My Sex Friend Is My Childhood Friend? - 56-57

Chapter 56: Departure

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Monday came, and work started again. I just couldn’t muster any motivation at all. I explained everything that happened to Scum Senpai honestly.

“Senpai, I’m sorry. After you gave me all that advice…”

Senpai patted me on the back.

“Well, if that’s how it went down, it can’t be helped. That girl’s safe, right? That’s what matters.”

This guy… He’s really a decent human being after all.

Senpai furrowed his brows and jutted out his chin. It was that same annoying expression as always.

“If I were in your shoes, I’d have done the same thing. Though, I probably would’ve slept with the high school girl. You said she’s a beautiful girl who looks great in gothic lolita, right? What a waste…”

I take it back. This guy really is a scumbag.

Ah, there was one thing I’d been wondering about.

“Senpai, the other day, Honoka-chan also helped me out, right? Did I cause any trouble for her by doing all this?”

Senpai scratched his head.

“Well, yeah. Since I took your side, she said, ‘No matter the reason, I can’t believe Nagi would break a promise to Mahiru.’ …They don’t understand how we feel at all.”

I’m sorry, Senpai. Did they have a fight because of me? I should find a way to smooth things over with Honoka…

But then Senpai continued.

“Oh, don’t bother. You don’t need to get involved. She’s already on guard around you. If you butt in now, it’ll only make things more complicated. Hahaha!”

I’m really sorry…

Senpai put his arm around my shoulder and whispered in my ear.

“By the way… Do you have a passport? You’d better get one soon or you won’t make it in time for the training starting the week after next.”

Eh?

“Wait, didn’t you say if you got rejected, you’d go to America? I already told the department chief, ‘Takasaki’s going to the US!’ You’ve got two weeks of training starting the week after next. If it looks doable after that, you’ll be assigned there full-time, so I’m counting on you.”

Eh?

…………

Senpai kept going.

“Hm? What’s wrong? You’ve got this worried look on your face. Oh—are you thinking about the visa? Well, you’re still in your fourth year, and without a college degree, you’re a bit short on practical experience. But don’t worry, I’ll pull some strings and take care of it with some backdoor methods.”

No, that’s not really the issue… But whatever. I’m too tired to care anymore.

I went to the bathroom and looked in the mirror. I was shocked by my own reflection. My cheeks were sunken, and there were huge bags under my eyes.

…I look absolutely awful. Well, yeah. I guess a lot has happened lately.

I see… maybe Senpai said all that because he saw my face and wanted to get me out of Japan.

Haaah..

I tried sending Mahiru a message. …Still blocked.

Yeah… Of course. …Maybe I really should go to America. It might be the perfect chance to change myself.

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Chapter 57: It’s Honoka

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Haneda Airport – Terminal 3

“Ahh… Nagi is really gone, huh…”

Kuzu-san looked up at the sky, lost in thought.

“Is Nagi-san even good at English? Is he going to be okay?”

“Hm? Nah, the training site is Hawaii, so he won’t need much English.”

I still hadn’t forgiven Kuzu-san. I was still a little mad at him. Because he always sided with Nagi-san no matter what, even when Nagi-san stood Mahiru up.

I wanted to call him right away and chew him out, but Kuzu-san just said, “Leave him alone.” Even this time—he apparently forced Nagi-kun into this training program the moment he heard it was in Hawaii. When I asked why, he gave me some nonsense like, “It’s a mentor-disciple bond from a past life…”

Men really are hopeless. But… That’s what I like about him.

I still hadn’t told Kuzu-san how I truly felt.

They say a person’s strengths and flaws are two sides of the same coin.

He had messed around with so many girls up till now, so I figured I was allowed to mess with him a little too. And Nagi-san, too. He should’ve forgotten about that girl he just met and prioritized my best friend.

You could call it kindness, I guess…But really, he was just being indecisive. That kind of thing… It would only make Mahiru suffer. I couldn’t stand to watch it.

Kuzu-san looked at me.

“Hey, Honoka. Can we do it soon?”

“Nope. Grandpa told me not to do that stuff while I’m still a student. It was his dying wish.”

Actually, my grandpa was still alive and well, but Kuzu-san was being so persistent, I pretended he’d died.

Sorry, Grandpa. But what should I do if we actually ended up getting married someday? Hmm… maybe I’ll say he was in a vegetative state and suddenly woke up saying, “I’ve returned from another world.” Yeah, maybe I could spin it that way.

After seeing Nagi-san off, I parted ways with Kuzu-san. Now I was on my way to Mahiru’s house. Before it was too late, there were some things I needed to say to her.

I arrived at Mahiru’s place and rang the intercom. After a few seconds, the door opened.

“…What is it? …Honoka?”

Mahiru looked terrible. Her hair was a mess, and there were dark circles under her eyes. She wasn’t wearing any makeup at all. She had on her old black-rimmed glasses from high school and even her old PE tracksuit…

Kuzu-san said Nagi-san looked pitiful, but honestly, this side wasn’t doing much better.

I had one purpose in coming here today: To find out how Mahiru really felt.

If she didn’t have any feelings left, I wasn’t going to help her anymore, even if it meant getting into a fight with Kuzu-san. I handed Mahiru a paper bag.

“This is from Kuzu-san.”

Mahiru pulled out a stuffed panda from the bag and hugged it tightly. Then, tears started falling from her eyes. She clearly hadn’t gotten over him yet.

“Sniff… S-sorry. Come in.”

She let me into her room. She brought out some cocoa, and I sipped it while waiting. Then Mahiru came back, having changed out of her high school tracksuit into a more girly one. She brought a cup of cocoa for herself, too.

I’d already told Nagi-san a lot about Mahiru. So now Mahiru should know about Nagi-san, too.

“Kuzu-san told me… Nagi-san is overseas right now, for training.”

Crash!

Mahiru dropped her cup.Not metaphorically—she literally dropped it. Cocoa splashed everywhere. It was total chaos. Once we’d finished cleaning it up, Mahiru hugged the panda so tightly her arms sank into it. She was clearly shaken.

“Yeah… aAfter the training ends, he’s supposed to come back briefly, then head over for a full assignment.”

“…Huh?”

“Apparently he’s going to America.”

Mahiru lowered her head.

“But… Nagi-kun didn’t come that day. …Maybe he doesn’t need me anymore.”

Ugh. I guess her mental state has reverted back to when she was in high school. 

I continued.

“And this is something else I heard from Kuzu-san… The day you were stood up, Nagi-san was actually helping someone in trouble.”

“Wait, but I wrote something awful on the message board…”

I set my cup down on the table.

“This is as far as I can go. The rest is up to you.”

Since Mahiru had been missing school lately, I also brought some handouts and notes. We still had a little time, so we chatted a bit.

Come to think of it, is Nagi-san Mahiru’s first love?

When I looked at Mahiru, she seemed a bit calmer now, even smiling faintly here and there.

Is it okay for me to ask?

I decided to just go ahead and ask anyway.

“Hey, who’s your first love, Mahiru?”

If it was Nagi-san, maybe the conversation would grind to a halt. But to my surprise, Mahiru answered normally.

“Hmm… It was when I was in preschool. There was this grown man bullying a kitten. I told him to stop because it was cruel. Then he got really angry and started swinging me around by my hair… I was terrified.”

That’s… Wow. That’s not a childhood story—that’s an assault case.

Mahiru continued, staring off into the distance with a strangely content expression.

“Then a boy, about the same age as me, pulled me away from him. He protected me, yelling ‘Stop it!’”

“Wait… Don’t tell me…”

“Yeah. It was Nagi-kun. We went to different preschools, so I doubt he remembers.”

Mahiru suddenly looked down. Then she whispered, almost inaudibly.

“But even though he saved me… I still did such a horrible thing to him.”

She covered her face with both hands and started crying.

So that’s it. That’s the root of Mahiru’s guilt.

I hesitated for a moment, but then I spoke up. Even though I wanted her to figure things out for herself…. We were friends. I had to do this.

“Mahiru… Why not try reaching out one more time? If he goes to America, it’ll be the end for you two. Are you really okay with that?”

Oh—right, I almost forgot.

I handed Mahiru a small bag of snacks.

“Here, a little care package. I bet you haven’t been eating properly. These came from my parents’ place. Kind of rare for summer, huh?”

Mahiru pulled out a mandarin orange from the bag and hugged it like it was something dearly precious to her.

“Mandarin…When we first met, there were mandarins scattered everywhere. Nagi-kun was helping someone then too… That brings back memories.”

I guess mandarins have some special meaning for her.

I reminded Mahiru to eat properly and stood up. Now, I was riding the train home.

Oh, I got a message from Kuzu-san.

『Honoka. You said you were neutral or whatever, but you still gave her a push, didn’t you?

I like that side of you.』

I gently closed my eyes.

I feel the same way about you, too.

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