the details, but you should take better care of yourself. Even if you don’t say it out loud, not just Kurokawa-san but also Yufu, Ren, and of course, me—we all feel happier when you’re smiling and having a good time. Just like you want me to ‘be happy,’ we all want the same for you.”
Ah, that’s embarrassing. Don’t make me say such serious things. It’s not like me.
“That’s what being ‘friends’ is about.”
A relationship that goes beyond surface-level interactions and is connected at the heart.
I might be placing too much importance on the concept of friends. However, that’s precisely why I want to cherish this current relationship.
Narrow and deep rather than wide and shallow.
Atami, for me, has already firmly entered a narrow space.
“Friends, huh.”
Atami repeated the words I uttered twice and smiled.
I would come to understand Atami’s feelings during a time much later—after the “everyone” Yufu mentioned had gone through hell.