The Story of Waking up With My Beautiful Childhood Friend and Realizing We Had Spent the Night Together - Chapter 21

Chapter 21: Before It’s Too Late

“…Iori? Where are you going?”

――The next morning.

Mizuki naturally questioned me as I got dressed and headed out early, which was unusual.

She looked at me with a puzzled expression.

(…I should probably make something up…)

I felt like sighing at the thought.

“That person” would surely want me to do so.

But I couldn’t.

If it were Mizuki hiding something from me, that would be one thing.

But me hiding something from Mizuki? There’s no way I could do that.

Don’t be ridiculous, I thought, silently complaining to the person I was about to meet. Then, I turned to Mizuki.

“…I’d appreciate it if you could just understand.”

“…Mm.”

It seemed that was enough for her to get it.

I thought she might try to stop me, but all she said was, “Be careful.”

(…Childhood friends can be a pain.)

She could read me like an open book.

Or rather, it was only me she could read so well.

Why is that? I wondered as I made my way to the meeting place.

After transferring trains a few times, I got off at a station in the city center.

――The designated location was a café lounge inside a luxury city hotel.

As expected from a high-powered career woman.

Even the meeting place exuded an overwhelming sense of wealth.

I made sure to wear a jacket, but… do I look out of place?

Feeling nervous, I carefully walked forward until I reached the extravagant café lounge.

“—Are you a reserved guest?”

“…Ah, no, I’m meeting someone.”

A waiter approached me, and I gave my name.

The waiter nodded with a smile.

“—Understood. Please, this way.”

I was led to a seat by the window at the edge of the lounge.

A refined and stunning woman sat there with perfect posture.

(…It’s been a year since we last met in person.)

She was still so beautiful that it was hard to believe her age.

No wonder she was Mizuki’s mother.

As I approached, she shifted only her gaze toward me.

“—It’s been a while, Iori-kun.”

“…Long time no see, Shizuka-san.”

I gave a slight bow.

It had been a year since I last saw her face.

But the last time we actually spoke…

That was even longer ago.

Probably back in middle school.

“Sorry for calling you out so suddenly.”

“…No problem.”

I’ve never been good with this person.

And she was never interested in me either.

So the two of us having a conversation like this was almost unheard of.

I took a seat as prompted.

The softness of the cushioned chair surprised me for a moment.

Then, Shizuka-san raised a hand to call a nearby waiter.

“Coffee is fine, right?”

“Ah, yes…”

――One blend coffee, she ordered with practiced ease.

…That kind of smoothness was honestly a little cool.

I shook my head, reminding myself that now wasn’t the time to be impressed by such things.

…Anyway.

“…So then.”

“—You’re dating Mizuki, aren’t you?”

I was about to cautiously ask why she had called me here.

But she ignored that and got straight to the point.

…Still the same as ever, I thought, feeling an unpleasant sense of familiarity.

She had always been like this.

“…Yes.”

“I see.”

She nodded with an indifferent tone.

It was as if she was just confirming a fact.

Then, silence fell between us.

…I had expected her to tell me to break up with Mizuki immediately.

The fact that she said nothing left me feeling unsettled.

“…You’re not going to stop us?”

I ended up asking.

Knowing her rational nature, I had assumed she would want someone more “suitable” for her daughter.

“…At first, that was my intention.”

But Shizuka-san lowered her gaze slightly, as if exhausted.

…”Was”?

“But not anymore. I have no right to interfere… and I don’t want to provoke that child any further.”

“…?”

She rubbed her upper arm and spoke with a dark expression.

…Provoke? Mizuki?

Shizuka-san looked directly at me, as if searching for something in my eyes.

“I called you here today to give you a warning.”

“A warning…?”

“…How does Mizuki seem to you right now?”

At that question, I tilted my head in confusion.

How Mizuki seems to me…?

What does she mean by that?

She wasn’t asking how I felt about Mizuki.

She was asking what kind of person I thought Mizuki was.

Why would she ask something like that?

“Mizuki is…”

I thought for a moment.

The Mizuki I had always known.

I could never claim to know everything about her.

In fact, there was far more that I didn’t know.

But if I had to say how she appeared to me…

“…She seems beautiful and perfect, but in reality, she’s just a lonely, ordinary girl.”

“…I see.”

…Was that the right answer?

Had I given her the response she was looking for?

I nervously observed her reaction, but…

“…So that’s all you understand about her.”

Shizuka-san murmured, sounding disappointed.

“Huh…?”

“But I suppose that’s natural… She can probably be just an ordinary girl when she’s with you.”

She gave a sorrowful smile and looked out the window.

That unfamiliar expression on her face shocked me more than I expected.

…I never knew she could make that kind of face.

She had always been so emotionless, like a machine.

“—Excuse me. Here is your blended coffee.”

At that moment, the waiter arrived with my coffee, breaking the tension.

“…Mizuki is trying to abandon everything else for your sake.”

Still looking out the window, Shizuka-san whispered.

“…What?”

“That child won’t stop now.”

…What is she talking about…?

I didn’t understand anything she was trying to tell me.

“Realize it before it’s too late. And after that… you decide what to do about your relationship with her.”

She took a sip of her coffee as if to calm herself.

“…As her mother, that’s all I can say.”

She carefully placed her cup down.

“Sorry for calling you out so suddenly. That’s all I had to say.”

Then she picked up the bill card and stood to leave.

“Shizuka-san…”

I called out to her, looking at her profile that resembled Mizuki’s so much.

“…What are you going to do about Mizuki from now on?”

She gave a faint, bitter smile.

“…That child doesn’t care about me anymore.”

She murmured softly, then turned and walked away.