What Happened After Saying "I’ll Go If I Can" and Actually Going — Part 1

 “Keisuke, are you coming to the drinking party tomorrow?”

After class ended, my childhood friend Tomomi, who I've known since elementary school, called out to me.

A drinking party tomorrow… so it’s probably that thing, right? The one where the girls were all excited about getting the club members together?

(I thought it was going to be a girls-only gathering… Can a guy like me even go? Well, I wouldn’t mind having a drink after a long time, but I do have a part-time job tomorrow.)

I quickly reviewed my schedule in my head and, after a bit of thought, decided to give a noncommittal answer.

“Ah… I’ll go if I can.”

“Yeah, sure.”

When I said that, Tomomi flicked her long ponytail and went back to her friends.

Not exactly enthusiastic… Maybe she just asked me out of obligation?

“Hey, Nikaido. Are you really planning to turn down an invitation from Ichijo-san?”

“Huh? No, I didn’t turn it down, did I? I said ‘I’ll go if I can.’”

“That’s pretty much the same as saying you won’t go. Geez.”

The friend beside me said that, shrugging his shoulders as if he couldn’t believe it.

“Seriously, you’re probably the only guy who can keep such a cool head after being invited by Ichijo-san. If it were me, I’d go no matter what I had scheduled.”

“Well, that’s easy for you to say…”

Sure, Tomomi is undeniably a striking beauty with her sharp looks. Plenty of guys admire her, and she’s also popular with the girls for her reliable, big-sister vibe. But to me, someone who’s known her since we were kids, it’s more of a “Yeah, she’s pretty. So what?” kind of feeling.

(Besides, she changes her personality completely when she’s drunk… Anyway, since my part-time job ends late tomorrow, I probably won’t be able to make it, so that’s fine.)

With that thought in mind, I brushed off my friend’s envy.

* * *

“Oh, Nikaido-kun. You’re free to go home early today.”

“Wait, really?”

“Yeah, we probably won’t get any more customers at this rate.”

“I understand. Thanks, then. I’ll be leaving.”

I bowed to the manager, changed in the staff room, and left the shop a bit earlier than usual.

“Before 8 o’clock… If I go now, I might make it in time?”

The drinking party they were holding had a two-hour limit. It started at 7 p.m., so if I headed there now, I’d catch a bit of it.

“Well, I did say I’d go if I could.”

No one would really mind if I didn’t show up, but backing out now would feel a bit untrustworthy.

With that in mind, I headed to the familiar izakaya where Tomomi and the others were. I took the shortest route through a maze of backstreets, reaching the place in about 15 minutes.

I asked the familiar manager about their table and headed to the back room, which was separated by a sliding door. Just as I was about to reach for the door, a strange groaning sound came from the other side, causing me to freeze.

“Uuuuuuuu~~”

That voice… oh no. Tomomi’s already drunk.

I stood with my hand halfway to the sliding door, debating seriously whether to enter or just turn around and go home.

Tomomi isn’t weak with alcohol, but she’s the type who gets completely wasted after a certain amount. And when she’s drunk, she becomes a major crybaby, making her an absolute handful. I’ve had my fair share of struggles with her antics, so I know better than anyone how much of a hassle she can be.

(What should I do? But it’d be rude to just leave now that I’ve come this far…)

As I stood hesitantly by the door, I overheard the voices of our club friends from the other side, sounding both exasperated and amused.

“Tomomi, you’ve had a bit too much. Here, have some water.”

“Uuuu~~ Keisuke, you idiot~~”

“…Huh? Wait, did she just say my name?”

Frozen by this unexpected turn of events, I strained to listen as yet another female voice reached my ears.

“Come on, isn’t it time to give up? It’s obvious there’s no chance, right?”

“Yeah, seriously. Tomomi, you’re popular; you should just move on to some other guy.”

“B-but…”

“You’re so dedicated, though. Crushing on a childhood friend for ten years…”

“And yet, you’ve still never confessed… it’s kind of, well… yeah?”

“B-but… I can’t help it… I really, really love him!”

“Oh, careful, your clothes are getting messy. Let’s lie down for a bit, okay?”

“She’s usually so reliable and cool, but when she gets drunk, this always happens…”

…

…Ah, how should I put this? This is one of those things I definitely wasn’t supposed to hear.

Yep, it’s better to just turn around and leave quietly, pretending I didn’t hear any of this.

“Huh? Nikaido-kun?”

“!!”

But as I was about to make my exit, I heard a familiar voice behind me.

I turned to see one of my club friends, who must have just come back from the bathroom, looking at me with a puzzled expression.

“What are you do—”

“Shh!”

I quickly closed the distance between us, grabbing her arm and trying to make a swift getaway. But before I could…

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