The Story of Waking up With My Beautiful Childhood Friend and Realizing We Had Spent the Night Together - Chapter 20

Chapter 20: Staying at Home on a Rainy Day

Drip, drop. 

A pleasant sound echoes through the room.

“…It’s raining.”

“Mm…”

The day after Mizuki had dinner with her aunt on a Saturday.

Mizuki and I were relaxing on the living room sofa, not doing anything in particular.

Mizuki was reading a novel.

I was playing a rhythm game on my phone, though it wasn’t particularly fun.

Things had been pretty chaotic lately.

This kind of quiet time felt refreshing.

“…Iori?”

“Hm…?”

When I looked to the side, Mizuki was gazing at me with a worried expression.

Her neatly tied ponytail swayed gently.

“…What’s wrong? Are you tired?”

“No…”

She must have noticed my dull reaction.

But it’s not like I was actually tired.

It’s just that rainy days tend to put me in a low mood.

So there’s no need to worry. I was about to say that.

“…Want to come here?”

Mizuki patted her lap.

I hesitated for a moment.

“…Mm.”

“Ah, you came.”

I shifted over and rested my head on Mizuki’s lap.

Mizuki smiled happily at that.

Burying my face into her stomach and closing my eyes, I felt her hand gently stroking my head.

“Ever since we started dating…”

“Hm?”

“You’ve been a lot more open about being affectionate.”

“…Well. If you don’t like it, I can stop.”

“No, I’m really happy.”

She was really happy.

She rarely used casual words, yet she emphasized “really,” so she must have meant it.

“Did we ever do this before?”

“Hm?”

“A lap pillow, I mean.”

“…I think I gave you one when we were in elementary school.”

“Ah…”

Mizuki’s family was a single-parent household, and her mother was the way she was.

So, when Mizuki was little and felt lonely, I would often comfort her.

…But now that I think about it,

maybe that was just an excuse, and she actually just wanted me to give her a lap pillow.

“…Then, next time, let me do it for you.”

“…Mm.”

I showed my agreement by burrowing deeper into her thighs.

“That tickles.”

Even as she said that, her hand continued to stroke my head gently.

…Somehow, I felt incredibly happy.

So happy, it was almost scary.

Life is like walking a tightrope. No one knows what will happen next.

This happiness—there’s no guarantee it will last forever.

…What should I do to make sure it doesn’t disappear?

“…Mizuki.”

“Hm?”

“That dinner with your aunt… was it really okay?”

When Mizuki came back, I asked her right away what they talked about.

But she just kept saying it was fine.

In the end, she never told me anything about the conversation.

“Yeah, it wasn’t a big deal.”

“…”

If that were true, she could’ve just told me.

That’s what I thought, but Mizuki never spills anything in moments like these.

If I pressed too much, she’d probably shut me up physically, and it would get ugly.

So I decided to hold back.

“…Hey, Iori.”

“Hm?”

“After we graduate high school… let’s live together.”

“…Huh?”

Surprised by the sudden suggestion, I instinctively lifted my head.

But she immediately pushed my head back down, saying “Nope.”

“…We’re practically living together already.”

“That’s not what I mean.”

She patted my head again, making my body relax.

“We’ll earn our own money, rent a place, cook meals, sleep together…”

She whispered, almost like convincing herself.

“—And live our lives together.”

Her voice was soft, almost like a whisper.

But there was something deeply sincere in it.

This wasn’t just some lighthearted remark.

It wasn’t something I should answer carelessly.

In that moment, I understood that.

…But honestly, my answer had been decided from the start.

There was no reason to hesitate now.

I looked up at Mizuki and nodded.

“…Yeah, let’s do that.”

“Really?”

“Of course.”

There was no other life I could choose.

It would be tough, and it would take effort.

But there was no doubt—it would be happiness.

“I can’t imagine a life without you anymore.”

“…Mm.”

“Thanks for being with me.”

“…Mm.”

…I feel like I just said something really embarrassing.

I buried my face into Mizuki’s stomach again, and she slowly stroked my head.

“We’ll definitely be happy.”

“…Yeah.”

We have to work hard to make it happen.

Mizuki is amazing, but she’s not perfect.

“First, we need to study.”

“Fufu… I hope we get into the same university.”

“…I’ll do my best.”

Our academic levels were quite different.

I needed to close that gap somehow.

Maybe I should start going to cram school…

Kashiwagi-san’s school had a good reputation…

As I was thinking about that—

“…Ow.”

“…Were you just thinking about another girl?”

How does she even know? Is she a mind-reader? Scary.

I lightly swatted her hand, and she let go.

“…You’re really jealous, Mizuki.”

“Yeah… sorry?”

“No, it’s fine.”

It just means she loves me that much.

…Not that I’d ever say that out loud.

“Do you ever get jealous, Iori?”

“I used to, all the time.”

“Really?”

“It wasn’t so much jealousy… more like anxiety. It always felt like someone could take you away.”

“Fufu…”

Drip, drop. 

A comforting sound of rain.

As I rested on Mizuki’s lap, I listened to the rain and her voice.

Somehow, I felt incredibly at peace.

If we live together, will this continue forever?

“Iori, you really don’t understand.”

“What?”

“Me.”

“…I don’t?”

“Not at all.”

She sounded amused.

Come on… we’ve been together for ten years.

“That’s what makes you cute.”

“…Should I be happy or frustrated?”

“You should be happy.”

She giggled and leaned in closer.

Her lips gently met mine.

In front of me was the face of my childhood friend, who had grown far more mature than ten years ago.

A face I had seen countless times.

Yet no matter how many times I saw her—

“…You’re beautiful.”

“…Huh? Me?”

“Yeah.”

“Do you like my face?”

“…Yeah.”

“I see.”

Mizuki smiled happily.