My Beautiful Childhood Friend Is Working in a Maid Cafe For Some Reason - Chapter 109

Where could Yukina have gone?

It hadn’t been long since Yukina ran off, yet she was nowhere to be found.

No matter how carefully I searched the area, making sure not to overlook anything, I couldn’t find her anywhere.

There were just too many people. Families with children, couples—everywhere I looked, it was crowded.

“Hah…hah…”

I ran and ran, but I couldn’t find her.

Everyone was too caught up in the fireworks, and it was making it harder for me.

Maybe she had already gone home. Or maybe she was somewhere, crying, hugging her knees.

That thought only made my anxiety grow.

—Yukina. Yukina. Yukina. Yukina. Yukina. Yukina. Yukina. Yukina. Yukina. Yukina. Yukina. Yukina. Yukina. Yukina. Yukina. Yukina. Yukina. Yukina. Yukina. Yukina.

“Yukina—!”

Even though I yelled her name as loud as I could, there was no response from her. Instead, I just got strange looks from the people around me.

…Where did she go?

I started running again. I checked all the stalls I had passed earlier, looking everywhere for her.

But she was nowhere to be found.

“…Yukina.”

I tried calling her, but it didn’t go through. All I could hear was the lifeless beeping of a disconnected line.

I kept running.

“Yukina—! Yukina—! Yukina—!”

I called her name as I ran. The name of the person I so desperately wanted to see.

I just kept running and running.

Then, out of the corner of my eye, I caught sight of her.

A girl in a white dress, with long, beautiful black hair, hanging her head. There was no mistaking her.

It was Yukina. A sense of relief washed over me the moment I saw her.

But then, in the next instant, my throat tightened with unease.

There were two men standing in front of Yukina. They were looking at each other with troubled expressions, talking about something. And they were speaking to Yukina, who still had her head down.

Kidnapping. Abduction. Harassment. All sorts of horrible thoughts flooded my mind. Before I knew it, I had grabbed Yukina’s arm.

“She’s my girlfriend, so please let her go.”

I said it without thinking.

I called Yukina my girlfriend.

Yukina looked at me in surprise. Her eyes were filled with tears, and just seeing that made my chest tighten painfully.

I felt a surge of protectiveness, and I stood in front of the two men, blocking their way, glaring at them with sharp eyes.

“Oh, thank goodness. She’s been crying this whole time and wouldn’t say anything. We were worried she might be feeling unwell.”

“Huh?”

“If she was really feeling bad, we were about to call an ambulance…but if it’s just a fight, then that’s a relief.”

The men looked at each other, relieved, and nodded.

…What? Who are these people?

I looked closer and noticed they were both wearing armbands that identified them as festival staff.

In that instant, everything clicked in my mind, and I felt a wave of embarrassment.

“They say the closer you are, the more you fight, but don’t go overboard with the arguments, okay?”

“…Sorry for the trouble.”

I felt so ashamed of my misunderstanding. I wished I could just disappear into a hole. After I bowed my head, the men left, laughing.

“…Let go.”

“Yukina…”

I knew I should respect Yukina’s feelings. But if I let go of her, she would run off again. I couldn’t let that happen.

“Yukina…I’m sorry.”

“I don’t want to hear it.”

“Please, listen.”

“No! I said I don’t want to hear it!”

Yukina tried to shake off my grip, flailing her arms.

But there was no way I’d lose to her in strength.

So she began thrashing her head, hitting me with her hair.

It didn’t hurt at all. It was such a cute little attack.

But for Yukina, it was her earnest effort. She cried as she desperately tried to express her feelings, swinging at me with all she had.

Watching her like this made me feel an overwhelming tenderness. I couldn’t help but pull her into a hug. Her whole body was soft, and it felt like she might break if I squeezed even a little harder. She was trembling slightly.

“Wh-What…what are you doing…?”

Yukina’s voice shook as she spoke. Her attacks had stopped at some point, and instead, she was trying to push herself out of my arms, pressing against my chest.

But I didn’t let her go. I held her just a little tighter, making sure I wouldn’t lose her.

“Yuu-kun…are you already cheating? If someone sees us like this…”

“I’m not cheating.”

“Yes, you are…you’re going to start dating that junior girl, aren’t you…?”

So that’s what Yukina had been thinking.

No, I was the one who made her think that. I had been dragging things out, avoiding putting it into words, because it was easier to stay in this undefined relationship. And in doing so, I had made both Tadokoro and Yukina cry.

“I’m not going to date her.”

“You’re lying.”

“I’m not lying.”

“Why?”

“Why, you ask…?”

It was obvious. Because I loved Yukina. Because I loved her more than anyone else.

“Because I love you, Yukina. I love you more than anyone.”

I couldn’t drag this out any longer. It wouldn’t be fair to Yukina, and it wouldn’t be fair to Tadokoro either. I knew I had to say it now.

I let go of Yukina and looked straight into her eyes. Her eyes were still wet with tears, even though she had stopped crying. I took a deep breath.

“I love you, Yukina. Please, be my girlfriend.”

Why hadn’t I said this when we fought? We both knew how we felt about each other. I should’ve just had the courage to say it.

But confessions aren’t that easy.

Even now, I was shaking from head to toe, probably more nervous than I had ever been in my life. My mouth was dry, and I had to force the words out.

“I love you, Yukina.”

Yukina’s eyes went wide, and it looked like she wanted to say something. But instead, she lowered her head and started trembling again.

“No…I can’t…I can’t…”

“What do you mean, you can’t?”

“You’d be happier with that junior girl than you would be with me…”

“That’s for me to decide.”

“No, it’s not…The junior girl could make you happier. She’s better at cooking, her chest is bigger…and she has pure feelings for you.”

“None of that matters.”

“It does matter! I’m terrible at cooking, and I’m flat-chested! And I love you so much it’s making me crazy!”

“Yukina…”

Yukina raised her face, tears streaming down her cheeks.

How many times had I made her cry? I felt pathetic.

But even so, I didn’t want to see her cry anymore.

“You know, I’ve been spying on you. Taking secret photos, recording your voice. Isn’t that weird? Isn’t it stupid? Isn’t it crazy? Doesn’t it make me gross? That’s why you should be with her instead of—”

I didn’t hear the rest of what Yukina was saying.

I didn’t want to hear it. So I silenced her by pressing my lips against hers.

All I could hear was the sound of fireworks and the cheers of the people watching them.