What's Wrong With Interfering With My Childhood Friend's Love? - Chapter 2 : This Must Be Some Kind Of Conspiracy

Chapter 2 : This Must Be Some Kind Of Conspiracy

Suddenly, I remember something from the past.

Akito, Suisei, Chiya, and I had been together as a group of four since elementary school.

Ever since I was little, I always tried my best to barely keep up with Akito.

The sudden change happened without us even noticing.

After we entered middle school, Akito started receiving confessions from girls quite frequently.

Although he always prioritized us and never dated anyone, he was undeniably popular.

Akito, being skilled at everything, managed to maintain friendships even with those who confessed to him.

Even I, naturally had more opportunities to interact with these girls.

At one point, several girls asked me, “Is Akito dating Suisei or Chiya?”

At that time, I had no clue and would simply reply, “I don’t think so.”

But each time that happened, I couldn’t help but feel unsettled deep inside.

The reason was simple.

A long time ago, Suisei had confessed to me.

While now I’m the one in love with her, it originally was the other way around.

Because of that, I knew love could develop even between childhood friends.

Back then, I didn’t respond to Suisei’s confession for another reason.

I was carrying a certain trauma.

Even as she comforted me, I couldn’t bring myself to reply right away.

I vaguely assumed we were mutually in love… and carried that misconception for a long time.

That’s why the question, “Is Akito dating Suisei?” terrified me, and I ended up asking Suisei directly.

In conclusion, the two weren’t dating. But while they weren’t in a relationship, Suisei’s feelings were clearly directed toward Akito now.

It was a shock…

Above all, I had mistakenly believed Suisei had always been in love with me.

Naturally, I felt jealous of Akito.

Through that jealousy, I came to realize just how much I truly loved Suisei.

Once I became aware of my feelings, I started confessing to Suisei repeatedly.

I couldn’t give up, fearing she might be taken by Akito.

Out of curiosity, I also asked Chiya about her first love.

Chiya straightforwardly admitted that she liked Akito.

After that, I found myself unwillingly subjected to countless love consultations, which only solidified one truth:

—Akito was very popular.

Though I knew it for a very long time, I had turned a blind eye to it.

Suisei and Chiya were no exceptions to his charm just because they were our childhood friends.

And being close to them, I couldn’t ignore the subtle differences in how they treated me and Akito.

It was around then that I realized there was something dark festering inside me.

But jealousy towards childhood friends wasn’t right.

Above all, I couldn’t bring myself to hate Akito.

Because of his popularity with girls, he often became the target of resentment from other boys.

His tendency to show off sometimes unintentionally invited trouble, too.

Even now, I remain the only one who’s always stood by his side.

I cannot betray him.

At Higashikiba High School, nearly every girl in class is smitten with Akito.

However, most of the boys dislike him.

I don’t know much about his relationships within the club he’s in, but I can’t help feeling sorry for him.

Just recently, I had a tough time thanks to a certain classmate.

Besides, I have my own reasons for never betraying a friend.

A past trauma, so painful that it overshadows the heartbreaks I’ve endured, binds me to this unwavering loyalty.

◇◇◇◇◇◇

When I returned home alone, my pet was waiting for me at the entrance.

“Chaa~”

“I’m back, Charo~ Were you waiting for your master? You’re so cute!”

Despite cats generally being aloof, my cat Charo is very attached to me.

Though its meow doesn’t quite sound cat-like, Charo is unmistakably a cute and adorable cat.

[TL/N : Why tf would a cat sound like that, lmao]

“Cha-cha…!”

“I get it, I get it. You’re out of cat food, right? I’ll get it for you now.”

“Chaa~”

I immediately tossed my bag aside and headed to grab the cat food.

Just as I was about to grab the pack of cat food, my phone started ringing.

“My angel, hold on for a moment.”

Sitting on the sofa, I checked the caller ID… surprisingly, it was none other than my mother, surprisingly.

Figuring I couldn’t ignore her, I picked up the call.

“Hello? Mom?”

“It’s been a while, Riku.”

“…Well, that’s true.”

“I haven’t been able to check on how you’re doing lately. Is everything going okay?”

It seems she didn’t have any particular reason for calling.

She’s not usually this concerned about me, so her question feels somewhat weird.

“Oh… That’s all? Yeah, everything’s fine.”

“Don’t lie to me… The detective I hired found out you haven’t been eating properly!”

“Wha—! So you’re trying to trick me? And what’s with hiring a detective?!”

“That doesn’t matter.”

It does matter. She’s invading my privacy!

I didn’t even notice a detective snooping around, and the thought of how much they might know is terrifying.

“Is it about my meals? I’ll be more careful from now on.”

“Oh, don’t think you’ll get off that easily. It’s not that simple.”

It was getting annoying every passing second. I wished she would hang up quickly.

In fact, I have a bad feeling that this was about to take a turn for the worse.

If she reduces my allowance, I might have to sacrifice my peace for my angel, Charo.

I feel bad for Charo, but there are times when a man has to stand his ground.

“You’re planning to cut my allowance, aren’t you? But if you do, Charo won’t have enough food. That wouldn’t be right, would it?”

“Even if I were to reduce your allowance, so what?”

“Are you trying to kill Charo?!”

“……”

“No, wait — don’t go silent on me, Mom! For Charo’s sake, I beg you!”

“Cha!? Sh-chaa!”

“Guh!”

Charo suddenly jumped and tackled me, landing a direct hit on my solar plexus. 

It hurts…

Of course, it was a joke.

Even if my allowance gets reduced anytime, I’d never let Charo suffer.

Usually, Charo is more perceptive, but maybe he’s irritated because he’s hungry.

“…Haa. I’ll overlook it this time and won’t cut your allowance.”

“Phew, saved!”

“But! I can’t forgive the rotten intention of trying to deceive your mother. There will be a penalty!”

“Personal grudge?! You’re the worst, Mom! Right, Charo? Say something to her!”

“…Chao~”

Charo must have been exhausted from attacking me, because he curled up on my lap and fell asleep.

Charo, you really are a cat. So carefree and free-spirited.

“…So, Mom, what’s this penalty? I want to get this over quickly.”

There’s nothing sadder than losing my allowance.

No matter what it is, I can handle it. Bring it on!

“You’re going to stop living alone.”

…What?

This must be some kind of conspiracy.

☆☆☆☆☆☆

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TL : zenon_xt