The Childhood Friend I Had Grown Distant From Started Acting a Little Strange

Chapter 1

I, Matsuda Yuma, wake up early in the morning. I, who do light running before going to school as my morning routine, get up at 6 every day and run around the neighborhood as my daily habit.

“Ha, ha, ha, ha…”

I get somewhat tired, but I, who like to move anyway, never thought about quitting. Besides,

“Hey, Yuu-chan. Good job today too.”

I enjoy running quite a bit because I meet people at this time.

“Morning, Grandpa Mimura. Morning to Mame too.”

I pet the Shiba Inu, Mame, next to Grandpa, and he happily wags his tail. Dogs are cute, right? I like cats too, though.

“Man, you’re still so energetic, going for a walk in the morning like that. You don’t seem 80 at all.”

“I don’t want to lose to young folks yet. Besides, I don’t feel like the day starts until I see Yuu-chan’s face.”

“Is that so? Then I gotta keep running, huh?”

I chat a bit more, then part with Grandpa Mimura and resume running.

Grandpa Mimura, my neighbor, lived in this town before I was born. He, who loves kids, treated me like his own grandson, maybe because our houses are close.

So, to me, he feels like a real grandpa. I want him to live a long life.

…Because losing someone important always hurts.

After that, I circle the neighborhood, return home, take a shower, eat a quick breakfast, and leave the house.

I walk slowly since I don’t want to sweat again from running. Then, I see familiar black hair ahead.

“Morning.”

“…”

She doesn’t reply. Well, that’s normal.

A high school girl with long black hair reaching her waist and a genuinely pretty face. Maya Yuki is always like this. No matter what I say, she doesn’t react. She doesn’t even meet my eyes.

I once thought she might have an ear problem, but she talks normally in class, so that’s not it. For some reason, she’s curt only with me.

I pass Maya without any conversation. Maybe she hates seeing my face… It’s a bit lonely, but if she dislikes me, there’s no helping it. It’s better than forcing her to talk and making her feel bad.

…It wasn’t like this before, though.

The classroom already has about half the classmates. It’s 30 minutes early, so that’s about right.

I sit at my desk, and suddenly someone puts an arm around my shoulder.

“Yo, Yuu!”

“Morning, Shige. Finished morning practice?”

“Yeah, they made me run like crazy this morning… that demon coach…”

Grumbling complaints, this buzz-cut guy is Baba Shigefumi. We hit it off on the first day of high school, and even now, a year later, he’s a close friend. We call each other “Yuu” and “Shige” by nicknames.

Shige, who’s in the baseball club, gets worked hard at morning practice every day and vents about it when we meet. But he never skips practice, so I think he’s a serious guy.

“Good work. But the regional tournament’s coming up, so you gotta push hard.”

“Yeah, I made the starting lineup this year, so cheer for me!”

“Yeah, I’ll definitely go. I’m expecting you to shine.”

“Yeah!”

We say this and laugh together. Shige is an important friend, and I know he works hard every day. I genuinely hope he gets rewarded.

“Oh, morning, Maya!”

While we talk, I hear a loud voice. I look and see people crowding around Maya, who just entered the classroom. She answers with a smile, sits at her desk, and people gather around her.

The so-called top caste, huh? Maya’s at the center of those types.

“…Still popular as ever, that Yuki girl. I don’t get it.”

“Well, she’s pretty, gets good grades, and is kind. Of course people like her.”

“A girl who blatantly ignores someone is nice, huh…”

I feel somewhat guilty seeing Shige glare coldly at Maya. He probably dislikes her because of me. He can’t forgive Maya’s cold attitude toward only me.

“But maybe I did something…”

“But she won’t even tell you why, right? That’s just unfair.”

“Well, yeah, but…”

I tried asking her why at first. I wanted to apologize if I did something. But no matter how many times I asked, she just said, “Nothing,” and told me nothing. So I stopped asking.

“…Whatever. I don’t wanna think about her first thing in the morning.”

“Sorry.”

“Why’re you apologizing, Yuu?”

I watch Shige, giving a wry smile, go to his seat. I glance at Maya. Seeing her gentle smile, so different from when she’s with me, makes me feel indescribable.

…Maya and I have known each other since we were little, the so-called childhood friends.

Maya, who was unbelievably shy back then, couldn’t talk to anyone but me. She always followed me around, shrinking back in fear when others got close.

But around second grade, maybe? Maya changed. She completely cut ties with me and started actively socializing with people she used to avoid.

Maya, who was always cute despite her lack of social skills, quickly became popular. Now, she’s so sociable she’s the center of attention wherever she goes.

It’s not that I dislike that. In fact, I’m genuinely happy from the bottom of my heart that Maya can fit in with others. But…

…It’s still sad.

I don’t expect us to be close. If I hurt her so deeply that she ignores me, I don’t have the right to ask for that.

But at least, if I did something, I want to apologize. I think that, but… Maya never answers, and here we are.

“…What did I do, really?”

Recalling the old her that won’t come back, I let out a sigh.