My Beautiful Childhood Friend Is Working in a Maid Cafe For Some Reason

“So, who’s this Kaze-chan you were talking about earlier?”

Since Yukina and Akiba hadn’t arrived yet, I waited a little longer with Tadokoro. I tried to find a topic of conversation that wouldn’t require much thought and decided to ask about Kaze-chan.

“She was a friend from middle school. We lost touch after starting high school, but she was the one I was closest to.”

“Hmm, a middle school friend, huh?”

“What, you’re not interested?”

“No, I just noticed how different you are when you’re around her compared to when you’re with us. Right, Sakuya-chan?”

“Wh-what?!”

As soon as I said it with a teasing grin, her face turned bright red, just as I had expected.

“I-it’s fine! What’s the problem? Is it bad?”

“I never said it was bad, did I? Sakuya-chan.”

“Don’t call me by my name!”

“Why not? Kaze-chan called you by it, didn’t she?”

“But you’re not allowed to! Absolutely not!”

She started hitting me lightly while glaring.

Oh, if I tease her any more, she’ll get really mad. It’s a shame, though. Her reactions are so fun to watch, but I should stop now.

I raised both hands to signal surrender, and Tadokoro stopped hitting me. However, her face remained red, either from embarrassment or anger.

“Hey, I was thinking…If you act like you do with Kaze-chan, wouldn’t it be easier to make more friends?”

It might be meddlesome, but in half a year, we’ll be graduating. What will happen to Tadokoro then? She probably has people she can talk to. But she might lose the motivation to come to school again.

I don’t believe school has to be a fun place.

In fact, I kind of think school is like a prison of sorts.

Even so, if you’re going to be there, it should be enjoyable. It has to be better that way.

It’s not like graduation will cut off my connection with Tadokoro. But naturally, we’ll see less of each other.

That’s why, even if it’s not someone as important as Kaze-chan, I hope she finds someone she can at least call a friend.

“It’s not like I’m looking for friends or anything.”

“Well, it’s up to you, Tadokoro. I’m not saying you have to.”

“…Are you worried about me?”

“Kind of. I am your senior, after all.”

“You really like to act like a senior, don’t you? Well, I appreciate it.”

Tadokoro grinned as she said this.

I wasn’t sure what she found so amusing, but I scratched the back of my head, deciding it didn’t matter.

“By the way, what were you talking to Kaze-chan about?”

“Uh…n-nothing important.”

She said this, but her wandering eyes made it obvious she was lying. Her cheeks, which had cooled down, were turning red again.

“It couldn’t have been nothing. You looked pretty flustered.”

“G-girls have their own girl stuff to talk about, okay? Senpai, you should try to understand a girl’s heart more. Seriously!”

She leaned in, saying it with an intense energy.

Wait, why does it feel like I’m being scolded? Understand a girl’s heart, she says…I guess that’s still beyond me.

“I-I’ll work on it. But hey, wasn’t I right about one thing?”

“About what?”

“That you’re cute. Even Kaze-chan said so, didn’t she?”

I’m pretty sure I was right about that. Kaze-chan also said she was cute, so my eyes didn’t deceive me.

“S-stop it! That’s what I mean when I say you don’t understand!”

Just as she was about to hit me again, I felt a sharp impact on my back.

With a loud thud, a painful sensation ran through me.

I turned around, thinking I might have bumped into a kid, and a pleasant fragrance filled the air.

“Sorry to keep you waiting, Yuu-kun!”

It was Yukina. She gazed at me with a beaming smile, wearing an outfit different from her usual.

She was dressed in a refreshing white one-piece dress, as if to chase away the summer heat.

I’d seen her in a dress before when we argued, but this one was a different color. This time, it was white, perfectly complementing her beautiful black hair. I guess you could call it a “fresh beauty” look…Anyway, it really suited her.

“Yukina-senpai! You look super cute!”

Before I could say anything, Tadokoro excitedly shouted, her hands clasped in front of her, breathing heavily.

Yukina, however, didn’t pay Tadokoro much attention, brushing her off lightly.

“Thanks.”

Then she turned to me.

“What do you think, Yuu-kun? Does it look good on me?”

Tilting her head and striking a cutesy pose, she looked up at me with sparkling eyes. Her soft hair swayed elegantly.

“Y-yeah, it looks great. Really cute…”

Honestly, no other words came to mind.

But there wasn’t any need for more. That was my genuine feeling.

However, I felt much more nervous saying it to Yukina than to Tadokoro. I also get nervous with Tadokoro, but with Yukina, the pressure is even greater.

“Hehe, thanks!”

The difference in how she treated Tadokoro and me was huge…But when she smiled at me like that, I couldn’t bring myself to care.

“Ahh, Yukina-senpai is really cute…She looks good in anything. Honestly, the other day I was wondering why she was wearing her school tracksuit, but even that looked great on her.”

“Uh, isn’t a school tracksuit for training camps?”

“Only for people in actual clubs. We’re free to wear what we want.”

“Really? I thought the bear hoodie was odd when it came out.”

“I really wanted to see Yukina-senpai in her pajamas!”

Well, she would’ve been in her tracksuit either way. That’s what I thought to myself.

“And while she looks great in this one-piece dress, I wish I could have seen her in a yukata too.”

I have to agree. Her dress is cute, and I’m happy to see it, but today’s a summer festival. I’m not saying she had to wear a yukata, but I did kind of want to see her in one.

“Hey, are you picking a fight? Huh, are you?”

“W-what did I do?!”

“Hmph.”

The mood between them suddenly became tense. Even Tadokoro didn’t seem to know why.

“S-senpai, what’s going on with Yukina-senpai?”

“No idea.”

I whispered back. But Tadokoro, you were the one telling me to understand girls’ hearts, and now even you don’t get it?

“Hey! Don’t whisper like that!”

“S-sorry!”

Tadokoro stood up straight and saluted when Yukina pointed a sharp finger at us.

“Well, anyway…Let’s get along, okay? It’s a festival, after all.”

I stepped in between them, trying to smooth things over.