What's Wrong With Interfering With My Childhood Friend's Love?

Chapter 7 : Fate?

‘No way. How did it come to this? This is ridiculous!’

Just because of a scandal, I’m not suddenly disappointed.

Far from it — I haven’t even fully accepted the current situation yet.

Should I change my favorite streamer? That’s impossible.

Akito might genuinely think that way.

But to me right now, those words felt far too aggressive.

“Wait a second. You’ve been supporting them all this time, and you’re not even the type to be a hardcore romantic fan, right?”

“Huh? Well, yeah, that’s true.”

“Sure, it’s shocking, but can’t we just wait and see how things unfold a little longer?”

“Yeah, but, you know, it feels exhausting to deal with people who might start bothering you just because you’re a fan.”

“I can’t deny that.”

“At the very least, I don’t want to. I’d rather not get involved.”

“…I see.”

I could understand what Akito was saying. That’s probably one way to handle it.

Honestly, I’ve been thinking of staying off social media until the scandal either dies down or develops further. But for me—

“So? What about you, Riku? Are you really going to stick with Linlin no matter what?”

“To be clear, I have no plans to change my favorite anytime soon.”

“Well, I’m not forcing you, so that’s fine, I guess.”

Akito leaned back against his chair, looking exasperated.

Seeing his detached attitude irritated me.

He called it bad news, yet he didn’t show a hint of sadness. Why? I couldn’t understand it.

“Why is it that you talk like this is someone else’s problem, Akito?”

“Hey, there’s no point in getting mad at me here, is there?”

“…But still—”

“If anyone has the right to be angry, it’s me, the one who’s been betrayed. Even then, I’m just venting to you and letting it go.”

“That… true, but…”

Akito’s argument was valid. Nothing we say would change Linlin’s current situation. In fact, a careless comment from someone like me could even add fuel to the fire.

The scandal itself had already happened.

Someone like Akito, who could decisively cut ties, was the least problematic in this scenario.

The real issue was the people jumping on the bandwagon to attack Linlin. There were far too many of them, and it was impossible to deal with them as an individual. Their attacks weren’t based on logic — they were emotional, which made countering them nearly impossible.

If I flipped the situation, the emotions I was directing at Akito right now were also just a form of venting. Still, seeing Akito act like a victim made me want to gripe.

“As someone who’s supported them with you all this time, I’m disappointed.”

“Fine, fine. This bad news ends here. It’s too much trouble to keep talking about it.”

“…Yeah, you’re right.”

“Let me tell you some good news to cheer you up.”

But if it turned out to be “good news” only from Akito’s perspective, it wouldn’t cheer me up at all.

The murky feelings inside me didn’t clear, but arguing with Akito would only be a disadvantage for me.

If I could switch my feelings right now, I’d take anything.

“Alright, let’s hear it.”

“…Pay closer attention, or it won’t be worth telling you.”

“And whose fault is that…?”

“Alright, alright, my bad. Let’s move on… Hey, Riku, do you believe in fate?”

He suddenly started saying something suspicious. I had a feeling expecting anything was pointless.

I figured he must’ve gotten hooked on some weird occult thing and gave a half-hearted reply.

“Maybe. Just because you can’t see it doesn’t mean it’s not there.”

“What kind of things come to mind?”

“Like how they say your first love is your destined partner or something like that—”

“Exactly! That’s it, right? You know, I’ve always been kind of skeptical about fate, but thanks to you, Riku, I’m convinced. I’ve found my destined partner!”

Bang! My knee hit the table with a loud sound.

I’d stood up so abruptly, overcome with a rush of emotions.

“Argh, ow… Hey, Akito, are you serious? Are you really serious?”

“Y-Yeah. But are you okay? Your knee—”

“Don’t worry about that! This means spring has finally come for you, Akito, right?”

“Calm down a little, will you?”

“Y-Yeah. Sorry.”

“I said it was good news, but I didn’t expect you to get this excited. It’s kind of embarrassing now.”

I couldn’t hold back my excitement. The grief I’d been carrying about Linlin disappeared all at once.

Right now… all I could hope for was that the person wasn’t Suisei.

Please, don’t let it be Suisei… Please don’t let it be Suisei… Please don’t let it be Suisei…

“Actually, we’re not dating yet. I haven’t even talked to them. But—”