Volume 5, Chapter 7: The Friend and the Girlfriend Part 3

*****

...

("...Amagasa kun and I...are dating, Aikawa senpai"

She proudly said as she put her arms around mine, and rested her head on my shoulder...

"...")

...Is what happened after she suddenly kissed me in front of our friends, and Aikawa senpai...

...

I couldn't comprehend about what just happened earlier because I too was also surprised, but after what she did, I suddenly felt how she was passionate and how soft her lips was...

...I couldn't quite grasp nor describe the sensation was, but I felt like I had the best moment of my life while we were kissing...

...

...Cherry...

...Yes...

...

...It tasted like cherry...

...

...At least to me...

...

...I've always envy the main characters that I watched in the anime, having suddenly kissed by their main heroine at the heat of the moment...

...And now...I've just experienced one...

...

...It felt like I wanted one more...

...

As if I could ask for one more kiss!

Hoshizawa, who was silently smiling the whole time, resting her head on my shoulders as she cling onto me, waited for Aikawa senpai, whom I was also waiting for a response...

"..."

...She's been silent this whole time...

...

...I guess it must've been a shock to her that I decided to not tell her about us...

"...Amagasa..."

"Yeah...?"

"...Why didn't you told me...?"

"Well-"

"...Is it because...you can't trust me...?"

"No! That's not it at all!"

"...Then why...?"

Aikawa senpai's face turning sourer and sourer as she desperately wanting an answer...

"I just don't want you to drag you into this..."

"..."

"...I just thought that, its better if you didn't know"

"..."

She looked at me with a straight face, as if she was mad about it

"...You...stupid!"

"...?"

"...Why didn't you tell me sooner...I would've understand..."

"...Aikawa senpai..."

"...No wonder you're this close...I should've caught onto it sooner...I'm a failure as your friend..."

"No...its my fault that I decided to leave you alone in the dark..."

"..."

Her expression suddenly changed, from getting gloomier and gloomier, to seemingly having a new resolve

"...Still...I can't let this go on any further..."

"Huh...?"

"...Amagasa...you and Hoshizawa need to stay away from each other..."

"?!"

Hoshizawa and I were surprised to Aikawa senpai's stubbornness

"So you still insist?"

"...Yeah..."

"I knew it! You like Amagasa kun don't you?! That's why you want us to stay away from each other!"

"..."

"Hoshizawa san, That's-"

Hoshizawa tighten her grip on me, almost as if telling me to stay silent...

"...I don't like him that way..."

"Eh...?"

"...But unlike you...Amagasa is a friend that I can't lose..."

"?!"

"...As his friend...I will do anything for him..."

"Y...You..."

"...I'm sure you know that feeling right...?"

"..."

"Aikawa senpai-"

"...Amagasa...I'm not against in your relationship or anything...if that's what makes you happy, then I'm also happy..."

"T-Then-"

"...But like I said to you before...I don't want you getting bad mouthed by other people..."

"Aikawa senpai..."

...

...I get her full intentions...but at the same time...I felt like, there could be another way to solve it...rather than her own suggestion...

...But then again...whatever countermeasure Hoshizawa and I can do, it could only go down south from here...

...

...What's...Hoshizawa's take on this...?

...

A few minutes later...Hoshizawa let go of me, looked directly at Aikawa senpai, and asked her something...

"...Is the rumor...that bad...?"

"...Frankly speaking...yeah..."

"I see..."

Hoshizawa then turned towards my direction

"Amagasa kun..."

"...?"

"...Up until to this moment...I haven't done anything to make it up to you..."

"What do you mean...?"

"Ever since I started dating you, you always paid attention to me every time we chat and call. Whenever you're busy and I just so happens to want to hear from you, you always make time just for it..."

"Of course, shouldn't that be normal?"

"...Maybe...you also protected me many times without you yourself knowing it..."

"I'm your boyfriend, of course its my duty to protect you"

I felt so cool, yet embarrassed the moment I said that line just now!

"I know...and I couldn't ask for a better boyfriend than you, Amagasa kun..."

"..."

"That's why...I think Aikawa senpai's right..."

"...?"

"..."

"I have been neglecting my duties as your girlfriend this whole time...I've taken you for granted without me returning that gratitude at all..."

"That's not true Hoshizawa san...you know that..."

"No...in the end...I haven't done anything good for you..."

Hoshizawa...

...its fine...

...its fine to indulge yourself to me...

...I don't mind...

...I didn't mind at all since we started dating...

...

"So...this is my way of making up to you..."

"What is...?"

"...Lets do what Aikawa senpai suggests"

"..."

"Like Aikawa senpai, I too don't want you to get bad mouthed by other people around..."

"But...what about you? What about us...?"

"Its not like we're breaking up *Chuckles*, We'll just be distant to each other..."

"I see..."

"..."

...

I asked Hoshizawa one more time to confirm...

"Are you actually okay with this?"

She smiled instantly as if she was waiting for that question...

"Yes! I'm fine with-"

"?!"

"-...huh...?"

...when suddenly, the sudden tears from her eyes could no longer mask the smile she had...

"...No...I'm seriously fine with it..."

"Hoshizawa san..."

She then break down into tears, hugging me tightly afterwards...

"How could I be okay with this?! I actually wanted to make you happy all this time by spending more time with you whenever I have the chance! That was my resolve! That was my duty as your girlfriend! But what I was doing was the exact opposite of it! While I was happy because of everything that you do for me, you're sacrificing a lot of yourself in return! Now everyone sees you in a bad light! Its all because of me! Its because of me and my selfishness!"

"Hoshizawa san..."

I and her friends couldn't help but kept silent to her sudden outburst...

...

She then hold my face afterwards...

"...So...its my turn to sacrifice for you..."

"..."

"...I'll bear with it...I can do anything for you...no...I will do anything for you! Better than her!"

She looked at Aikawa senpai as she said her last statement

"...So...that means you'll stay away from Amagasa...?"

"Yes...for the meantime...I'll keep watching and protect him from far away..."

"...I see..."

"..."

She didn't even asked me if I'm against to this...she just went ahead and made the decision for herself...

...She wasn't selfish as she thought she was...

...But she was at this point...

...

"...I'll keep a close eye to him then...you can trust on me..."

"I can't trust you"

"...?"

"But I can trust Amagasa kun"

"..."

She then hold my hand as she said something quite out of her character...

"Amagasa kun, you can't absolutely flirt with another girl! You already have me!"

"Why would I even do that?!"

"Don't let them fool you too! Don't be swayed by their words if they flirt with you!"

"I'm pretty sure that won't gonna happen..."

She leaned closer and closer, as if she was saying that it could still happen at any given point...

"Okay! I get it!"

"Good!"

"Um...what just happened?"

Ryu, alongside with Hoshizawa's friends, was clueless to the sudden events that just happened within a span of a few minutes

"Shun, are you really gonna have 0% communication in school whatsoever?"

"If that's what Hoshizawa wants, then I'll have to oblige"

Although I too would miss our small chats in school...

"Oh no...my chocolate..."

"Dude..."

"Don't worry Ito kun, I'll still talk to you"

"Really?! Sucks to be you huh Shun?"

"Shut up"

Ryu then bragged about it to Hoshizawa's friends...

...seriously...that guy...

"...Amagasa..."

"Yeah?"

"...I can't supervise you all the time...but surely you, yourself aren't gonna ruin what Hoshizawa and I want to do for you...right...?"

"I really have no say in this huh?"

"...We're doing this for you...so its natural for you to behave...its another part of your role as my friend..."

I feel like...Aikawa senpai is doing too much for someone that's a friend to her...

...

"This time, I will be the one protecting you, Amagasa kun"

"..."

They're both doing too much for something that's not entirely affecting my whole life...

...I want to argue...but I can't blame them being like this...

...

...They're just two girls...that are very kind and considerate...despite their opposite attitudes...

...

After a few minutes, Ryu rushed to me, telling me that it was almost time for the next class. Aikawa senpai understood and told us that we should go. We also told Hoshizawa and her friends, but they told us to go ahead without them...

...and before we could go...

"Amagasa kun...this will be the last time we be talking in school..."

"I guess it is..."

"No cheating...okay?"

"Why would I?!"

"*Chuckles*"

We then finally leave the scene, leaving them, including Aikawa senpai behind...

...

*****

"Shun...I know I already asked you this earlier and all, but are you really okay with this?"

"..."

"Shun...?"

"I don't know..."

"Eh?"

"I don't know myself..."

"So you didn't want it to end in that way at all huh?"

"Didn't you heard me just now? I said I don't know"

"Don't exactly know what?"

"Dude..."

"...?"

We were walking down the hallway, towards our classroom, when Ryu came at me with a question that has been lingering on his mind the whole time...

"*Sigh*...At first, I felt like they don't need to go that far that much since what's happening right now really doesn't affect me at all, but..."

"But?"

"Can't you tell? They're both quite persistent when it comes to it!"

"Can't you just tell them what's on your mind?"

"Look, it'll be rude of me if I did something like that! Plus, I felt like they won't gonna listen even if I make a valid reasoning"

"Hm...stubbornness is something else..."

"Yeah..."

"So? What are you gonna do now?"

"You're asking me? I don't know to be honest. Maybe I'll just behave like Aikawa senpai says"

"That's not bad and all but..."

"...?"

"...I wonder how long you guys have to stay like this?"

"...Who knows?"

"Shun, that's pretty bad for us!"

"What is?"

"Me getting hands on those chocolates will be even more delayed!"

"Huh-"

"And you will probably get stuck, never ever having a chance to hang out with Hoshizawa!"

"You were quite fast on the first statement you just said..."

...

"But...its not like we can't completely go out in public..."

We still technically can outside school...

...but the risk of other students seeing us is still never 0%...

"Even so, I can wait"

"..."

...

After a few seconds, Ryu decided to let go of the topic for now, and patted me on the back

"You and your determination! That's my best friend! We can think of another way to get chocolates anyways"

"Does your mind only think of chocolates when it comes to Hoshizawa san?"

"Not really..."

"..."

I still doubt that to this day...

...

Ryu and I went ahead to the classroom as we wait for the next period to start...

...

...And not to mention...but Hoshizawa did what she promised earlier. She never talked to me, nor look at me even once ever since she entered the classroom...

...

*****

...

After a few more classes at hand, school was finally over for today. Just like any other days, Ryu and I was about to exit the classroom...

...

...When we saw Aikawa senpai standing beside the door

"...Amagasa..."

"Oh, Aikawa senpai, you're here"

"...Of course...I have to supervise you after all..."

"You don't need to do that at all"

"...I have to...I have to fulfill what I promised to you..."

"Can't you just trust Shun? I can assure you that he himself wouldn't do anything bad"

Ryu was a real one for this! I was quite happy when he was standing up for me unexpectedly!

"...Amagasa I can trust...but you alone...I don't..."

"Ehhhhhh?"

...But Aikawa senpai wouldn't budge...

...

...Also...She's kinda right...you can't trust Ryu sometimes too...

...Especially when you recall that he's the reason why this rumor spread like wildfire!

"...Did Hoshizawa talk to you after recess...?"

"She didn't, up until now"

"...Good...so she is taking her word seriously..."

After school had ended for today, Hoshizawa and her friends left the classroom like usual, without talking nor looking at me even once...

Our classmates noticed that, and was quite confused since they just saw us happily exiting out of the classroom during recess earlier...

...And since Yuu, Take, and Masa don't know anything what happened, they thought nothing of it, and just told to us that they'll be going for a club activity...

"You and Hoshizawa san are quite committed to this huh?"

"...Yes...unlike you..."

"Huh?! What did I do?!"

"*Sigh*..."

"...Are you about to go home...?"

"We are"

"...Can't you just stay a bit longer...?"

"..."

...Not like I have anything better to do anyways...

"I guess I can"

"Eh? We're not going home yet?"

"You can go now if you want to Ryu"

"I can stay for a bit, I just found it unusual that you don't want to go home for once"

Oh yeah...Ryu and I always go home whenever school is done for the day, that's probably why he was quite surprised about me changing our usual routine...

"...He can go now..."

"Why are you so mean to me?!"

...

...Strange...

...

..Somehow...I felt something was missing...

...

...Probably because I was used to her...

...

"Someone looks lonely!"

"Shut up!"

I denied Ryu's last statement, and continued walking with Aikawa senpai and him around the school before we end the day...

...

*****

End of Chapter 7