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

The Courage to Hold One’s Hand

“It’s not like I’m smitten with Tachibana-san, so as long as it would not worsen her fear of men, it doesn’t concern me. What would Natsuki think about it, though?”

While walking at the restaurant’s parking lot with unsteady steps, Naoto asked Aki.

When Aki was asked that, she remembered Natsuki.

“That’s right, I also wanted to ask that, that’s why I called you outside. Does Natsuki not know of Morita-kun’s novels?”

“A week ago, when she asked me what my hobbies are, I said ‘video games, manga, and novels’, but she didn’t react to it.”

“Your way of answering, wouldn’t she think that you’re on the reading side of it? Did she follow it up with another question?”

“No, she didn’t ask for details. I thought it would just be in bad taste if I took my way to say ‘even though I said novels, I’m also writing one, you know’ like I’m wanting her to be interested about that detail. So I didn’t say it.”

“Wouldn’t it be better if you just tell her about it properly?”

“Even though I already told her novels are my hobby? It’s kinda scary, won’t she hate me if I show her that thing?”

“If you don’t properly tell her in advance, keeping it like some sort of secret would not be good in the future. If she found out that I knew about your novels all along, her feelings would be hurt, you know.”

“Ah—…… seeing that Aki-san found out about it, the sooner I tell her, the better, huh.”

Naoto, mixing up Aki with the character from his novel, said unintentionally.

“Ninomiya-san, right? Sorry.”

He corrected himself.

“I’m fine with both.”

Aki laughed.

“Is that so? Actually, calling you Ninomiya-san has become a something like a form of two timing in my mind, sounds, complicated, right? It’s like, because Ninomiya-san makes me think of Aki-san (first name), which makes me think of Aki-san (the novel character).

Even yesterday, there were quite a few times when I suddenly couldn’t say out your name. Whenever something like that happens, is it fine if I call you Aki-san?”

“Yeah”

“Thank you. Er, what’re we talking about again?”

“Whether we should tell Natsuki and Haruka-san about your novels.”

“Wait a minute, naturally we have to read them over once more first, right?”

“Then, gathering up your courage and telling them will be my character modelling fee.”

“That’s expensive.”

“It’s already bargain price, you know.

Because, while sucking the takoyaki stick where ‘Aki-san’ ate, thinking of my hand as ‘Aki-san’s’ hand, and while thinking it was ‘Aki-san’ and her friend ‘Natsu-san’s’ fault, as I mutter ‘Aki-san’, for how many times until midnight I…… what was it again?”

Aki broadly thought back on one part of the novel.

“Don’t memorize it word-for-word. And no, that’s only a novel so I just exaggerated things, but in truth I threw away that stick, I really felt guilty about it so I only did it two times.”

“Only two times. Even if you say out an honest-sounding number, I’m still bothered, you know.”

Aki smiled, her face blushing.

“Is that bad?”

“It’s not. But immediately writing a chapter based about it the night of the day we ate takoyaki, maybe the timing is really bad as I thought.

It’s somehow embarrassing, that I wasn’t able to apologize to you the next day for seeing your novel. I’m sorry that I kept it a secret up until now.”

“No, I apologize as well. I just did something akin to sexual harassment, right?”

“It’s alright, I didn’t have any unpleasant feeling about it after all.

That line in the novel, ‘What face should I make if I see Aki-san tomorrow? In the first place, if only I could get a glimpse of Natsu’s panties just like in the old days. If only I could do that, I wouldn’t have the time to have delusions about Aki-san. Should I use this opportunity to call her out, use the shoulder massage ticket she gave me long ago and demand that she massage my shoulders while I’m facing upward?’, was too amusing.

Having her read that part might be difficult for Tachibana-san.”

“There’s the part about sucking the stick after all…… Oh right, how did ‘Zakkubaran’-san react to that part?”

“That girl likes the ero scenes in Morita-kun’s novels after all.

Like on that scene when the protagonist mended his friendship with Na-chan, where she’s crying while facing upwards and the tears were accumulating on her ears, when for some reason, the protagonist sucked them up, and got really excited and told her ‘I’ll erase these trails of tears for you.’, and using that as an excuse, he started licking all the tears up. When she read that part, she was all ‘It’s so funny and erotic, it’s really good.’”

“Is it okay to tell me all of that?”

“Well, she did say her impression as well, so even if keep it a secret…”

“Aah, she did write her impressions. Hmmm—, I really want to listen to ‘Zakkubaran’-san’s opinion. It seems like she’s the number one reader of my novels after all.”

“Should I call her?”

“Yeah. Please try calling her.”

“Yup, yup.”

Aki brought out her smartphone and started tinkering with it.

“Is it okay if I talk to her from the start? I love those scenes in manga where you answer the phone then a mysterious person talks from the other end. I can use her reaction to it as reference when I’m writing novels.”

“I get you, I get you. Ah, it’s already connected though.”

Aki held out her smartphone.

Naoto took it, and placed it on his ear.

“Moshimoshi, what’s up?”

Hatsumi sounded easygoing on the other end. Of course, it’s because she thought that it was Aki on the other end.

“Good day. Do you know who I am?”

First, Naoto ascertained if his voice doesn’t give up his identity.

“Eh, who is this? Is this Aki’s boyfriend?”

“I write novels under the name ‘Muda na Mukuchi’. Hatsumi-san, you’re ‘Zakkubaran’-san, aren’t you? Thank you very much for always commenting on your impressions.”

“Eeeh—–?! Ah, I, I’m always enjoy reading your stories!”

“I’m sorry for calling you so suddenly today.”

“That’s perfectly fine by me, although I don’t know what kind of situation am I in right now……”

“Recently, I privately began a friendly relationship with Aki…”

“Aah! Speaking of, she’s been acting strange at school!”

“So, were in a bit of a difficult problem right now, and I thought of receiving some courage from Hatsumi-san, that’s why I had her call you. I apologize.”

“Don’t be, don’t be, I’m very happy right now.”

“I want to speak with you in detail later, but right now I’m, er…. have things like from the past that I have to settle, how should I put it? No, saying something like settling something from the past is a bit overexaggerating it. I’m meeting right now with the person I used to have feelings for in the past.

Then, that person told me that she like an essay that I wrote. Aki told me to tell that person about the novel I’m writing, but that person is suffering from a phobia of men, you see.

My sexual desires are fully revealed on my novels, so I am lost thinking if it’s alright to show such a thing to her.”

“In that case, first, hide the fact that it has a continuation, then, through a printed copy or a screenshot, just show her the first chapter of ‘Haru and Natsu’, how about that? It’s very beautiful from start to end. Then you can show the other chapters based on her reaction.”

“Aah, that’s a very good idea. I’m glad that I asked Hatsumi-san about this, thank you very much.”

“Don’t mention it! I just said what’s a bit on my mind.”

“I’m sorry, I want to tell her about the novel without delay. If Hatsumi-san has the time, let’s talk again but in a more leisurely pace next time.”

“Let’s! Um, Aki talked to me a bit about this today, but when she told me that she would introduce me to you, I didn’t really understand it that well so I refused, but it was all my misunderstanding, I didn’t mean to! Can you please tell that to Aki for me as well?”

“Is that about meeting me in person just like Aki?”

“Ah, no, I’m good with over the phone or in person, whichever you prefer.”

After Naoto confirmed that there were no people passing by in the area,

“If you come wearing your cutest clothes and underwear just like Aki, I would be more than glad to meet with Hatsumi. Well then, I’m really out of time here, so I’m going to hang up now. Sorry, see you tomorrow.”

Saying that, he ended the call.

“……Well, it was somehow unplanned, so it ended up in a weird situation.”

While returning the smartphone to Aki, Naoto grinned and laughed without raising his voice.

“Hold on! You made it sound like you did something to me, Morita-kun. Hatsumi’ll be questioning me about it later.”

Although that’s what she’s saying, Aki was laughing like Naoto.

“Sorry, sorry. This is something fine doing once, so I tried saying it. If you really love my novels, you get it, right? I like this kind of fantasy very much.

I’ll apologize to Sasahara-san come tomorrow. I’ll tell her something like ‘If you tell someone, I’ll be punished, I couldn’t tell you anything until tomorrow’, as long as I make her think there’s a deep meaning to it for one day, then all will be good.”

“Hatsumi might be very surprised, you know.”

“Today, Sasahara-san thinks there’s something between me and Ninomiya-san, and she’s just making assumptions about this and that, right? Like, how it might become awkward if I call her again, or what could be my true identity. I couldn’t get enough of those kinds of things.

If there was time, I wanted to do as much as take a picture of Ninomiya-san in blindfold, handcuffs and collar and send it to Sassahara-san.”

“Morita-kun, your delusions are out of this world.”

“I write novels because I like having delusions. If you just show me a little bit of kindness, I’ll be having a delusion about you at random.

Ninomiya-san, eating a takoyaki given to you by a guy and not throwing out the stick afterwards was careless. There was yesterday as well, when you stroked my back while I’m crying. I would obviously make a novel chapter about that immediately.”

“I didn’t think I would receive that much gratitude by just stroking someone’s back.”

Aki blushed, remembering the novel update that morning.

“It’s because being touched like that was not really unpleasant for me. I thought that you really think of me as a friend, and it made me happy. If only I could be friends with Sasahara-san just like I became friends with Ninomiya-san.

Sasahara-san’s amazing. She immediately came up with the idea of showing first the first chapter of ‘Haru and Natsu’.”

“You just deceived such a person, though.”

“Speaking of which, is Sasahara-san fine with such things? Me and Iida do that kind of fooling around often, but there are also people who hate being tricked.

If, by any chance, she’s the kind who hates pranks, I would write lots of novel chapters as compensation, but do you think she’ll forgive me?”

“Hatsumi laughed because of a planned prank before, and she really likes April Fools.”

“Then, it should be fine. Because of Sasahara-san, I got confidence in my novels, so should we go back now?

I couldn’t see that well from here, but at some point, Iida has moved seats, and it looked like he’s speaking with Natsuki.”

“Natsuki’s laughing, huh.”

“That bastard, what’s he doing not talking with Tachibana-san and doing something to Natsuki? I should’ve had Iida walk outside with me when I came out, and have him squat on the sidewalk.”

Naoto said with a serious expression, which made Aki burst into laughter.

“Gee, I was a fool to leave everything here to Iida. You, I’ll have you squat a hundred times inside the train on the way home.”

Returning to his seat beside Natsuki, Naoto told Iida.

“Why?! I did my best here.”

Iida complained to Naoto.

“Livening up everything as usual. I’m about to confess something about my hobby, now you made it so hard for me.”

“I heard nothing about that! It’s just fine if you up and say it now, right?”

Iida, who’s not in the know about the circumstances, laughed and answered just like whenever they quarrel with each other.

“I don’t want to say it, but Ninomiya-san threatened me into doing so.”

Naoto joked to ease his nervousness, to which everyone laughed.

“I didn’t threaten you! You volunteered to do it!”

Aki hurriedly denied.

Naoto was glad that the place livened up,

“Ninomiya-san told me that she’ll stop me from getting any taller if I don’t say it. Iida not getting any taller, and Nagatomo-san not getting any taller, all of it was the work of Ninomiya-san.”

He joked around even more.

“Eh—–, Ninomiya-san, you’re so mean—–.”

Makoto amusingly went with it, and placed her hand on top of Aki’s fist on top of the table.

“I don’t have such a superpower, you know?! And I don’t have anything against Nagatomo-san.”

Aki joined her palm together with Makoto’s while laughing.

While looking at everyone laughing, Naoto thought once again about the novel.

That’s right, everyone here laughs along with my silly topics. At least one of them might really read my novel. I’ll do my best to tell them about it.

After waiting until it got silent, Naoto started talking.

“Tachibana-san, thank you for praising my essay earlier. I’ve been sluggishly writing a novel, so it’s a great encouragement to me.

Natsuki as well, for crying for me, I couldn’t contain my happiness because of that. I wanted to cry together with you.”

Hearing the word novel, Haruka’s eyes sparkled.

“What kind of novel do you write, Morita-kun? I want to read it!”

“It’s okay if you read it, but don’t expect too much. Unlike my essay, it’s not something I can show to a teacher after all. It’s something I’m writing really leisurely. I don’t know if it’s something Tachibana-san will like.”

“It’s alright, it’s alright. How long is it?”

“E—rm…… if written on a manuscript, it might be about 700 pages long. I think it’s about short of two books.”

“That’s really a novel, then! Uwa—–, I’m very excited right now!”

Haruka became even more delighted, she was really excited.

“I already told you, don’t expect too much from it.”

“This is bad, wow. Somehow, I’m really happy. Is it okay if I shake hands with you?”

“Will you be okay touching a guy?”

“Right now I can do it, maybe. I feel that my fear of touching men went to zero.”

“Is it alright if I shake hands with her, Natsuki?”

Haruka really got too much into his novel, so Naoto was worried about Natsuki becoming jealous.

“Yeah, hurry up and shake her hand.”

Natsuki kindly said.