My Beautiful Childhood Friend Is Working in a Maid Cafe For Some Reason - Chapter 112

“…Hey, Yuu-kun. Did you also get a call?”

“Ah, yeah. What are you going to do, Yukina?”

“I…I’m planning to go.”

“I’m going too…Should we go together?”

“Y-Yes. We haven’t spent much time together…I’d like to go with you.”

“Then, shall we head out now?”

With about ten days left of summer vacation, I received a call from my mom first thing in the morning.

She asked when I was coming home this year and added that since she knows Yukina lives next door now, we should come together.

Apparently, Yukina received a similar message.

And so, we’re heading to my family home together…but there’s nothing to talk about. We just walk quietly side by side.

It seems Yukina’s still shy about being in a relationship with me. At the beginning of summer break, she would say things like she’s always hanging out at my house every day, but now we barely see each other.

“Ah.”

Even now, just the tips of our fingers touched for a moment, and she quickly brought her hand to her chest, as if to shield it.

“S-Sorry.”

“No, it’s okay. It’s not a problem. I’m happy when Yuu-kun touches me.”

She says that, but her voice sounds somewhat stiff. It’s probably true, but our long history as childhood friends must be holding Yukina back from fully embracing the fact that we’re now dating.

I’m fine with that. I don’t want to do anything Yukina dislikes, so I’m willing to wait until she feels comfortable.

But when she reacts so dramatically and over-the-top, it does make me feel a little lonely. I just want to hold her hand, at least…

When we arrived at my parents’ house, we parted ways with Yukina, and I opened the door.

“I’m home.”

“Welcome back, big brother!”

Akari greeted me with a big smile. Seeing that smile always makes me feel like I’ve really come home.

“Welcome back, Yusuke.”

“I’m home.”

Mom welcomed me as well, and I took off my shoes and stepped inside. The house was just like it had been when I returned during spring break, and that gave me a sense of comfort.

“Did Yukina-chan come back with you?”

“Yeah, we came back together.”

After finishing lunch and relaxing for a bit, Akari asked me this. Maybe she wanted to see Yukina since it had been a while.

“Yusuke, why don’t you take Yukina-chan out somewhere?”

“Take her out? Where? Besides, I think she’d rather rest.”

I hadn’t told Mom or anyone else that Yukina and I had started dating. If I told them, they’d definitely make a big deal out of it. After all, we’ve been childhood friends for so long, and announcing that we’re now a couple feels as embarrassing as someone finding a poem you wrote in a moment of late-night inspiration. Not that I’ve ever written one.

“Yukina-chan says she’s bored.”

“What?!”

Mom was holding her smartphone. She must have confirmed this with Yukina’s mom.

As always, my mom acts quickly…But more importantly, I wonder if Yukina’s really okay with this. What if she feels uncomfortable being around me again?

“Well, go ahead and take her out already.”

Mom practically pushed me out of the house after I changed into more casual clothes. As I was leaving, she reminded me, “Take your time. Don’t come back too soon, okay?”

Her words made me a little uneasy. After all, considering what happened last time, I hoped she wasn’t plotting anything strange again.

As I waited in front of Yukina’s house, the door opened.

“S-Sorry for the wait…”

“It’s fine. I wasn’t waiting long.”

With her being so flustered, it made the conversation feel awkward.

“So, Yukina, where do you want to go?”

“Wherever Yuu-kun wants to go.”

“I’m fine with anywhere. As long as I’m with you.”

“Aah…Then, how about the middle school? I never went there with you, Yuu-kun.”

Now that she mentions it, I realize that after we drifted apart in the fifth grade, we didn’t walk to or from school together anymore. Naturally, we didn’t go to middle school together either.

“Alright, let’s go.”

“Yeah.”

Walking the path I hadn’t taken with Yukina for three years made me wonder how I would’ve reacted if someone had told the me back then that this would happen.

Would I have believed them? Probably not.

I was overly sensitive when it came to Yukina back then, so I likely wouldn’t have believed it.

But now, I think all I can say is that good things happen if you listen to what your mom says.

“Yuu-kun…”

“Hmm?”

“N-Never mind.”

“Okay.”

She seemed like she wanted to say something, but since she didn’t seem upset, I let it go.

Besides, I could hear her humming a little, though she wasn’t very good at it, which made me think she was having fun, so I felt satisfied.

Standing in front of the middle school, we stood side by side.

We could hear what sounded like cheers from club activities coming from inside the building.

“It feels like it’s been a while.”

“Yeah. We were going here just two years ago, but…I missed out on so many things we could’ve done together, Yuu-kun.”

School festivals. Sports days. Field trips. Clubs. Committees. All those things that you can only experience as a student—we could have enjoyed them together, but we didn’t.

But those memories can’t be relived. What we can do is…

“We missed those things, but we can still create lots of fun memories from now on.”

There’s no rule that says you can only make memories in the past. From now on, I’ll make plenty of memories with Yukina.

“Yuu-kun…”

I almost reached out to pat Yukina’s head but stopped just in time.

If I patted her head now, she might get all flustered and awkward again. I didn’t want that since we were finally spending time together.

I pulled my hand back and acted as if nothing had happened.

“So, what next?”

“Let’s take a walk. It feels nostalgic.”

“Yeah.”

We retraced our steps from the middle school and wandered off the main path.

It’s common for kids to go on little “adventures” after school. I remembered exploring with Yukina and Haru when we were kids.

But as middle schoolers, we didn’t do that anymore. Even though it’s just a small town, we don’t know everything about it.

We found an empty lot, a park, a vending machine—things that felt new and surprising.

I think it’s because Yukina is beside me that everything feels so fresh.

“This is fun.”

It seemed like Yukina was starting to relax.

Seeing her smile so innocently while clasping her hands behind her back made me smile too.

“Watch where you’re going. It’s dangerous if you don’t.”

“I know. But even if I trip, it’s okay, right? Yuu-kun will catch me again.”

She’s completely relying on me, but I also felt reassured by how much she trusted me.

She was saying things she wouldn’t have before we started dating. I stayed quiet, which made her blush and get all flustered again.

“S-Say something…”

“Just stay close. That way, I can catch you.”

“…I-I’ll look straight ahead.”

She must have understood that I was indirectly asking her to stay close because she turned around quickly and started walking forward. The way she was trembling slightly like a small animal was adorable.

“L-Let’s go.”

She hurried ahead and turned a corner. When I followed her, I almost bumped into her because she had suddenly stopped.

“Caref—”

As I started to warn her, I looked ahead to where Yukina’s gaze was fixed.

Three high school girls stood there, and one of them, standing in the middle, was staring back at Yukina in shock.

“N-Nishiguchi-san…”

Yukina whispered in a trembling voice.