When My Younger Brother Stole My Girlfriend, I Began Living Together with My Beautiful Childhood Friend Almost As If We Were Married - Chapter 10

Episode 10: After Happiness

It seemed like Reina’s first time, and at first, she seemed to be in pain, but gradually she showed more smiles.

As for me, I was enveloped in a happiness incomparable to when I was with Anna, and I was enjoying our time alone.

I was so absorbed that I didn’t notice, but when I did, the clock had already struck five, and I realized we hadn’t prepared dinner.

“Ah… I’m sorry.”

“No need to apologize. Well… how about we just go for ramen or something?”

“That’s fine, but how about buying beef bowl or hamburgers? I really want to make it for you, but…”

“Let’s save that for tomorrow. You’re tired, aren’t you? I’ll go buy it.”

Despite saying that, Reina shook her head with a smile.

“I want to go too. Besides, I want to buy something at the convenience store.”

“Is that so? Then let’s go together.”

Reina bounced off the bed happily.

While she was putting on scattered clothes, I finished dressing first and tidied up a bit while waiting for Reina to get ready.

After a while, Reina, who had finished lightly applying makeup, came with her bag, and we went shopping arm in arm.

Or rather, whether it’s because I was looking closely or I just lack discernment, Reina looks cute whether she wears makeup or not. Even without the lover’s filter, she’s quite beautiful.

I think this is where the difficulty of Japanese comes in. I might accidentally say something like, “You look better without makeup,” but in Reina’s case, she looks good both ways, so I won’t make that mistake.

“―Hayato? Are you listening?”

“Huh? Oh, sorry.”
“Lost in thought? What were you thinking about?”

“I was just thinking how cute you always are~”

With that, Reina turned her face away and put strong pressure on my arm that she was holding.

“I also always think you’re wonderful, Hayato.”

“Thanks. So, what were we talking about?”

“Well, you know. The convenience store sells a lot of side dishes, and since there’s leftover rice in the rice cooker, I thought we could buy those.”

“That sounds good.”

We don’t need to buy rice dishes or hamburgers when we have rice. We can enjoy tasty side dishes.

After deciding on tonight’s menu, we walked towards the convenience store.

“But it’s a shame.”

“Huh?”

“A friend told me that junk food tastes exceptional after doing such things. I actually wanted to try it.”

“Come to think of it, is this your first time? Like, having a boyfriend in high school… Well, if it went that far in high school, it’s a bit…”

“I didn’t have such a partner, and you’re my first boyfriend, Hayato. I never even thought about another guy for a moment.”

I was taken aback by her words, trying to figure out how to respond without showing my agitation.

“Yeah, let’s do it another time.”

“Next time?”

“Yeah. Today isn’t the only chance, right? There will be plenty of opportunities.”

I picked the words I thought were right at the moment, but it was clearly wrong.

It feels like I’m actively wishing for that kind of thing, but well, it’s not that I’m against it, and if anything, I want to deepen my relationship with Reina even more. But actually verbalizing that might give the wrong impression. Even though I wouldn’t mind, or rather, I’d like to be in a deeper relationship with Reina, saying it out loud might still sound bad, you know.

I found myself in a state where I didn’t even understand what I was saying, and Reina looked at me with a puzzled expression. But then, she burst into laughter.

“Yeah, I guess so. Let’s do it another time.”

“Ah, yeah.”

I responded with a silly answer. It seemed amusing to her, as Reina laughed and leaned in closer. Her gesture was endearing, and my hand naturally reached out to touch Reina’s head. As I gently stroked her smooth hair, her head rested on my shoulder.

“―O-Oh, they’re really flaunting it, aren’t they?”

Suddenly, I heard a voice.

A woman who seemed to be on her way home from shopping was grinning and watching us with her hand on her mouth.

“Oh, Mi-chan.”

It seemed she was an acquaintance of Reina’s. Oh, come to think of it, she was among the group with Reina in Mido the day before yesterday.

Probably a friend from the same department.

“What? Did you guys start dating right after you got home the day before yesterday?”

“Yeah. We became a couple yesterday.”

“Wow~! That’s great! So now you’re going to be all lovey-dovey until your ears melt, huh?”

“Hey, that’s a bit…!”

I’m sorry, but I’m curious about what kind of conversation this is.

“Reina, what kind of topics do you usually discuss?”

“Hmm? Boyfriend-kun, let’s hear it~?”

“You don’t have to ask or talk about it! See you at school then!”

“Hahaha! Okay, see you later~ Have a blast with your lovey-dovey life~.”

“But Mi-chan, you have a boyfriend too!”

With a flutter of her hand, Reina’s friend left.

Honestly, I was curious about what Reina is like when she’s with her friends, but oh well. I’ll ask next time.

“It wouldn’t be interesting even if you asked.”

Oops. Was my mind being read?