Volume 2 - CH 9

“Yuuri-senpai, thank you for inviting me here today!”

Yoshi-chan entered the café and sat down in front of me, and with a carefree smile, she straightaway expressed her gratitude to me. Today Yoshi-chan was dressed sweetly but elegantly and coolly in a sheer white one-piece dress with lace and light pink sandals.

By the way, she really turned out to be pretty, didn’t she? She had a beautiful face, to begin with, but when she was a little girl, Yoshi-chan had a mature atmosphere.

I once said to Hanaka, “Yoshi-chan has changed my impression of her compared to when she was in elementary school,” and she said something like, “Girls in love are the strongest.”

“It’s my pleasure. Thanks for coming to support us every time we have a match.

“Not at all! I only went because I wanted to cheer for you guys. It was my last chance to see Yuuri-senpai playing in a high school club match.”

Yoshi-chan is smiling like she is really enjoying herself. I was embarrassed by the affection that was directed straight at me, and I ended up diverting the topic.

“You have an exam coming up, are you going to be able to do well?”

“Hmmm. I don’t know. But I don’t think it’s bad because I study at home too, you know? I’m going to study with Hanaka next time.”

“Yoshi-chan is great. On the other hand, Hanaka might not do well on the exam if she doesn’t work a little harder. Because as soon as she gets home, she lies down on the sofa and watches TV or plays with her phone all the time.”

“Hahaha, that’s so typical of Hanaka. But it’s okay because her ability to concentrate is really great. After all, in that short period of time, she has acquired enough academic ability to be accepted into this high school.”

Yoshi-chan was right, Hanaka’s acceptance into my high school was the result of her hard work from four months before the entrance exam. At that time, Hanaka was really great. The result of the mock exam she took in the summer was a D, but she studied hard during the four months and passed the exam with an impressive result.

“I just wish she could take that focus and spread it out and do it over a longer period of time. She’s gambling too much with the way she’s going about it.”

‘Pfft, Yuuri-senpai looks like an older brother. I envy Hanaka. Because she has an older brother who worries about her with such a kind face.”

“I don’t think Hanaka thinks that. I’m sure she thinks it’s annoying.”

“That’s Hanaka’s way of hiding her embarrassment. I’m sure Yuurii-senpai’s feelings have been conveyed properly.”

What’s wrong with her? Normally, she would come in with a bang, give a big hug, and then leave with a whoosh, but today she seems more relaxed than her actual age. To be honest, I had never seen Yoshi-chan as anything more than a friend of my sister’s or my second sister’s. 

But today she seems to be a woman, and I am a little confused. If it had been Yoshi-chan before, I wouldn’t have thought of her this way. What is really wrong with her?

I tried to keep my composure so that she would not realize how nervous I was inside, and we spent the rest of the time at the café.

———

“The cafe here was great! The food was good, but the cake that Hanaka mentioned was really great!”

I agreed, holding a souvenir for Hanaka in my hand.

“What are you going to do after this, senpai? As for me, I’d like to spend a little more time with you.”

“Well. It’s still early, so it would be nice to stop by somewhere. Do you have somewhere you want to go?”

“Let’s see… Oh, I want to go to the park! There’s a park where we used to play together. Let’s go there.”

Yoshi-chan suggested Hanasaki Park, which holds deep memories for us. As I recall, the two of them stopped coming to this park when Yoshi-chan and Hanaka entered junior high school.

“That’s fine. Okay, let’s go to the park. Oh, if it’s at Hanasaki Park, it’s close to my house. I’ll go home once and drop off the cake, so can I have you wait for me at the park?”

“No, I don’t want to. I’ll follow you home.”

After saying this, Yoshi-chan held my hand and smiled happily, saying, “Ehehe.”

———

“It’s been a long time since I’ve been to this park. When I was in elementary school, you used to play with me and Hanaka. This swing feels so small.”

Yoshi-chan is swinging on the swing as if she is reminiscing about those days. However, the hem of her one-piece dress was fluttering, and I was having trouble keeping my eyes on her, so I decided to sit on the swing next to her.

“When you get older and ride the playground equipment, you wonder if this park was ever this small. That’s what I think. There are so many memories here.”

“……Yuuri-senpai.”

“I’m sorry. It’s nothing, so don’t worry about it.”

“I’m not bothered. I am sorry for sounding so serious.”

The first time I saw her, she was rowing on the swing, but then she looked at me as if she had made up her mind.

“Senpai. You broke up with Hazuki-senpai, didn’t you? From my point of view, the two of you were a perfect match and I admired you both very much. So when I heard from Hanaka that you broke up with her, I couldn’t think straight.”

Yoshi-chan began to talk.

“I wanted to help you if you were suffering, so on the first day I was too enthusiastic and rode into the classroom, but all of a sudden I was a nuisance. I’m sorry.”

“No, I didn’t think you were annoying.”

“I knew senpai was kind. So, to continue the story, Yuuri-senpai, whom I hadn’t seen for a long time, was much more energetic than I had expected. I wondered why, but I soon found out the reason. Because Kanade-senpai was always right next to him. So I thought there was no room for me anymore.”

“……Yoshi-chan?”

“…Let’s see… I have a question for you, what kind of relationship do you have with Kanade-senpai? Do you like Kanade-senpai?”

I was quite surprised when she asked me about my relationship with Kanade. Kanade and I have a relationship. We are childhood friends. However, the feelings I have for Kanade lately go beyond that of a childhood friend. I realized this during the sports festival.

But do I really love Kanade? I wonder if I am just dependent on Kanade, who spoils me. I had not yet found the answer to this question.

“I’ve known Kanade since childhood. I honestly don’t know how I feel about her yet.”

“Then, do I still have a chance? Yuuri-senior. I have been in love with senpai ever since the day she saved me. So if senpai is feeling down, I want to heal him, and I want to support him.”

“…Yo, Yoshi-chan. I’m sorry, right now…”

I was surprised by her unexpected confession, but I still did not want to make Yoshi-chan my girlfriend. So when I was about to say no, Yoshi-chan interrupted me.

“Senpai. Don’t give me an answer now. I understand that you haven’t completely recovered and that Kanade-senpai is a big part of your life. But please don’t give me an answer yet. Because neither of you has an answer for me yet. Today’s confession is completely self-centered selfishness of wanting Yuuri-senpai to get to know me.”

“No, but still…”

“Yuuri-senpai, please. Please give me a chance.”

Seeing Yoshi-chan talking so cheerfully, forcing herself to stop crying, I thought to myself what a strong girl she was. Her smile was as dazzling as the sun, and she shone so brightly that I, an effeminate girl, really didn’t deserve it.

“I understand. I’m not going to reply to your confession right now. When I get my answer, I’ll tell you how I feel then. But I was really happy that you told me you liked me like this. I’m sorry it had to be in such a half-hearted, cowardly way.”

“It’s okay. Please look it up. Because this is what I wanted.”

After saying this, Yoshi-chan came in front of me as I sat on the swing. Then she sat down on the swing, looked up at me with a big smile on her face, and said, “Senpai.”

“Senpai. Please be prepared from now on. Because my attacks are going to be really awesome.”

It was great before, but was it going to be even better than that? I was puzzled for a moment, but I was so happy with Yoshi-chan’s feelings that I told her, “Oh, I’ll make sure I’m prepared.”

TLN: Making up for the last few days. Full-day classes are tiring as hell.