Chapter 5: Determination 2
Chapter 5: Determination 2
"Riku-chan, hurry up! We're going to be late for school!"
"Isn't it your fault... repeating 'just five more minutes' four times."
In the peaceful town, Haruno and I were in hurry, running towards to school.
"Ah!"
I suddenly stopped in my tracks. Is that a girl from another class?
I spotted a pair of girls who looked like typical gal, leisurely walking on the sidewalk across the road. They have the essence of true strength, accepting their laziness while with walking confident.
"────"
The word "Gal" reminded me of Hoshimiya.
Hoshimiya hasn't come to school yet. Summer vacation is just a few days away...
According to the homeroom teacher, there are "family circumstances" involved, but no one really knows the truth.
There are rumors that she might drop out of school like this...
........I wonder how Hoshimiya is doing.
"Hey, Riku-chan! What are you doing?"
"Haruno──"
Haruno, who noticed me standing still, dashed back towards me.
"You should stay behind me properly, Okay!"
"Y-yeah."
"What are you looking at... Huh?"
Haruno's gaze captured the attention of the gals. Cold light flickered in her large eyes.
"Riku-chan, looking at boys from the morning, huh?"
"W-What's with that weird way of saying it..."
"It's no big deal. You're free to look at whoever you wants. It's also your freedom to overlook this cute childhood friend and gaze at other girls, right?"
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to..."
"...Let's go to school. Hold hands this time so we don't get separated."
Haruno tightly gripped my right hand and started walking towards the school.
My childhood friend is full of jealousy....
◆◆◆
Inside the school, Haruno's behavior becomes more reserved. It seems she cares about the people around her.
Sitting at my desk, I watched Haruno happily chatting with her female friends.
"..."
In contrast to Haruno, there was Kana.
Kana, who was always with Hoshimiya, had been spending time alone lately.
Even if someone talked to her, she seemed absent-minded. She was probably worried about Hoshimiya.
The other day, Kana called me and we went to the back of the school building to tell her about the situation.
"Anything is fine. Just tell me something about Ayana. You must know something, right?"
At that moment, I couldn't say anything. I didn't feel like speaking up.
Nevertheless, Kana pressed for answers, but Haruno appeared and forcibly drove her away.
Since then, Kana hasn't approached me to talk.
"...This is fine."
Hoshimiya and I should keep our distance. We shouldn't get involved.
Above all, I deeply love my current life.
Having Haruno by my side always, a life where I only look at Haruno. This is what I wished for...
"...I wished for it..."
I push down the urge to ask something, deep into my heart and told my myself, 'It's fine.'
◆◆◆
After school, Haruno said, "There's a place I want to stop by on the way home," and quietly took my hand as we followed along. The place we arrived at was a crepe stand in a plaza near the station.
This place... It's where Hoshimiya and I came before...
"Riku-chan, we've never had crepes together, right? I heard about this place from Morimoto-san, and I've been wanting to come here with you."
"...I see."
Looking at Haruno as she happily spoke with a bright smile, it seemed she didn't know that it was the place where Hoshimiya and I had been before.
We ordered our crepes and received them.
As we walked on the way back, eating our crepes, Haruno poked my shoulder.
"I want a bite of Riku-chan's crepe~"
"Here you go."
Without any particular reason to refuse, I offered my crepe to her.
Haruno happily took a bite and with a genuinely content expression, she said, "Oishiii~" as if it slipped out of her mouth.
"Riku-chan, you can have a bite of my crepe too."
This time, Haruno offered me her crepe, so I accepted without hesitation.
Unintentionally, I ended up eating from the portion that Haruno had already taken a bite of, but it was a fair exchange.
"Shall we go to the game center next?"
"Huh? Why the game center..."
"You like it, don't you, Riku-chan? Aren't you in the mood today?"
Haruno asked with a hint of anxiety, and without much thought, I said, "Let's go."
There wasn't any deep meaning behind it, but I hesitated for some reason.
Without noticing my hesitation, Haruno walked ahead while eating her crepe.
Haruno occasionally stop and turn around to make sure I was following her.
And if, by any chance, there was more distance between us than she expected...
"Riku-chan, you mustn't stray too far from me. Shall we hold hands?"
With a gentle smile, she reached out her hand.
◇ ◇ ◇
We arrived at the game center and casually wandered around, choosing games that caught our eye and playing them.
Rather than playing the games themselves, we enjoyed our time together at the arcade.
I'm sure Haruno felt the same way. It was evident that she cherished our time together.
"Hey, Riku-chan. Let's play that next!"
Amidst the noise in the arcade, Haruno pointed her finger towards... air hockey.
For a split second, my heart raced.
"Riku-chan?"
"Uh, yeah... It's nothing. Sure, let's play."
I took my position and inserted a coin into the slot. The puck came out, and the game began.
Without anything particularly special happening, Haruno and I enjoyed playing air hockey.
Every time the puck collided with the wall, a loud sound effect played from the machine, and when the puck entered Haruno's goal, she let out a cute scream, saying, "Wah!"...
The current score was 9-2. The winner would be the first to reach 10 points, and I had 9. It was quite a one-sided match.
"Riku-chan! The game isn't over yet! I'll win with the next point!"
"That's pretty impossible according to the rules!"
Haruno seemed to struggle with air hockey compared to Hoshimiya.
...At that time, Hoshimiya was truly vibrant.
--'I'm the Air Hockey Queen by the neighborhood kids, you know!'
...Looking back, being called the Air Hockey Queen was so cheesy.
"Chance!"
"Ah!"
I let my guard down. The puck hit by Haruno collided with the side walls at high speed, reflecting back without giving me a chance to react... and with a loud noise, it entered my goal.
"I did it! I got a point!"
Haruno innocently celebrated like a child. That sight... overlapped with Hoshimiya.
Ah, this is bad. I shouldn't be thinking about Hoshimiya while I'm with Haruno. How terrible of me.
Nevertheless, the overflowing emotions couldn't be stopped...
"Guh... Ugh...!"
"Riku-chan?"
The intense emotions surged up, passing through my throat and reaching my eyes.
In an attempt to hide my emotions, I hunched over and placed my hands on the table.
"Riku-chan!? Are you so shocked that I scored a point against you?! I'm sorry!"
"N-No... That's not it...!"
".....I see."
Haruno came closer to me and gently stroked my back.
There was no doubt. My childhood friend understood.
Because she understood, I realized just how terrible my current actions are.
Despite that, Haruno still spoke to me, leaning in to offer comfort.
"It's okay, Riku-chan. I'm here for you. I promise I won't let you go through difficult times anymore..."
◆◆◆
I kept listening to the sound of the shower echoing in the bathroom.
Without washing my body, I sat on bath chair, thinking about today's events.
Especially the incident at the game center, I made Haruno worry. That wasn't good.
"I should forget about Hoshimiya..."
Originally, it was a relationship that I shouldn't have been involved in.
Because of various coincidences, Hoshimiya was pushed to the point where she couldn't come to school.
What I should do now is forget about Hoshimiya and focus on my life with Haruno.
While I was thinking about such things, I heard the sound of the bathroom door being opened from behind. I turned around, thinking "Could it be?"
"Riku-chan! Let's take a bath together!"
Haruno, who had undressed, stepped into the bathroom with a cheerful attitude.
It was the first time Haruno had barged into the bath like this.
Well, even though she's undressed, she's wearing an orange swimsuit...
If she come here naked, I'm would definitely passed out.
Just the bikini alone put a strain on my heart.
"It's almost summer vacation, right? I bought a new swimsuit to go to the beach with you. So, how is it?"
"It's, it's adorable. Extremely cute."
"Really? That's great! I wanted Riku-chan to be happy, so I chose it while getting advice from my friends."
Haruno let out a smile as if she was relieved.
With her appearance and what she said, everything about her felt incredibly adorable.
I found myself gazing at Haruno's figure in her swimsuit.
The first thing that came to mind was... her chest has gotten bigger—something quite manly.
I'm not a pervert who can determine the cup size just by looking. In our first year of high school, they were slightly smaller than average, but now they seem slightly bigger than average. Maybe Haruno's shorter height makes her chest size stand out even more.
Despite her petite frame, she has a healthy waistline, and her legs with just the balance of fat and muscle makes my heart skip a beat.
To put it mildly, it's erotic.
"Hehe. Riku-chan, you're completely captivated by me."
While exuding happiness, Haruno wore a mischievous grin.
"Haruno... Your chest has gotten bigger, hasn't it?"
"Yes, it has. Lately, it suddenly started growing... Riku-chan, do you prefer big or small?"
"Well, most guys prefer big ones. But it's not like they dislike small ones either. Assuming that they love both big and small, most guys prefer the bigger ones."
"So, Riku-chan, which one do you prefer?"
"Bigger the better."
It was an immediate response. I rambled on about various things, but in the end, I chose the bigger ones. Can't beat the instincts of a man.
"I see. Riku-chan, you like the bigger ones... Well, I guess that's good."
Haruno nodded with satisfaction as she looked at her own chest. At least she seemed to be satisfied with my answer.
As I pondered what to do next, Haruno picked up the bath chair that was placed in the corner of the bathroom and came over to sit next to me, side by side.
To avoid having our lower bodies in close proximity, I gently turned my body to the side.
"... Haruno, when you get too close like this... I start to become aware of various things."
"Huh? Weren't you aware until now? I... have been aware of it all along."
"..!"
I was hit with a counterattack that far exceeded my imagination.
Its power was equivalent to a single punch that would blow off my head.
"S-So... Haruno? When you say 'aware,' you mean... in an erotic sense."
"Yep."
Haruno said it nonchalantly. This is bad.
"I'm aware, but I made a promise with my mom. We're supposed to have a healthy relationship."
"I-I see. If that's the case, then it can't be helped..."
"But you know, Riku-chan, if you wish for it... I think it's okay to break the promise with my mom." (TL: I guess nothing happens in the past weeks....)
"...."
My sanity was brutally murdered.
Haruno who's aware on my anxiety, continued talking.
"Actually... I might have been waiting for this to happen..."
"..."
My head exploded at Haruno's slightly embarrassed words. What is this?
Well, Haruno has always been proactive since we were young. There were plenty of instances of physical contact, and she always tried to capture my attention.
Although it might sound strange, her current words and actions don't feel out of place. Besides, we're in a romantic relationship now...
"...Let's wait until after high school for that kind of thing."
I forcefully pushed away the fluffy daydream that surfaced in my mind and spoke as if squeezing the words from my throat.
Of course, I also wanted to do such things with Haruno, but when the moment actually arrives, I hesitate a bit. Am I just a coward?
"We'll wait until after high school... If that's what Riku-chan says, I'll endure."
"..."
"Well then, Riku-chan, let's wash each other's bodies like we used to when we were little."
"Wash each other's bodies... Well, we've both grown in various ways, so..."
"Hmm? I meant washing each other's backs."
"Ah."
"What were you imagining, Riku-chan? Pervert~"
"Kuh...!"
Haruno laughed merrily, rolling with amusement. I could only blush in embarrassment and I couldn't come up with any excuses.
◆◆◆
This is a dream... I know it's a dream.
The stage is a cityscape. Cars are driving on the road, and people are walking on the sidewalks. A perfectly normal scene.
Like a ghost, I stopped to tie shoelace, and I gazed at my middle school self.
"Onii-chan, I'll go ahead!"
"That's how it should be, my dear sister. When your older brother stops, it's your duty as a sister to wait."
...I'm speaking in a strange manner. Probably influenced by some anime character.
Moreover, my younger sister, walking ahead of me, stucking her tongue and ignored me with a "I dooon't caaaare."
My mother and father walked happily with my sister, chuckling together.
The 'me' who doesn't know what will happen casually started tying my shoelace.
And just as I finished tying my shoelace and stood up to start walking...
A car sped into my parents and sister.
My family members flew away like a joke, as if they were light objects, not resembling the mass of humans.
In the lingering time that felt like eternity, my family fell to the ground.
Completely motionless.
The surroundings began to grow noisy.
From the car, Hoshimiya's parents and Hoshimiya herself stepped out...
"Ah... Ugh!"
I jolted upright as if I was push. In an instant, my consciousness snapped back to reality.
"..."
The room was pitch black with the lights turned off. Time-wise, it felt like the late night hours.
As I woke up in bed, I noticed that cold sweat was pouring out from all over my body.
The pajamas I was wearing clung to my skin uncomfortably.
"...Riku-chan?"
"Haruno..."
Haruno, who was sleeping right next to me, woke up and sat up, speaking to me.
"You had that dream again, didn't you?"
"...Yeah."
Every night, I was plagued by nightmares. It must be because my memories had returned.
"Come here, Riku-chan."
Haruno exuded a gentle aura like that of a mother and opened her arms, inviting me.
Without saying anything, I gently buried my face in Haruno's chest.
In response, she embraced me, enveloping me in her warmth, and gradually, even I could feel my emotions calming down.
"Let's go back to sleep like this, Riku-chan."
Lying down while still embraced by Haruno, I closed my eyes slowly.
Without thinking about anything, I surrendered myself to this comforting warmth...
───Is this really okay?
Ignoring the question, I fell asleep.
Chapter 5 Part 2 End. Open for correction.
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