My Tsundere Childhood Friend, Who Was Always Haughty, Suddenly Showing a Sharp Increase in Affection and Directing Intense, Heavy Emotions Toward Me - Chapter 22-23

Chapter 22: I Got Told I’m Not Attractive at All Right Now, So I’m Going to Work Harder on Self-Improvement

After getting out of the bath, we dried our hair and changed into clothes. By the way, since I got caught in a downpour and my uniform was soaked, I was borrowing some of Sana’s dad’s clothes.

Sana didn’t bring up my earlier slip of the tongue, so I didn’t bother digging into it either.

“It looks like it’ll take a while for the rain to stop, according to the weather radar. Since we’re here, why don’t you stay until then?” Sana said.

“Is that okay?” I asked.

“Yeah, my parents won’t be back for a while anyway,” she replied.

Sana’s parents had always been dual-income and came home late, hadn’t they? That’s why when we were kids, Sana often ate dinner at my place. But now that I think about it, even though Sana invited me, isn’t it kind of messed up that I took a bath with her while her parents were away?

If it’s not normal for childhood friends to hang out naked together, then if her parents—especially her dad—found out, I might be in serious trouble. So, I checked my phone to look it up, but I couldn’t find any information about it.

“Hey, where’d you hear that it’s normal for childhood friends to hang out naked?” I asked.

“What’s with you all of a sudden?” Sana responded.

“Well, I looked it up, and there’s nothing about it anywhere,” I said.

“Shuya told me. He calls himself a childhood friend expert, so I don’t think he’d get it wrong,” she explained.

So, the source was Akiya, huh? Wait, that guy was feeding Sana this kind of ridiculous nonsense? I’m honestly kind of appalled.

I mean, hanging out naked with a childhood friend has to be something that only happens in the adult games Akiya plays, right? For him to tell a girl something like that is wild. For a moment, I wondered if Sana was trying to trick me, but it seems like she was just another victim of Akiya’s nonsense.

I decided I’d give Akiya a good punch when I saw him tomorrow. While I was thinking about that, Sana pulled out her study materials from her bag.

“Since we’re here, could you study with me a bit more until the rain stops?” she asked.

“Of course, that’s fine, but you’re really motivated, huh? The old Sana wouldn’t have been this eager,” I remarked.

“I got told I’m not attractive at all right now, so I’m going to work harder on self-improvement,” she said.

Sana’s face was dead serious as she said that. Who in the world would’ve told her something like that?

Normally, I think most people wouldn’t easily accept being told that, so maybe whoever said it was really convincing. After that, Sana and I started studying together.

“By the way, Haruto, have you decided on a university yet?” she asked.

“I haven’t settled on one yet, but I’m pretty sure I’ll end up going to a university outside the prefecture,” I replied.

“Yeah, there are a lot of universities outside the prefecture,” she said.

“Yep, especially private universities. I’m thinking about applying to ones in Tokyo, Osaka, or Kyoto,” I added.

Since prestigious private universities are concentrated in big cities, if I don’t get into a national university, I’ll likely switch to applying to those.

“Then I need to work hard too, since I want to go to the same university as you,” Sana said.

“Really? You do?” I asked, surprised.

“We’ve been together since kindergarten through high school, so it’d be nice to go to the same university, don’t you think?” she said.

“You don’t have to force yourself to go to the same place as me,” I told her.

“I want to, so don’t worry about it. That’s just how it is, so deal with it,” she insisted.

Before, if Sana had said she wanted to go to the same university, I would’ve only felt annoyed. But now, I was actually really happy about it. Maybe I’m slowly getting completely charmed by her.

—

Chapter 23: Alright, I Get It, So Stop Clinging to Me

Four days had passed since the exam announcement, and the classroom after school was even more tense than usual. Tomorrow marked the start of the weekend, but come Monday, the midterm exams would begin in earnest.

Being the first midterms since starting high school, everyone was surely planning to hit the books hard over the weekend for a final push. Especially those classmates who had done poorly on the middle school review test the day after the entrance ceremony—they were undoubtedly eager to redeem themselves. I figured Sana was probably one of them.

“Hey, Haruto, I’m stuck on a math problem. Mind helping me out after this?” Akiya asked.

“Why don’t you ask your childhood friend instead?” I shot back.

“Come on, you know I don’t have a childhood friend, Haruto,” he replied.

“I thought with Akiya, you’d have a few imaginary ones in your head by now,” I teased.

“What, are you still holding a grudge about that thing? Look, I had no idea Ibuki-san would take it that far!” he protested.

“Seriously?” I said skeptically.

Akiya apologized, but I brushed him off coldly. The “thing” he mentioned was, of course, when he’d convinced Sana that it was totally normal for childhood friends to have “naked bonding time.” The morning after that incident, I confronted him, and he confessed immediately.

Akiya claimed he never expected Sana to actually believe it, but for me, getting dragged into that mess was no laughing matter. And the fact that he casually asked for my thoughts on it afterward, without a hint of remorse, was honestly kind of impressive.

“Come on, man, do you want me to flunk math and get my phone and PC confiscated?” he pleaded.

“I think that might actually make you seem more normal, so maybe it’s not a bad idea,” I quipped.

“I’m begging you, man! If you take my childhood friend away, I’ll go crazy from withdrawal!” he exclaimed.

“Alright, I get it, so stop clinging to me,” I sighed.

I thought maybe cutting him off from this “childhood friend” obsession would do him some good, but if it only made things worse, that wouldn’t help. The last thing I needed was Sana getting fed more of his ridiculous ideas.

Reluctantly, I agreed to help Akiya study. Just then, Moene Shindo, who had been watching our exchange, spoke up.

“Are you two studying together? Mind if I join?” she asked.

“Then count me in too,” Hayate Amasaki added.

“If Moene and Hayate are in, I want to join too,” said Rio Asada, another girl who often hung out with them.

“Of course, you’re all welcome! Haruto’s gonna teach us like a pro!” Akiya declared.

“Hey!” I protested.

Moene, Hayate, and Rio all wanted in, and Akiya just gave them the green light without asking me. No surprise I raised my voice at that. Hanging out with Akiya, who’s all flash and no substance, is one thing, but dealing with those three sparkling types would drain my HP fast. I really wished they’d spare me. Just then, Sana returned to the classroom after returning a borrowed textbook to a friend.

“Haruto, let’s go home… Wait, what’s everyone gathered here for?” she asked.

“Sorry, Ibuki-san, we’re borrowing Haruto for a bit,” Akiya explained.

“We’re studying with Kawaguchi-kun and Kurosaki-kun,” Moene added.

“Moene dragged me and Rio into it,” Hayate chimed in.

“I see,” Sana said.

“…Hmph, fine, I’ll join too. I was already planning to study with Haruto after school anyway,” she added, standing next to me.

Her expression seemed just a tad displeased, but I was probably the only one who noticed, given how long we’d known each other. For some reason, Sana had always gotten super moody whenever there were other girls in a group with me. Back in the day, she’d have tried to shut down my social life without a second thought, so compared to then, she’d really matured.