It’s Too Early to be Having Newlywed Syndrome! ~Childhood Friends Who Rekindled their Love for Each Other ~ - 1 - 2 - Please Don’t Hate Me

Please Don’t Hate Me

That same day after class, Naoto received a message from Natsuki. While still in her school uniform, she went straight to Naoto’s home for a strategy meeting.

Naoto was surprised that Natsuki will go to his home. Naoto changed from his pajamas to his school uniform in a hurry and went to the entrance hall. There, he found that Natsuki has already arrived and politely exchanging greetings with his mom.

“———Yes, I’m fine now. Thank you for your concern. I’ll be in your care for the time being.”

Naoto’s mother is greatly overjoyed that Natsuki has visited them after a long time.

“I haven’t seen Nat-chan in a long while, and you’ve already grew up a fine adult, auntie is very happy.

If you’re okay with Nao-kun, then don’t hold back and use him as you please. He wouldn’t do anything if you don’t tell him what to do so feel free to order him around.

You too Nao-kun. Stop being shy and take good care of Nat-chan, won’t you? Really Nao-kun, you used to so be cute when you were young too, if you don’t make up soon, she will get sick of you—-”

Naoto, not waiting to hear the rest of his mother’s spiel, retreated back to his room.

Whenever he remembered that event, feelings of guilt assailed him. After burying his face on his pillow so as to not make a sound, he started to cry.

I need to stop crying before Oshida-san comes here. Come on. Stop the tears. If she saw me like this, she’ll just worry about me…

After two minutes, Naoto’s tears finally stopped.

Then a few minutes passed.

Natsuki entered Naoto’s room and closed the door.

“What’s with you today?! Can’t you act a bit more natural?!”

Yelled Natsuki.

“Eh? Are you talking about what happened at school?”

Naoto asked while being a bit dumbfounded.

“Yes, that. That was not good at all.”

As Natsuki replied, she sat on the bed behind Naoto.

“My body will get cold if I sit on the floor. So, I’ll just sit here, okay?”

“I don’t know. If you sit in front of me like that, your feet will end up right in front of me.”

As Naoto turns behind him, he covers his eyes as if he was looking at something bright.

“Morita-kun, do you still have a foot fetish?”

As Natsuki asked, she standoffishly stepped on the legs of Naoto, who is sitting cross-legged on the floor.

“Well, yeah…”

“Then, it’s alright, isn’t it?”

“If Oshida-san’s okay with it, I guess so…”

“Then I’ll let you massage mine. I want to improve my blood circulation, but if I do it myself, it puts a strain on my stomach, which is painful so I can’t.”

“Ah, then if it’s okay with you, then I’ll do it. Where should I massage again? Is it the calf?”

While saying this, Naoto began tinkering his smartphone to search for info.

“I forgot. But maybe it’s the calf.”

“As I thought it really is the calf.”

Naoto started massaging Natsuki’s feet while looking at his smartphone.

“…. Morita-kun, aren’t you forcing yourself?”

“With what? Well, I do feel nervous so my movements might be weird. Sorry if I made you feel uncomfortable.”

“No, that’s not it. I’m just wondering if I’m being a burden to you.

Don’t you think that I’m being an inconvenience to you? If you don’t want to do it, just say so, okay?”

“No, I don’t hate it at all. You see, were a boy and a girl, add to that me being a pervert who have foot fetish, same as always. Despite all that, you still entrusted me with massaging your foot. Instead of hate, I’m actually glad.

Also, you earnestly listened to what I have to say, and your determination to get well quickly made me happy. You even trust me so much that you gave me your contact info to exchange e-mails.”

“Yes that, about the e-mail!

I totally forgot but I actually came here to complain about that. I already said it earlier, but that idea’s not good at all!”

Natsuki cleverly complained as she remembered what she came for.

“No, we haven’t actually ironed out the details, so there’s nothing we can do about that.”

Naoto replied with a weak smile.

Looking at Natsuki’s current state, Naoto felt a sense of nostalgia. It’s just like in the past, when Natsuki is will scold him without hesitation. It’s like she’s a different person than the one he sees at school, seeing the real her without putting on airs gave Naoto a sense of relief.

How many years has it been since she complained at me like this? Just maybe, she really followed the advice of my mother, and really stopped holding back. She’s still letting me continue massaging her foot, so maybe she not really angry yet. With what I’m feeling right now, it seems like me crying earlier didn’t happen at all.

Thinking that, Naoto was so relieved that he felt his heart have calmed.

Natsuki continued complaining.

“Suddenly approaching through the crowd and telling a girl ‘Oshida-san, won’t you come with me alone’, it’s obvious everyone will think it’s weird. It caused a commotion in the classroom, you know.”

“I thought about it for a bit, but I haven’t come up with a good idea on how to invite you out of the classroom. Did it go alright?”

“For the time being. I explained to them something along the lines of ‘We were neighbors in the same apartment complex, and our mothers talk a lot to each other. I’m keeping it a secret because the boys might misunderstand it, and I don’t want it if they said something because of it.’

I wonder if that convinced them. Many of them were snickering when I explained.”

“But that explanation was quite clever.”

Naoto was impressed.

“I frantically made it up while in the restroom! Spare me the trouble of doing that next time.

How about you, are you alright?”

“From what?”

Naoto jolted.

——Could it be, did she found out I was crying?

“Weren’t you questioned about anything? Like what happened earlier”

Naoto felt relieved when Natsuki cleared up her question.

“Ah, so that’s what you meant.

I was questioned by Ninomiya-kun, but I told him it was nothing so it should be fine.”

“That’s totally not fine at all. If it happens again, it will be too suspicious.”

“But it looks like there was no other way around it. That’s the only way you can call up someone from a crowd to leave while making everyone else wait in the classroom.”

“If we keep doing what we did earlier every day, we’ll be the topic of rumors, you know? ……Though I’m perfectly fine with that.”

“I’m not really concerned if that happens too though.”

“Really?”

“Of course. Because, above all else, Oshida-san’s health is of utmost priority, right?

Oh, but if you were involved in a rumor with someone like me, it’ll just stress you out and worsen your condition. Then we should really avoid standing out, huh?”

“Maybe, but I’ll be alright even if that happens, though……?”

Natsuki said while taking a peek at Naoto’s expression.

“Maybe is not good at all. In this world, rumors keep piling up one after another. It’s not weird if one day, something like ‘What will that guy do, taking her to such a place with no people?’ came floating around.

Some guy with the wrong idea might come out thinking ‘So that gal is that easy, huh?’, I would hate it if some pervert takes advantage of Oshida-san because of that.”

Naoto says with a serious face while still massaging Natsuki’s feet.

“I see……”

Natsuki felt kindness coming from Naoto through his words and from the warmth of his hand.

“—–Oh, yeah, maybe it will be better if I prepare ahead of time before classes end.

For example, before our five-minute break, if you need to go to the restroom, we make a sign beforehand like making an making your eraser stand on your desk.

Then when breaktime comes, I’ll strike up a conversation with you. Then while chatting with each other, we smoothly get out of the classroom. The plan is to get you out before you were surrounded by the others.”

“That’s a good plan, in my opinion. But Morita-kun, are you capable of keeping up a conversation while going out of the classroom?”

“I-, I’ll do my best. I also want to be able to chat in school like the way I’m doing here right now.”

“Got it. Let’s do our best together.”

Natsuki smiled full of energy.

“I’ll also think of other ways I can call you out. I’ll do my best not to be a bother to you as much as possible.

I implore you, give me another chance.”

“I as well, ask the same of you.”

“Eh, Oshida-san, you started speaking all polite again.”

“Eeeh? But it’s because Morita-kun started with ‘I implore you’. I can’t reply with something like ‘I’ll give you another chance’ now, can I?”

“I see, sorry. I also said it this morning, but it’s just too funny speaking politely between the two of us.”

Naoto smiled bashfully when he recalled what happened.

“I’ll just say it in now, but it’s because Morita-kun started calling me ‘Oshida-san’”

“But calling you Natsuki is bad, isn’t it? If I call you that, the rumors will just spread like wildfire. They will start asking what the relationship between the two of us is, it will be troublesome for the both of us.”

“Even so, you should’ve consulted with me before calling me ‘Oshida-san’. It really shook me, you know.”

“That’s… you’re right, I’m sorry. Its’ just that… I don’t want Oshida-san to hate me.”

“So, you just don’t want to me to hate you, huh?”

“Un.”

“Then I won’t hate you. Happy?”

“Un.”

“Morita-kun, you’re being somewhat honest right now, aren’t you? You really haven’t explained it to me until now.”

“When we happened to meet in the morning, when I thought I might be of help to you especially now that you’re in need, all fear in me just vanished.”

“What, am I that scary?”

“No, not you. I was just afraid of the possibility that you might hate me.

It’s just that I don’t know how a thing about a girl’s feelings.”

“I won’t come to hate you. Definitely won’t.”

“Definitely?”

“Definitely. Promise.”

“……Thanks.”

“You know, something like this happened before, right?”

“Really?”

“Back when we were still grade schoolers, when the boys in your class won’t believe you, after going home, without putting away your backpack, you came to me and while crying, you asked me ‘You will definitely marry me, right? You really mean it, right? Absolutely, right?’”

“That did happen………”

Naoto’s reply trailed off because of too much embarrassment.

“When I said ‘Definitely, promise’, Morita-kun hugged me tightly while telling me ‘I love you Natsuki’. That was very cute of you——-.”

Natsuki laughed while imitating past Naoto.

“Don’t move your legs too much, you’re wearing a skirt…”

“Ah, in the past during summer, you used to lift up my skirt by fanning it with a paper fan. Now you’re acting like a gentleman.”

“Of course I would. If I do this with an ulterior motive, Oshida-san will be disgusted with me, and if that happens, that’s one less person to massage you to warm you up. Until your condition gets better, I have no time to be fooling around.”

“One less person? More like Morita-kun is the only person I can ask with this.

If I ask my friends, they will think I’m being self-important, and I don’t want to burden my parents with this.”

“Is that so.”

Naoto replied while feeling dejected.

If she’s asking me for things that she can’t ask her friends to do, then does that mean there’s no chance of us being friends again? Maybe she’s just letting me massage her because she had no choice and after completely recovering, we will not be on speaking terms again.

……But she told me that she doesn’t hate me. So maybe if I do my best……

While holding back his tears, Naoto looked up at Natsuki’s face.

“Then, I’ll do my best, so…”

Natsuki fixed her eyes at Naoto waiting for the next words to come, but he just smiled, looked back down at Natsuki’s foot and continued massaging it.

Natsuki, who was waiting for the next words,

“Huh? You’ll do you best so… what’s next?”

She asked Naoto.

“Uh, no, I mean I feel like I have to do my best…”

“You have to do your best so…… don’t you want something in return?”

“I have no need of any reward.”

“Hmmm? Raise your face again. Look me in the eye. For five seconds.”

After saying this, Natsuki stared intently at Naoto’s eyes.

Naoto, who felt like his heart is being seen through,

“I, I’m sorry.”

Suddenly apologized.

“Even if Morita-kun tries to hide it, I somewhat know it, you know?

Don’t try to act cool and tell me.”

“…If I must say it.”

“Yes, you must.”

“First, I’m already thankful that you are speaking with me like this.

Then, if Oshida-san get better, that’s more than enough for me. That’s why, maybe I just want you to get well.

Also, I want Oshida-san to be more honest with Oshida-san’s mom. It’s Oshida-san’s mother after all, the first ones that can help you whenever you’re in a pinch is your family.”

“Then, Morita-kun, will you take care of me until I recover?”

“If you’re alright with someone like me.”

“Yay! Then it’s a promise.”

Natsuki expressed her joy by flailing her legs.

“A-, As I said! You’re wearing a skirt so it’s dangerous!”

“Morita-kun, it’s somewhat weird when you say things like that.

You used to tickle my feet and lift my skirt in the past.”

“What’s weird are my braincells at that time. What I’m doing now is normal. This is how a man should act.”

“But you’re sneaking a peek at my skirt every now and then all this time, aren’t you? You love skirts even now?”

“Yes I am, I am very sorry. Whenever you knees move I just instinctively…

Even though you entrusted me with massaging you, it’s bad if I look at you weirdly, isn’t it?”

“Your right. As punishment I’ll have you massage me again tomorrow, okay?”

“You will let me do it again tomorrow?”

“What’s with the happy face? Tomorrow, to be safe, I might have you blindfolded while massaging me.”

“Even then, I’m happy.”

“Cause Morita-kun is a pervert, right?”

“That’s not it! That’s not what I’m happy about!”

While Naoto is protesting, Natsuki is having a hearty laugh.

In order to avert his gaze from Natsuki’s swinging thighs, Naoto looked down with a red face. When Natsuki noticed, she went even crazier and laughed her heart out.