Carefully, and making sure to touch her as little as possible, I gently washed Chika’s back.
“Wow! It really is cramped with two people, huh? You’ve definitely grown—this makes me realize just how much!”
Chika slid into the bath, sitting between my legs. The water overflowed as she got in, creating a sound reminiscent of a river, oddly calming to hear.
“Hey, hey, can I scoot closer?”
“Please, anything but that…”
I had a feeling this “emotion-killing technique” would come in handy in the future as I endured sharing the bath with Chika.
“Phew… That was such a nice bath. Talking with you was so much fun, I ended up staying in longer than usual.”
For me, it was both heaven and hell.
“I’m so… completely exhausted. Let’s just go to sleep.”
Then I noticed something.
…Wait. Isn’t there only one bed?
“Uh… I’ll sleep on the sofa tonight. Chika, you take the bed.”
“Huh? There’s no need for that. We’ll sleep in the same bed, right?”
“Let me guess… because we’re childhood friends?”
“Of course♪”
…Nothing I say is going to change her mind, is it? (Resignation.)
Seeing Chika’s smile, I gave up and headed to the bedroom with her.
“Here we are.”
Wait, isn’t this a single bed? It’s going to be cramped for two people.
…Well, whatever.
“Hehe… It’s so tight. Hey, can I get even closer?”
“Sure.”
At this point, I just let it all go.
“Hehe. We held hands on the way home, ate dinner together, took a bath together, and now we’re sleeping in the same bed. Even though we’ve grown up since we last met, nothing’s really changed, has it?”
“…No, things have changed. You’ve grown up, Chika. You’ve gotten more beautiful, and you’re an amazing cook now.”
“K-Kei-chan…”
Chika hugged me tightly, her closeness increasing.
At this point, I was basically a body pillow.
“…I knew it. My childhood friend could only ever be Kei-chan.”
What even is a childhood friend? It might be a philosophical question.
With that thought, I closed my eyes.
Chika Tachibana’s Perspective
I had a nostalgic dream.
“Keiichi-kun!! I’m so sorry!! It’s all my fault!!”
“What are you talking about, Chika? This isn’t your fault, and it’s just a scratch. Don’t cry.”
“But! You protected me from those older bullies and got hit by that big rock! There’s so much blood from your head…!!”
“Chika… we’re childhood friends. This is what I’m supposed to do. It makes me sad when you cry.”
“Because… we’re childhood friends?”
“Yeah. That’s why I’ll always protect you, no matter what. Even if it costs my life!”
Afterward, the teachers arrived, and Kei-chan ended up hospitalized.
“Chika is my precious childhood friend! Of course I’ll protect her!!”
Apparently, Kei-chan said that to my crying parents as they apologized over and over during his hospital stay.
Hearing that, they couldn’t stop their tears.
Two years later, Kei-chan ended up in critical condition and unconscious after protecting me from being hit by a truck.
“Kei-chan!! Uwaaah!! I’m so glad… so, so glad!!”
“What’s wrong, Chika…? Don’t cry, please.”
“Because… you protected me from that truck…!!”
“I was unconscious for about a month, wasn’t I? Sorry for worrying you… But I’m fine now! Look, I’m all better!”
“But… the doctor said you’ll never walk again…”
“What are you talking about? Don’t worry about it. I’ll walk again, no problem! Besides, we haven’t finished that race yet, have we?”
“That’s not…”
“Chika… trust the words of your childhood friend over the doctor’s. I’ll definitely walk again.”
“…...”
“Or… do you not believe in me, your childhood friend?”
“Th-that’s not true! I believe in everything you say, Kei-chan!”
“Then, Chika, I want you to support me as I recover! Childhood friends are supposed to support each other through life, right?”
“Yeah!!”
Later, my parents told me about what happened at the hospital. When they tried to apologize by bowing deeply, Kei-chan smiled and said:
“I have no regrets about protecting Chika. It was the right thing to do, and I’d do it again. Plus, I will walk again! I won’t let Chika be sad!”
And he really did it. He not only walked again but even started running. Kei-chan truly is amazing.
“Kei-chan!! No!! No, no, no!! Don’t go!!”
On the day Kei-chan moved away during middle school, I cried and tried to stop him. He gently stroked my head and said:
“Chika… We’re childhood friends. No matter how far apart we are, we’ll always support each other. That’s what it means to be childhood friends. So, we’ll always be together. I promise I’ll come back. Definitely.”
“Yeah… I believe you. I’ll wait for you…”
“...I had such a nostalgic dream.”
When I opened my eyes, Kei-chan’s adorable sleeping face was right in front of me.
“Mmm… Chikaa…”
“What…? What’s wrong, Kei-chan?”
Gently, so as not to wake him, I stroked his head.
Even in his sleep, he calls my name…
“...I love you, Kei-chan. Always and forever.”
I kissed his cheek softly and drifted back to sleep beside him.
[The End]
0 Comments