Chapter 20

20 Rival young miss

Recently, I've made a new friend.

She is a bit strange.

Even though she is a beauty on the level of making people jealous, because of her strange speech and conduct, that beauty gets overshadowed. It's truly a pity, but I know that is her charm.

She really does look up to me. Even though we are of the same age, sometimes I do think “cute” as if she was my younger sister.

She is on good terms with my childhood friend, Sousuke.

Sousuke, who looked like he had retreated into a sh.e.l.l recently, thanks to her, I was able to talk to him again like in the past. I'm really grateful to her.

However, when we have a chat between the two of us, I wonder how we end up talking about her without fail?

No, I know. Sousuke is attracted to her, right? I know. Nevertheless, I feel a bit lonely.

I think it's close to what a little sister would feel in having her big brother stolen. We are of the same age but Sousuke is more mature, so I think of him as a big brother.

I want to support Sousuke's feelings.

Because I know that if I were to say such things to Sousuke, he would deny it, I decided to secretly support him.

First thing’s first, I should create an opportunity were he can go to a date with her.

After arranging an appointment to go watch a movie with Subaru, I emailed her.

First of all, I reported to her that I arranged to watch the movie with Subaru, and after that, in a nonchalant and roundabout way, I told her to have a date with Sousuke.

She probably hasn’t even thought for a moment that this is a date, but that's fine. It's okay if Sousuke is the one conscious of it.

Please, let those two’s date go well, I prayed.

In the end, they didn’t have something that resembled a date. Her little brother followed her.

I was told that, at that moment she wore something really bold. It seemed like her little brother was worried about such a big sister.

My cheeks loosened at the affection the little brother felt toward the sister, as in the rumors.

It seems like she completely didn’t understand the worries of her brother, and I sympathized with him a bit.

I asked about what happened that day to Sousuke, too.

As I did that, he said that he didn't want to remember.

It looked like he had to considerably bear with the bad feelings provoked from watching the horror movie.

A smile escaped from me seeing the childish part of Sousuke I don't often come to see.

The me, who was laughing, was glared at by him.

“Don't laugh.”

“Fufu…..sorry. But, didn’t good things happen too?”

“Good things?”

“You got a lap pillow from Rinksan, didn't you? In turn of a calamity, you achieved good fortune, right?”

“.......I don't understand what you are talking about.”

Sousuke wouldn’t honestly admit it. And that felt truly childish.

Even though he is usually like an older brother, when it involves her, Sousuke becomes childish.

Truly, she, as a person, is interesting.

Sousuke is clever, in an unskillful way.

Even though he easily handles every situation without slip-up, he becomes clumsy when it comes to the emotional aspect.

He ends up refraining himself because he is too kind. And puts his feelings as second.

I somehow knew that Sousuke felt affection towards me. But, I pretended not to notice.

Because I thought that it was what Sousuke wanted.

No, in reality, that's different. I was running away from him.

I was afraid of breaking the relationship we had now. Because I couldn't return his feelings.

Because, I like Subaru.

By depending on Sousuke's kindness, I hurt him.

I’m a sly woman.

Even when I was hurting him, I ended up thinking that I would be lonely if he avoided me. I was only suffering from my own actions.

However, such a Sousuke changed upon meeting her.

He recently looks to be having fun. Especially when he is talking to her.

The other day, I happened to see him talking to her.

There, I saw the rarely seen appearance of him enjoying himself.

Looking at such a him, my cheeks loosened. Thank G.o.d, I thought.

Does she notice? The expressions he shows in front of her are special.

Surely, because it's her, he didn’t notice. Sousuke surely hasn’t noticed his feelings.

Watching over those two has become my hobby recently.

One day, Sousuke unusually said he had something to talk to me about.

Something to talk to me about, when I said that I’m listening, he looked like he was having a hard time saying it.

This is rare, he usually straight out says what he wants.

“I would like to thank her, but what would be good?”

“What thanks? I wonder, who do you want to thank?”

“That's why…….last time's, the thanks for the movie, I mean.”

I had a rough idea about what he wanted to thank her for, but then I tried to be a bit mean, he responded as if he was having a hard time.

I sweetly smiled at the answer I expected.

I feel like saying, ‘Good job,’ to him.

“You want to thank Rinksan, don't you?”

“......aah. More precisely, to the Kaguragi siblings, though.”

“Well, that's right.”

“So, what do you think would be good?”

“Mh right…..won't anything be good?”

“Miku…...please answer seriously.”

I intended to answer seriously, though.

Sousuke didn’t seem to think so, and glared at me with a scary face.

“My, that was rude. I am seriously answering, you know? If it's a heartfelt gift, then I'm sure that Rinksan would gladly receive it.”

“......somehow, I have a feeling she would feel bad about this though.”

“......that's, because of your daily behaviour. You reap what you sow.”

“..........Miku.”

“My, don't make such a scary face, Sousuke.”

“I originally had this kind of face though.”

“Fufufu…….”

“You are making fun of me, right…….”

“You just realised?”

“I haven't been your childhood friend of 12 years for nothing.”

“Right.”

To think that a day came where I get to tease him. Usually, it's always me that is being made fun of.

Is this thanks to her? She really is amazing.

“Shall I tell you a good thing?”

“What?”

“Rinksan truly loves cakes. I think she'll be really happy if you took her to a delicious cake shop.”

“Delicious cake shop…...I see, I understand.”

Sousuke loves cakes too.

He must have plenty of information about delicious cake shops.

“Thank you, Miku. You were of help.”

“You are welcome.”

I laughed with a, fufu. Sousuke gently smiled too.

And while still smiling he said.

“I liked you, Miku.”

“......I knew it.”

I smiled at his confession.

For an instant Sousuke's eyes opened wide, but then he said, ‘is that so,’ and smiled again.

“『Liked,』in other words, right now it’s, 『different,』right?”

“Well…..it might be so.”

“Well…..thank you, Sousuke. For liking me.”

“Miku……”

“Will you continue being my friend?”

“Of course. I wish for Miku’s happiness.”

Well, it might not come true with her, said Sousuke with wry smile.

“It's thanks to her that I could say my feeling to you like this. I wouldn't tell this to the person herself but, I'm grateful to her.”

“Fufu. Sousuke is really not honest.”

“......shut up.”

“Bring in your fighting spirit, because you cannot, not thank Rinksan.”

“......you're right.”

And then an idea stuck me.

It was about a thing the girls around me talked about.

If we do that, won't she be delighted?

“----hey, Sousuke. I have a proposal.”

I tried explaining what I came up with.

After thinking for a bit Sousuke said, “Let's give it a try.”

From that day we began the preparations.

Everything was for the sake of making Rinksan happy.

Tn: Naoriel

Ed: Aeternatrix

Nao's little corner!

Hehe how many of you thought that this girl was pushing Rinka to Hasumi?

Thanks for reading! (~‾▿‾)~