Chapter 10 – Friendzoned

【Fred PoV】

It’s been a few days since I arrived in this world, and so far, everything about it has been magical.

After appearing in a forest, I found myself near a village… where I was incredibly well-received. Seriously—everyone seemed to adore me. They even gave me lots of gifts.

Apparently, I’m the hero… or something like that. Anyway, it’s fun here, and soon I’ll finally get to see my childhood friend, who is definitely in this world.

She… I love her…

I’ve always loved her… I was going to confess… but that’s when she disappeared… then… everything I had vanished… my heart was lost… my love was lost…

She was gone…

But now, I can see her again… I’m definitely going to confess… absolutely, certainly this time…

To find her, I began searching the city…

Thanks to the title of hero they gave me, it was easy to infiltrate places. Soon enough, I discovered that she was living in this city… It must be her… this can only be destiny.

Destiny wants us together.

Destiny wants us to be a couple… Destiny brought us together even in another world.

◆

I arrived at her house… well… it wasn’t exactly a house; it was more like a small cottage…

When I got there, I knocked softly on the door… The seconds felt eternal until she finally appeared. She was beautiful—slightly older, but still beautiful. When she opened the door and looked at me with those eyes… those eyes that I love… my heart immediately began to race.

Even if she were 40 or 50 years old, I would still love her.

Her long black hair fluttered gently in the breeze… When I saw it, my heart warmed again, after so many cold, lonely nights…

“Fred-san…”

Her voice calling my name…

Her voice… I missed it so much… I’ve dreamed of this moment for so long.

The moment I could finally see her again.

“FRED!!”

“Y-Yes…”

“Why are you spacing out?”

“It’s just… it’s been so long since I’ve seen you…”

“Yep… I’ve gotten older in these years…”

“No… you’re still perfect… perfect as always…”

“You’re still lying… but it’s nice hearing those lies…”

She smiled softly and gestured for me to come inside.

Stepping into her home, I looked around. It was small, cozy, and modest—but that didn’t matter to me. The only thing I truly cared about was her. She was here, finally, right before me. I could see her, talk to her… breathe the same air as her again.

“Sylvia… it’s been so long…”

“Yes… it’s been so long since I last saw you… I missed you… you’ve always been my best friend…”

“About that—”

“It’s been so long since I’ve seen a friend…”

Friend… that word makes me sick whenever she uses it… I know we’re just friends… but I wish we were more… Every time she calls me friend, it’s like a knife stabbing my heart.

It hurts so much…

My thoughts wandered briefly, memories flooding my mind—the moments we spent together in our previous world, all those times I tried gathering the courage to confess… and failed. Every hesitation from the past echoed painfully in my chest now.

“Something wrong?”

“No… nothing…”

Maybe it’s better if I don’t dwell on it… after all, it’s partly my fault. I was the coward… I never confessed…

Yes…

..

..

….

That’s the only reason. If I had confessed back then, she’d be calling me ‘Darling’ by now… hehehe. But now, I’m definitely going to confess… absolutely, for sure…

“Fred-san… you’re spacing out so much—why are you like this?”

“It’s just that I’m trying to process how much I’ve missed you…”

“Ah, yes… well… that makes sense… Fred-san… I heard you’re the new hero in town… That must be nice… being a hero…”

“Yeah… but aren’t you a heroine too?”

“No… I was summoned as a baby… it’s complicated to explain… For you, it’s only been a short time, but for me… it’s been years…”

Her words hung gently in the air, tinged with melancholy. The silence that followed was brief but heavy. It reminded me of how different our experiences had been—how differently we had arrived in this world.

But none of that mattered now.

I looked at her again, at her soft smile, her calm eyes… and I realized how much I’d missed simply being near her. How much I’d missed hearing her voice. Even if she saw me only as a friend for now… there was still hope, right?

There had to be.

My heart pounded again at the thought of finally confessing. I felt scared, happy, anxious, hopeful—all at once. This flood of emotions made my head spin. But I knew I had to do this. If I didn’t… I might lose her again.

I couldn’t risk that.

“Sylvia… let’s catch up on all the lost time…”

“Yes…”

Her voice was soft, gentle, inviting. She seemed genuinely happy to see me again. That alone was enough to give me courage, to give me hope.

My mind raced once more, planning exactly how I’d confess to her—how I’d finally reveal everything I’ve felt all this time… how deeply I love her.

Yes, this time I’m definitely going to confess my feelings to her.