Chapter 24: A Story About a Boyfriend, a Girlfriend, and Their Childhood Friend
A Story About a Boyfriend, a Girlfriend, and Their Childhood Friend
“…Nice weather.”
The sound of the morning alarm blared beside my pillow, and when I woke up, I slowly sat up and opened the curtain, murmuring as I looked outside.
Just as the forecast said, a clear sky stretched endlessly without a single cloud, a refreshing morning perfect for the amusement park. Remembering that I hadn’t prepared anything, I decided to take a shower first.
“Onii-chan?”
“Hm?”
“You’re taking a shower this early?”
“Yeah, I promised to hang out with Kanae-san today.”
“With Kanae-san? Where are you going?”
“To the amusement park.”
“The amusement park? Like a little kid…”
“You think so?”
Natsuki’s sharp comment made me regret not choosing somewhere else. With heavy steps, I made my way to the bathroom.
As I washed myself under the warm shower, I thought about telling Kanae-san we should change plans to a movie or shopping instead. But then, the door behind me opened, and someone walked in.
“Natsuki?”
“Onii-chan, I’ll wash your back.”
“No, I already did…”
“No way. You’re leaving your cute little sister at home while you go out and have fun.”
“Sorry, Natsuki. I’ll take you somewhere next time, alright?”
“…Hehe… maybe trying to be bold isn’t so bad…”
“Hm? Did you say something?”
I couldn’t hear her muttering over the sound of the shower. Even when I asked again, she didn’t answer. Instead, she hugged me tightly from behind.
“Hey, Natsuki… don’t cling to me like that… a lot of things are pressing against my back…”
“It’s fine, we’re siblings, right? We’ve been together since we were little, and it’s not like anything will change because of this.”
“Still…”
“Honestly, you’re such an Onii-chan no matter where or when. But hey, the amusement park with Kanae-san isn’t a bad idea. You’ll get a chance to hold hands, and maybe get closer on the rides.”
“…I’ll do my best.”
“You cowardly brother.”
“…”
Leaving those words behind, Natsuki hugged me one more time before leaving the bathroom. I could hear her footsteps fade away. When I got out later and went to the living room, the TV was still on, but she was nowhere to be seen. I changed clothes in my room and then stopped in front of her door.
“…Natsuki?”
“What is it?”
“I’m heading out now.”
“…Alright. Bring me back a souvenir, okay?”
“Yeah, I will.”
“Have fun!”
“…”
After finishing my conversation with her through the door, I went to the entrance, slipped on my worn sneakers, and started walking toward the café, Comfortable, where we were supposed to meet.
As I walked through the residential area, I turned down one more street that would lead me to the café, when suddenly, I saw a familiar woman appear from that alley. I froze, and our eyes met.
“Ryou… chan.”
“Tachibana-san.”
Just like me, Tachibana Ayane looked completely surprised to see me there. Neither of us had expected to meet in a place like this.
“Um, Ryou-chan, are you going out?”
“…Yeah. I’m going to hang out with someone I know. What about you, are you on a date with your boyfriend?”
“N-no…”
Just minutes before my meeting time, I found myself face to face with Tachibana Ayane, as if she were blocking my path.
“I see… I should get going. It’s almost time to meet up…”
I took a few steps to pass by her, but she quickly reached out her hand to stop me, and I froze in place.
“Tachibana-san?”
“Ryou-chan, please… don’t go. Don’t leave me behind… please, listen to me.”
“I can’t, Tachibana-san. It’s over between us. You should be happy with your boyfriend now.”
“No, Ryou-chan… I don’t want that… I… I only want you.”
She stepped closer to me, not trying to grab my hand but clearly unwilling to let me go. I thought about how to push her away and finally decided to say what I had kept inside.
“Tachibana-san, we were lovers once. But you took the love we shared and gave it to Yoshioka yourself. My feelings for you had already turned into real love. That’s why I stayed in love with you and believed in you. I believed we’d have a future even after graduation. Even when I found out you’d betrayed me, I still hoped you’d come back to me. That’s why I told you back then that I believed in you, Ayane. But your heart never changed. That’s all there is to it. We weren’t married, so now, all that’s left between us is a goodbye.”
“…”
After listening to my words, she began to cry, large tears falling as she kept saying she was sorry. Just as I tried to move past her, Kanae-san suddenly appeared.
“Kanae-san…”
“Ryouta-kun, there you are.”
“Yes…”
“Um, who’s the girl crying over there?”
“My ex-girlfriend…”
“I see… so that’s her. She really is a cute girl.”
Maybe because she was older, Kanae-san stayed calm as she stood before the crying Ayane.
“Nice to meet you. You’re Tachibana Ayane, right? I’m Mihara Kanae, Ryouta-kun’s senior from his part-time job. I believe you have a teacher named Mihara in your year, don’t you? She’s my older sister.”
“Huh!?”
Hearing Kanae-san’s words, I let out a startled voice when she said she was Mihara-sensei’s younger sister. Ayane didn’t react, and Kanae-san continued speaking.
“I’ve heard a bit about your relationship with Ryouta-kun. So I have one request, if you’ll listen.”
Ayane finally looked up at Kanae-san, who had been speaking to her calmly.
“…What is it?”
“As of this moment, Ryouta-kun and I are in a relationship. From now on, you’re his childhood friend. I came here to tell you that.”
“What? Ryou-chan is my…”
“You’re his childhood friend, Tachibana-san. I’m his girlfriend. We’re going on a date now, so please don’t get in the way. Let’s go, Ryou-chan.”
“Uh? Oh, right. Yeah, let’s go, Kanae.”
Smiling, Kanae reached out her hand. I took it and walked forward. In my eyes, there was only Kanae, and Ayane was no longer there. We got into her light blue car parked at the café lot and headed to the amusement park, beginning a new story of love together.