Chapter 33: Distrust (2)
Distrust (2)
Up until now, Taichi had never experienced a girl initiating a conversation with him like this.
Naturally, he lacked the courage or confidence to approach anyone himself, and he didn’t have any standout qualities that would attract attention from others.
The only people who had ever acknowledged Taichi were his childhood friends Subaru and Akari, who had been with him since they were little.
And now, Taichi had made his first real friend.
Unlike Taichi, she had striking looks that drew the eye. She took the lead in conversations with her bright personality, making her the perfect match for someone reserved like Taichi.
Taichi had come to see Yuki as just as important to him as Subaru and Akari.
For someone like Taichi, who had never been approached by a girl other than Akari on the way to school, it was only natural that he’d be thrilled.
Up until now, if a girl approached them, it was always for Subaru, and if it was a boy, it was for Akari. Taichi was always treated like an accessory.
But Yuki didn’t even glance at the other two. She looked straight at Taichi and spoke to him first.
Even though she scolded him a little, Taichi couldn’t bring himself to pull away from Yuki because he was genuinely happy.
“We’ve never run into each other in the morning before, right? So I just got a little too excited.”
“Now that you mention it, this might be the first time.”
“Right? So I couldn’t help myself.”
“Well, even if that’s the case…”
“Come on. It’s fine, right? We’re close enough for this.”
As they walked with Yuki clinging to him, Taichi couldn’t bring himself to shake her off.
His arm was pressed between her chest, and even though he tried not to think about it, it was futile. Surrounded by Yuki’s pleasant scent, Taichi could hardly pay attention to his surroundings.
“…T-Taichi?”
Even so, Akari’s voice reached Taichi’s ears clearly.
Her voice was slightly trembling, and sensing something was wrong, Taichi quickly turned around to face her.
“What’s wrong, Akari?”
“Um, well…”
Her hesitant response made him feel uneasy, and as he followed her shifting gaze, Taichi immediately realized his mistake.
“…”
Next to Akari stood Subaru, wearing a clearly displeased expression.
The frown between his eyebrows and his narrowed eyes made it obvious that Subaru was irritated.
His sharp gaze was directed solely at Taichi, and the intensity of it made Taichi tremble. It was a look he had never received before.
“Ueno-san! Get away already!”
“Huh? What’s wrong all of a sudden?”
“No, it’s just… it’s embarrassing.”
Taichi quickly put some distance between himself and Yuki.
He had been so caught up in the moment that he completely forgot Subaru was right in front of him.
Until now, he had managed to keep things hidden from Subaru, but this time he had revealed far too much.
No doubt this had caused all sorts of doubts to arise in Subaru’s mind.
Taichi was so afraid of the unsettling atmosphere coming from Subaru that he couldn’t even look him in the eye.
“Oh right, sorry you two. I kinda monopolized Taichi for a bit.”
“Ah, no…”
Yuki, completely unconcerned with the tension in the air, cheerfully spoke to Subaru and Akari.
Akari, quiet and reserved, seemed confused and didn’t know what else to say.
“It’s fine. More importantly, this really is rare! It’s the first time we’ve met on the way to school!”
Unlike Akari, Subaru looked happy to be spoken to.
Just moments ago, he had been glaring like he was about to snap, but the moment Yuki spoke to him, he broke into a smile.
The change was so sudden that it made his previous displeasure seem like an act.
“You know, I’ve been looking for Taichi on the way to school a bunch of times, but today’s the first time I actually found him.”
However, Yuki’s choice of words was critically poor.
Subaru’s expression twitched slightly at how focused she seemed on Taichi.
“R-Really? Anyway, Ueno-san, did you leave home at a different time today?”
“Yep! I thought maybe I’d get to see Taichi, so I left a bit later.”
“O-Oh, I see… Well, whatever. Since we’re all here, let’s walk to school together. You know, after hearing so much about you from Taichi, I’ve been wanting to get to know you better too!”
“Huh!? Wait, wait, what did Taichi say about me?”
Yuki suddenly leaned in, causing Subaru to step back a little.
Even though Yuki seemed interested, Subaru didn’t look too happy. It was probably because she only showed interest when Taichi was mentioned.
Since he had just been glared at by Subaru, Taichi couldn’t butt into the conversation and could only watch nervously.
“Ah, um, he said you’re a nice person.”
“Uh-huh, and then?”
“Uhh… and that you’re cute. By the way, I’ve always thought Ueno-san was cute too, so I—”
“Hey, Taichi! If you think I’m cute, you should just say it! You’ve never told me that directly!”
Ignoring Subaru’s unfinished sentence, Yuki threw herself onto Taichi again.
Subaru had probably just been trying to use the moment as an excuse to share his feelings, but Yuki’s reaction made it seem like she wasn’t even interested, leaving him a bit stunned.
“I never said that, though.”
“Huh? But that’s what I just heard.”
“That was… Subaru said it…”
Subaru had just used that as an excuse to confess his feelings.
But with Subaru standing right there, Taichi couldn’t exactly say that out loud, so he stayed quiet.
In the end, Yuki clung to Taichi the whole way and wouldn’t let go.
Sandwiched between a coldly smiling Subaru on Yuki’s other side and a flustered Akari, Taichi’s nerves were worn thin as they made their way to school.