My Beautiful Childhood Friend Is Working in a Maid Cafe For Some Reason - Chapter 92

“Um…Senpai, Yukina-senpai, Akiba-senpai. I’m sorry for causing trouble.”

After Kurano ran away, Tadokoro lowered her head, looking genuinely apologetic. Her usual energy was completely gone.

It felt a little unsettling…

“Hey, Tadokoro, you don’t need to apologize. Lift your head.”

“But if I hadn’t said something unnecessary like an idiot, I wouldn’t have caused trouble for you, Senpai…”

Then, Yukina cupped Tadokoro’s face with both hands.

“You know, the only thing worth apologizing for is being loud and carefree. Even I was angry about the hidden camera thing, but I got my revenge, so don’t worry about it.”

“Yukina-senpai…”

“If you understand, then this conversation is over. Alright, let’s go ho—”

“Yukina-senpaaaai!”

“H-Hey, don’t cling to me.”

Tadokoro buried her face in Yukina’s chest, either crying or nuzzling against her. Yukina, her face turning red, said she didn’t like it but didn’t actually push her away. Maybe she was trying to comfort her.

“It tickles…”

Tadokoro finally pulled away after a while.

With that incident settled, we decided to head home. Akiba left to return the keys as usual, and the three of us walked together.

After changing shoes and passing through the school gate, we parted ways with Tadokoro.

“Well, see you—”

As I raised my hand to say goodbye, Tadokoro turned to Yukina and asked,

“Um, Yukina-senpai. May I borrow Senpai for a moment?”

In a roundabout way, she was asking if I could walk her home. I wondered how much Tadokoro realized Yukina’s feelings. But asking for permission might mean she had already noticed.

Yukina looked at me, thought for a moment, and hesitated.

“F-Fine. But just for today. Only today, as a special case.”

She must have answered while thinking about Tadokoro’s feelings, though reluctantly.

“Just make sure, Yuu-kun, don’t do anything. And you too, Yuu-kun, don’t do anything either. Promise me!”

She said it repeatedly, making sure I understood. But it’s okay. I like Yukina, so there’s no way I’d do anything to Tadokoro. I couldn’t bring myself to say it aloud, but I patted her head to reassure her.

“I get it. I’ll walk her home and come back right away. There’s nothing for you to worry about.”

“Okay…see you later.”

I watched Yukina’s retreating figure. Her back seemed unusually small.

Today is a day to visit “Poplar,” and I’m also worried about what just happened, so I should talk to her later.

“Senpai. Please walk me home.”

“You don’t have to say it now. Alright, let’s go. I don’t know the way, so guide me.”

“I got it.”

Tadokoro and I walked side by side. There was a distance of about two people between us. I had a feeling that closing that gap would be a bad idea.

“Here it is.”

We walked in silence until we reached a house. A normal-looking house. There were no lights on, and it looked a bit lonely.

“Senpai…do you want to come in?”

“No, I’m going home.”

“…No one’s home right now, so no one would know if anything happened.”

“Didn’t I tell you not to say things like that so easily? See you.”

Recently, I think I’ve started to understand a bit more about Tadokoro. She probably said that out of gratitude. But I won’t be tempted.

…Besides, I haven’t done anything that deserves gratitude in the first place.

“…After all, Senpai really likes Yukina-senpai, huh…”

As I turned around to leave, I heard those words. And at that moment, Tadokoro pressed her head against my back.

“H-Hey…”

“…Senpai, do you remember the day we first met?”

Tadokoro asked quietly, as if seeking reassurance. I couldn’t turn around, so I couldn’t see her face.

The day I met Tadokoro, huh…

Thinking back on that day, a smile naturally appeared on my face. It was such a strange encounter.

“Yeah, I remember.”

I met Tadokoro about a year ago. That day, Akiba and I were having a heated argument. We were debating whether a maid cafe maid or a traditional maid serving a mansion was better. It was a topic that had no clear answer, and we kept discussing it endlessly in the school cafeteria after classes.

As we both took deep breaths, exhausted from the debate, someone suddenly approached us. That person was Tadokoro.

“I’ve been listening for a while, but are you two idiots?”

Her first words naturally irritated me. She looked like a junior who had just entered the school, yet she had such a cocky attitude. That was my first impression of her, and it hasn’t changed much since.

“Then cover your ears and leave.”

Even though she clearly looked like a junior, there was still the possibility that she was a senior who looked young, so I spoke politely.

Besides, Akiba and I were serious about our debate. We didn’t want any unnecessary interruptions.

“I’m Tadokoro Sakuya, a first-year.”

“I don’t care, just go away.”

As expected, she turned out to be a junior. An annoying junior.

“Isn’t your attitude changing too much? So, you’re my senpai, huh?”

Despite my indirect attempts to get her to leave, she didn’t listen at all. What is with this girl? Akiba, who hates loud noise, was starting to show irritation as well.

“Doesn’t matter. Just go away. We’re going to continue now.”

“So, what’s so great about maids anyway?”

Hearing that question, Akiba and I exchanged glances and laughed. She clearly didn’t understand a thing.

But with that unnecessary interruption, our enthusiasm waned, and we silently got up and left the cafeteria, deciding to continue the discussion another day. We completely ignored Tadokoro’s presence.

The next day, though, she showed up again as we resumed our debate. She kept butting in, asking over and over what was so great about maids…just thinking about it makes me laugh at how persistent she was.

Akiba and I ignored her. But Tadokoro didn’t give up and kept coming back. Eventually, her presence became so normal that we didn’t even notice it anymore.

“Back then, when I first heard you guys talking about maids, I thought, ‘What kind of people get so worked up over something so trivial?'”

“Hey, it’s not trivial. Akiba and I were serious.”

“But you were so serious you didn’t even pay attention to me, right?”

“Well, you were annoying, so it couldn’t be helped.”

“That hurts…”

“Sorry…”

A silence fell between us. Tadokoro kept her forehead pressed against my back…it was awkward. I knew I shouldn’t be nervous, but I couldn’t help feeling tense.

“Hey, why did you keep coming back every day? Even though we ignored you?”

“Because I was curious about the outcome of your stupid argument. Back then, even though I’d just started high school, nothing felt fun. But then I thought, ‘These guys get so serious over something so trivial…’

“Then, going to school became a little more fun. And before I knew it, you guys had accepted me too. I felt like I’d found a place to belong. At home, I was always alone and lonely. But at school, I could waste time with you guys over stupid stuff.

“So, of course I’d want to see you.”

This is troublesome. We never intended any of that. We were just living our normal lives, but she’s wrapped it up in such a touching story.

“I-I see…”

“And also, teasing you, Senpai, was fun too!”

Tadokoro lifted her head, grinning mischievously. Seeing her like that made me realize that this annoying junior hadn’t changed at all, and I scratched my head.

“You know…”

“But seriously, thanks to you two, school became fun for me. So—”

Tadokoro gripped the hem of her skirt tightly and gave me a big, bright smile.

“I’ve been thankful ever since that day!”

To my surprise, my heart skipped a beat. She wasn’t just saying it to me, but that smile she directed at me was something I had never seen before. It felt unfair.

Maybe this annoying junior is actually kind of cute.