My Beautiful Childhood Friend Is Working in a Maid Cafe For Some Reason - Chapter 107

“Ah, hey! Senpai! Yukina-senpai!”

Tadokoro’s loud voice echoed as Yukina and I headed toward her.

After leaving the ring toss stall, Yukina and I continued to wander around when I received a message from Tadokoro.

The message said that the fireworks would start soon, so we should gather.

So, Yukina and I headed toward the meeting spot Tadokoro had mentioned.

When we arrived, we found Tadokoro, who looked like she was fully enjoying the festival, and Akiba, who seemed completely drained.

Tadokoro was holding a yo-yo and a candy apple, and there was a strange character mask tilted on her head.

“Here, Yukina-senpai. A candy apple for you. Sorry about earlier.”

“Oh, thank you.”

“You seem to be having a lot of fun.”

“Of course! I came to the festival, so I’ve got to enjoy it! Plus, Akiba-senpai treated me so much, I’m fully satisfied.”

Well, I had somewhat expected it, but it seemed Akiba had been drained of money by Tadokoro to the point of exhaustion. Poor guy.

“Yuu-kun, do you want a bite?”

Yukina, already munching on the candy apple Tadokoro gave her, offered it to me, but I declined.

“I’m still full, so I’ll pass.”

I had eaten a lot earlier, keeping up with Yukina, so I still felt too stuffed to eat anything more.

We decided to move to a spot where the fireworks would be easier to see.

However, the place was crowded, making it hard to move.

Plus, with everyone moving at once, it became difficult to keep up, and I started to lose sight of the group.

“We should stick together as we move—”

Just as Tadokoro said that, she suddenly vanished from my sight.

It seemed like her sandal strap broke, and she almost tripped. At the same time, a wave of people surged forward, making things worse.

“Yuu-kun!”

“Oyama!”

Yukina and Akiba, who were walking ahead, called out to me, but I couldn’t leave Tadokoro alone here.

Besides, it was too late to catch up to them now.

I’d meet up with them later. Right now, I have to focus on Tadokoro.

“Are you okay?”

“Senpai…”

Looking closer, I noticed blood between her fingers.

“Ahaha, it hurts a little.”

“Can you walk?”

“Yes. So, please go on ahead, Senpai. I’ll be fine.”

“Come on, there’s no way I’m leaving you behind. Here.”

I turned my back to her and crouched down.

“Uh…what are you doing?”

“You know what this is. I’m giving you a piggyback.”

“I-I can walk just fine!”

“You’re lying.”

I could tell from Tadokoro’s awkward smile.

It was a weak smile, one she likely forced to avoid worrying me.

“Come on, just hop on already.”

“D-don’t complain about how heavy I am…I’m worried because you’re not very tactful, Senpai.”

Despite her protest, Tadokoro reluctantly clung to my back.

As I stood up, I didn’t feel any real weight.

After all, Tadokoro was still a girl.

“So, um…what now…?”

“Don’t worry. You’re not heavy at all. In fact, I’m grateful for the, uh, softness pressing against my back.”

Maybe the reason I didn’t feel the weight was because of the soft sensation against my back.

“Wha—! You’re the worst! A pervert! Senpai, you idiot! Put me down right now!”

I had only said that to lighten the mood, but it seemed to have the opposite effect. She started smacking me while squirming around. I couldn’t see her face, but I was sure Tadokoro was blushing furiously in anger.

“S-sorry! I was just joking, really. It was just a joke!”

“Ugh…Senpai, are you that frustrated? I’ll tell Yukina-senpai about this, you know…”

“Please, no! Tadokoro-sama, I beg you! I’ll carry you with the utmost care, so please don’t tell Yukina!”

“Then…be gentle, okay?”

She wrapped her arms around my neck and fully leaned against my back.

I could feel her soft chest pressing against me more than before, the closeness becoming even more intense.

“H-hey…you’re pressing up against me.”

“It’s fine. Consider it a reward. Enjoy it all you want.”

“That phrasing sounds a little off, but…just hold on tight, okay?”

“Okay…”

With that, I headed toward a small medical tent set up nearby, where they could provide basic first aid. All the while, I prayed that she wouldn’t notice how fast my heart was beating.

At this point, even if we went back, the place would be packed with people, making it hard to move around. You could see the fireworks from anywhere, so there was no point in rushing to a crowded spot.

After we reached the medical tent, I set Tadokoro down and explained the situation. They gave us disinfectant and some bandages.

“Senpai, how did you know about this place?”

“I found it while I was walking around with Yukina. You hear a lot about people getting hurt at festivals, so it’s good to know there’s a place like this.”

While explaining, I sent a message to Yukina and Akiba, letting them know that Tadokoro was injured and that we were at the medical tent. They should be able to find us here.

“Do you think you can handle it yourself?”

Sitting in a chair, Tadokoro held the disinfectant and bandages in her hands but didn’t move. Though she didn’t say anything, it was clear she couldn’t do it herself.

I took the disinfectant from her and knelt down, reaching for her barefoot.

“Eek! W-what are you doing?! I’ll report you!”

“Don’t report me; I’m disinfecting your wound. It’s a treatment.”

“But still…touching me out of nowhere is a foul move! It’s fine because it’s me, but if it were a stranger, it’d be a serious offense!”

“Of course, I know that much. This might sting a little, so bear with it.”

I applied the disinfectant to the reddened area, and her body jolted in response.

“I guess wearing a yukata was a mistake. If I hadn’t worn it, I wouldn’t have bothered you or gotten separated from the others.”

“Don’t blame yourself. You look good in a yukata, and it’s not a problem at all.”

“Senpai…Hey, why are you being so kind to me?”

“I’m not being particularly kind.”

“You are.”

“Well, maybe it’s because you asked me to be gentle earlier.”

Anyone would do this much. Helping a junior in need is just the natural thing to do.

But maybe I was putting in a bit more effort because it was Tadokoro. If it were a stranger, I probably would’ve just brought them here and left them to someone else.

“Do you know why I never call you by your name, Senpai?”

Now that she mentioned it, I realized that she had never once called me by my name before.

“I’ve never really thought about it.”

“Senpai…you’re way too easygoing.”

“What’s that supposed to mean…? So, why don’t you call me by my name?”

“Because you’re special. Not calling you by your name makes you feel more special, doesn’t it?”

“Personally, I’d prefer it if you just called me by my name.”

After all, being left out doesn’t feel great. Even though her reasoning made it seem special, it felt like being excluded. If people I didn’t care about ignored me, I wouldn’t mind, but if it were someone close to me, I’d feel sad.

“All done.”

I finished the first aid on Tadokoro.

However, there was one problem left: her broken sandal strap.

I had no idea how to fix it.

“You’ll have to fix your sandal yourself.”

I handed the sandal back to her, and, as expected, Tadokoro, with her impressive skills, fixed it quickly and efficiently.

Just then, a loud boom echoed in the distance. The fireworks had started.

“They’ve begun…”

“Yeah. But Yukina and Akiba are late. I hope they haven’t gotten lost somewhere…”

I checked my phone, but there were no messages. It was probably just taking them a while because of the crowd.

“Senpai, did you know?”

“Know what?”

“There’s a superstition that if you confess while the fireworks are going off, it’ll be successful.”

“Really? Girls seem to like that kind of stuff.”

“You’re so indifferent.”

“Well, to be honest, I think superstitions are just convenient stories people make up to give themselves courage. It’s all nonsense.”

If such a superstition existed, everyone would confess during fireworks. But they don’t, because deep down, they know it’s just a lie.

“Heh, I used to think so too. But…”

Tadokoro’s words were drowned out by the sound of the fireworks. I took a step closer to confirm what she said, but it was pointless. In the brief silence between the fireworks, Tadokoro spoke again.

“Yusuke-senpai…I like you. I like you a lot.”