Chapter 9
Chapter 9
Haaah.
That day, Shizuna began her morning in gloomy spirits. Needless to say, the cause was her phone call with Ryuichi yesterday. It was their first phone call since Shizuna had exchanged contact information with Ryuichi, and she had felt very nervous up until she pressed the dial button Then, the call went through, and when she heard his voice, Shizuna felt a warmth flood her heart.
However, just as the call was about to end, a womans voice came through That voice still lingered in Shizunas mind in the form of her depressed mood.
Haaah.
As she let out her umpteenth sigh that day, the question of how Ryuichi and the woman spent last night constantly weighed on her mind. She didnt know why it bothered her so much; after all, hed already told her from the get go: that he had relations with many women.
My chest ached a little at the time, too.
It wasnt as if shed thought nothing of Ryuichi affirming the rumors; back then, she just hadnt witnessed it in person, so she didnt really feel it. But this incident, as evident by her reaction, really weighed on Shizunas mind.
He called her Chisa, didnt he? I wonder if thats the woman hes still seeing.
Naturally, thinking about it alone wouldnt give her any answers, but spacing out like what she was doing probably wasnt a good idea either, since shed failed to notice the approach of a person behind her.
Shizuna!
Kyah?!
She heard a familiar voice calling out to her from behind before she was suddenly hugged by them. The hug itself was light, but it was abrupt enough to surprise Shizuna.
Sohei-kun?
Yup, thats me. Gmorning, Shizuna.
Good morning.
The one whod clung to her back was Sohei. Shizuna thought back to how they used to do this to each other all the time in the past. Of course, they didnt do that anymore now that they were in high school, but seeing Sohei like this now made her think that he really hasnt changed between then and now.
You dont seem to be in a good mood. Did younot like it?
No, its not that. I just thought it was embarrassing.
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Shizuna lied to him. Yes, shed said she didnt dislike it, but in reality, she did just a little bit. Part of the blame lied with her for not noticing it earlier due to her being distracted by her thoughts, but even then, why had he decided to just hug a girl without warning?
Actually, yes, I did dislike it. Sohei-kun, were high school students now, arent we? Besides, we have our differences in gender to consider, so we shouldnt do this kind of thing anymore.
Okay.
In the end, Shizuna changed her mind and decided to speak up, reprimanding him firmly. Although her tone wasnt harsh, Sohei seemed to be quite shocked to hear his childhood friend Shizuna say she didnt like it.
Shizuna, youre
What?
Actually, never mind. Ill see you at school.
Leaving those few words behind, Sohei took off and ran ahead of her. Maybe I went a little overboard, Shizuna thought. But then, she thought back to the past where sometimes, she too would cling on Sohei. They had always been together since way back, and to Shizuna, Sohei was her precious childhood friend, so she hoped that would always remain the same now and in the future.
I still remember how we used to say we would marry each other. How nostalgic. But in the end, its only a promise made by children. I hope Sohei-kun and I can each find our own significant other who feels right for us.
When Shizuna thought about who hers would be, he was the first person to come to her mind. Yes, he, whod saved Shizuna with his large, bulky body
Oh, that you, Rindo? Whatre you doin here?
Fuah?!
The owner of the voice whod stopped Shizuna from falling into her fantasies was, in a sense, the owner of the voice she wanted to hear, but also a person who, if she met now, would be very troubling.
S-Shishido-kun?
Yo.
Shizuna wasnt happy when she saw that Ryuichi looked exactly the same as usual, unlike herself, who was stressing over what happened last night. She wanted an outlet to vent her feelings, so she bonked Ryuichis chest over and over.
Whats up with you?
Sorry. I just had the urge to do this Muuu.
She immediately stopped hitting him, but her heart remained unsatisfied. Seeing Shizunas cheeks puffed out, Ryuichi sighed before he continued walking. Naturally, Shizuna paced alongside him.
Hey. Are you seriously going to walk with me?
Of course. But dont worry, well split partway through. After all, Im sure youd prefer it that way, right?
Yeah.
One mightve thought that going to school together wouldnt be something that big of a deal. However, high school was fundamentally a sensitive period for teenagers, so just by seeing a boy and girl walking together, they would immediately start making baseless speculations about them.
Hey, Shishido-kun.
What?
Shizuna turned to look at Ryuichi, who was walking right next to her, while he stared ahead without looking at Shizuna. Unlike Shizuna, who wore her uniform neatly and seriously, Ryuichi commonly wore his uniform messily with all its buttons open.
His muscles are seriously so cool
This thought inadvertently slipped its way into Shizunas mind. She shook her head repeatedly to rid the thought before cutting straight into yesterdays events.
Why did you cut the call short yesterday?
Oh, that. You see, Chisa a college student came to my home. She just got done with a drinking party, and man, it made my place reek of the stuff.
Oh I see.
Is she his girlfriend? Shizuna innocently wondered.
Is she your girlfriend?
Nah. Weve just known each other for a while so we meet up occasionally.
I see.
Shizuna felt relieved when she heard that she wasnt his girlfriend. However, it would be a while before she realized what this relief of hers meant. In the meantime, Ryuichi continued.
Well, shes not my girlfriendbut we are close enough to do those sorts of things.
Shizuna wasnt so childish so as to not know what those sorts of things implied. Shizuna felt a prickle of pain rather than embarrassment at the thought. She glanced up at Ryuichi, who was still the same as usual, and felt like an idiot for stressing about the matter so much.
So does that mean
The words she was about to say were words she would have never uttered if she were calm. But they never left her mouth, because Ryuichi reached his arm out toward her.
Rindo.
Wha
Ryuichi grabbed Shizuna by her arm and forcefully brought her into his embrace. Her face touched his chest, and she could directly feel the hardness of his pecs and abs. Her cheeks suddenly began to heat up, and that heat distracted her so much that she didnt notice her lower abdomen throbbing.
S-Shishido-kun?
Dont space out while youre walking. You were so close to hitting him, yknow?
Huh?
Shizuna looked at where Ryuichi was looking and saw an old man walking with a cane. If he hadnt done what he did, she very well might have bumped into him, and it would have been a disaster if he had fallen over. The reason Ryuichi held Shizuna close to him was simply to keep her from bumping into the old man.
Thank you, Shishido-kun.
No need to thank me. Nothing happened, and thats all that matters.
He patted her head gently. Shizuna felt like she was being treated like a child, but for some reason she couldnt tell him to stop. In fact, she even wanted him to do more; not to mention the fact that shed felt overjoyed when he hugged her earlier. Shizuna felt an undeniable warmth and excitement from Ryuichi that she had never felt when she was with Sohei.
Cmon, lets get going.
Okay.
Ryuichi started walking again, and Shizuna followed suit beside him. Soon, she and Ryuichi would have to part ways and head to school separately. If only this time could last a little longer Shizuna wished in her heart.
Under normal circumstances, Shizuna and Sohei wouldve gotten together as a couple. That was how itd worked in the original manga, yet a single change alone had caused things to deviate so drastically from its course.
However, that change was by no means caused by bad intentions. The future that Ryuichi, who had regained his memories, had brought onto himself was purely caused by Shizuna. She wasnt being manipulated, let alone being forcibly caused to have feelings for him. She was genuinely looking at Ryuichi.
She was looking at the changed Ryuichis true nature; nothing more, nothing less.
HamletJr's notes:
This should be a bonus chapter, but I'm one day late so it doesn't really count, does it?