To the Person I Love and Hate the Most… - Chapter 4

It’s not Love, it’s Like! Part 1

The next day, I meet Natsumi-chan again at the station.

“…we meet again!”

Natsumi-chan said to me so excitedly.

“Yeah…there are a lot of things I want to ask…”

I answer gently to reassure her.

We decided to go to a karaoke place so we can talk privately.

To refresh our mood a bit, we sing a few songs.

She is a very good singer…

……

“Can you tell me more about it?”

“Yeah…”

“What kind of person is he?”

“He is actually a gentle person…but when he gets upset, he sometimes can be out of control.”

Natsumi-chan started talking with a slightly troubled expression.

“So, he is the type who’s not good at controlling his own emotions…the reason why he is retaking his degree at university is because he is struggling to find a proper job, but yet he still can afford and make time to go on an overseas trip.”

I said so a little sarcastically.

“His parents seem to be fairly wealthy, so he has a bit of a spoiled side…”

“So, he is a rich kid, huh…”

I have to ask it subtly so that I don’t make Natsumi-chan uncomfortable.

“The abuse…when did it start?”

“About six months ago…”

“I see…but isn’t it dangerous if he is being violence?”

“He doesn’t get violence all the time…as long as I don’t upset him, it’s fine…”

It doesn’t seem to be as bad as I thought, I feel somewhat relieved.

“What about your living situation, how is it like?”

“He usually goes to university at the day. Since he is letting me to live with him, I do the cleaning and take care of his meals…”

“Why do you still live with him in such a difficult situation?”

“I can’t help it…I can’t live on my own.”

She smiles wryly.

“Hey, if you’re in a pinch, I can lend you some money…you can even stay in a hotel until you get your things sorted out. I’ll take care of the expenses, don’t worry about it.”

“That’s a bit…I’m sorry, but I’ll have to refuse that offer.”

She gently refuses my offer.

“Ah…I’m sorry. It seems like you’re not in as much of a trouble as I thought. I guess you can’t just completely trust someone you just met after all.”

I laugh bitterly.

“That’s not true! I think…Ma-kun is truly a good person…”

She said so immediately.

I have never been told something like that before in my life.

My heart is pounding really hard.

Gathering my courage, I ask,

“Does that mean…you are aware of me as the opposite sex?”

She nods silently in response.

“You know, I’ve never had a woman say something like that to me before…especially, coming from a cute girl like Natsumi-chan…it makes me really happy…but just to clarify, Natsumi-chan, the person who you are currently living with is still your boyfriend, right? Objectively speaking, it will seem like I’m taking you away from him.”

“I…don’t think of him as ‘Ka-kun’ anymore…”

Natumi-chan seems down as she says so.

“’Ka-kun?’”

“Ah…I call the person I live with ‘Ka-kun’…”

“I’m sorry…even from the way you’re calling him, it definitely looks like that you’re in a relationship with him…”

“I don’t consider us to be in a relationship! We’re just living together!!!”

She said so clearly.

“I know this is an uncomfortable question, but you know typically when a woman lives with a man…there might be an intimate relationship, right?”

“No! That’s not true!”

Natsumi-chan shouted so with tears welling up in her eyes.

“How long have you been living together?”

“About two years…”

“Why did you decided to live together with him?”

“Due to some circumstances, I have to quit vocational school, and my parents stopped sending me money…I was in a pinch, and then I met him. He suggested that I should move in with him to save some money…he really wanted to help me out.”

“Forgive me for asking this question, but have you slept with him before?”

“You’re asking something very rude…”

She has a very troubled expression on her face and said so.

Then…

“Not recently…but I’ve slept with him before…”