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

Talking About Iida While He’s Away. Then Talking About That Person

“That bastard, he revealed even about that thing? And like that he just made his getaway.”

Naoto was exasperated. As promised, he replaced Iida in playing the medal game with the three girls.

“That person’s a bit mean, right? Is what he said.”

Sakurako still haven’t had enough of the story, so immediately after switching places, she had Naoto to continue telling them about their past.

“It looked like Iida glorified me in his story, but the truth is actually different. There’s something I haven’t told Iida after all.”

“Is that so? I was touched by his story though.”

Sakurako made a surprised face.

“E—-r, where should I begin? ……Natsuki, have you told these two about the time when your stomach was aching?”

“Ah, yeah. I told them how kind you are by always taking care of me. I told them a few days before Christmas. They teased me for that.”

“I guess its fine to just casually tell them everything, then.

First, during our graduation ceremony, she asked me if we could write together on her graduation yearbook, even in my graduation yearbook, she asked me ‘Is it okay if I write here?’, so I had her write.”

“Why?!”

Sakurako was astonished.

“Yeah, even I went ‘Why?!’ I thought she hated me when I confessed, so that was unexpected. That person gave me her pen, but my hand was trembling so much I couldn’t write well.”

Naoto laughed while making a gesture like he’s writing.

“By the way, what did you write?”

“At the time, my mind was confused on why that person gave me her pen that I couldn’t think of anything, but I think I wrote ‘I’m really glad that I met you.’ I couldn’t remember it clearly, but at the time I thought there’s nothing else to do but write what I’m really feeling.”

“How were you able to write such a thing?! Come on, Natsuki, give him a hug.”

It was too much for Natsuki to hug him in such a place, but she made do with grasping Naoto’s hand. Naoto smiled in response.

“I wasn’t able to ask that person anything at all back then, but thinking about it in her perspective, it must’ve taken quite the courage to be able to ask me to write together. Like, it would be fine even if it wasn’t me. If it’s other people on her shoes, would they ask the person they dumped for such a thing on a whim?”

“I wouldn’t, or rather, I couldn’t. being able to easily talk with a person I just dumped like, unless we agreed to just be friends, it’s impossible.”

Said Sakurako. The other two nodded in agreement.

Seeing their response, Naoto became curious whether girls as cute as these three had experienced being confessed to as he suspected.

As he was thinking such unnecessary things, at that instant, he forgot what they were talking about. Suddenly, he cannot form words to say, in his search for help he met eyes with Natsuki. Natsuki stayed holding his hand, all the while staring at him without saying anything. For Naoto, it had the same impact as the face Natsuki made during Christmas Eve, which lifted up his spirit. It was relaxing, like it’s telling him she’s watching over him, so it’s alright if he slowly told his story.

“Sorry, please wait one moment.”

Naoto said to the other three, after which, without hurrying, he composed himself, then closed his eyes.

Natsuki didn’t say anything. Aki and Sakurako also waited without saying a thing. Naoto recalled what story he wanted to tell, took a deep breath, and started talking again.

“As we finished writing on each other’s yearbook, I was so nervous my memory of it was a bit hazy, but she might have told me thanks. Then, I thought, maybe she might have reflected about saying too much that day, or she might’ve even regretted doing it, those sorts of things were going through my mind. After all, until she rejected me, I thought of her as a kind person.

Ultimately, she only really acted strange like that on the day she rejected me. Until then, she was very kind, and just days before our graduation ceremony, while were in the same group making a newspaper-like thing, even though we didn’t talk to each other more than what was necessary, she was not openly avoiding me either. She was even kind to me during our graduation ceremony.

……what are your thoughts on that?”

“Somehow, rather than your story being different from Iida-kun’s story, in an instant, I couldn’t understand it at all. If we go with your story, then that person is a good person.”

“Iida went out of the classroom after all, so he didn’t know that she wrote on my yearbook.

So maybe, in Iida’s mind, he still views that person as the worst to this day, as a result he has glorified the me of that time.”

“If he knew that happened, his impression would’ve changed after all. If she really only acted that way on the day you confessed, there must’ve been a reason behind that.”

“If only I talked to her during our graduation ceremony and asked her why she acted like that back then, we might’ve made up, then wouldn’t it be possible for that person and Iida to be together?

More specifically, if I talked to that person that day after she left class early, her condition might’ve been different, and things would’ve developed differently. I’m extremely pathetic, after all.”

“About that, though, couldn’t Iida have asked that question any time as well? The day after Morita-kun was turned down, if Iida properly had a coolheaded talk with that person, they might have come to an understanding.”

“But it was because I told Iida everything that person told me when she rejected me that made him angry. As I thought, if only I asked her about her body’s condition on the day after she left early, even if she rejected me, she might’ve not resorted to saying things like that.”

“Like I was saying, Iida-kun could’ve asked about that as well, right? If, on the day after she left classes early, he went to her and told her ‘I was worried about you yesterday’, at that moment, it’s possible they would end up going out with each other.”

“That thought didn’t even crossed my mind.”

Naoto was amazed.

“Morita-kun, you blame yourself too much! Because Iida-kun did not do anything, he just led himself into not getting that girl, nothing more and nothing less. That’s his just desserts for not acting when big opportunity showed themselves many times.”

Sakurako said with all her conviction.

Naoto was impressed.

“Hirose-san’s way of thinking is amazing. I haven’t even entertained the idea of blaming Iida for not taking action at all. I’ve only realized it when you told it to me just now. Even Iida did not include that to the reason when he apologized to me, so I didn’t notice that might be the reason at all. Iida might not be thinking when he acted as well.”

“One person can only have a narrow view of the whole thing, that’s why when there’s something you don’t understand yourself, it’s all the more important to consult with the people around you. Confide with Natsuki. With Iida-kun. You can confide with us as well.”

“Then there’s something I want to ask Ninomiya-san and Hirose-san. Is it alright?”

“Not to Natsuki?! Well, it’s fine by me though.”

“There’s something worrying me, but I’m troubled whether to consult with Natsuki or with Iida.”

“E—h? Since it’s Morita-kun, it feels like it’s about something trivial. Like, it’s something you can easily say.”

“You know, I actually met that person once after our graduation ceremony, that tie, I made some blunder again. Or rather, I’ve done something bad to Iida. Also, there’s a feeling of guilt towards Natsuki because of that.”

“It looks like quite the heavy topic.”

“That’s why I’m troubled by it.”

“If you want to seriously consult with us, were here to listen.”

“E—r…… If possible, I want to talk about it in my home.”

“Eh, we’ll be under Natsuki’s jealous rage. You want us to be your girlfriends too?”

Natsuki laughed,

“Wait a minute! I won’t be giving you Nao-kun, just so you know!”

She told Sakurako.

“You call him Nao-kun? Can we also call you that?”

“You can’t! Get off of Nao-kun!”

“Let’s call him Nao-kun while we’re in Nao-kun’s room.”

“No way! Stop seducing him!”

Seeing Natsuki and Sakurako lively fooling around, Naoto calmed down.

That moment.

“Looks lively here. Something happened?”

Iida returned, asking Sakurako.

“Aki and I were told ‘Come to my house after this.’ Morita-kun will be taking us out to his home.”

Sakurako intentionally explained in a way that will surprise Iida.

“Haa?!”

Iida reacted in the way Sakurako wanted him to.

“Somehow—- Morita-kun wants to talk about something he can only say while in his room.”

“You’re kidding me.”

“It’s true.”

“Th, then, will you go, to Morita’s house?!”

“We’ll go. With the way Morita-kun passionately begged us, it’s hard to refuse.”

“Would it perhaps be possible for me to accompany you as well?”

For some reason, Iida spoke in a formal manner.

“Isn’t it supposed to be a secret to Iida-kun?”

Sakurako asked Naoto.

“Yeah”

Naoto answered.

“Bastard, you betrayed me!”

While laughing, Iida acted like he’s angry.

Naoto loved doing cheap acts like this with Iida. He went with the flow,

“I decided to stop backing you up, Iida. Just now, Hirose-san told me something awesome. Want to know?”

He suggestively said to Iida.

“Eh, wha-, wha-, what was that awesome thing?!”

For some reason, Iida was trembling.

“To put it simply, she told me that the one who wasn’t able to be honest with a girl is the one who’s in the wrong. If you’re frustrated on your blunder, then I might invite you as well. In this world, honesty is the best policy. The one who can say his feelings properly wins.

By mustering up my courage I’m able to go out with Natsuki. I was able to invite Ninomiya-san and Hirose-san to my room as well.

Iida, you didn’t do anything back in middle school. You even skipped out of making that newspaper with that person, you blatantly ran away. I didn’t skip out on it, so come graduation ceremony I was able to write together with that person on our yearbooks, she even told me how thankful she was.”

“What was that?! Why were you on good terms?!”

“While were writing together, she wrote something nice to me, after all. Right now, I’ll be showing Ninomiya-san and Hirose-san my yearbook at home and show the part that person wrote at, I’ll be asking them the meaning of it and if it means she’s a good person after all.”

“What did she write there?”

“Even if you see what’s written, you won’t be taking action at all, so it’s meaningless to show it to you. You don’t even try your best, dude.”

“Please, show it to me too! I’ll do my best from now on so bring me with you!”

“Can you promise that? If you’re serious about it, I’ll let you join us.”

“Eh, what do you mean?”

“For instance, if it appears that the person we liked was a good person after all, will you be able to earnestly speak to her once again?”

“As in, seriously?”

“Seriously. Rather, it will be one if it happens, anyway. Will you be able to talk to her?”

“I like to say I can, but I really don’t know.”

“Well, think about it until we arrive at my home. Whether you can talk to her or not.”

“Gotcha.”

After speaking with Iida,

“Will you come as well, Natsuki?”

Naoto asked Natsuki. Unlike when he spoke to Iida, he asked her in a kind tone.

“I might end up crying. Will you be fine with that?”

“It’s okay, you can even slap me like in the past.”

“Then I’ll go. I’ll slap you.”

Natsuki laughed with all her might while holding back her tears. Her hand that’s holding Naoto’s hand was shaking.

After several seconds,

“……Eh? Did I used to slap you in the past?”

Asked Natsuki.

“At the park in front of the church, you slapped me when you saw me playing with an unknown girl at the sandpit.”

“Did I do something like that?!”

“You did.”

“Why?!”

“When I got lost, our parents and Natsuki were looking for me, when you found me playing carefreely you snapped, you rushed at me and proceeded to slap me.”

“What the heck? Natsuki you’re scary.”

Sakurako, who was listening to the conversation, said without thinking.

“But after she slapped me, she was worried so much about me that she cried.”

Naoto continued.

“Ah, I remembered that I cried! That was quite a huge park, wasn’t it? The cake that we ate there was delicious, why don’t we go look for it next time?”

“I really wanted to eat Mont Blanc back then. But Natsuki had both of us order strawberry shortcake, even though I can’t eat it since it’s sour, you had me do it so you can eat my share as well. Don’t you ‘Don’t worry, I’ll eat your strawberry’ me.”

“Is that what happened?”

“That’s what happened.”

As expected,

“Natsuki, your quite good at conveniently forgetting things you don’t want to remember, huh? It looked like you were bullying Morita-kun.”

Sakurako pointed out.

“It’s perfectly fine! He almost assaulted me in the past, anyway!”

Natsuki rebutted, blushing from ear to ear.

“Eeh——-?!”

At that bombshell statement, of course Sakurako did, but even Aki was surprised.

“That’s why, you’ll forgive me with as much as slapping you, right?”

Natsuki, with face still blushing, posed a question to Naoto.

“Un. Rather, if it looks like I’m going the wrong path, will Natsuki set me straight by slapping me?”