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

Chapter 8

…What kind of face was I supposed to make? I thought it was not a situation to smile at, at the very least.

Who could have imagined that a childhood friend, who I was once close to, became so obsessed that she turned into a stalker after she distanced herself?

I was not angry, to be specific. I was just completely confused. So, I stood there, unable to say a single word.

I glanced at Maya suddenly. Did she sense something unsettling in my silence? She looked completely dejected and hung her head. Well, she probably thought it was bad herself… Was it good or bad that she admitted it so honestly there?

…But, it was kind of like that, wasn’t it? Watching a dejected Maya honestly made me feel pained.

So, that was probably what it meant.

“…I’m not angry, so lift your face,” I said.

“Huh…?” Maya replied.

Maya raised her face quickly with force, and her face was a mess with tears. I thought her eyes would probably be swollen tomorrow… and I wiped her eyes with a handkerchief.

“You’re still a crybaby, huh,” I said.

I comforted a crying Maya like this in the past too, didn’t I? It felt somehow nostalgic.

“I was surprised, but I’m not angry, so it’s fine. You didn’t hurt anyone,” I said.

“B-But… it’s creepy, right?” Maya asked.

“Hmm… I didn’t think it was creepy, but I was confused,” I replied.

I didn’t feel disgust, but I thought anyone would struggle to react if someone confessed something like that.

But, more than that.

“I was confused… but I was happy. You didn’t hate me, Maya,” I said.

“Huh…?” Maya responded.

“When my mom died, I was really in pain. It’s embarrassing, but I cried all the time at home,” I said.

When I was at home, memories of my mom came back to me… and I cried constantly. No, not just at home. I cried every time I remembered something… That was how I was back then.

People around me probably didn’t know what to say to me. They kept their distance somehow… and that made me even sadder.

“But when I was with you, Maya, I wasn’t sad. You stayed with me all the time, smiled at me… You saved me back then, Maya,” I said.

In the midst of that, Maya stayed by my side. She followed me around, clung to me crying, smiled at me… That was my salvation. When I was with Maya, sadness disappeared, and I could smile naturally, I think.

Maya thought she was forcing herself to smile, but it was the opposite. Because Maya was there, I could smile and get through tough days.

So, Maya is still my precious childhood friend and an important savior. I could never hate Maya… even if she was an obsessed stalker.

“So I’m not angry, and I won’t hate you. I’m more angry that you decided things on your own and left,” I said.

“…Yuu-chan,” Maya said.

“So… can we be close again? It’s lonely without you, Maya,” I said.

…I was aware I was saying something embarrassing. But that was my true heart.

I wanted to spend time like we did before. That was what I wished for all along.

“…Is that okay? I’ll cling to you like before,” Maya said.

“That’s fine,” I replied.

“I’ll stick to you all the time, Yuu-chan,” Maya said.

“As long as you keep it in check,” I replied.

“I’ve bottled up so much, it’s gonna be heavy,” Maya said.

“Well, as long as you don’t stalk, it’s fine,” I replied.

That was honestly scary.

“I’ll try to do everything I couldn’t do before,” Maya said.

“…? That’s fine, I guess,” I replied.

Everything…?

“I won’t forgive girls getting close to you, Yuu-chan. I’ll get super jealous,” Maya said.

“I don’t have any girls I’m that close to,” I replied.

“There’s that gym person…” Maya said.

“No, Kiyomi-san isn’t like that,” I replied.

We’re close, sure, but we don’t have those feelings… Though she seems desperate for a boyfriend and a bit indiscriminate lately.

“…I’ll get jealous when you talk with Baba-kun too,” Maya said.

“Can you let Shige slide…?” I asked.

He’s my best friend… About 20% of my reason for going to school is to hang out with Shige, so losing that would be tough.

“I held back so much for so long, I’ll probably cause you a lot of trouble, Yuu-chan… Is that still okay?” Maya asked.

…She bottled up more than I thought. But my answer was one.

“It’s okay. I still want to be close with you like before, Maya,” I said.

Obsessed or not, paranoid or not, Maya is Maya. There’s no way I’d refuse.

“—! Yuu-chan!!” Maya exclaimed.

“Ugh!?” I grunted.

I couldn’t catch Maya as she crashed into my stomach, and I fell over with a weird noise. It hurt a lot… I thought about asking her to get off, but…

“Hic, sob… Yuu, Yuu…!” Maya cried.

…Well, whatever.

I stopped trying to pull her off and patted Maya’s head. I felt like I’d be soft on Maya for a while… but that was fine for now.

The knot I carried for so long unraveled. I was satisfied with that for now, and that was enough.

…

“…Maya, it’d help if you let go soon,” I said.

“Huh… why? No, did you start hating me? No, I’m sorry! I’ll fix everything bad about me! I’ll become your ideal girl, so forgive me, don’t hate me, I just got to be with you again, I can’t live if you hate me, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” Maya said.

“Ah, sorry, never mind! Stay like this as long as you want! Okay? Okay?” I said.

…No, was this really okay?