When I Was Rejected and Returned Home, My Childhood Friend, Who Should Have Been Distant, Was in My Room - Chapter 4: Marking

Chapter 4: Marking

“…Huh?”

The words whispered in my ear by Manaki were the most difficult to understand of the day. “Not letting another girl take you, take pictures of you, or capture you?” No matter how I tried to process the words, the meaning didn’t seem to make sense. Yeah, I must have misheard.

“Sorry, Manaki. I didn’t quite catch that. Could you say it again?”

“Huh? I said I came to make sure no other girl takes you.”

“I see… Got it…”

It seems I hadn’t misheard. My ears seem to be working fine, so that’s a relief…

…Wait, there’s no way that’s right!

What does ‘another girl’ mean?! What does ‘not letting her take you’ mean?! I have no idea! What in the world is going on here?

While I’m feeling confused and talking to myself, Manaki looks at me with a loving expression. Hey, it’s because of you that I’m in this situation, you know!?

“U-uh… Manaki?”

“What is it, Masamune?”

Her voice, almost clinging to me, is strangely intense. But right now, I don’t have the mental space to think about why her voice changed like that.

“That thing about not letting another girl take you… what exactly… does that mean?”

“Huh? I mean, it’s exactly what I said.”

Even if she says it’s exactly as it sounds, the explanation is still way too vague for me to understand. Seeing how confused I am, Manaki sighs.

“I misunderstood, actually.”

“Misunderstood?”

“Yeah, you see, I thought I was the one who would end up being with you first. I saw you getting along with that other girl, but I thought in the end, you’d end up with me.”

“But then, when I heard you confessed today, I realized there’s a chance you might not like me, and might like someone else instead.”

The way she casually says this only adds to my confusion. What did she just say? You… you like me?

“Of course, I understand, okay? You’re a guy too. I know you’d probably be interested in the other gender sometimes. I get that. But—”

“Wait, wait a second.”

I stop her mid-sentence. She looks surprised, tilting her head slightly.

“Is there something you’re worried about?”

“Well, there’s nothing but worries right now…”

I sift through a bunch of questions in my head and then ask the one that’s bugging me the most.

“Umm… Manaki, do you like me?”

I don’t even need to say more. I already know what she’s thinking. “You just got rejected, and now you’re acting all flustered?” “Was that really your conclusion?” I’ll listen to any complaints later.

But Manaki is my childhood friend. I’ve never seriously thought about the possibility that she might like me. Also, she and I… well, whatever. The point is, I’m really shocked by her answer.

“Yeah, I’ve liked you for a long time.”

In response to my serious question, Manaki answers without so much as a change in her expression. Her confident tone makes me feel like all the strength has left my body. I find myself supporting myself with one hand on the bed, but Manaki doesn’t hesitate to continue.

“I’ll ask you the opposite, though. Didn’t you notice that I liked you?”

“This is the first time I’ve heard of it. I mean, we haven’t talked much for the past few years…”

The force of the word “like” casually dropped is almost too much for me to handle. I feel a little dizzy.

“Your confused face is cute.”

“Whose fault do you think that is…?”

Manaki smiles playfully. The shocking truth has come to light. Honestly, I’m pretty overwhelmed, but I still have more questions I need to ask.

“So, about not letting other girls take me… what do you mean exactly?”

“It means exactly what I said. If I’m not careful, you might confess to someone else, right?”

“Well, that’s…”

The words I yelled on the way home come to my mind.

“So, before that happens, I decided I’d take you for myself.”

“Take me for yourself… you mean?”

“Ah, but don’t get the wrong idea. I’m not planning on doing anything like tying you down so that you can’t get close to any other girls, like something out of a manga.”

To reassure me, Manaki waves her hand in a playful manner, as if saying, “Don’t worry.” But the fact that this idea even crossed her mind is already frightening to me.

“So, what are you planning to do?”

“Well, it’s simple.”

Manaki nods confidently, as if this was all part of the plan.

“By the way, let me ask you this: Do you like me?”

“Well, of course… I like you.”

“No, not as a childhood friend. As a girl.”

“…”

“As a girl, do you like me?”

Manaki lowers herself slightly and gazes at me, her serious eyes piercing through me. At that moment, I realize that I can’t lie to her.

“Sorry, Manaki. I’ve only ever seen you as my childhood friend.”

“Yeah, I know.”

Her words completely drain me of both physical and mental energy. Turning someone down like this takes so much courage. I had only been thinking about myself, and never considered how the one rejecting might feel. Was she feeling like this back then too? I hope not.

“Masamune, you were thinking about that other girl, weren’t you?”

Manaki pouts, the first time today she shows any dissatisfaction.

“Well, I’ll figure that part out later, so it’s fine. That’s not the issue right now.”

“What do you mean?”

“I know you don’t like me as a girl, Masamune, I understand that.”

“Well, yeah…”

“So, from now on, I’m going to make you like me.”

“…Huh?”

“I’ll make you like me, make you love me, and make sure you won’t even notice any other girls. I’ll make you feel like, ‘I love Manaki! I can’t imagine life without Manaki!’ so deeply that you won’t even look at anyone else.”

“Deeply…”

“I’ll make it so deep, so intense, you won’t even recognize it anymore.”

I didn’t fully understand what that meant, but I knew exactly what Manaki wanted. Ignoring my embarrassment, she continued speaking.

“From now on, I’ll do everything I can to make you fall for me. I won’t let you look at anyone else again. That’s why I came here today, to let you know this.”

It wasn’t comfort; it was a declaration of her resolve. She told me so. The firm attitude she had was something I could never imitate.

“Thanks, Manaki. I get how you feel.”

“Don’t thank me.”

“No, seriously, you’re amazing. I couldn’t do something like this.”

“No, what I want isn’t gratitude. I want your love, Masamune.”

“I can’t give that, Manaki.”

“Because I’m your childhood friend.”

She said that with such confidence, and it was really cool. It felt unbelievable that someone so wonderful liked me.

“I guess I’ll go now.”

“You came all this way, so why not stay and eat?”

“I’m fine. It wouldn’t feel right to accept food after suddenly showing up like this.”

With that, Manaki stood up from the bed. Her silver hair fluttered as it spread out, and once again, that floral scent tickled my nose. I thought she was heading for the door, but she suddenly turned around and looked at me.

“Oh, wait, there’s one thing I forgot.”

“Are you going to borrow the next volume of the manga?”

“No, it’s not that. Just a minute?”

Manaki gestured for me to come over. I stood up from the bed and walked toward her.

“You’re taller than me now. I used to be taller than you.”

“It’s not that much of a difference.”

“No, no, you’re taller now.”

It seemed like she was happy that I had surpassed her in height, and she put her hand on her head, trying to adjust it as if she was comparing our heights. The sight was cute, and I just stood there frozen.

“Gotcha.”

In that brief moment, Manaki suddenly moved closer to me. Then, her face disappeared from my view. In my confusion, I realized her profile was right next to my ear, just like when she whispered to me earlier. And then, in the next instant…

Something soft touched my neck.

“?!?!!”

I instinctively put my hand on my neck and stumbled back, my heart pounding loudly in my chest, and I could feel the blood rushing to my head. Manaki put her long finger on her lower lip, smiling slyly.

“I marked you.”

“You… Marked me? What, are you a dog or something…”

True, marking can mean rubbing your body against someone, but… I was sure that wasn’t what she meant. That was the best I could think of at the moment. My neck felt strangely warm when I touched it.

“Now that I’ve marked you, you’re mine, Masamune.”

With that, Manaki lightly turned toward the door. I stood still, unable to stop her as she walked toward the door. Just before she opened it and left, she suddenly turned around again.

“Get ready. I’ll never let you fall in love with anyone else again.”

She said that, and with a confident stride, she left. Our two-year-long conversation, as childhood friends, came to an end like this.