The Losing Heroine Dumped by Her Shady Childhood Friend Will Definitely Win as Long as I’m Around! - Chapter 14

“Chinatsu-chan, will you go home with me?”

“U-Un…., okay.”

After school. I asked her to accompany me after school, but she unexpectedly said yes.

I was expecting Chinatsu-chan to say, “It’s embarrassing for us to leave school alone together” There were people’s eyes on us at school.

Was this also because of the day we went on a date? Even if one doesn’t think about it, I think it was a higher hurdle to have a date on a day off. Compared to that, walking alone with her after school was just normal.

So, an after-school date with Chinatsu-chan was decided. She may not realize it, but this was a date in its own right. Well, if you want to call it that, we went to karaoke after school the other day, just the two of us. So it’s all right then.

“Fufufu~!”

“Sano-kun? W-What’s wrong?”

“I am so happy to be with you after school, Chinatsu-chan. I was trying to hold back my laughter so I wouldn’t gross you out.”

“I-I see ……. It looked like you couldn’t stand it.”

“Seriously!? Sorry! Please don’t think I’m grossing you out. If Chinatsu-chan thinks so, my life will be reduced to zero.”

“O-okay, so don’t react like that here. …”

“Yes.”

I was chided for overreacting. How pleasant it was to be scolded by Chinatsu-chan with a “meh.”

(T/N: Again the same thing as I explained in the previous chapter)

So, I left school together with Chinatsu-chan. I walked alongside her with my heart pounding.

I thought the same thing when we went on a date yesterday, but she was smaller than me.

Well, it was natural for a girl to be smaller than a boy. I could tell just by looking at her.

Still, walking side by side like this, I feel like I could feel her presence closer to me. I could see Chinatsu-chan more clearly.

So I couldn’t help but think to myself, “Her shoulders are so small.” “Chinatsu-chan is cute in that way, too”. I really couldn’t help it.

I wonder if Osako has been enjoying this special seat for a long time. ……

But I was not jealous. No matter what happened in the past, I will never give up this special seat from now on. I already own the seat next to Chinatsu-chan.

“Ah.”

Chinatsu’s eyes widened. And then, I realized that she gasped.

Ahead of her gaze. Two people, a man and a woman in school uniforms from the same school, were waiting for the traffic light.

(T/N: Yk Like in anime waiting for it to turn green)

From Chinatsu-chan’s reaction, I guessed who it was. And one of them had long black hair.

It was a back view, but there was no doubt. Osako and Matsuyuki were leaving school side by side.

“…….”

Chinatsu-chan suddenly stopped.

She and Osako were in the same class, so they saw each other even if they didn’t want to. Even so, she probably still couldn’t bear to see him accompanied by Matsuyuki.

The love for a childhood friend that had been nurtured over a long period of time. I think I have some idea of how much that love has grown because I have been advising her.

“Chinatsu-chan, Chinatsu-chan. Look, there’s a crepe shop. Is it new? I didn’t know about it at all. Since we’re here, why don’t we go eat?”

Before Chinatsu-chan could even notice the unnaturalness of her own behavior, I pointed in the other direction.

“W-What?”

“Just from the smell alone, it looks delicious. Let’s go there anyway.”

I took her a little too forcefully.

As we moved off the road, the signal ahead of us seemed to change. Osako and Matsuyuki walked away without noticing us.

Nevertheless, putting aside Osako, what was Matsuyuki thinking?

She must have noticed that Osako was treating her like his girlfriend during the morning exchange. If they were not going out, wouldn’t she consider distancing herself from him?

I tried to think about it, but right now, Chinatsu-chan was my top priority.

Perhaps it was because we were so close to the crepe shop that we could clearly smell the sweet smell, or perhaps it was because we were so far away from Osako. Chinatsu-chan’s tense expression softened.

“Wow, it looks delicious. What do you want, Chinatsu-chan?”

“…Sano-kun, you know you’re not supposed to buy sweets and eat them immediately, right?”

Elementary school student? But serious Chinatsu-chan is cute.

(T/N: Meaning these are things told to an elementary student)

“It doesn’t matter. This season is the kind that makes me crave for crepes. If you miss the timing, you won’t get to taste the exquisite crepes, okay?”

“What is that? You say a lot of things, but you just want to eat crepes, don’t you?”

“That’s right. I want to eat crepes alone with Chinatsu-chan. I want to enjoy a leisurely after-school time with you!”

“…….”

Chinatsu-chan’s face instantly turned bright red. Although she didn’t say a word, I interpreted her reaction as her agreement to eat the crepe with me.

“Two strawberry crepes, Onee-san. Please make them delicious.”

“Leave it to me!” came the energetic voice in reply. I bet this crepe shop will thrive.

*****

I received the freshly made crepe and sat down on a nearby bench.

“Um, I’ll pay for it.”

“It’s okay. I’ll lend it to you.”

“Lend it to me… When should I return it?”

“Well, you can have another date with me and pay me back.”

I jokingly asked her out on a date. I was serious in my heart, but I didn’t show it on my face.

“……”

Even though I said it jokingly, I was depressed when I got a silent response. Did I perhaps put you in a bad mood?

“Crepes are delicious, aren’t they?”

“……Yeah”

I took a bite of the crepe and forcefully changed the subject. More than the sweetness of the cream, the tartness of the strawberries spread in my mouth.

“… I made Sano-kun pay attention to me, didn’t I?”

“What do you mean?”

I just wanted to eat a crepe. I wanted to say

“Why …… are you so nice to me Sano-kun…?”

I was startled. I almost dropped the crepe I was holding.

Chinatsu-chan let out a few tears. Her crying face made it impossible for me to remain calm.