My Tsundere Childhood Friend, Who Was Always Haughty, Suddenly Showing a Sharp Increase in Affection and Directing Intense, Heavy Emotions Toward Me - Chapter 12-13

Chapter 12: I Guess It’s True, It Wouldn’t Be Good to Interfere with Those Two

After Sana and Akiya hit it off for some mysterious reason, we return to our room. By the way, Akiya, who finds it hard to go back to the other room, comes over to ours.

I keep quiet for the most part, but I have to stay cautious since someone might bring up the childhood friend topic again, and that could set him off. No, when I think about it, in a group with not just otakus but also regular classmates, it’s hard to imagine a situation where we’d end up debating childhood friends.

That means the earlier argument about whether childhood friends are winning or losing heroines definitely started with Akiya. I’d better keep a close eye on him while he’s casually singing anime songs in front of me.

“…Hey, don’t you think you’re sitting a bit too close?”

“Am I? Sure, it feels a bit cramped because of the number of people, but…”

“No, no, this is way beyond ‘a bit.’”

Our bodies are completely pressed together, so close that our faces might touch if we move even slightly. But Sana doesn’t seem to think anything’s wrong. Deciding it’s pointless to argue, I slide my body a little to the side, but Sana follows my movement and shifts along with me.

“Why are you moving with me?”

“Space is limited, so I have no choice. Or is Haruto uncomfortable? If so, I’ll stop right away.”

“…It’s not like I’m uncomfortable.”

Since that day when Sana changed, I think she’s gotten incredibly good at reading whether I’m genuinely bothered or not. If I show even a hint of discomfort, she backs off.

In other words, Sana must have decided I’m not seriously bothered right now. Honestly, while it’s embarrassing, I’m not exactly hating it.

Is there even a guy who’d be upset about being this close to a beautiful girl like Sana? While I’m thinking about this, Akiya, who notices me and Sana, starts teasing us through the mic, even though he’s in the middle of a song.

“Hey, Haruto and Ibuki-san are showing off as usual. I’m jealous, you jerk!”

“Stop shouting stuff that’ll cause misunderstandings and just focus on singing!”

“I’m just squeezing in to make space for everyone else.”

While I panic, Sana stays calm. There’s no way that’s true, but she’s so convincing that I almost believe she’s actually thinking about everyone else by being this close.

Our classmates in the room watch us with smirks. Yeah, I’m definitely going to punch Akiya later.

After that, we keep singing through lunch and other breaks, and before I know it, it’s time to wrap up. While waiting near the reception for the classmate handling the bill to settle up, Shindo-san speaks to us.

“Some of us are planning a second round afterward. Want to join, Sana-chan and Kurosaki-kun?”

“Shindo-san, that’s no good. We’ve got to leave the rest to the young couple.”

“Hey, what’s with you suddenly saying stuff like that, Akiya? And ‘young couple’? You’re the same age as us!”

“I guess it’s true, it wouldn’t be good to interfere with those two.”

Even Shindo-san starts going along with Akiya’s nonsense. So, I can’t help but interject.

“Shindo-san, you don’t have to play along with this guy.”

“Then how about we go to a restaurant with a nice night view tonight?”

“Is this leading up to a proposal or something?”

“Sana, don’t join in too! And why’s Amasaki jumping in so smoothly?”

The one who chimes in after Sana is our classmate Hayate Amasaki. Like Shindo-san, Amasaki is a central figure in the class. By the way, he’s the one who organized this karaoke outing.

Unlike Akiya, who’s all flash, Amasaki is genuinely cool and the epitome of a outgoing guy. But he’s a good person, so even someone introverted like me doesn’t feel too uneasy around him. After all that banter, Sana and I end up joining the second round as well.

—

Chapter 13: I’m a Woman Who Can Get Things Done When I Try

On the second day of Golden Week, Sana and I are at Kurashiki Station in the morning. Today, we plan to cross the Seto Ohashi Bridge to visit the Utazu Aquarium in Kagawa Prefecture.

“By the way, your friend sure has bad luck. She even bought a pair of tickets but can’t go.”

“She had something urgent come up, so it can’t be helped.”

“Then I’d better make sure I enjoy myself enough for both of us.”

“I went out of my way to invite you, so I’d be annoyed if you didn’t have fun.”

“No doubt about that.”

Originally, Sana was supposed to go with her friend, but it seems something unavoidable came up, and she couldn’t make it. Apparently, it was decided last night, and it was so sudden that Sana couldn’t find anyone else to invite, so she asked me. I’m basically an introvert with hardly any friends to hang out with, so getting a last-minute invite the night before was no problem for me.

“Still, I didn’t expect to be going back to Kagawa so soon after our last trip.”

“Right, we went there for that school field trip right after enrollment.”

“Yeah, that weird trip where we made udon and then got forced to climb Konpira Mountain. I still don’t get what the point of it was.”

By the way, I remember being extra tired because Sana made me carry her stuff, claiming it was too exhausting. I really think Sana changed completely after that day. I asked her what happened, but she stubbornly refused to tell me. I stopped pressing her since she seemed genuinely upset, but I vividly recall how she looked like she was afraid of something when she clammed up. For now, I’ll just be glad that Sana’s become kinder. While thinking about this, we board the train that arrives at the platform and head toward Okayama Station.

“I always think this, but isn’t it kind of a hassle to have to go to Okayama Station first?”

“Yeah, it’d be so much easier if there was a direct train from Kurashiki Station to Shikoku.”

“Exactly. The Seto Ohashi Bridge is in Kurashiki City, not Okayama City, after all.”

The words Sana and I say are probably something everyone living around Kurashiki Station has thought at least once. But in reality, due to the train routes, we have to go all the way to Okayama City, which is in the opposite direction from Shikoku, and then switch from the Sanyo Main Line to the Seto Ohashi Line at Okayama Station.

“By the way, how’s your Golden Week homework going, Sana?”

“I’ve actually already finished all of it.”

“What, seriously!?”

“I’m a woman who can get things done when I try.”

The fact that Sana has already finished her homework is completely unexpected. Up until now, Sana’s pattern was to put off long-break assignments until the last minute and then make me help her. Come to think of it, lately she’s been submitting her regular assignments on time too, and she’s clearly become more diligent than before. If I told myself from a year ago that Sana would change this much, I probably wouldn’t believe it.

While I’m thinking about this, a ton of people board at the next station, and the train starts getting even more crowded. Then, Sana puts her arm around my waist and presses close to me.

“H-Hey, don’t just cling to me like that!”

“The train’s getting crowded, so I have no choice. I’m not about to cling to a stranger, you know.”

“That’s true, but still…”

“Are you saying you don’t like it, Haruto?”

“It’s not like I don’t like it.”

Doesn’t Sana care that various soft parts of her body are pressing against me? My brain completely shuts down. But at the same time, I feel a bit conflicted about the idea of her clinging to someone else, so I’m glad she chose me.