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 48

Then… (2)

“Why are you here?”

While clinging to my arm, Rinka cautiously asks that person so.

“…I accidentally broke my glasses, so I came to get them repaired. I have no intention of doing anything to Rinka. Besides, I no longer care about Rinka anymore…ahem. Anyway, while I was waiting for my glasses to be fixed, I saw him drop his wallet…and well, here we are.”

My former best friend explained the whole situation briefly.

I grab Rinka’s left hand and start to walk forward.

“Let’s go, Rinka.”

“Yes.”

We pass by my former best friend.

He doesn’t say anything in particular, he’s not even making a gesture to see us off.

Since I moved up a grade and got into a different class, it feels like it’s been a while since I last saw him. For some reason, we never run into each other at school.

After walking a few steps with Rinka, I suddenly stop in my tracks.

Rinka looks me in the eyes.

“Sorry, Rinka. Is it okay if I…”

“Yes. I’ll respect your choice, Senpai. I’ll head home first, then.”

“Thank you.”

“See you tomorrow.”

Letting go of Rinka’s hand, I turn back. She goes on her way home alone.

My former best friend furrows his brow as he struggles to make his blurry vision clearer.

I call out to him.

“Hey…your vision is bad without your glasses, right? Want me to walk you to the department store?”

“…are you sure?”

“It would be a problem if you got into an accident. I’ll feel bad for anyone who ends up responsible.”

“You’re still as soft-hearted as ever.”

He lets out a small laugh.

I go up to him, ready to lend him my shoulder.

“I wish it were that easy to change. In the end, no matter how hard I try, it seems this soft personality of mine will never change.”

“That sounds tough.”

“It would be though if I were alone. But I have Rinka, so I think I’ll be okay. When I’m struggling, she will be there with me.”

“…I see.”

My former best friend murmurs quietly, looking down.

“You know, the truth is…I don’t actually hate you that much anymore.”

“…is that so?”

“At first, sure, I even thought of killing you with my own hands. But hatred doesn’t last forever. I don’t have the capacity to hold onto that resentment forever.”

“But that doesn’t mean we can go back to how things were.”

“Don’t try to predict what I’m going to say! It’s creepy how you’re always right about it.”

“Hmph…I’ve done my research on you, Toshiya.”

“You’re still as creepy as ever! What a waste of good looks.”

“Yeah, I think so too.”

My former best friend laughs self-depreciatingly.

We continue walking towards the department store, one slow step at a time.

“But, well…if Rinka and I were to get married in the future…”

“W-What? Are things really that far along!?”

“C-Calm down! It’s just hypothetical!”

“I-I see. I jumped to conclusions.”

“If we get married, you will technically be my…brother, right?”

“Legally, I guess that’s how it is.”

“So, you see…having a lot of tension between us would be pretty inconvenient.”

“…are you sure you want to say something like that? If you let your guard down, you might end up regretting it again.”

He looks straight into my eyes.

I turn my face towards him and give him a cold look.

“Ah, I see. Well then, it’s fine. It seems like I’m wasting my goodwill on you.”

“N-No, it’s just a bad habit of mine…I swear, I’ll never betray you again, Toshiya. So…would you still talk with me from time to time?”

“Sure. Once in a while.”

“…thank you.”

He bows his head slightly, expressing his gratitude in a faint voice.

“But this doesn’t mean we’re back to being friends again or anything like that. It’s just for the future.”

“Yeah, I understand.”

A moment of silence passes without anyone saying anything.

As we walk slowly towards the department store,

“Hey, Toshiya.”

“What is it?”

“Can you teach me how to cook sometime? I’ve barely tried it before, and every attempt has been a disaster. I can use some help from someone.”

“…only if I’m unbelievably bored.”

“How about later today?”

“Turns out I’m unbelievably bored today. But in return, you’ll have to help me with my studies. Things got way harder ever since we hit third year, I don’t really understand it, especially math.”

I said so with a soft chuckle of exasperation.

We can never go back to how things were. We won’t be able to return to the time when I thought of him as my best friend.

What he did isn’t something that can be easily forgiven. People might not understand why I would want to reconnect at all—honestly, even I don’t really understand it myself.

But still, I feel lonely. It hurts to just leave things as they are with someone I once thought of as my best friend.

I want to get back what I’ve lost.

It might just be wishful thinking, it might be just because I’m too soft-hearted, and I always end up regretting things.

However, I can’t help thinking this way.