My Childhood Friend Who is My Girlfriend was Stolen by My Best Friend. From Now on, I'll Flirt with My Ex-Best Friend's Little Sister! - Chapter 44

Childhood Friend’s Comeuppance (5)

I gather everything related to me scattered on the floor and put it all back in the box.

It seems that my childhood friend finally understands how determined I am, as she no longer put up much resistance. Just to be sure, I look around to make sure there is nothing left related to me, then I return to the living room.

Without saying a word, she follows me.

Now, it’s just the two of us in the living room. I take a seat by the dining table, while my childhood friend sits with her legs crossed on the sofa.

A heavy silence fills the room—a silence so heavy that even the sound of clothes rustling feels intrusive.

Now, all that’s left to do is to wait for her father to come home.

Judging by the shift schedule next to the calendar, he should be back before long.

As I wait in silence, my childhood friend murmurs softly.

“So…this really is the end?”

“Yeah, it’s over. And just so you know, if you lie and try to do anything to Rinka again, I won’t hold back. I’ll tell everyone at school what kind of person you really are.”

“I see…so you’re not planning to tell the school right now.”

“It’s just a threat. If I don’t have any leverage, who knows what kind of desperate moves you’d pull.”

My childhood friend glances over at me briefly.

“Right…but after all of this, Sakaki-kun might spread the story on his own…”

“Maybe.”

Sakaki is quick to answer questions, and he’s not great at lying. There’s a chance he might end up talking about what kind of person my childhood friend truly is at some point, though he isn’t the type to actively spread rumours.

“If that happens, you won’t be there to protect me, right…?”

“Of course not.”

“…I actually know how horrible my actions are.”

Sitting with her knees in front of her face, my childhood friend looks down and continues.

“But when I had a relationship with someone, I felt like…I was forgiven. It’s contradictory, but my sense of guilt gradually faded…even I can’t understand it myself. I knew that Toshi-kun would be disappointed if you found out…but I couldn’t go back anymore, and now it’s come to this.”

Stop it.

“I wish I could turn back time. I really did want to give you my firsts, Toshi-kun. But somewhere along the way, my heart just…lost its way.”

Stop it. Just stop.

“I’m so stupid…I misunderstood things on my own. I feel so lonely…I can’t live without clinging to someone. Really, I’m just…pathetic, am I not?”

Stop it. Stop it. Stop it.

It’s more like she is talking to herself than having a conversation with me.

Then, she looks up at the ceiling, letting out a self-mocking laugh.

“There is no way I can win against Rin-chan. I have the advantage of being your childhood friend, and I wasted it…you know, Toshi-kun, I—”

As she continues speaking to herself, I slam both of my hands on the table and stands up.

“Just…stop already.”

“Eh?”

“I don’t want to hear it. I’m…going to cut all ties with you. I have to. Can you just shut up now?”

“…I’m sorry. I’m making you suffer again, Toshi-kun…”

“Yeah, it hurts so much. I keep thinking…maybe it was just a small mistake, something that could’ve been fixed. If I’d handled things differently, maybe we wouldn’t be here right now.”

Maybe if I’d just paid attention to my childhood friend and ignored Rinka, things could have turned out differently.

Maybe if I’d been more supportive when she was struggling with her family issues, something might have been different.

Maybe if I’d learned to question things sooner, I could’ve helped her correct her mistakes before they went this far.

I thought about it a lot…and regretted it over and over.

Seriously, it just makes me hate myself.

“Toshi-kun, you always think too much and take everything on yourself. You’re too hard on yourself and too forgiving of others. You’re so sweet to everyone, yet so strict with yourself. I found it easy to depend on you and it made me feel comfortable. I depended on you. No…I still depend on you. I thought that no matter what, you’d always forgive me…that’s why…that’s why I did something like this.”

My childhood friend gets up from the sofa and walks towards the kitchen.

Taking something out of the microwave, she sits down across from me.

“What’s that?”

“Cookies. Sakaki-kun taught me how to make them. I’m not better than Rin-han in any way, so I thought I would at least catch up…but the fact that I’m thinking that way just shows that I haven’t reflected on anything.”

My childhood friend places the plate of cookies before us. They look clumsy, but they’re still shaped. For my childhood friend who is catastrophically bad at cooking, they are pretty good. I guess it’s thanks to Sasaki’s help, though.

“Yeah, you really haven’t reflected on anything. What’s the point of trying to improve your cooking now?”

“You’re right. But today’s the last day, right? If you want, I’d like you to try one. I know I always gave you store-bought treats on Valentine’s, but I really wanted to give you something homemade.”

“I’m not eating it. I don’t know what’s in it.”

“I-I promise there’s nothing weird in it! Everything’s edible!”

“Even so. I have no reason to eat it.”

“…I see…Toshi-kun have Rin-chan, after all. My clumsy cookies don’t mean anything to you…”

My childhood friend shows a small, troubled smile as she bites into a cookie herself.

“It’s not very good.”

She says so, depreciating herself.

She returns the plate of cookies to the kitchen and go back to her spot on the sofa, sitting with her knees hugged to her chest once more.

Another moment of silence settles over us.

However, it doesn’t last long.

Suddenly, I can hear the front door opening.

My childhood friend’s father must have come home.

It seems the time has come to reveal everything.