Chapter 7: My Childhood Friend Calls Out to Me

My Childhood Friend Calls Out to Me

After having my lifespan shortened by that so-called god of love, I passed through the school gate as usual. In one month, I will die. I will shoulder my childhood friend’s fate and celebrate my best friend’s new beginning. Even so, I will not sink into sadness. I intend to keep attending school until the final X Day.

I decided not to leave behind anything like a will. I did think about writing something for my parents, but if they happened to find it before I died, it would cause a huge uproar. Besides, writing something like “Please forgive me for leaving before you” does not suit me.

They say that a dying person’s mental state follows five stages: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. But I skipped the first four and went straight to acceptance. Akari will end up with Youichi, and I will spend my one remaining month of life at an easy pace. That is fine.

When I arrived in front of the classroom, I let out a small breath and opened the door. I greeted a few classmates with good morning as I headed toward my seat. On the way, Akari, who was talking with Youichi as usual, called out to me.

“G-good morning Shima-chan…!”

“Good morning, Shuhei!”

“Ah, good morning.”

I replied to the two of them, then started walking toward my seat again. Akari’s cheeks were red as always, and she looked embarrassed. I wondered if she would be able to get along with Youichi like this. Of course, I still liked Akari even now. But at this point, my worry for the two of them outweighed those feelings. It was almost as if all the crying I did yesterday had been a lie. I sat down and took my textbook out of my bag. While glancing at the two of them from afar, I quietly murmured to myself.

“Be happy, Akari…”

“Okay, there is a teachers’ meeting today, so head straight home. Now then, class representative.”

“Stand, bow!”

“Goodbyyyyyyyye!”

“Wh-what is wrong, Shimada!?”

The moment homeroom ended, I shot up from my seat and dashed out of the classroom. I had put on a cool act saying “Be happy” and all that, but the truth was that having the childhood friend I love end up belonging to my best friend hit me pretty hard.

I was sure those two would walk together to Akari’s house in perfect harmony. If I were to witness that, my remaining month of life might turn into instant death, so I decided to get out of school as quickly as possible.

I should have lost all lingering attachment toward Akari last night. Even so, there was a sense of frustration in my chest that made me feel pathetic. Ah, if there were a hole, I would like to crawl into it. No, in one month I would be crawling into a burial hole anyway. That was a dark joke that was not funny.

After leaving the school grounds, I headed straight home, or that was what I should say, but instead I went toward a café near the station. The reason was simple. With Akari and Youichi deepening their love next door, I did not think I could stay calm in my own house. I planned to linger over coffee until around dinnertime, then head home at a moment when Youichi had likely left Akari’s house. While running at full speed to shake off my gloomy mood, I arrived at the café in no time at all. When I opened the door, a bell jingled sharply and a female employee greeted me bluntly.

“Welcome!” (listless)

This is not a ramen shop, you know. While I chuckled bitterly in my heart, I found an empty table and sat down. That same employee brought a menu, but I fired off my order before she even handed it to me.

“One hot coffee.”

“That all?”

“Yes.”

“Please wait a moment.”

Without even placing the menu down, the employee scribbled on the order slip and walked away. You would think she would at least recommend a sandwich or something, but the fact that she did not probably meant she really was just a part-timer. Still, for someone like me who intended to linger on only coffee, that was actually convenient.

While I waited for my order, I thought again about how to spend my remaining month. Thinking about Akari and Youichi would only make me restless.

People who know they are going to die probably travel or eat delicious food. But I cannot do that. If I behaved like that, people would suspect something like He is going to die soon. And if they figured out that I became a substitute for Akari, it would burden her with guilt. So the best thing is to live as I always do. Besides, it is a weekday, so I cannot go on a trip anyway.

“Here is your coffee.”

“Okay.”

I took the cup from the listless employee and sipped the coffee. Oh, it was not as bitter as I expected. Maybe this was what heartbreak tasted like. Thinking such pretentious things, I watched the employee sitting at the counter fiddling with her phone.

“Thanks.”

I left the café after being sent off with a goodbye that barely counted as a greeting. It was already quite dark, and many office workers on their way home were passing in front of the shop. I guessed I should head home now.

As I walked along the street lit by streetlights, I saw a boy and girl who looked like middle school students walking toward me. There was something awkward about them. They would try to hold hands then stop, move closer then pull away. They seemed like a very innocent couple.

Ahaha, and here I was, about to die after having my childhood friend taken from me. I felt the urge to say it out loud to them, but I did not want to ruin the end of my life by being mistaken for a suspicious person. It would benefit no one, and I would only end up feeling even emptier.

“Hey, your house is not this way, right?”

“It is late, so I told you I am walking you home!”

“Geez, it is fine.”

While I found their conversation heartwarming, I noticed my house coming into view in the distance. Hm, someone was in front of my house. Let me see, two people who looked pretty tall. Wait, that was Akari and Youichi.

“Ugh…”

I could not help letting out a sound. This was the worst. I paid four hundred yen for that coffee and waited until now, only to run into them anyway. But turning back now would have been troublesome, so I had no choice but to push through.

“Ah, Shuhei!”

“It is Shima-chan!”

As I approached the house, they spotted me immediately. The two of them stood near my gate and waved at me. Damn it, I wanted to pretend not to notice and slip past them, but with them standing right there, that was impossible. What kind of face was I supposed to make when facing the two of them after their time together?

“H-hey…”

I greeted them weakly and tried to head inside as if nothing had happened. But at that moment, Akari’s voice stopped me.

“W-wait Shima-chan!”

“Huh?”

When I turned around without thinking, Akari was blushing bright red and fidgeting. As for Youichi, he stood behind her watching her gently. What were they planning to do? She was not going to say something like “I started dating Kikuchi-kun,” right? I already knew that, so I did not want her to rub salt in my wounds again.

“I like you!!”

“…Huh?”

“I have liked you since a long time ago, Shima-chan! P-please go out with me!!”

It was the first time in my life that my thoughts literally stopped.