My Tsundere Childhood Friend, Who Was Always Haughty, Suddenly Showing a Sharp Increase in Affection and Directing Intense, Heavy Emotions Toward Me - Chapter 2: I Don’t Even Have the Right to Say No, Do I?

Chapter 2: I Don’t Even Have the Right to Say No, Do I?

I finished the journal properly despite Sana’s complaints and submitted it to the staff room, then started heading home with her.

“Haruto, you’ve always been so picky since way back. That’s why you’re not popular with girls, you know?”

“I just think Sana’s too careless, that’s all.”

We chatted as we walked toward home. In manga or anime, childhood friends usually live next door to each other, but in reality, that’s not the case. Well, we do live pretty close, though.

“By the way, I’m planning to stop by the outlet near the station today, so you’re coming with me.”

“I don’t even have the right to say no, do I?”

“You’re finally getting how to handle me, Haruto. Not bad.”

“After sixteen years as childhood friends, I’d hope I’m used to it.”

I ended up going to the outlet on the way home, but since I didn’t have any plans after school, it wasn’t a big deal. A little later, we arrived at the outlet in front of Kurashiki Station. This outlet was built on the site of an amusement park that closed due to financial trouble just before I was born, so it’s pretty big.

“As expected, there are a lot of kids in uniforms at this time.”

“Well, everyone comes to hang out after school.”

“Yeah, for students around here, this outlet is the top choice.”

Unlike big cities like Tokyo, Osaka, or Nagoya, Okayama Prefecture, where we live, is a regional city, so there aren’t many places to hang out. That’s why students in Kurashiki either go to the shopping mall in Mizue or this outlet by Kurashiki Station.

By the way, since Sana loves stopping by the outlet, I often end up tagging along after school. Unlike me, Sana has tons of friends, so I think she could go with them, but apparently, when it’s just girls, they get hit on, so I get dragged along.

“So, what’s the plan for today?”

“For now, I’m thinking of buying a novel my friend said was good, and then maybe do some shopping.”

That means I’ll probably be stuck with her for a while. Sana’s shopping trips take forever, so it’ll be a bit before I get home. Well, it’s Friday, and we have the next two days off, so it’s not too bad.

“Speaking of which, how did you do on that review test, Sana?”

“Hey, don’t remind me of bad stuff!”

“So, not great, huh?”

“Shut up! How about you, Haruto?”

“I did pretty well.”

The results of the review test we got back recently showed I was in the top twenty percent at school, so it was a good start for the first midterm of high school.

That said, Seiryo High School, where we go, is a top-tier academic school in Kurashiki with high standards, so it’s easy to imagine slipping if I let my guard down. I can’t relax.

We kept talking as we walked around the outlet. Sana found the novel she wanted pretty quickly, which was good, but her shopping after that was, as expected, ridiculously long.

Why do girls spend so much time shopping? I’m the type who buys what I need and leaves, so I don’t get it. Just when I thought we could finally go home, a huge problem came up.

“Hey, Sana! Are you okay!?”

Out of nowhere, Sana suddenly passed out and collapsed on the spot. I panicked, but with help from people around, I managed to get her to a hospital.

The only silver lining was that it was just anemia, not a serious illness. Sana’s mom and dad, who rushed over from work, were relieved, so it seemed like everything was settled. At that moment, I couldn’t even imagine that Sana’s attitude would completely change once she woke up.