Chapter 12 Deepening Friendship

Deepening Friendship

Why I was so adamant about leaving my hometown and going to college outside the prefecture was because I had too many memories of Chika in my hometown.

Even my room was filled with memories of spending time with her.

So when the idea of going to college outside the prefecture came up in conversation with my sister, it sounded very appealing that I wanted to leave my hometown very soon.

In other words, I wanted to reset my memories of Chika.

Well, after I actually moved out of my hometown and started living alone, I realized that it’s not so easy to forget her.

I can’t help but think of her every time something happens.

Well, we’ve been dating for five years, you know.

She’s the girl I’ve always liked.

Chika can be tough, but I liked her because she’s reliable, responsible, and straightforward.

I was always a bit reserved around other people, so I respected Chika for being so confident and saying what she thought even though she was a girl, and it was fun to be with her.

She always got angry with me, but I was happy about that too.

Isn’t that true?

Isn’t there something like that for men?

I’m happy when the girl I like pays attention to me.

Of course, we were lovers, so I got a lot of attention from her, but I liked it when she got angry with me too.

Before we started dating, I thought she was a fussy, annoying woman, but when I fell in love with her, I was happy with her fussy nature.

But that gradually disappeared, and before I knew it, I was in this state.

Maybe it was a bad idea to concentrate on Kendo all the time.

Well, there’s no point in worrying about it now.

I thought a lot about why Chika went to another man, but in the end, I couldn’t really figure it out.

Now that we’ve gone our separate ways, I have to move on.

By the end of April, I’d made a lot of friends at the university besides Mizunami-san.

There were a lot of people I often saw in the same classes, and they often talked to me.

Since Mizunami-san and I were always together, people would ask me things like, “Are you two dating?”

That was a regular conversation starter.

Of course, we weren’t dating, so we’d deny it and say, “No, no, we’re just friends.”

But the conversation continued, and when I mentioned that “we were from completely different places but happened to be sitting next to each other at the entrance ceremony,” she added that “we were from outside the prefecture and were both in the elementary teacher program.” We started as acquaintances and later became friends, attending classes and having lunch together. We exchanged contact information, a typical way for college students to expand their friendships. Gradually, I got used to things other than studying and enjoyed a full university life.

But even though I made more friends, Mizunami-san is a little different from me.

I don’t know how to put it, but I feel like I have a special relationship with her, like I have a crush on her, or I respect her, or I feel like “I don’t want her to hate me” or “I’m happy when she laughs at my stories”.

I don’t think it’s the same as romantic feelings, but it’s more like a sympathetic friend or peer.

I think it’s because we’ve been friends since the entrance ceremony, and we get along well.

Mizunami-san invited me to her house for the first time during Golden Week.

It all started when we were having lunch at the university cafeteria just before Golden Week, and we started talking about soba noodles.

My hometown is pretty famous for soba noodles, and Mizunami-san’s hometown is the same, so we started talking about how soba noodles aren’t tasty here, and when I said that in my hometown they are thinner and the broth is stronger, she told me, “In my hometown we eat them with grated daikon radish, but they are more chewy.” Then I casually said, “Heeh, that sounds delicious,” and she suddenly said, “If that’s the case, I’ll make it! I really want Sakamoto-kun to try Echizen Soba!” As if a switch had been turned on, she asked me to go to her house. She said she would make some soba noodles and treat me to them.

I don’t know how to put this, but it’s typical of Mizunami-san. We are both from the countryside, so I can understand why she is so wary of strangers, but when she feels a sense of camaraderie, she gets very forward with them.

I’ve found a friend!

You understand how I feel!

Un un! I get it, I get it!

Something like that?

But at first, I thought it would be best for a guy like me to be reluctant to go into a girl’s room by myself, so I was careful, asking, “Shall I stay in your room alone?” and “Should we invite some other friends?” but she said, “I have cooking utensils and stuff in my room, so don’t be shy,” so I took her up on her offer and went in by myself.

It’s been a long time since I’ve been in a girl’s room by myself.

I haven’t even been in Chika’s room since I was in my third year of high school.

Mizunami-san is just a friend I respect, and I don’t have any romantic feelings for her, but I can’t help but be aware of her, right?

After all, I’m a boy too.

Fufufu.