NOVEL NEXT Chapter 18
I did it…!!
I told Kuromiya that I want to be friends!
Honestly, the current relationship between Kuromiya and me is hard to define; we’re not exactly acquaintances, but we’re not friends either.
That’s why I want to move forward.
And by “forward,” I mean becoming friends!
I put my wish to be friends with Kuromiya into words.
Most likely… most likely, Kuromiya must be thinking the same thing!
“So, um… I don’t dislike you, so I guess we can be friends,” she would probably reply.
“Sato.”
Lifting my head in anticipation, I find Kuromiya looking at me with a warm smile.
“Sit properly.”
“…Huh?”
“Sit. Properly.”
“Ah, yes…”
What happened? The atmosphere just turned from wonderful to hellish.
Kuromiya sits with her arms and legs crossed, looking down at me with cold eyes.
…The floor feels chilly.
“Now, explain your incredibly confusing confession from start to finish so that I can understand it.”
Incredibly confusing confession? What does she mean? I wanted to ask, but I couldn’t, fearing her wrath.
“Yes… so, the reason I challenged Kaneda was…”
“I heard that part already. I want to hear what comes after.”
Oh no. I just increased Kuromiya’s irritation level by 5 points.
“I’m sorry! So… I had a slight ulterior motive of hoping you would start to like me a bit.”
“…And? How does that lead to becoming friends?”
“What do you mean? You can’t become friends with someone you don’t like, right?”
“Are you an idiot?”
My desperate cry is instantly shot down.
Huh? Wait, don’t you need a high level of affection to become friends?
And didn’t she say, “Affection from someone I don’t even like is nothing but a nuisance!” just the other day?
“This is why introverts are…”
Kuromiya looks at me, speechless, and lets out a deep sigh.
“Normally, this would lead to something other than frie…”
Something other than frie?
“…Never mind.”
She stops herself, her face turning red as if she’s realized something.
“So? You want to be friends with me?”
“Yes…”
The moment I nod, Kuromiya leaps into my chest. It’s so sudden and powerful that I almost fall backward. She buries her face in my chest and remains silent.
“Um, Kuromiya?”
“I’ll agree, but there’s a condition.”
A condition? What impossible demand is she going to make? Could it be… a friend fee? Like 20,000 yen a month?
Kuromiya’s grip tightens.
“…Stay with me forever.”
She says this in a voice so soft it’s barely above a whisper, trembling and fragile.
“Huh?”
I look down to see that, while her expression is hidden, her ears are bright red.
“What’s your answer?”
“Y-yes!”
“Always prioritize time with me when going out.”
“Yes.”
“Always log into RoIN during your days off.”
“Y-yes…”
“As for being with other women… never mind.”
“H-huh…”
Kuromiya slowly separates from me, picks up her bag, and opens the door to the nurse’s office before looking back.
“Let’s go.”
“Huh? You mean together?”
“Is there something weird about friends going home together?”
“Absolutely not!”
And that’s how Kuromiya and I became friends. Suddenly, I was looking forward to school, something I hadn’t felt in a while.
The next day, however, I ended up skipping school because my entire body was sore.