The Story of Becoming a Drinking Friend When I Saved the Cutest Senpai in University - Vol 1 Chapter 9

Tennouji’s POV

“Are you all right!?”

As the light from the smartphone illuminated my face, I squinted against the brightness.

Thank goodness. It seems that Itomori-kun came to help me.

…But, this is a bit of a problem.

I appreciate it, but given the situation, I don’t want him getting any closer.

“I was so surprised by the thunder that I dropped the cup, and the broken one stuck in my foot…! I-I’m all right, so don’t move. It would be a disaster if even Itomori-kun got hurt.”

The pierced glass was not so large.

It is bleeding a lot, but it is not an injury that left me unable to move.

I needed to get Itomori-kun to step back and find a way to escape the kitchen myself. I don’t want him getting hurt because of me.

…That’s what I was thinking, but somehow he turned to the light to brush the glass off the floor and come closer to me.

“Senpai, excuse me.”

“Eh. W-wait! Kyaaah!”

I was suddenly scooped up by the leg and lifted off the floor.　

It is the so-called princess carry.

“What are you doing!? Ah, it’s dangerous!!”

“I will carry you to the sofa for now. I can’t leave you there.”

This was my first time being carried like this, but his body was surprisingly stable.

In the dim light, his face, seen from a little below, is strangely dignified, combined with his expression and the situation. My heart beats so fast that the pain disappears.

I remembered the day we first met.

These days, we’ve been drinking and partying together, and I have forgotten about it, but he’s probably classified as “strong” among men. Seeing this straightforward display of masculine strength made my heart race for some reason.

“Alright, I’ll put you down now.”

We arrived on the sofa in less than ten seconds.

He gently placed me down and immediately turned the light toward my red feet with blood.

“The wound is not so deep. Where are the disinfectants and bandages?”

 “Well… oh. I’m sorry. I didn’t prepare for it. I couldn’t think that far.”

Now that I think about it, I shouldn’t have given priority to DVDs over alcohol.

It was fortunate that I was the one injured, but if Itomori-kun had gotten hurt, he probably would’ve been fed up with me. Maybe he would have even started to dislike her.

I lowered my gaze, feeling embarrassed and pathetic.

Itomori-kun lightly replies, “Is that so?” and stands up and turns on his heel.

“Where are you going?”

“I will buy disinfectant at a convenience store nearby. I think it’s still open even if there’s a power outage.”

“N-no you can’t do that! It’s too dangerous!”

There was still tremendous rain and wind outside, and flashes of thunder.

Even if there is a car, the weather is not good to go outside. Even more so if he doesn’t have an umbrella or a raincoat.

“I’m sorry that I didn’t prepare it, but I can’t stand it if Itomori-kun suffers because of something I failed to prepare for!”

“But if something happens to you…”

“Then I’ll go! Itomori-kun, wait here!”

I stood up and walked a step or two when I was struck by a sharp pain and fell forward.

At that moment, Itomori-kun caught my body and prevented me from falling.

“It’s my fault…! I… I… I…!”

I broke the cup myself, got hurt on my own, and didn’t buy a first aid kit.

On top of all that, I have done nothing but cause him trouble, and tears welled up in my eyes with all humiliation… This wasn’t how tonight was supposed to go. I wanted Itomori-kun to have fun tonight.

“You know, senpai. Didn’t you invite me here so you wouldn’t end up crying?”

Itomori-kun wiped away the tears that were about to spill over with his fingers.

He looked up and smiled softly.

“I don’t care who’s to blame. I told senpai that she didn’t have to be a perfect girl.”

“B-but…”

“Don’t think I’m causing you trouble. Rather, I feel grateful for the opportunity to help senpai.”

“…Grateful?”

“I felt lonely every day, whether I was in junior high school or high school or even after I entered university. But senpai asked me to be friends. Please don’t take away this opportunity for me to finally do something for the friend I made.”

…That’s not fair. That’s such an unfair thing to say.

If he asks me not to take it away, I can’t say anything.

I had to sit on the sofa, and he scratched his head with his eyebrows raised and continued, “Besides…”

“I don’t have a mother either, so I kind of understand what it’s like to want to smile for her… So, please smile until the moment you go home. It’ll make your mom happy, and, well, it’ll make me happy too.”

After saying that, his face suddenly flushed as if he’d gotten embarrassed, and he cleared his throat loudly on purpose.

He left the living room, fanning his face with his hands even though it wasn’t hot.

“Besides, I was starving, so I was just going to go to a convenience store! This is just an opportunity, an opportunity!”

With that obvious lie as a cover for his embarrassment, he opened the front door and disappeared into the storm.

◆◆◆

Itomori’s POV

“I’m back!”

“Ah!”

A round trip takes about half an hour.

I managed to get home and open the door, and senpai came out of the living room. Limping and dragging one foot… W-wait, what the heck is she doing?

“S-senpai, are you sure you should be standing!?”

“Don’t worry about me! Are you hurt? Itomori-kun, you didn’t get hit by lightning!?”

“If I had been struck by lightning, I wouldn’t be here. I’m not made of rubber.”

I shrugged my shoulders and showed the bag I had been holding to show that I had successfully bought the items.

“I bought it safely. I’ll disinfect it for now, so please sit down.”

I said, I tried to scoop her up in a princess carry again, but a voice broke out, “Ah!”

My body is soaking wet right now as if I had been soaking in the bath from head to toe.

Drops of water trickled down and a little puddle formed on the floor. If I touch senpai in this state, I will end up soaking her too.

“Itomori-kun should take care of yourself first! You need to take out those wet clothes!”

“Whoa! W-wait!?”

“You’re going to catch a cold if you stay like this! Come on, stay still!”

“I’ll take it off myself! So, let go of me―”

I resisted desperately, but the exhaustion from walking through the storm had sapped my strength, and senpai’s determination was overwhelming.

She forcefully pulled off my T-shirt, and her phone’s flashlight illuminated me.

“…”

Senpai gasped.

Damn it…

There was no hiding it now, and I inwardly cursed as she saw everything.

Scars, scars, scars.

The part that was hidden by the clothes was covered with painful old scars.

Among them, the skin around my shoulder was severely bad. It spread all over the back, and it was a fearlessness that made me want to turn away from myself.

‘I was always beat up to keep up with expectations.’

The lines I uttered to her a month ago are nothing like metaphors.

It was the price I paid for playing the hero. I was praised and admired by everyone, but… Well, that’s just a fancy way of saying I was a stupid who overdid things.

“…I-I’m sorry. I showed you something so unpleasant.”

When I was in junior high school, I was frightened by the sight of this wound and I ended up being ostracized.

When I was in high school, I didn’t want to be hurt, so I spent my time quietly.

After entering university and starting a part-time job, a strange rumor spread about meーa small accident revealed the scars and I ended up quitting in April this year.

These scars have always destroyed my relationships with people.

Over and over and over again, until it was beyond repair.

“I’m going to sleep on the sofa today, after all… So, you don’t have to worry.”

My voice trembles.

She must have been frightened and disgusted. Thought it was disgusting.

But I didn’t want senpai to hate me. I strung together whatever words I could to reassure her.

“For now… Can I get my clothes back? I want to finish disinfecting the wounds.”

I reached out to take the soaking wet T-shirt that senpai was holding to hide my body.

But she slapped my hand away.

She threw my T-shirt behind her, put my smartphone in my pocket and she grabbed my pants.

“Why are you trying to wear the clothes you took off!? I told you that you’re going to catch a cold!”

She yelled angrily as she fumbled with my belt, clearly not used to this kind of task.

I stared blankly at the scene, and suddenly came back to myself when the belt came off, and quickly held my pants to prevent them from slipping off.

“W-wait a minute! Don’t you care at all about what you just saw?!”

“I don’t care about that! Take it off quickly!”

“Y-you don’t care…”

Her unexpected response drained all the strength from my body, and I let my guard down for just a moment.

Senpai does not miss that opportunity and slides my pants down with a “Yeah.”

Unfortunately, along with my underwear.

“Waaahhhhhhhhhh!?”

My scream echoed, overpowering the rain, the wind, and reverberating through the storm outside.