Chapter 37: Childhood Friend Chocolate: A Boy Who Mistakenly Believes That His Childhood Friend, A Girl He's Not Even Dating, is Breaking Up with Him Because He Showed Her A Pathetic Side

Childhood Friend Chocolate: A Boy Who Mistakenly Believes That His Childhood Friend, A Girl He's Not Even Dating, is Breaking Up with Him Because He Showed Her A Pathetic Side (Low Cocoa 65%)

When I looked at Tomohiro-kun, who had arrived after the country had returned to peace, the innocent boy averted his gaze. It wasn't because he was embarrassed to look at his cute childhood friend in the eye... but simply because he couldn't face her.

He was probably thinking that since Hikari-chan let him escape and he couldn't save her, he had no right to be with her...

Incidentally, it seems my gaze is fueling his persecution complex, making him think that he's a useless loser.

I tend to admire Tomohiro-kun's actions, though.

But actually, if I imagine myself in the opposite position, it's not surprising that he'd think that way.

The thought of her, who is now Miho-san, going along with those thugs to save me would be enough to destroy my brain.

Tomohiro-kun's brain is still intact and intact, so I have to say it's impressive. Having experienced repeated destruction and regeneration, it's still able to function even with damage that would normally be fatal.

It can't be helped. In fact, if Tomohiro-kun had persisted, things might have gotten even worse, and it was only because Tomohiro-kun called Shota that I was able to be rescued safely. That's nothing to be ashamed of, but something to be proud of.

He knew his place in the world and did the best he could. That's fine, isn't it?

Even when I say things like that to comfort Tomohiro-kun, the boy's expression remains gloomy. I'm speaking from the heart, but it seems he can't help but think that I'm just trying to comfort him.

You've really come a long way, Tomohiro-kun, not believing your Hikari-chan's words.

"...Takemata, I understand how you feel, but I think what you did was right. You're right. If it were me, I would have tried to fight instead of running away. But no matter how much I trained, no matter how strong I was, I couldn't win against so many of them. Even so, I probably would have fought. And I'd have gotten beaten to a pulp. If that had happened, Mashiro wouldn't have survived, and even if she had, it would have just been me who got beaten up. Even knowing that, I fought anyway because my pride as a man would prevent me from running away."

Though he's not particularly good at talking, Shota-kun tries his best to comfort him, and ends up saying things that make it hard to tell whether he's comforting him or shooting at him.

Yeah, I guess he's trying to say that being able to run away is also a strength.

So Tomohiro-kun wasn't wrong.

Hey, Shota-kun, don't people often say you're terrible at comforting people? Eh, you're not? I'm surprised.

For Tomohiro-kun right now, being praised for running away would be the ultimate irony.

"Practice how to comfort others more! Become someone that people can rely on when they're sad!" I scolded Shota-kun, and when I told him that his way of saying it was a bit strange but that Shota-kun was right and that I was glad Tomohiro-kun was safe, Tomohiro-kun's face scrunched up so much that it made my heart flutter just watching. 

Hikari really loves seeing Tomohiro-kun's different expressions. Please show more!

On the surface, she acts like she's comforting Tomohiro-kun, but in reality, she feels more pleasure trampling on the soft parts of his heart than anyone else. She can't stop.

Even though she's doing such terrible things, to the outside she looks like a kind girl who worries about her childhood friend's feelings even after she's been in danger herself, and from Tomohiro-kun's perspective she's a childhood friend who acts bravely. Even though her words sting, he can't refute or stop her because of the worry she's showing on the surface.

Tomohiro-kun is so cute.

What's great for me is that Shota-kun, seeing my interaction with Tomohiro-kun, also had a complicated look on his face, so it's all good.

I was worried about what would happen at 1 o'clock, but everything turned out fine, so all's well that ends well!

The key to this was that Shota-kun and the others happened to be nearby. I'm so glad I didn't end up threatening them with a knife.

I nearly lost my chastity, but I was lucky.

Shota-kun told us to be careful, because those guys are pretty well-known around here, and then he left. The guys in tracksuits were with him, and they said they were going to the arcade together.

Despite being strong and sweaty, they were gentlemen who were considerate enough to tell me that I shouldn't get too close since I'd just had a scary experience surrounded by men.

Not a single one of them made fun of Tomohiro-kun, and they even went out of their way to comfort him.

It all came to nothing, though. ...Yeah, they were nice guys, so I'll upgrade my thank you a little next time. 

"...Hey Hiro-chan. Shall we go home too?"

Now that we're alone, I call Tomohiro-kun, who's still drowning in self-blame.

He's probably not in the mood for a fun date, so the fun part is over for today.

We go home together, get plenty of sleep, and have a good night's sleep. Tomorrow, I'll be able to clear my head a little more and be able to calmly evaluate myself.

If I do that, Tomohiro-kun won't be so worried, and that's good. That's what we should do.

...Even though I know this in my head, my bad side is that I still feel a little unsatisfied.

Tomohiro-kun looks so delicious, so it'd be a waste not to savor it even more, right?

What a piece of trash this girl is. Reincarnated people are no good after all.

Tomohiro-kun isn't in the mood to talk normally, and since it's a rare opportunity and convenient, I'm pretending to be in the same mood.

The two of us walk side by side like that, and there's no way we'll have a lively conversation; just silence flows. I quite like it, though. Wordless time with someone important to me.

Well, this silence isn't my favorite kind of silence.

"Hey, Hiro-chan. Do you want to come over to my house for a bit? I have something important to talk to you about."

I'll say it again, Tomohiro-kun's current situation is a miserable one: he couldn't protect his precious childhood friend on his own, and was saved by chance thanks to someone else. So, if I brought up the topic like this, I wonder what kind of misunderstanding he'll get?

He'll worry that I think him as a failure and will break up with him. We weren't even dating to begin with though. Hm, interesting.

Or rather, if we were going to talk like that, I wouldn't bother bringing him over to my house, we could just go to a random cafe. It's scary to be alone with someone you're breaking up with.

So, objectively speaking, Tomohiro-kun's imagination is just a groundless worry, but if he knew that, he wouldn't look so sad.

So cute!

I pretend not to notice Tomohiro-kun's expression, which is full of meaningless worry and a pained look on his face, and while I glance at him from the corner of my eye, I grab him by the wrist and drag him home.

Dad's going to be home late today...

Well, Mama's there as usual, and my little sister's there too, so it's not like we're alone.

With Mama being a full-time housewife, it's impossible for there to be a sexy atmosphere in our house.

Umm, Miho-san, who was wearing cat ears and hugging me while meowing? She was the exception.

I tell Mama I'm home and that I'll be in my room for a bit, so don't worry, and then I drag Tomohiro-kun to my room.

I said it's impossible for sexy atmosphere in our house, but if I tell Mama my plans in advance, she'll probably pretend not to hear any weird voices she hears. Dad's brain probably refuses to understand and he goes crazy. Little sister yells and blushes, pressing her ear to the wall. What a sullen girl.

Thinking about it like that, I feel a strange emotion as I realize that maybe we could actually do something like that at home, but at the same time, I feel kind to Tomohiro-kun, whose emotions are a little out of whack due to all the stress.

All the bad thoughts are running through his head, and he looks like he might cry at any moment.

How cute.

But don't worry, I'll give you a gift that will make your head even more crushed.

"Hey, Hiro-chan. I have something important to tell you. Can you listen to me for a moment?"

To entertain our guest Tomohiro, I hand him a cushion and tell him to sit on it. 

What? You don't need one? You'll sit on seiza, so it's okay?

I see. The floor has been cleaned properly, so don't worry, you can do seiza without any problem.

It's a little awkward to be the only one elegantly using one when Tomohiro-kun doesn't, and sitting on the bed would make my mini skirt hang down, so I sit in front of him in a wariza position.

By wariza, I mean the "flat" position, or "girl's" position. It's a position I would never have been able to do in my previous life. 

"Today, I was almost taken away by some scary people, right? At that moment, I was really scared. I thought it was still early and I'd save my first time for later, but when I thought that it might end like that, I was really scared."

I was so scared that when I looked away for a moment, someone almost snatched the strawberry off my shortcake, which I had saved as a final treat. Yeah, I'm not lying. But unlike the average girl, to me, chastity is just a tool. Young people these days have a warped idea of ​​chastity.

Hearing what I said, Tomohiro-kun's brows frowned in pain. Before he could even try to apologize, I resumed the conversation and continued by telling him that I wanted this one and only first time to end in a way that I was satisfied with.

"So, Hiro-chan, I have a favor to ask you. I...  Hikari is... Hikari wants you to defile her."

I rubbed up to Tomohiro-kun, who was sitting, and pushed him down.

Being pushed down by me, who is so weak and small, I'm sure Tomohiro-kun's processing must have slowed down. His reaction was hilariously muted.

I was on top of Tomohiro-kun, my hair spilling over him.

His cute childhood friend had pounced on him and made an invitation. 

A positive sign from the childhood friend he loved to do that, even before becoming his girlfriend.

Is there any adolescent boy who could endure something like that and keep his sanity? Logically speaking, I doubt there is.

"...N-No. You can't treat yourself poorly for such a reason."

Logistically, no one could.

But unfortunately, my Tomohiro-kun is not normal.

He'ss a snack I've been proud of, and I've been raising him since birth. That's why he's able to refuse. It's precisely because he's that kind of boy that I like him.

"Mashiro-sa–, no, Hikari-chan is amazing. Such an amazing Hikari-chan shouldn't give up. It's not right for those guys to make Hikari-chan go crazy."

Tomohiro-kun said that like an otaku who has misunderstood something.

"Stop it! My Hikari-chan isn't the type to do something like that!" 

It's like, or rather, it's exactly like that. It's precisely because Tomohiro-kun values ​​me more than anyone else that he says things like a troublesome otaku and turns down the invitation.

"...I see. However, Hiro-chan. I'm not saying I'll accept anyone, but it doesn't have to be Hiro-chan. As long as I'm satisfied with someone, it doesn't have to be you. Even with this,... will you still reject me?"

I can compromise with anyone who sees value in me as someone who defiles me.

It could be Mama, my little sister, or Miho-san.

... Eh, that's just girls? Well, the important thing is that it doesn't have to be Tomohiro-kun.  

To begin with, I don't particularly want to be violated in a sexual sense. A girl would be fine.

"...I don't think I'm good enough for you, Hikari-chan. That's why I can't do that to you. So, I'm sorry... I... I want you to wait until I've grown into a fine person."

Wow! Hikari-chan got rejected!

I asked him out so shamelessly, and then got rejected!

I knew it would happen, but it's still interesting.

I applaud Tomohiro-kun's strong will and his determination.

Doesn't he have any pride as a man to not accept a meal that's served to him? Eh, really? That's why he ran away? Somehow I feel sorry.

"...Okay. But please come and get me before I go crazy. Otherwise I'll end up belong to someone else."

Maybe Miho-san's, or Mama's.

But I'm sure Mama and Miho-san would be hurt if they found out my true nature.

Is it okay to hurt Tomohiro-kun?

He's a boy, so you shouldn't hold back.