After a Heartbreak, My Bitter Childhood Friend is now Sweet Like Sugar - Chapter 1.1

Chapter 01 Prt 01

Sun’s warmth amidst a storm

Translated by – Devxtt

Edited by – Shish99

My heart silently broke.

That was all it took. It was an experience that showed how meaningless my life has become, as if nothing I had possessed any value anymore.

Maybe when I get a little older, I’ll be able to get over this bitter feeling of emptiness. I’ll be able to erase these events from my life.

But for now at least, I couldn’t handle something so devastating . Life had caught me unprepared.

It’s been a week since I caught this fever, the sheer shock of the incident driving me into this state, leaving me unable to even get up from the bed.

『I don’t think we can be together, okay? I don’t want you to depend on me.』

She said those words, then left me swiftly like a fading breeze.

Those were the words stuck in my mind, everytime I remember her voice brings a stinging pain to my heart.

“…pathetic”

I don’t want to indulge in pity, in such masochistic behaviours.

Anyway, one thing I’ve learnt from these experiences is harm to the mind is reflected upon the body, to a much greater extent than you would think possible.

After all, during my 16 years of life, no illness has struck me harder than this fever.

—Ping-Pong.

While I was stuck wandering within my mind, I heard the doorbell ring.

Is fate playing some cruel joke, calling a visitor to my apartment when any movement is a herculean task.

I chose to ignore it, but the bell rang out repeatedly, and the phone under my pillow vibrated, sounding out clearly in the noise caused by the bells.

I saw a notification from the PINE app.

The name read Kokoa Shirayuki and a message saying, “Are you away?”

Kokoa Shirayuki.

We had been close friends throughout our childhood, or rather, she was my best female friend, at least that was the situation a year ago.

Yes, our friendship was a thing of the past, not some matter concerning the present.

She abruptly started hating me, for a reason I could not figure out by thinking on my own, but due to her actions, we grew distant.

We go to the same high school but don’t talk to each other.

We were even neighbours, but despite that, we never talked.

Even though we saw each other many times, we never talked.

I think it has been about a year since we stopped talking. I couldn’t understand why she would be visiting me.

I forced my weak body, flinging off the blanket and dragging myself to the front door.

I opened the door.

“Wa!” she startled and took a step back.

“Isn’t it rude to shout at someone’s face?”

“Cause I didn’t expect it to open so quickly.”

Shaking her long twin-tail, Kokoa was in her school uniform. She argued impatiently.

Since she has a school bag in her hand, she probably came straight here without stopping in her room.

“Did you sleep well?”

“I was awake. I didn’t feel good enough to sleep… So what do you want?”

“Umm…”

There was a rustle.

When I looked at its source, I saw a plastic bag in Kokoa’s hand, with a green, branched vegetable peeking out of it… was it a green onion?

‘”… I heard that you’d been absent from school for a long time, so, um, um.”

What’s going on? You’re missing the point.

Kokoa brought me something to eat. Could it be she’s trying to…

“I’m here to look after you.”

“What ……?”

I accidentally let my thoughts slip out of my mouth.

“That is… I’m here to look after you. For now, it must be hard for you to stand with a high fever. Don’t worry about me. Go get some sleep. Have you eaten yet?”

“No no no no, wait a minute. I don’t understand why you’re nursing me all of a sudden.”

“I just heard about you at school. I heard that you’d been absent from school for a week now. It’s normal to worry when my next-door neighbor has been absent for that long.”

“No, that’s true, but—”

“I’ll leave if it bothers you?”

It was a little awkward but she wasn’t a nuisance. In fact, I was very graceful for her care because I didn’t have any groceries left here.

“… No please! You’re welcomed here.”

“Excuse me for disturbing.”

I returned to my room while she put her shoes aside and followed me.

…I mean, wait.

Maybe it was the high fever that had jumbled up my thoughts, but I hadn’t realized the problems I would face by letting her in.

Firstly, my room was too dirty because I spent many days without cleaning.

Also, my underwear and other clothes were scattered across the floor, leaving it in a mess.

And…

” 『I will spoil you until I die … Beautiful Onee~san hell edition ~I shouted Babuu at the end of the world~.』

I see, are these the kind of women Yu is into nowadays?”

“Gaaaaaaahhhh!”

Lastly, the erotic book I had been reading before falling asleep was laid bare on top of my bed.

“I knew you liked older girls, but I didn’t realize you were so lonely…”

“No. That was forced onto me by a guy in the class. Don’t act like its mine.”

“I won’t hate you for it. Everyone has their own taste after all.”

“You don’t need to worry, it’s not mine, trust me please”

“Just kidding. Let’s just keep it away.”

“You don’t believe me..?”

“It’s okay. You’re not feeling well. Get into bed and rest a bit.”

Kokoa stared at me, her gaze carrying the intense disdain she felt at the moment.

No really, I don’t have that kind of taste!

Shouting over and over in my mind, I crawled into bed.

She grabbed the books that were scattered around the room and neatly arranged them into a pile. And after hiding the things that were not to be seen, she sat down on the bed.

“You know me well.”

“Yu Sawatari, 16 years old. You’re a second year high school student of Tsukigaoka High. The best school in this district. You live alone in a two-room apartment. Your favorite type of girl is a beautiful Nee~san who will spoil you to death. Your favorite phrase is Babuu…”

“I’m telling you that’s a misunderstanding. And don’t talk about my taste.”

“I’m relieved that you have enough energy to speak.”

Kokoa continued in her work in a straightforward manner.

“We have known each other for more than ten years, I’ll never forget it. We’ve lived next door to each other for so long. More importantly, how long are you going to stay like that? Please get some rest. You’re not feeling well.”

“No, I don’t feel comfortable lying down while a girl does all that work.”

“Just get some sleep. Sleep right now. Come on.”

“All right.”

I crawled into bed.

I was being reserved, but you don’t have anything to say that strongly.

“It’s not something to be embarrassed about now.”

“Don’t give me that, you haven’t talked to me for so long. I think you’re the one who started to avoid me? I thought you hated me.”

“It’s just that we didn’t get a chance to talk. We’re in the same school, but we’re in different classes, we’re not in the same club. I don’t visit you just because you live next door to me, and I don’t visit without a reason. Did we have a reason to talk?”

“What about the past? We talked all the time for no reason.”

“It’s not exactly a rare occurrence for relationships to fade over time.”

“Well, I guess so.”

There are many people who may have been close friends that became strangers just by changing classes, and best friends could also become strangers just by changing schools.

It wasn’t just Kokoa who had stopped talking with me, even though we went to the same high school.

Well, maybe that’s just how friendships work.

They work like the tide, ebbing their way close to you then returning back to the sea in search of others, friendships could be temporary joys felt by man at the moment, breaking just as fast as they are made.

I have experienced that recently.

“Have you eaten?”

“No, but I don’t have much of an appetite.”

“Do you have a fever?”

“Yes. But luckily, I don’t have a cold.”

Hmmm, Kokoa put her leaned her head, resting her chin upon her hands, going into a deep thought.

“You need to put something in your stomach to take the pills, right? Do you want to eat something?”

“Just a little bit of anything. Wait, you don’t have to go that far.”

“Your situation is bad enough for me to go that far. If you understand that then shut up and rest. It’s annoying when you resist someone’s kindness.”

“Ugh…”

I chose to shut up after Kokoa said that.

“I have to borrow your kitchen.”

With those words, Kokoa took the plastic bag and went to the kitchen.

I’m very grateful for what she’s doing, but I’m still confused about why she would do this for me.

We were estranged for a long time. Even though we used to be good friends, we hadn’t talked for a while. I think she heard the news, and now she’s showing sympathy for me.

I heard the sound of chopping ingredients suddenly echo out from the kitchen.

I remembered the moments in the past when Kokoa used to cook for me like this. She would often come to my house, wanting to practice cooking.

The days when we were close friends.

The times we would go to get snacks after school, and the time we were talking about the clubs we wanted to join, only to end up joining different ones.

At some point, I found my first love, and before I knew it, I stopped talking to Kokoa. Then, time called its dues upon our relationship and we drifted apart.

Oh, but at least she doesn’t hate me… right?

As I recalled those memories, a warm feeling flooded me, patching up the deep hole left within my heart.

As I drowned myself in that warmth, my consciousness slowly drew hazy and my body eventually fell asleep.

After a while, I woke up. I had just realized that there was a visitor in my room, and shot my body straight up in response to that sudden realization.

Then, with a thud, something hit my head.

“It hurts…”

I heard Kokoa’s scream.

It looked like I had hit my head against her face.

“Eh, sorry. I didn’t expect you to be here.”

Kokoa looked at me, her eyes moist with tears while her hands were on her nose in an attempt to dispel the pain.

”No, no, it’s my fault. I was careless. I didn’t expect you to get up so fast.”

“… Does it hurt?”

“Yes, yes… Oh, yeah. Dinner’s ready. You should eat.”

“Oh, Okay.”

Kokoa panicked and left in a hurry.

By the way….. what was she doing just now?

ZETROTRANSLATION