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Chapter 23 – Be My Friend
After finishing our apologies to Asanagi, we finally moved on to talk about last week’s incident. Before that though, we grubbed out on the tea and cookies that I had prepared.
“Ah, these cookies are yummy ~ Umi, look, this one’s got chocolates on it.”
“Mm… Yeah, they taste good. Oh, try to eat them with these lightly salted potato chips. You’ll get that perfect mix between sweet and salty when you eat them together.”
“Really? …Mmm, no, too many calories…”
The two of them were feeding each other sweets in a friendly manner as usual.
It was rare to see two people that got along this well, even among best friends and childhood friends.
“Mm? Ah, sorry. We unintentionally left you out… Okay, Maehara-kun, have  some cookies ~”
“Ah… Yeah, thanks…”
I reached out to accept the cookie Amami-san offered, but she pulled back before I could take it.
“Jeez, not like that, Maehara-kun. Say ahh ~”
“A-ahh?”
“I’m going to feed you. C’mon, open wide ~”
I was confused for a second there, but I guess only one kind of ‘ahh’ was applicable in this kind of situation.
“What’s the matter, Maehara-kun? Don’t be shy ~”
“…Uhh… T-then…”
I felt a sharp gaze coming from a certain someone, but it didn’t seem like she was going to say anything. Besides, if I were to refuse this, Amami-san would sulk again. I couldn’t let that happen, right?
“…Mmm.”
“How is it? Yummy, right?”
“Right, well, I was the one who picked them.”
The combination of both the aroma of the butter and the slight bitterness of the chocolate perfectly accented the sweetness of the cookie. If I were to score it, a chef kiss wouldn’t be an exaggeration.
“…Jeez, I’ve told you over and over again, Yuu. You need to stop doing this or else the boys will misunderstand you.”
“Oh, right. Sorry, Umi… It’s just, Maehara-kun looks so cute when he is eating these cookies! He looks like a little bunny ~”
“Bu—”
That’s the first time someone ever said such a thing to my face. I hated opening my mouth wide, especially when I was eating. I also ate a lot slower than most people.
For a moment, I imagined myself as a rabbit, but I immediately erased the creepy image from my mind. Seriously, that kind of abomination should not exist.
But now, I think I understand why Amami-san is so popular with the boys in our class. She is always able to treat everyone equally kindly, regardless of gender or popularity. She treats everyone as if they are her best friends.
If such a cute girl tried to feed a boy like that, obviously they would misunderstand.
She is like a temptress in a sense, I guess.
“Yuu, stop eating for a second and move on to the main topic. You know, the reason why we’re even here in the first place?”
“R-right… Maehara-kun, sorry about last week. You were hanging out with your friend, right? I thoughtlessly tried to disturb you, I couldn’t read the room, sorry.”
“Ah…  Mmm. Me too, I’m sorry.”
I bowed my head and started to explain to Amami-san the reason why acted so hostile last week.
I told her honestly how I felt at that time. That I would be too self-conscious to enjoy myself in a group with more than three people. That I really cherished the time I had with my friend and how I didn’t want anyone to disturb it.
Amami-san didn’t say anything. She just listened intently to what I had to say.
“…I really enjoyed the time I spent with my friend. After all, it was rare for me to play around with a student my age like that…”
Well, I kept some details to myself. If I told her everything, she would realize that my friend was Asanagi.
“…I see. You love your friend that much, don’t you, Maehara-kun?”
“L-love…?!”
“Mm? What’s wrong, Maehara-kun?”
“N-nothing… Well, I guess you could look at it that way… But, that person is just a friend… I don’t know if I ‘love’ them or not…”
Asanagi was the only ‘friend’ I had. Of course, she was important to me, but saying that I love her right in front of her like this would be a no-no.
This talk is so embarrassing, I can’t even look in Asanagi’s direction.
I wonder what kind of face she was making right now?
“Anyway, please forgive me for last week. Also, I’m not angry anymore, so let’s forget about this and move on.”
“If you say so, Maehara-kun… Then, handshake?”
“Mhm.”
I took her stretched hand and shook it firmly.
“Good for you, Yuu.”
“Mhm ~ Thank you, Umi. Thanks to you, I’m able to make up with Maehara-kun.”
“You’re welcome.”
I was worried about what was going to happen from here on, but at least last week’s matter was settled.
For the next few days, there would be rumors going on about Amami-san and I, but if we ignored them, they would eventually go away.
The most popular girl in class and a loner. We lived in different worlds to begin with, and now we could proceed to live in our separate worlds without having anything to do with each other.
“Alright, now that we’re done talking, let’s go home quickly. We don’t want to be a bother to Maehara-kun, right? Huh, Yuu, what’s wrong?”
“Ah, mmm… There’s something I want to ask, Maehara-kun.”
“Mm? What is it?”
As they were about to go home, Amami-san suddenly turned back and approached me.
I wondered what Amami-san wanted to ask…?
“Um, Maehara-kun, if you don’t like it, you can be honest with me and say so, okay?”
“Okay…”
“Um… You see…”
Amami-san continued as her body slightly tensed up…
“Maehara-kun, if you don’t mind… I want to be your friend.”
Goodbye, my peaceful life.