It’s Too Early to be Having Newlywed Syndrome! ~Childhood Friends Who Rekindled their Love for Each Other ~

The Guy Who Gets Easily Carried Away

“That was really cheap. And delicious to boot.”

Iida, who just finished his okonomiyaki, expressed his satisfaction.

“It was handmade by Sakurako after all.”

Aki added.

“Yes, that’s it! Thank you very much. I forgot how many years it’s been since I last ate one, but I was able to eat okonomiyaki after a long time.”

Iida expressed his gratitude to Sakurako.

“Haven’t you eaten even with your family? Is that kind of thing embarrassing for guys?”

Sakurako asked.

“Iida’s family is often busy, they don’t have much opportunity eating together. Even during Christmas and New Year’s. On Christmas Day the year before last we ate curry at a curry shop then played video games, and during last year’s New Year’s Day we ate gyudon at a gyudon shop, then went to the arcade.”

Thinking that the person himself find it difficult to say, Naoto said it in his stead.

“Eeh—-. If you’re family’s that busy, then you won’t have a chance eating at an okonomiyaki shop at all then.”

Sakurako said.

“I like curry and gyudon so I don’t mind, but sure enough I already had enough of those. That’s why my I’m really touched with the homemade feeling of the okonomiyaki I ate today.

I’m really happy that everyone invited me here, and even made me okonomiyaki. It was the best!”

“It’s kinda embarrassing if you say that much. If only I’ve made your okonomiyaki more thoroughly.

Hey, hey, you can just drop the honorific when talking with me, you know?”

“Nah, I’m the kind of guy who gets easily carried away, bit-by-bit.”

“Iida-kun, you’re quite the serious person despite your appearance, huh. I kind of understand now how you are good friends with Morita-kun.”

“I have narrow eyes, so I’m often told how I have a bad attitude, but I’m perfectly safe to approach.”

Iida replied to Aki, so she,

“See, he’s a serious person, isn’t he?”

Asked Naoto’s approval.

“I can’t really see him as a serious person.”

Naoto readily disagreed.

“Just why, weren’t we the serious bros?”

Iida said.

“Because, you backed out from doing that newspaper-like thing with the last group back in middle school.”

“You’re weird for assuming I’ll be able to peacefully cooperate when that person is in that group! I want to eat another serving of okonomiyaki so back me up here, you fool!”

“Look, you just said ‘you fool’”

“Ah, no, I don’t mean to say that Morita-kun.”

“You don’t even call me Morita-kun, you!”

“Back in middle school, we used to call each other Morita kun and Iida-kun, didn’t we Morita-kun?”

“I did call you Iida-kun at the beginning, but from the start you were all Morita Morita!”

“You fool, in my heart I’ve been respecting you!”

“What kind of disgusting things are you babbling about?”

When she saw Naoto, who’s very nervous earlier, relaxing a bit and fooling around with Iida, Natsuki released a sigh of relief.

It was supposed to be a date with just the two of us, however because of me it became like this, but it’s good that Nao-kun is able to have fun even with this. While thinking that, she saw Naoto smiling.

“Really, you’re all such good people. I had lots of fun. I never had such fun conversation with girls from our class before.”

While Iida was speaking in a good mood, he’s shaking his shoulders.

“I was very parched. I haven’t seen a drink bar quickly run out like this before.”

Naoto, while rubbing his own shoulders, shook his body.

The reason for their shaking was because they’re taking a piss at the okonomiyaki shop’s restroom.

“Everyone has eaten, and those who want to go to the restroom already went, looks like we’ll be leaving the store soon. What’re we doing afterwards again?”

Iida asked while washing his hands.

“I have no idea. Or rather, there’s no such plan on the schedule, you know.”

“I don’t have anything to do after all, how about we go straight to the arcade?”

“You go convince them. I’m already exhausted. For the most part, those girls might not be free after this.”

“Do you have any good invitation lines? Ones that won’t get them aversive.”

“There’s no way I would know of such great technique.”

“In the first place, those girls don’t look like they don’t go to arcades, do they?”

“Ah, there’s a game in the arcade where you only need to press three buttons, right? Oshida-san like those games, so Hirose-san might be into those games as well. She like console games that have those as mini-games after all. She’s the type of person who clears all the puzzle games in an RPG.”

“You serious?! Then try to convince them to go to the arcade.”

“Why do I have to be the one to do it?”

“You’ll easily be able to convince Oshida-san, if she decides to go, then the other two will surely go with her.”

“I’m already tired, though, I don’t want to think of what to say right now.”

“I’m begging you here! When my chances of going out with that person was ruined, in a certain way you’re responsible for that, you know?”

“Well, being told that surely hurts my feelings. Alright, I’ll do it. But I’ll only do it in a normal way, without any theatrics or any weirdness, you get that?”

“OK. Alright, let’s go back.”

As they went out of the shop, Naoto began talking to Natsuki.

“Um, Oshida-san. About what to do after this, if it’s all right, with everyone, only if it’s alright of course, the one we talked about before, at the arcade, the one where you only have to press three buttons…. What is it called again?”

With utmost determination, Naoto’s way of invitation was so not normal.

Iida, who got nervous just by looking at Naoto, felt that it would’ve been better if he did the inviting, deeply regretting his decision to leave it to Naoto.

“Ah, I like that game very much. I haven’t played it before, but I know about it from reading manga.”

As expected, the one who said that was Sakurako.

“Then let’s go right now, to the arcade that is.”

Iida, already impatient, said it himself.

“We also talk about the arcade whenever we look at it from the outside. We always say how we all want to go there together if we have the time.”

Said Sakurako.

“Could it be possible, that I’m included in that everyone?”

Iida asked Sakurako.

“Of course, you’re included.”

“I’m glad—- It’s already a given that on top of crashing your party, I ended up doing most of the talking, moreover I even had you make my okonomiyaki, I’m worried that you might be thinking I’m brazen or a nuisance.”

“It’s alright. You’re thoughtful enough to get things for us, we even talk about how kind and gentlemanly you are.”

Naoto, who was always anxious around strangers, while listening to the conversation between the two, can’t help but feel admiration for Iida for being able to have a friendly conversation with people of the opposite sex in just one day.

“This one, I played it a long time ago with my dad at another arcade! The one I played was the old version, so I didn’t know this exists.”

Aki, who’s the only one not playing and was just watching how the situation develops, raised her voice as the game’s tutorial began.

“Then you should play too, Aki.”

“But only up to four people can play, right?”

“I also like watching someone else play games, so how about we switch on the next minigame? My part-time job’s near here so I can play this anytime.”

Said Naoto. It was because he felt he’ll feel more at ease just spectating since that meant he wouldn’t be needing to talk that much.

“Come on, Ninomiya-san, join us, join us! Morita and Oshida can just play on one controller together. It’s better for the two of them to be playing together, right?”

Iida suggested.

“Will you be joining?”

Naoto asked Aki.

“Pardon me. I’ll be playing.”

Aki switched places with Naoto.

“Ah, Morita and Oshida-san, just like we did in the past, you’re not allowed to assign which buttons each of you will press, you’ll be too strong we allow you to do that.”

Iida added a rule.

“That’s kind of impossible, though.”

Naoto, who just in time, thought about talking about assigning what buttons each of them will press to Natsuki, panicked.

“Morita-kun hit my hand extremely hard. That’s violence.”

After playing the game, Natsuki intentionally rubbed her hand exaggeratingly.

“You’re the worst—–”

“How mea—-n. That’s domestic violence, you know.”

Sakurako and Aki jeered him in amusement.

“No, I’m telling you that arrangement was impossible. We just happened to press the same button at the same time. It’s Iida’s fault for making such an absurd rule.”

Naoto blamed Iida.

“But I was just thinking that it will give you many chances to touch each other’s hands, you know? You want to touch them, that’s why you obediently followed my rule, didn’t you?

I know well how your brain works, you. Actually, you should be offering your gratitude to me.”

Iida teased Naoto.

“Th, this guy’s getting carried away.”

Naoto, who guessed right, was red in the face.

“On the 4-player token game above, let’s use that rule as well.”

“I won’t be doing that!”

“It looks like gloomy pervert Morita wants to play the 4-player token game, so should we head to the tokens area?”

“It’s okay—–”

“I’m not following that rule again, I’ll have you know!”