My Beautiful Childhood Friend Is Working in a Maid Cafe For Some Reason - Chapter 111

The summer festival was filled with all kinds of events. Tadokoro confessed to me, but I turned her down, and then I confessed to Yukina, and we started dating. It was probably the most intense day of my life.

A few days have passed since then. Tadokoro asked me to meet her, and I found myself at a nearby café.

Honestly, I wasn’t sure what to do. I didn’t have the confidence to talk to her normally. But at the same time, I felt like I had to see her. Selfish as it may sound, I didn’t want things to get awkward between us.

So, I decided to meet her.

I arrived at the café before her, sitting alone and waiting. Eventually, the door opened, and a girl walked in. It was Tadokoro. She spotted me and walked over with a slightly awkward smile.

“Hey…”

“Uh, yeah…”

We placed our orders, and Tadokoro sat across from me. We didn’t talk, just sat there in silence, unsure how to start the conversation.

After our drinks arrived, we both took a sip to ease the tension.

“So, how’s Yukina-senpai doing?”

“Oh, she cried, but I managed to calm her down.”

“She cried, huh… I feel really bad about that…”

“It’s not your fault.”

Seeing Tadokoro’s shoulders slump, I quickly reassured her.

“There’s no reason for you to feel bad, Tadokoro. This is all on me.”

“No, it’s because I lied in a weird way…”

“But it wasn’t a lie, right?”

“It was a lie. There’s no way I could actually like you…”

She didn’t finish the sentence. She was probably trying to avoid making me feel guilty. But the truth is, she couldn’t say it because it wasn’t a lie.

“Now’s not the time to say this, but I was happy. I never thought anyone would say something like that to me.”

“You’re too easy to fool, senpai. It makes me worry about your future.”

“Well, I’m more worried about you, thinking you could fool me with that face.”

The awkward atmosphere lifted, and we both laughed.

“Haha, you really thought you could trick me with that girly face?”

“I don’t make that face! Besides, I’m a girl, so it’s natural for me to have a girly face!”

“No way. You were like the girliest of girls at that moment. If you always look like that, it’d attract all the wrong guys, and that makes me even more worried.”

“If you’re so worried, why don’t you protect me, senpai? After all, you ran off and left me behind.”

“Ugh…”

She hit a sore spot.

Hearing it said out loud again, it hit me how badly I messed up by running away from the girl who had just confessed to me.

“Well, knowing that’s the kind of senpai you are, I still ended up liking you.”

“Tadokoro…”

“Was it a bother to you, senpai?”

“Of course not. There’s no guy who’d be bothered by a confession. If he is, he’s not a real man.”

“Good, that’s a relief.”

Tadokoro gave me a mischievous smile. I realized, once again, that seeing her smile made me feel happy.

“So, let’s put the gloomy stuff behind us. I want to stay friends with you, just like always.”

“You’re really a good person, huh?”

“Hehe, you’re only noticing that now? It’s a bit late, senpai.”

“Yeah, I’m the one who was wrong for thinking you were annoying.”

“Exactly! So, take responsibility and be happy, okay? With Yukina-senpai!”

At the mention of Yukina’s name, I must have looked troubled because Tadokoro didn’t miss it.

“…Wait, don’t tell me you haven’t officially started dating Yukina-senpai yet? Are you a chicken? Are you?”

“…No, we’re dating.”

“If you weren’t, I would’ve lost all respect for you, senpai. Good for you.”

So yes, Yukina and I are officially dating now. After years of being distant and not talking, we finally became a couple.

But…

“Thing is, Yukina’s been acting weird.”

“Weird, how?”

“She’s being strangely distant, like she’s treating me like a stranger.”

“Distant? Treating you like a stranger?”

“She comes to see me every day, just like before. But as soon as she sees me, she goes back to her house next door.”

This had been happening since the day after the summer festival. Every day, I’d open the door to find Yukina there, and as soon as she smiled, she’d go back home.

That’s why I hadn’t told her about meeting up with Tadokoro. Since I’d removed the surveillance device my parents had set up in my room, Yukina had no way of knowing. Now that I think about it, who else would remove their own parents’ surveillance gear but me?

“Wait, next door? That sounds like an important detail you just casually dropped.”

“Yeah, she still lives next door.”

I felt like I could tell Tadokoro. Actually, I felt like it would be wrong to hide it from her.

“What?! That’s like a guaranteed winning position… Is that even fair?!”

“It’s a long story… Do you want to hear it?”

“Nah, I’ll pass. Too much lovey-dovey stuff would make me sick.”

“I see. Well, putting that aside, why do you think she’s acting like this?”

“You’re asking that to the girl you just turned down? Senpai… You’re something else.”

“I don’t have anyone else to ask.”

“Seriously, I can see this going downhill fast. You should really try to understand a girl’s feelings better, senpai.”

She sighed heavily, giving me a tired look.

Honestly, I’d like to understand girls’ feelings. If I did, I could make Yukina happy all the time.

But girls’ feelings are like an unsolvable puzzle. It’s impossible to understand. No, actually, I feel like I’ll never understand them, not even in a lifetime.

“So, do you know why Yukina’s acting like that?”

“It’s simple. Here’s the reason—”

After parting ways with Tadokoro, I returned to the apartment and rang Yukina’s doorbell.

“What is it, Yuu-kun…?”

Yukina opened the door after a short wait, looking the same as always—wearing her glasses and tracksuit. The only thing neatly done was her hair.

“Can you come out for a bit?”

After thinking for a moment, Yukina hesitantly stepped out, fidgeting with her fingers in front of her, glancing at me, then quickly looking away. She repeated this awkward behavior several times.

I checked to make sure no one was around before gently hugging her.

“Yu-Yu-Yu-Yuu-kun!?”

She started flailing around, panicking. When I let go, her face turned bright red, and tears welled up in her eyes.

“W-What’s going on!?”

“I just felt like hugging you.”

“O-Oh… Is that all?”

“Are you eating properly? If not, we could—”

“I’m eating just fine. Thanks for worrying about me. Bye now.”

She quickly slammed the door shut.

I let out a long sigh, looking up at the sky.

“Just like Tadokoro said…”

‘She’s probably just feeling shy since you’re officially dating now. You were childhood friends, but now you’re in a relationship, so it’s different.’

Tadokoro, you really understand girls well, don’t you?

Apparently, Yukina’s been feeling embarrassed. Before we started dating, she was the one being bold, making my heart race… But I really don’t get how girls think.

Still, seeing her blush like that and getting so flustered makes me feel something stir inside as a guy. It’s a side of Yukina I want to see more of.

But just because we’re dating now doesn’t mean I’ll take advantage of her. I want to treasure her, keep her safe.

“Though, staying like this forever would be… I don’t know…”

Sigh. Relationships are tough after you start dating, huh?