CH 17

Chapter 17 – Childhood Friend’s Regret

Today, I hear a rare sound of lively voices from my neighbor’s house, which has been quiet for the past two or three years.

There used to be a lot of laughter all the time, and the auntie over there was a very unique and cheerful person, and when I used to visit them a lot, I was treated so well and it was fun.

Now we don’t interact with each other anymore, and no laughing can be heard from next door.

I still remember the moment.

That moment when Ichiro called me on the phone.

When I was in my second year of middle school, Ichiro called me and everything was destroyed.

“Hello, Kasumi? Sorry for the suddenness.”

“Oh, what’s wrong? I’m busy at the moment, can you make it quick?”

“Yeah… I’m sorry for everything. I didn’t know I was bothering you, and I was always meddling… I won’t do that anymore, so I’m really sorry.”

“Eh? …I see, so you understand. Don’t meddle so much anymore, okay?”

That’s really sudden. What’s going on?

But if this makes him less annoying, I’ll be happy.

“Yes… I’m sorry. And goodbye.”

Ichiro finally said so and the call was unilaterally disconnected.

‘Goodbye’? He’s acting like a stranger, that’s weird.

Well, maybe this will quiet things down a bit.

Until that night, I still thought so.

But the next day, I understood the meaning of Ichiro’s ‘goodbye.’

Ichiro would always wait for me in front of my house in the morning and we would go to school together.

But Ichiro was not waiting for me the morning after the call.

I thought he was unusually late. When I pressed the neighbor’s intercom, auntie told me that Ichiro had already left, and I rushed to school.

When I went to the classroom, Ichiro had already arrived and was sitting in his seat.

I went to Ichiro and said, “Ichiro, why did you leave first!? If you have something to do, just tell me first! I was almost late!” I said.

“I’m sorry, I can’t cause you any more trouble, I’m going to school on my own from today. I’m sorry for everything I’ve done,” he bowed his head and said.

Ichiro’s strangerly tone and demeanor startled me and I looked at his face. It was the most expressionless face I had ever seen. He didn’t even make eye contact with me, it was as if he was really talking to a stranger.

I was stunned and was about to question Ichiro when the homeroom teacher arrived and started the homeroom, so I gave up and went to my seat.

I tried to question Ichiro several times after that, but all he would say was “I’m sorry to have bothered you” with the same blank expression on his face.

And Ichiro’s attitude was the same not only towards me but also towards all his friends and other classmates who were close to him.

Ichiro used to be the center of the class and a popular person who everyone relied on, but after that day, whenever someone asked him for help, he would say, “I’m sorry, I don’t think I can help you.”

At first, I thought he was just sulking.

So the sense of crisis was still low.

Ichiro’s attitude seemed to be the same at home, and immediately his sister Haruko-chan came to me for advice.

I had little sense of danger, so I explained to Haruko-chan as if it was Ichiro’s own fault.

I also said what a friend of mine told me, that he pushes his kindness towards others.

After that, there was no more noise from Ichiro’s house and no more interaction between us as neighbors.

Ichiro’s attitude continued until he graduated from junior high school.

I realized what was going on.

I thought Ichiro had abandoned me.

Until that day, Ichiro was always helping me with tests and homework, and my grades were made possible by his support.

However, my grades kept dropping, and finally I failed my high school entrance exam and could not go to the public high school I wanted, so I had to go to a private school I had applied to as a backup.

In the beginning I didn’t understand how this happened.

Really, I thought Ichiro was just sulking.

But as I kept thinking back to what Ichiro and I had talked about on the phone, I began to understand.

I was annoyed and bothered by all the good things Ichiro was doing for me.

If Ichiro knew about my attitude and thoughts, what would he think?

I had forgotten, but I remembered one thing.

On the day Ichiro called me, even though Ichiro and I always went home together, that day I was cold to Ichiro and sent him home alone, and stayed in the classroom with my friends talking bad about Ichiro…

Maybe Ichiro heard what we talked about.

I don’t know if he heard it directly or if someone leaked it to him, but that’s the timing I could think of.

A person who can’t read the air and pushes his kindness towards others.

If Ichiro knew that people thought that about him, his personality would make him reflect deeply and reprimand himself.

And this was the result.

The buzzing from the house next door has become more audible.

I looked through the window and saw Ichiro and Haruko-chan chatting with an unknown mother and daughter in front of their house.

Both of them are incredibly beautiful women, and the girl who seems like the daughter is about the same age as Ichiro and myself.

“Ichiro’s girlfriend?” As I was thinking this, the girl turned her gaze at me.

When my eyes met her gaze, my knees began to shake and I couldn’t stop the cold sweat from breaking out on my back.

Eh??? What was that?

What’s with that girl… She’s trying to kill me???

After what must have been a few seconds…

The girl immediately looked away and resumed chatting happily.

What’s with that girl?

What’s Ichiro’s relationship with that girl???

Rather than seeing Ichiro’s smile for the first time in a long time, the terrifying gaze of that beautiful girl stuck in my head.