When an Oblivious Handsome Older Man Went Back in Time and Was Building Harlem - Chapter 20

Since the final exams are coming up soon, we’re having a study session at Midori’s house today. Although it’s called a study session, in reality, it’s more of a love advice session for Midori.

“Aki-chan! I’m so in love that my heart feels like it’s going to burst. What should I do!?”

“If you confess.”

“Cold!”

Even if I’m called cold, to me, the impression of Midori being all lovey-dovey is much stronger, so I can’t help but feel like it’s going to succeed.

“Since earlier, you’ve been saying things like ‘I can’t help but love you, Me〇〇-san!!’, but who exactly do you like?”

“Huh? You’re going to ask? Well, I’m telling you because I like Aki! Don’t you dare spill it!!”

“Yes, yes.”

Even though we were sitting across from each other at a small table, he grabbed my shoulder and shook me vigorously. His face was already red. I thought, he doesn’t have to be so serious, I already know the person.

“The girl I like is Tanimura Miku-chan… Ah, I said it out loud!!!”

Maybe it was too noisy, but I heard Midori’s younger sister in the next room shout, “Big brother, you’re so noisy!!” and I couldn’t help but laugh.

“What are you laughing at? I’m serious here!!”

“Yeah, I thought, ‘Wow, siblings get along really well.'”

“Well, yeah. My little sister is a bit spoiled, but she’s a cute little sister. By the way, why are you being so cold? Huh? You aren’t trying to go after Tanimura-san too, are you?”

Suddenly, he returns to a serious face and asks with a blank expression. Even though it was during high school, I wouldn’t fall for my best friend’s wife. Somehow, the image of her as Midori’s wife is too strong for me to even think about liking her.

“I’m not targeting anyone, or rather, I don’t have anyone I like, so don’t worry.”

“Yay!! Oh, can I talk about what I like about Tanimura-san? No, listen. I’ve had so many things I wanted to say until now, but I couldn’t tell anyone and kept it all inside.”

At this time, I wasn’t that close to Midori, so I never received any love advice from her, nor did I ever hear him say things like “Tanimura-san is cute here.” He must have been keeping it all to himself, and now he’s going to tell me about it. I always knew that the study group was just a name, but I was relieved that Midori’s way of thinking hadn’t changed.

“First, one cute thing about Tanimura-san! Her eyes! She has a pretty, elegant face, so they’re not wide open, but her eyelashes are beautifully fluttery, and her eyes are cute when she looks at me.”

“Yeah.”

Since there’s no stopping Midori now, I decided to resume studying. With his eyes closed, he was probably imagining Miku-san, and he looked very happy.

After talking about what he liked for about 30 minutes, and feeling satisfied after a good chat, Midori looked over at me.

“What the heck! You’re studying, aren’t you?! You were really listening to my points about Tanimura-san, weren’t you?!”

“I heard you. You like her eyes, and you like that there’s not much height difference, and because there’s not much height difference, it’s easier for your gazes to meet, but you also like that she looks up at you a bit, right?”

This is something I’ve been hearing every time I drink with Midori for the past 20 years, so I can recite it perfectly. Midori loves to talk about the things he likes about the person he likes, so I still have confidence that I can say even more. But, saying something so long here would be unnatural. This should be enough.

“Oh my. You’re listening. Amazing. Were you listening while studying!? No way!!”

“Yeah, right.”

“More importantly, since I’ve talked this much, shouldn’t you share your story too, Aki?”

This is also a usual pattern. Every time there’s a drinking party, he says, “Aki, you should share your thoughts too, right?” I don’t have anything to say, so I always just dodge the question. Maybe that’s fine for adults, but right now, I’m a high school student who loves talking about romance. I can’t seem to dodge it.

“I’m fine with it. Dating, marriage, and all that.”

“Marriage!? Are you seriously thinking about that while dating!? Isn’t that a bit too soon!?”

When Midori finally shouted, I heard footsteps coming from the hallway, as if she could no longer hold back.

“Geez, big brother, you’re so annoying! How long are you going to keep talking about love? It’s bothering Aki-san too, you know! Besides, weren’t you supposed to have a study session? Get to studying!”

“Hey, little sister, you’re so cold. Can’t you be a bit kinder to your big brother? I’m really trying hard here, alright?”

“I don’t know!! Anyway, I’m studying too, so could you please stop yelling at me a little more!!”

As expected of Midori’s younger sister, I thought. Her volume is the same. When she yelled, she went back to her room. I’ve met her younger sister a few times, so I feel nostalgic.

“I’m sorry about that. My little sister is being noisy.”

“It’s Midori who’s being noisy, right? I’m totally fine, so don’t worry about it.”

“That’s terrible!! By the way, don’t you want a girlfriend, Aki? When you have someone you like, every day is so much fun.”

Every day is fun, huh? Indeed, since I lived a single life, I used to think that if I lived with someone I liked every day, I probably wouldn’t have such a dry life. Besides, I used to have a lot of fun when I was younger. I didn’t really think much about romantic feelings back then.

“I’ll think about it.”

Seeing Midori’s unconvinced face, I thought, “This is just like always.”