It’s Too Early to be Having Newlywed Syndrome! ~Childhood Friends Who Rekindled their Love for Each Other ~ - 4 - 22 - Why is It Me?!
Why is It Me?!
“Must be pressuring to have Haruka-san looking forward to reading your novel.”
“Even if she decided to look forward to it, it’s not my problem. It’s the fault of the one who decided to be hyped by my essay.”
Naoto lightly replied to Natsuki’s question.
“Is that the case?”
“My main worry is whether it will be alright for Tachibana-san to read the scenes that were based on my sexual desires. For now, I’ll just observe what happens next, I’ll make her read the first chapter that has no erotic scenes, and if she said she wants to read more, that’s when I’ll think about things.
If the novel that someone’s been wanting to read was not what they expected in terms of quality or story direction, then there’s nothing that can be done about that. The least you can do is to not offend them with sexual harassment-ish scenes that they lose trust in men. In a certain way, I don’t really care about Tachibana-san’s impression of my novel, it won’t bother me even if she’ll say it’s boring.
It’s the same case with whatever Natsuki will say about my novel upon reading it. It won’t bother me if you say it’s boring, what I’m worried about is if you feel it’s revolting that you’ll say you want to break up with me. It’s just that, Ninomiya-san told me it will be all fine, so I’m less worried about Natsuki’s impressions than I am with Tachibana-san’s. Moreover, she’ll also help me with grammar checks.
——On that line of thought, I’m actually thinking of asking Nagatomo-san to help with the grammar checks……but just the first chapter will take more than an hour, so it’ll be quite the work.”
Makoto said “I’ll read it! I’ll read it!” happily.
“It sounds interesting, so I want to read it even if it’s not for Haruka.
Also, I’m happy that Haruka and Morita-kun were able to shake hands. While I’m escorting Haruka to the family restaurant, I kept saying ‘Morita-kun is not mad at you’ near her, and while we just barely entered the store, her spirit was already up like that.
She still can’t hold a conversation like that, you know? Last year, while we’re on the shopping mall, I just left her for a moment to go to the toilet, and when I returned, a male sales clerk was asking her to answer a questionnaire, her face was so pale back then.”
“Uwa…… that looks rough. It’s not unusual for high school girls to have an unexpected contact with guys, after all.”
“That’s right. Also, when someone riding a bicycle goes to her direction, when she thinks that she might bump into it, she worries about getting yelled at. It’s like she’s being nervous. She also can’t handle riding elevators alone, so she came to our meeting place walking up the stairs.
That’s why, she was happy saying the she might improve a little from now on.”
“If that’s the case, then that means she’s really intent on going to Health Land, huh.”
“She said that as long as nothing bad happens, she’ll go.”
“Then, as I thought, maybe I should have Nagatomo-san read my novel. It would be a shame if she ends up being mistrustful of men because of my novel. No, it might just be me being extremely self-conscious, though. My novel got everyone’s interest so there’s small chance that might be the case.”
“It’s not you being extremely self-conscious. It gave Haruka considerable encouragement. If your novel is interesting, it might make her more cheerful.”
At that moment,
“So that’s the case is that it, Nagatomo-san needs to read the novel as well, so she’ll be busy for a while, huh. That’s problematic.”
When Iida spoke, he mentioned Makoto’s name.
“What’s the problem, Iida-kun?”
Makoto looked with curiosity at Iida.
“No, it’s just that, I ‘m actually worried of what to wear to Health Land after all. Somehow, I’m feeling quite shameful seeing that my worry is actually trivial compared to everyone else’s.”
Sakurako, looking impatient,
“I-, I’m free starting tomorrow…… or rather I’m free for a while, so should I accompany you?”
She said. Originally, Sakurako was planning to volunteer once her eyes met with Iida, so she was happy at the opportunity.
“Is that alright with you? Nah, I’m really worried about it, truly.”
“Yeah, I know. Speaking of clothes, the more you think they’re normal, the more you worry about it. Like, is this combination strange, or something.”
“That’s right! Even when I’m just going to the convenience store, I would always think that I have to change my pants after all, then proceed to do that. Even though it’s late at night and I won’t be bumping into any girls, I would end up thinking like it was just a waste of time.”
“That happens to me as well. Especially during summer. Even though I’ll just be meeting up with Natsuki and the others, I would end up thinking things like, this level of exposure is too high—, or if someone try to hit on me, it’ll only bother Natsuki and everyone. But it was hotter than I expected it would be.”
“So increasing the level of exposure really ups the possibility of being hit on?”
“Not significantly, but it’s very easy to tell when they want to call out to you.”
“Uwa—, I somehow feel like I need to apologize for my fellow guys.”
“Ah, I don’t mean it as a complaint…… I keep a mentality of ‘if a guy with clothing like this goes into my direction, I’ll put up my guard’ to some degree, and I think that much might be helping.”
“Uwa, I very thankful or that. I wanted to know about things like that. You mean those playboy-looking or threatening looking guys, right?”
“Those guys who calls out to girls even though they’re wearing a flashy dragon embroidered clothes, or those with mohawks, and those who doesn’t even hide their dangerous aura in their appearance then hit on you, those types are scary.”
“Well, I don’t really have any of that. My main worries are things like changing my shoes and such.”
“Ah. I have a shirt with a crocodile embroidery. I’m so glad I heard about that.”
Naoto sai while meeting eyes with Natsuki.
Natsuki, having no memory of such a thing,
“Did you have such a shirt?”
“When I thought it was just a plain shirt, when I wore it, somehow, there was a crocodile on the chest part.”
“That’s just a logo! That very small embroidery, right? That kind of small logo is not frightening at all.”
Saying that, as Natsuki laughed, everyone else laughed as well.
“I see, so that much small is fine, huh. No, that is fairly realistic, so won’t you get conscious of it? Like, ‘when you look closely at this spider design, it’s quite unsettling isn’t it?’ or something.”
Naoto felt relieved while blushing.
At that point, Iida said “But listen here” while laughing.
“I got caught up in everyone’s laughter, but I myself am worried about that kind of thing. A I thought, would it be a bother to Hirose-san if I had ger help me coordinate my clothes?”
Naoto had an exasperated face while looking at Iida.
“Oi, you’re that kind of thinking is rude, you know. Even though Hirose-san said that she’s okay joining you, to then be reserved about it, that’s completely like us back in middle school.
If she finds checking your clothes coordination is a bother, then she would’ve ignored your complaining earlier.”
“No, that might’ve been the case, but…… That has been my line of thinking for a long time, so I immediately became anxious about it.”
“We understand each other so it’s all fine. Probably, Hirose-san and the others have also come to understand that behavior of ours, so in the worst case, they must’ve just been fine with it.
But I don’t know if Tachibana-san will come to understand it. Tachibana-san has lots of worries, after all. Or rather, Tachibana-san’s worries are definitely heavier than yours.
There might only be a few times where Tachibana-san can muster up haer courage and call out to you at Health Land.
It feels like I already said this before, but we should get used to being honest with our feelings and be glad if a girl does some kindness to us.”
“Uwa, you’re making sense. I’m pretty pathetic. Even today, she forced herself far more than me to come to this meet-up.”
“Don’t you always follow that kind of statement up with ‘Because Haruka means far, get it’?”
“No, I haven’t even said such a thing even once!”
Iida denied with a red face.
“Well, putting aside the Haruka puns that I remember back in middle school……”
Said Naoto.
“I won’t be inviting Tachibana-san a second time, so if you don’t do something, next time will be your last chance, you hear? I you keep acting reserved like when we were attending the same school, then the whole day would pass before you know it.
I did think ‘It’s hard to strike a conversation with a person with fear of men’, so you also thought the same, right?”
“I’m ashamed to admit it, but yes I did think of that.”
“Then, if it happens that Tachibana-san was the one to start a conversation with you, it’ll be better to be honestly show that you’re happy about it, at least that’s my thought. If you act reserved even to Hirose-san who doesn’t suffer from fear of men, then when you have the chance to talk with Tachibana-san, that habit of yours will definitely rear its head.
In the event that Tachibana-san says ‘I want us to go on a trip like this again’, and you reply with ‘You don’t have to force yourself’, it’ll make her silent for the rest of the conversation, and that’ll be the end of it. Even if you want to act reserved about it, there’s a better way of saying it, like ‘I’m happy that you invited me, but is that alright with you?’”
“Would that immediately fix my habit?”
“Nah dude, you ‘re strong point is being able to say things such as ‘Don’t mind’ and ‘Thank you’ to guys in situations like during gym class, and lately you’re befriended other girls as well. Weren’t you able to take a picture of Natsuki and me without any pressure? That’s the closest you have to a first meeting with her, you know.”
“Our first meeting. I’ve probably seen her a few times when we were playing card games around your apartment, but the one where I took your pics does feel like our first meeting.”
“When Hirose-san told you that she’ll accompany you in checking what you’ll wear, the normal Iida would’ve been more overjoyed before acting a little reserved.
Yesterday, when I sent you a message saying that you’ll be able to eat okonomiyaki, you’re so overjoyed you even went in front of our classroom, and when Hirose-san made you okonomiyaki, didn’t you honestly express how happy you were? At that time when we ate okonomiyaki, it really hit me when you expressed your impression and your happiness at the situation. If that’s the case, then I want to go eat okonomiyaki like this again, that’s how much I thought while Iida was eating okonomiyaki.
What happened to you today? Didn’t you just returned back to the Iida who mostly couldn’t talk with girls?”
“No that is, how should I say it…… It’s because I just after our meet-up with Tachibana-san, so I’m feeling fluffy and I’m quite embarrassed……
Hirose-san, thank you—— I should’ve said those words properly, huh. I’m sorry, Hirose-san.”
“It’s okay. I totally get it, so it’s alright. So that means you’re alright with me checking your choice of clothes, right? It’s not like you hate going with me, is it?”
“Then, I ask you to accompany me, please. I’m thankful to hear your feedback with my outfit coordination. I was also happy with yesterday. It might seem like it reeks of lies since I’m saying it now, but I really am happy. Yesterday and today as well.”
Iida rubbed his nose while blushing.
Naoto smiled seeing Iida’s state.
“So you can be honest if you try your best a bit. I think you should keep that until the end of our time at Health Land. If you don’t make assumptions and practice to prepare for it, you’ll end up in a panic.
Today, I myself was in panic while on the phone with Sasahara-san. However, I’m in it for tomorrow, how should I apologize? I could just blame the entire thing on Iida to get out of it.”
“Why put the blame on me? Though I don’t really care if you do, though.”
“Well, in exchange, I’ll help you practice on what to do until the day of our trip to Health Land.”
“Practice, how?”
“Just how to hold conversation with girls normally.
Remember when the principal called us for an interview practice since we’re aiming for the same school together?”
“Aah, that was really embarrassing.”
“That was just a bit of a practice on how to respond, but I think that it was quite effective. That’s why I think it would be good to do something like that beforehand. Today until in the middle of our meetup, you’re more nervous than you were during the interview, aren’t you?”
“I was more nervous than during the interview! If I remember right, on the day of the interview, my mom brought me to an odd coffee shop in front of the school where we ate.”
“Right? On the other hand, while I didn’t eat anything on the day of the interview, today I did. Even though normally, I’m the one who’s supposed to be bad at dealing with people, conversely, I was the one who had an appetite.
That’s why I think that if we decide what to talk about beforehand like we did during our interview, Iida will be have to handle a conversation more smoothly. Like saying something like this if she greets you first. Unlike me, Iida can better read if the other person is in good health or in a good mood, so you’ll be able to handle the conversation as planned.
Me, I can’t do such a thing. When I thought to call Natsuki to my room to ask if she has a boyfriend, it took me an hour to decide on that course of action. I prepared what to say in case she answered she have a boyfriend, what to say if she answered she has none, what to say if she tells me it’s sexual harassment……also about inviting her to play a game after asking her if she’s in a good mood. When I’m done asking her, I couldn’t read her mood, and I forgot what I planned to say in such a case, that I ended up saying ‘What now?’ in a very conceited-sounding way.”
Natsuki opened her mouth.
“You were very cute at that time—. Although I’m considerably nervous when I went to your room, Nao-kun’s nervousness was really showing when he was speaking, making me laugh internally.”
“What the heck—— even though I was really frantic back then.”
“Sorry, sorry. ——If I answered that I have a boyfriend, what would you have done?”
“If it was a boyfriend whose dragging Natsuki to places even though she’s ill, I was planning to go and ask him to tone it down while your condition is bad. If, despite all of that, your boyfriend turns out to be inconsiderate, I thought the only choice was to tell Natsuki’s father about your boyfriend and convince him of my point, I’ve thought of those and other things. However, when I thought of Natsuki telling me I’m being nosy with her boyfriend and end up hating me again, tears flowed from my eyes for about 15 seconds.
While thinking of what to do in case you answered you have a boyfriend, 5 hours passed but it wasn’t enough to come up with an idea, so I decided just to think about it if you answered such, and for the time being I called you to my room.”
“Then, you felled relieved when you heard I don’t have a boyfriend?”
“I was relieved, and happy at that. I thought that since you don’t have a boyfriend, we can hang out every now and then.”
“You did look like you were really glad about that. You showed me such a happy face, that I decided to stay for a while.”
“That’s right, I was also happy when you did that. That you didn’t go home for a while, that you gave me lap pillow, cleaned my ear, invited me for Christmas, made a promise to come to my place of work, I was happy for all of it on that day. It was like a dream, it really felt like we were back to being friends.”
At that moment, Iida, without thinking,
“Nah, nah, you should’ve said it all the way until she became your girlfriend. Why you stop until being just friends?”
He teased Naoto.
“Get off my case, Iida, you’re not the one who got rejected by Tachibana-san. Tachibana-san, whom I considered as a friend at least, told me ‘Are you stupid?’ you know. Moreover, Natsuki discovered my sexual desires in the past. I’m wondering if she was just testing my reasoning, that and other things would obviously go through my mind.”
“So what was it really? Were you testing him?”
Sakurako became curious, and asked Natsuki.
“Hmm—? I wasn’t testing him. I love you, I really love you, I just secretly told him that in my mind. On that day, I mean.”
“On that day, you said, that’s really suggesting something.”
“Because, until that day, I don’t know whether Nao-kun loves me or not, and he might already have a girlfriend, for all I know. I’m afraid of going assertively about it.
After that, ever since hearing him saying ‘I love her, but I can’t confess’ via eavesdropping, all my worries about him hating me if I come too assertive have vanished into air, so I was able to tease him in relief.”
“Eh—-, I feel sorry for morita-kun.”
“Because, once I found out that he loves me but couldn’t confess to me, I thought it would be fun.
I dragged him out to a date on a Sunday, grabbed his hand, and when I asked him ‘Does it look like we’re going out with each other? What should I say if I friend of mine finds us?’, Nao-kun told me ‘You can just say I forced you to go with me, and that I was the one who made you hold my hand.’ I told him ‘If I explain it like that, the other girls will come to hate you.’, and he replied ‘If the alternative will be Oshida-san getting in trouble, being ignored by all the girls will be enough price to avoid it.’”
“Hearing that, I think I might have a nosebleed.”
“And then, when I said ‘That’s such a bother, so I’ll just tell them you’re my boyfriend’, he told me ‘If you do that, the guys that like you or interested in you will misunderstand that Oshida-san already have a boyfriend.’, and he looked like he’s about to cry while saying that. Then I told him ‘I only Morita-kun among the guys, so you’re the perfect repellant.’, he told me ‘Then, if it’s alright with you, you can call me by my first name. Don’t worry, I won’t misunderstand.’, he explained. That’s why I purposefully asked him ‘Misunderstand what?’”
“That’s nasty!”
“So while smiling, he answered ‘That Oshida-san is my girlfriend, I fully understand that there’s no way something dream-like like that will come true. I’ll act as your boyfriend without misunderstanding anything, so compared to other guys, you can call me by my first name without worry.’ I thought to myself, ah, I want to tell him I love him so much, then I felt my chest tightened.”
“Then tell him!”
“I couldn’t tell him like that in public.”
“Why can’t you do that when you’re capable of being assertive?”
“Because, it’s outdoors you know?”
“Don’t suddenly say something so sensible now.”
“But it’s all fine. Because I told him ‘Then, it’s fine if I act more girlfriend-like, right?’, then wrapped my arms around his and pressed my chest to it.”
“That’s not fine at all. If you do something like that, the rate of tissue consumption will reach dangerous levels, you know.”
“I don’t know anything about that.
Also, after that, when I got sleepy while in Nao-kun’s room, I pretended to sleep, but he didn’t do anything to me. He just covered my skirt with a blanket. I thought, you think I’ll be able to sleep if you do that to me, idiot, then without a choice, I woke up.”
“Natsuki’s an idiot after all. Go and apologize to Morita-kun.”
“Eh—, It’s kinda Nao-kun’s fault for not confessing.”
“You know, it feels like in the past, you also seduced Morita-kun non-stop until his sense of reason vanished, right?”
“That’s definitely what happened.”
Natsuki, who were being made fun of by Aki and Sakurako, hid behind Naoto,
“Nao-kun, they’re bullying me. Let them have the sexual harassment that you’re good at.”
“Can I also bully Natsuki tonight?”
“Why is it me you’re sexually harassing?!”