What's Wrong With Interfering With My Childhood Friend's Love? - Chapter 22 : No Longer Accepted!

Chapter 22 : No Longer Accepted!

Bowling was a lively and cheerful activity for everyone.

Perhaps it was because there was no set competition, or maybe because there wasn’t much need to focus.

The large sofas were arranged in a way that divided the teams, which allowed me to enjoy my conversation with Suisei. Though, if you asked whether I was actively making a move, the answer would be no—it was just the usual for me.

“Next up is Miumi, right?”

“Yeah, that’s right! Don’t expect too many points from me, but I’ll do my best!”

With that, Miumi, who had been sitting beside me, slowly stood up. One of the reasons I wasn’t able to act more proactively was her. 

Miumi simply wouldn’t give up her seat next to Suisei. Because of the rotation order, Suisei was always flanked by girls, leaving no room for me to sit beside her.

As a result, I was left sitting a bit apart at the end of the row. In other words, just as always.

I could at least talk to Miumi, but conversations between the girls flowed much more smoothly.

‘Still… seeing girls chatting like this is kind of precious… There’s no way I can interrupt something like this.’

I bit my lower lip and endured.

“Hey, Kaori, is there a vending machine around here? I’m a little thirsty and want to grab a drink.”

“This is a proper facility, so food and drinks are prohibited inside the bowling area.”

“That’s a problem.”

“It seems like there’s a vending machine in the food court, so that might be your only option.”

“I see. Well, I’ll go grab a drink then… If it’s my turn and I’m late, call me.”

“I was going to ask Chiya, but if that’s the case, I’ll go with you too.”

Hearing that they were leaving, I decided to tag along with Chiya as well.

While Miumi was throwing the ball would be my chance to sit next to Suisei, but suddenly moving in like that would just seem weird.

I couldn’t bring myself to fill the empty space Miumi left behind, and the frustration of it was unbearable. I needed a change of pace—maybe I wanted a drink too, after all.

At the vending machine in the food court, I bought a drink and sat at a round table. Now, it was just Chiya and me. That’s when I remembered there was something I wanted to ask her.

“Hey, Chiya.”

“What?”

“Now that I think about it, are you really okay not being on the same team as Akihito?”

“Why do you ask?”

“Even though it was decided by chance, you didn’t complain at all. That’s not like you.”

Amagishi is the type who wouldn’t argue against Chiya’s decisions. Given that Chiya usually has a degree of control over situations, it was strange to see her just letting things happen.

She’s the type of person who’s usually more possessive—honestly, a bit of a handful. I mean, she usually demands constant reports about Akito. So this situation felt unnatural.

“If it’s just a game, I don’t mind letting others have their way. I’m not that clingy of a girl.”

She saw right through me and responded with a much more mature answer than I expected. She had an air of detachment about her.

And yet, for some reason, she seemed more relaxed than usual today. Even though Akito was obviously interested in Miumi, and now even Kozuka-san had started showing an interest in him.

Why was she so calm about all this?

Honestly, I wanted her to interfere with Suisei’s love life more. If she did nothing, I was the one who would suffer.

Shino, who is usually aggressive in her advances, wasn’t acting as she normally would. If possible, I wanted Chiya to step up.

Maybe it was because my desire for that was showing too strongly, or maybe I had grown too comfortable with Chiya’s usual attitude… but before I realized it, my true thoughts slipped out.

“Chiya, aren’t you worried?”

In an instant, her mood soured. The irritation coming from her was so strong it sent a chill down my spine.

“Do you have any idea how long Akito has gone without getting a girlfriend, despite occasionally hinting at it?”

“Well—”

“You should know, Riku. You do, don’t you? If not, then you’re failing as a childhood friend.”

“…My bad. I wasn’t trying to provoke you, so don’t get so mad.”

“I’m not mad.”

Yeah, she totally was. I mean, sure, I did intend to provoke her a little, but it was for her sake.

“It’s just that you’re so mature about things, you know? Like, I guess that’s to be expected from the only daughter of the Sahara family.”

“Can you stop. I don’t want to talk about my family. Riku, you’re failing as a childhood friend!”

“Seriously? That was meant as a compliment, though.”

“I know that! But I just don’t like hearing it from you!”

So I wasn’t actually failing as a childhood friend? Of course, I knew that bringing up Chiya’s family was a no-go. I had dug my own grave, and I knew it.

I wasn’t as smooth as Akito, so of course, I struggled with what to say.

“…Is it because of the distance between us?”

“Exactly. You better be careful, or else—”

“Or else what?”

“…You know, don’t you?”

“No, I don’t. Tell me for future reference.”

“I’ll tell Ayako-san.”

“That’s bad! I’m sorry, I was wrong, please forgive me!”

Ayako-san—that’s my mom’s name. Of course, I didn’t want Chiya to tattle on me.

But more than that, it would be a huge problem if she did so right now.

The truth is, ever since my mom sent Miumi to stay with me, I hadn’t been in contact with her.

If Chiya talked to her, there was a chance Chiya would find out that I was living with my cousin.

I could try to convince my mom to keep it a secret, but that would probably just lead to her dumping some new hassle on me instead.

Maybe I should just tell Chiya the truth and share the secret with her… No, that would be a bad idea.

I was already pretending Miumi and I weren’t related, so if I suddenly revealed we actually knew each other, it would be like I had lied about it all along. She’d probably dig into why I hid it, and that would be a whole mess. Not happening.

Just as I was thinking that, Suisei walked over, with Kozuka-san following behind her.

“Riku, it’s your turn… Were you guys fighting again?”

“We weren’t! Riku just said something stupid, so I was giving him a lecture.”

Wait… Did Chiya know from the start that I had spoken without thinking?

If she did, then why did she get so obviously mad earlier? It didn’t make sense.

Then again, I had unintentionally provoked her, so I wasn’t completely in the clear either.

Also… what was with that ‘fighting again?’ I really didn’t want Suisei to get the wrong idea about me.

It was probably too late, though. I had a feeling she already had some weird assumptions about me.

“Anyway, I’ll take a little break with Niko-chan too.”

“Suisei-san, you’re so kind… Thanks for coming with me, I feel relieved now.”

“It’s fine. I was thirsty too, and Riku was up next anyway, so it just worked out.”

Just as I was about to return to the bowling alley for my turn, I was caught off guard by unexpected words from behind.

A seemingly casual comment stabbed me right in the heart.

I thought Suisei had specifically come to call me over, but it turns out I was just a passing thought. I want my lost emotions back.

Speaking of which, weren’t Suisei and Kozuka-san supposed to be on different teams?

Why do they seem so friendly?

Even though I’m on the same team as Suisei, things never go that smoothly between us.

I can’t believe I’m actually jealous of Kozuka-san.

Looks like, when it comes to social skills, I’ve lost to her.

“So yeah, she’s saying that she has no business with you.”

When I returned to the bowling alley, a man’s voice echoed through the space.

Wondering what was going on, I stepped closer and saw Akito talking to three guys who had a typical party-boy vibe.

The first thing I noticed was that Shino-san wasn’t even trying to hide how uncomfortable she looked.

On top of that, she was sending me desperate eye signals, as if trying to communicate something.

Not that I had any clue what she was trying to convey.

At the very least, I could tell this was some kind of troublesome situation.

But wouldn’t it be fine to just leave it to Akito?

If there were girls around, Akito would surely put on a full display of bravado, so things should be fine…

Wait—no, wasn’t he the kind of guy who’d ditch the scene when things got tough and dump the problem on me?

By the time I reached our lane, I absentmindedly slipped my fingers into a bowling ball.

That’s when the guys finally started to notice me.

And then, at last, I saw Miumi—realizing only then that she was looking for help.

At the same time, the guys behind me caught sight of Chiya.

Their faces twisted into disgusting smirks.

☆☆☆☆☆☆

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TL : zenon_xt