My Beautiful Childhood Friend Is Working in a Maid Cafe For Some Reason - Chapter 67

“Thank you for the meal…”

“You’re welcome.”

Watching Yukina smile with satisfaction made my body feel hot. I wasn’t sure if it was because of my racing heart or because the sweet porridge was causing my fever to come back. I didn’t want to think about it.

“Would you like some jelly for dessert?”

“No, please… No more sweet things right now.”

“Okay, then I’ll go put this away. Yusuke, you lie down.”

It seemed Yukina intended to come back again. Acting like she was my mother or something, she laid me down, covered me with a blanket, and lightly patted my chest.

“Yukina… Why are you doing all this for me? It’s not your fault I caught a cold.”

“Because it’s you, Yusuke. And just so you know, I wouldn’t do this for anyone else.”

“Does that mean…”

“A-Anyway, I’m doing this because I want to. I’m just using you to practice for the future. Don’t worry about it.”

Yukina left the room and closed the door behind her.

Only me… She wouldn’t do this for anyone else…

Her words kept replaying in my mind. I couldn’t help but feel overjoyed by them.

Huh? Why am I so happy about this?

I didn’t understand why I felt so pleased. Even when I tried to distract myself by turning to the right or left, I kept thinking about Yukina’s words.

Eventually, I grew tired of thinking and closed my eyes.

Before I knew it, I had fallen asleep.

When I opened my eyes again, I had slept… again.

A cool sensation on my right hand caught my attention. Looking over, I saw Yukina holding my hand while using her arm as a pillow, fast asleep.

Has she been here the whole time…?

I didn’t know why she was holding my hand, but the coolness felt nice.

Come on, Yukina, what if you catch a cold too?

She was breathing softly and showed no signs of waking up.

“…Yusuke.”

Suddenly, she called my name, making me flinch.

Is she awake…?

I quietly looked at her, but she wasn’t awake. She seemed to be completely asleep.

Is she even taking care of me in her dreams?

Is she just too kind, or does she like taking care of others… or could it be that she… likes me…?

“…That’s ridiculous.”

No way… Or maybe…?

This isn’t good. I’m getting strange ideas. It’s all Yukina’s fault. She’s the one who suddenly started acting like she used to.

That’s why I’m feeling like this. She’s making me misunderstand, making me think that maybe she likes me. Because of that, I’m starting to think of Yukina the way I did back then…

“…Yusuke, please… get better soon.”

“…”

She’s overreacting… It’s just a cold…

I knew it was just sleep talking, but still, why did she sound so endearing?

My right hand was held by Yukina, so I couldn’t use it. Instead, I reached out with my left hand and touched her hair.

It’s so soft…

Her smooth, black hair had clearly been well taken care of, even on a weekday. When I lifted it, it softly fell back down.

I couldn’t do something like this while she’s awake.

Even though I was just touching her hair, since she was asleep, it felt like I was doing something wrong. A wave of guilt washed over me as I placed my hand on Yukina’s head.

For some reason, I had the urge to gently stroke her head.

I didn’t want her to wake up, for her to notice, or for her to find out. I carefully stroked her head, taking every precaution.

As I stroked her hair, I started feeling strangely happy, like I was under a magical spell.

This feeling is addictive… I almost want to keep touching it forever…

“…Yusuke, stop…?”

A soft voice echoed, and I quickly pulled my hand back.

Yukina slowly raised her head, her body trembling slightly.

Oh no, she’s going to be mad…!

I instinctively thought that. No matter how kind she is, anyone would be upset if their hair was touched without permission. I had gone too far. I closed my eyes, bracing myself for her scolding.

But no matter how long I waited, Yukina said nothing. Slowly opening my eyes, I found myself locking eyes with her.

“S-Sorry.”

“Why are you apologizing?”

“I… I touched your head without permission… You must have hated it, right?”

“I didn’t hate it. It’s just… I was embarrassed to be petted while sleeping.”

Even though Yukina said that, I still felt like I was in the wrong. I should apologize. After all, as just a childhood friend, I shouldn’t have touched her without permission. I wouldn’t forgive myself if I didn’t apologize.

“I’m very sorry for touching you without permission.”

I bowed my head deeply. Then, I finally realized. I was still holding Yukina’s hand. My sense of touch must have become numb from holding it for so long, so I hadn’t noticed.

“You don’t have to apologize anymore. Besides, I’m more curious about something else.”

With that, Yukina pressed my hand against her cheek and rubbed it gently.

“Y-Yukina!?”

“Hey, Yusuke. Why did you suddenly start stroking my head?”

I can’t tell her… I can’t say it was because she seemed adorable.

When I stayed silent, she pressed her cheek more firmly against my hand, staring at me intently.

“Come on, tell me.”

Her expression made me almost blurt out the truth, but I bit my tongue.

“If you keep quiet, I’ll start doing whatever I want.”

“W-What are you going to do…?”

“Hmm, let’s see… Maybe I’ll eat you up, Yusuke.”

“Wha…?!”

Yukina moved my right hand and slipped my index finger into her mouth. She gently bit down, not enough to hurt, but enough to send a shiver through my body, as if an electric current had passed through me.

“W-What are you doing…?”

As I panicked, Yukina took my finger out of her mouth and licked it.

“If you stay silent, I’ll do something even more intense. Is that okay with you?”

Something even more intense… Hearing those words made me gulp.

“Y-Yukina, are you okay with this…? You always hated being called a pervert…”

“But it’s because you won’t say anything, Yusuke. If you just tell me, I’ll stop. Or do you want me to do something even more intense? Do you want to turn me into a pervert?”

Normally, when we talked like this, she would’ve made a defensive gesture to protect herself, but this time, she didn’t. Instead, she gave me a seductive smile, as if she were testing me.

The thought of what “something more intense” might mean… I couldn’t help but feel a little excited. But it’s not right for a guy and girl who aren’t even dating to have that kind of relationship. I gave up and resigned myself.

“Okay… I’ll tell you. So please stop.”

“Good.”

Yukina sat down properly, as if to say, “Go ahead.” I told her the truth.

“Seeing you take care of me… You just looked so adorable, Yukina… I couldn’t help but stroke your head…”

As I felt my cheeks heating up, I looked at Yukina and saw her blushing just as much. Her eyes were darting around, and she looked flustered.

“S-So that’s why…”

“Yeah…”

After that, we both fidgeted in silence, unable to say anything for a while.