My Beautiful Childhood Friend Is Working in a Maid Cafe For Some Reason - Chapter 108

What Yukina said wasn’t a direct “I love you.” It was a roundabout and indirect way of saying that she had always liked me.

But Tadokoro was different. She said it clearly, in a way that left no doubt about her feelings.

It was short, but I’ve lived for seventeen years now.

Even thinking back over those years, have I ever been told “I love you” this clearly?

Not from my family.

Not from childhood friends who I treated with familial love.

No. No one had ever said that to me.

In fact, I never expected anyone to say it.

Those words are meant for someone special.

I always thought that the person who says them and the person who hears them would be just one.

That’s why I didn’t know what to do when someone said those special words to me.

It’s not because I lacked experience.

Of course, experience makes a big difference. With it, you can respond more appropriately and handle the situation with less hurt and confusion.

But that’s not what this is about.

It’s because those feelings are something you have to cherish. You can’t treat them carelessly.

“Tadokoro…”

I heard it clearly.

Somewhere deep inside, I had a feeling—maybe—this was coming.

But I didn’t want to make it real, so I forced myself to pretend not to notice.

But I couldn’t lie to myself anymore. One look at Tadokoro’s face, and I couldn’t ignore it. I had no choice but to realize it.

Her eyes were teary, and her ears were bright red. She was trembling visibly, and I couldn’t imagine how much courage it must have taken to say those words. It wasn’t something you could measure.

But I couldn’t respond to that. I couldn’t say the words Tadokoro wanted to hear.

Because even though Tadokoro was being serious, all I could think about was Yukina.

If I were to go out with Tadokoro, we would surely have fun together. We’d hold hands, laugh at our usual conversations, and enjoy each other’s company.

It’s easy to imagine that kind of future, even though it’s only been just over a year since we’ve known each other.

But still. Before that vision, Yukina appeared. Her smile came to mind instantly.

“I…”

As soon as I opened my mouth, I heard two sounds.

One was the sound of fireworks. The fireworks going off continuously in the sky.

The other sound came from right behind me. It was the unique sound of someone stepping on sand. When I turned around, there was Yukina, her eyes wide, covering her mouth with her hand.

From that reaction alone, I understood.

She had heard. She had overheard everything.

And then, Yukina turned her back.

“I-I’m sorry…for interrupting…”

She ran off.

I didn’t miss the sight of a tear flying through the air as she did.

“Yukina…”

I wanted to chase after her. I had to catch her and not let her go, or I was afraid of what she might do.

But my legs wouldn’t move. I couldn’t move them.

I thought it would be the worst to leave Tadokoro without giving her an answer and just chase after Yukina.

“Tadokoro…I’m sorry, I—”

“Haha, I guess you really can’t trust those superstitions, huh?”

When I turned to face Tadokoro, she scratched the back of her head and laughed. It was as if she was pretending to be cheerful, to hide her sadness.

“Oh, and don’t worry about it, Senpai. I don’t really like you like that. I just wanted to see if that superstition was true or not.”

It was an obvious lie. After seeing her face, I wasn’t stupid or oblivious enough to fall for that.

But I didn’t know what else to say. No matter what I said, I wouldn’t be able to respond to her feelings.

So in the end, I went along with it.

“I see…It was a lie, huh. Then I need to clear up the misunderstanding with Yukina.”

“Yeah. You should go chase after her, Senpai.”

“You’re right. I’ll do that.”

I turned my back on Tadokoro and started running after Yukina.

But before I could, there was something I had to say.

“Thank you.”

“…I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Hearing that reply, I started running.

◆◆◆◆

Ah, he’s gone.

After Senpai left, I couldn’t move from that spot.

It wasn’t because I was sad about being rejected. It wasn’t because I was in pain, or because it was hard, or because I was frustrated.

Absolutely not.

Because I knew this was going to happen.

Senpai has someone else.

No matter what I did, I knew I’d never be able to reach him.

Just looking at the two of them made that much obvious.

That’s why I didn’t plan to say anything.

I didn’t want things to get awkward, and I was fine staying the annoying junior who teased him like always.

But I ended up saying it.

The feelings I tried to hide just came out naturally.

And in the end, I lied to myself and got rejected…What a fool.

“Phew, finally made it.”

“You’re late, Akiba Senpai.”

“There are so many people, it can’t be helped. Couples holding hands, blocking the way…This is why I want to stay inside during summer break.”

“Heh heh, summer festivals are a couple’s paradise.”

Akiba-senpai sat down next to me, leaving one seat between us.

“So, why are you hiding your face behind that mask?”

“Just felt like it. This mask you bought for me is great!”

“I don’t get what’s so great about it.”

Akiba-senpai asked casually, even though I was hiding my face behind the mask so no one would see me.

“By the way, shouldn’t you be watching the fireworks? They’re going off non-stop right now.”

“I was never interested in fireworks to begin with. Don’t you want to go watch them? You were looking forward to it, weren’t you?”

“I…”

The words got stuck in my throat.

What did I really want? Did I want to watch them with just Senpai? Or did I want to see them with the four of us?

I couldn’t figure out my feelings.

If I wanted to watch them just the two of us, I should’ve asked him to.
But even if I had, Senpai wouldn’t have come.

If I hadn’t said “the four of us,” this day wouldn’t have even happened.

I just wasn’t that kind of person to Senpai.

“I…”

As I thought about that, I suddenly started shaking uncontrollably.

My eyes were hot, and I felt like I was about to cry.

But I held it in.

I didn’t want Akiba-senpai, sitting next to me, to see me like this. I didn’t want anyone to see me like this, acting so out of character.

“…Senpai, since you’re here, you should at least watch the fireworks.”

I wanted to be alone. If I were alone, I could cry and get it out of my system.

Then, I could go back to how things always were…

“Besides, you hate loud noises, right? I might get noisy again if you stay.”

“Yeah, that’s true.”

“So—”

“—But today, no matter how noisy it gets, it doesn’t bother me. There’s been a sound louder than you going off this whole time.”

“…W-What’s that supposed to mean?”

It felt like he was telling me it was okay to cry.

And just like that, my strength seemed to drain from my body.

“…Ahh…ugh…”

When I hung my head, tears started falling onto my mask.

They dripped and dripped, streaming down my cheeks over and over.

“What’s the deal…what’s the deal with childhood friends? It’s not fair.”

I didn’t know Senpai had a childhood friend.

I always thought that, since Senpai was into maids, no girl would ever want to go out with him. I figured he’d never get a girlfriend in his life.

At first, I thought he seemed interesting, but he gave off an otaku vibe, and I thought he was a bit weird. He was harsh with his words and ignored me when we first met.

But before I knew it, we started hanging out. He was so gentle in his subtle ways, and that made me happy. Before I realized it, I had fallen for him. I didn’t even understand what it meant to fall in love, but I realized that liking someone could happen from such simple things.

But Senpai had a childhood friend.

When I first met Yukina-senpai, I didn’t even notice.

When I was trying to hide how nervous I was around Senpai and teasing him as usual, I had no idea.

Back then, they just seemed like classmates who didn’t get along.

But they were childhood friends who had known each other for ages…and even though they liked each other, they weren’t dating.

There was no way I could win. No matter what I did, I didn’t stand a chance.

I regretted not telling him sooner.

Knowing their feelings and hiding mine was so painful.

I wished I hadn’t fallen in love, knowing it was hopeless.

But I had fallen in love…

“It’s sad…it hurts…it’s so painful…it’s so frustrating…”

I kept crying while the sound of the fireworks drowned out my sobs.

I cried and cried and cried.

At that moment, I didn’t think about anything. I just cried.