Reference
Renya and I carried on chatting in our seats even after we finished eating what we had respectively ordered. Luckily, since the store is not full either, and there is also a drink bar, it is probably fine even if we stay for a bit more.
“Nevertheless, it sure is a strange feeling for two men to talk about love in a family restaurant huh”
“Yeah. Although it is not like men don’t talk about love itself, it is not something you do face-to-face in a family restaurant huh”
It does feel like it is prejudicial to say ‘men don’t’, but it is rare, is it not. People have an interest in romantic stories regardless of their gender, but there are probably more who either do it in a larger group or make the topic about somebody else’s romance.
“Rather, this year is the first time I have a talk about love in such a manner with Kazunari huh. You were exclusively listening even on last year’s school trip after all”
“Because it feels like it will touch on Yae if I misspeak. Besides, a lot of it was Renya consulting about Nishikida-san, or rather, asking for help, right”
“Uu……it is exactly as you said……”
“Rather, how about you confess to her already? You have already been in a one-sided love for 6 years, was it?”
“It’s 7 years. But I won’t be having a hard time if I can confess like you say!”
“What a wimp”
“Shush”
7 years means it is since before entering middle school huh. My friend, well done for being so devoted……and, you are nothing but a wimp……
“I like our current relationship as well, you know. What I’m the most afraid of is if I confess, get rejected, and I can no longer be together with her”
“As I thought, you are a wimp, aren’t you”
“Kazunari, too, can’t say ‘I like you’ to Nakamatsu-san, right!”
I will not tell him, but I think he won’t get rejected since they are mutually in love when you look at it from the side. All that is left is for Renya or Nishikida-san to summon the courage, but……looking at this, it feels like there is still a long way to go.
And whether or not I can say ‘I like you’ to Yae huh. But to be honest, I can say it normally. Without being particularly nervous at that.
“Well, I will be embarrassed more or less, but I can say it, you know?”
“Then what if you attached 『as an opposite sex』 in front of it”
“That……I cannot say”
“Right?”
He is nodding his head like he is saying ‘that’s what I thought’ or something, but I think it is probably off from what you are thinking, you know.
“I do not know the sensation of liking someone as an opposite sex, you know. I am just saying that it is impossible for me to say it as though it is my own feelings even so. It is different from Renya, you know”
“Have you never had this one-sided love since you were born……no, did you only ever have Nakamatsu-san in your eyes?”
“What a bait-y way of putting it huh. But, well, I have not even had a first love until now”
“Isn’t this fellow perhaps in a one-sided love for an even longer period than me”
I guess he is surprised; Renya is opening his eyes widely in surprise. He placed his hand on his mouth after that and muttered something, but I could not hear it partly because it was in a soft voice.
“In the first place, why did you feel like you like Nishikida-san?”
“Even if you ask me why……we played and studied together since the past, and before I knew it, I had fallen for her”
“That is of no help to me huh”
“What a horrible thing to say! And if I really have to say, when I heard that Mutsumi was confessed to by a guy, but she rejected him, it was at that time that I realised it though……”
I see. For example, if I was told by Yae that she rejected a confession……that being said, I did hear it several times since we became high schoolers. I was surprised at that time, but if she turned him down, then I am not really further bothered about it.
Then if she accepted it……I am going to be bothered about what kind of guy the other party is. If it is an awful guy, then I will want to knock him out. But if I had to say, this is something like a paternal instinct, right. And I will also receive a shock, but that is also……uーn?
“Oi, Kazunari”
“Ah, sorry. I was deep in thought”
“It’s okay if that’s the case though”
“I was thinking about referencing Renya’s personal experience, but nothing quite clicked”
“All we did was embarrassing me huh……rather, I heard something similar to this previously……”
Renya says and droops his shoulders. I honestly feel bad. But it feels like the experience stories of the people close by will be of reference huh. I guess I shall try also asking other people that I can ask.
“Well, in any case, that means Kazunari will continue fretting from here on out as well”
“It is true that nothing got resolved huh……haa……”
“Though it is completely my fault! But I think there will come a day when you will be thankful to me, so I won’t apologise even though I feel bad!”
“……Renya will get a single grain of rice the next time I cook”
“Don’t do that to me!”
