Ore wo Suki nano wa Omae dake ka yo - Chapter 1 Part 3

Chapter 1 Part 3

 

After that, I spent the next hour explaining everything to my mom.

 

However, that didn’t get me out of the situation, instead, it made everything worse.

 

While I was busy trying to convince my mom that I had done nothing wrong, Pansy ransacked my room and found out everything about my preferences and sh*t. Not only that, my mom did an unnecessary thing and invited her to dinner. And thus, the wind of Showa had blown into our dining table.

 

“Huh, so you go to school by train, Sumireko-chan?”

“Yes. The school is a little far from my house.”

 

On our dining table, our dinner, which seemed to be more lavish than usual, was prettily arranged. The seating order of the table was hellish if anything: Mom was right in front of me while Pansy sat right next to her.

 

I couldn’t even tell the taste of the food because of the anxiety of the possibility of a bombshell coming out of either of them overwhelmed me.

 

I couldn’t count on my dad to come home and get me out of this situation because he was busy at work.

 

Earlier, he texted me and mom that he would be coming back late tonight.

 

“Didn’t you think about going to a nearby high school?”
“No, I never thought about it even once.”

“Didn’t you feel lonely about being separated from your middle school friends?”
“No. I didn’t have many friends back in middle school to begin with.”

 

She seemed to be getting along well with my mom, but I couldn’t be sure. That girl looked emotionless, it was hard to tell what was going on in her mind. It was only natural that she was practically isolated at school.

 

“Eh? How so? You’re such a good girl, though, Sumireko-chan! Do you know something about this, Amatsuyu?”

“…I don’t.”

 

Mom, please don’t talk to me. I didn’t want to be a part of this conversation.

 

“Amatsuyu, you’ve been acting rudely since a while ago.”

 

I didn’t care about her glare. Just being in this hell had made me feel miserable enough.

 

“Joro-kun, Laurier-san’s food tastes amazing.”

“Good for you. Eat quickly and go home.”

 

How dare she say something like that after ransacking my room and eating in front of me without a care in the world. There was something wrong with her brain, for sure.

 

“Seriously, Amatsuyu, what’s wrong with you? If it’s about the previous incident, I understand that everything was a misunderstanding.”

“That isn’t it, Mom. I hate her, that’s all.”

 

As soon as I said those words in a frustrated tone, my mom stopped moving.

 

“…What did you just say? Sumireko-chan is still a girl, you know? Be more tactful.”

 

A second after she stopped moving, she said that with a really low voice.

 

Oh no… She was angry. Really, really angry.

 

“No matter how calm she might seem, there’s no girl that would like it if you were to say that you hate her right in front of her face. I don’t remember ever raising my kid to become such a horrible person.”

“Ugh…”

 

D*mmit! Yeah, that one was my fault, but in the first place, the source of all the problems was…

 

“Amatsuyu. Apologize.”

 

No. I shouldn’t anger her anymore. Let’s stop being so confrontational about this.

 

“…Sorry.”
“It’s okay, I don’t mind.”

 

When I said my apology, Pansy didn’t even look at me as she casually said those words.

 

“Sorry for this foul mouthed kid’s words, Sumireko-chan!”

My mom switched to a brighter tone of voice as she smiled at Pansy.

 

For now, her anger was quelled, but I knew that she’d be giving me a lecture later… In other words, I was screwed either way.

 

“It’s okay. I know Joro-kun has a foul mouth, but I also know that deep down he is a kind person.”

“Oh my, really?”

Oi, while I appreciate that you tried to lighten her mood, the topic you chose couldn’t be worse than that!

 

“Pansy, stop saying—”
“You shut your mouth.”

 

I smelled a bombshell coming, but before I could dodge it, I received a stern restraining order.

 

“Sumireko-chan, can you tell me about how Amatsuyu was at school? He never told me anything about his school life.”

Under my mom’s excited gaze, Pansy looked at me with indifferent eyes.

 

“…Do you mind?”

“…As long as you keep it moderate.”

 

I wanted to stop her, but if I were to do that, who knows what my mom would do to me.

 

Considering that, it would be wise to let Pansy do whatever she wanted now.

 

“Alright, then…”

 

Please don’t say anything unnecessary, I beg you…

 

“Thanks to him, I always have so much fun at school. We talk in the library every day and sometimes, he helps me with my work.”

“Eh~ Then, then?”

“Whenever there’s a book that is considerably heavy for me to pick up, he always comes forward and stores it away for me. Despite his foul mouth, he never complained whenever he helped me. That kind of casual kindness from him always made me happy. He is the kind of person who is able to sacrifice himself for the sake of making other people happy. Compared to me…I’ll never be able to do something like that. That’s the thing that made him a wonderful person. And I…respect him for that…”

 

BOOOOM! Fire in the hole! Say something like that when I wasn’t around please!

 

It was embarrassing to be told something like that right in front of your face!

“Not bad, Amatsuyu!”

“Stop it, Mom! Please, I beg you!”

 

Stop patting my head! Pansy was still here!

“This kid is genuinely a nice kid. There was a time when we went on a family trip and I lost the necklace his father gifted me! Then, at one point, he suddenly disappeared and amidst the chaos, he came back with the necklace in his hand!”

 

Mom, please! Don’t tell her that ancient history either, please!

“Hehehe, that’s why, Sumireko-chan, please continue to be friends with him!”

“No, it should be me who says that to Joro-kun. Please continue to be friends with me.”

“…Sure.”

 

I had already felt overwhelmed with embarrassment that I could only utter that single word in a half-dead tone.

 

*   *   *

 

Eight at night was the time when we were done with our dinner and the conversation that followed it.

 

I almost burst into tears on the spot at the thought that the conversation could go on for much longer.

 

“Thank you for everything today. I enjoyed my time here.”

“Don’t mind it~ I had a lot of fun too! Come back here next time, okay?”

Mom smiled and waved at Pansy as she bowed politely in front of the door.

 

“Ngh!”

Meanwhile, my expression was the opposite as she held my hand down and forced me to bow my head to Pansy.

 

“Alright, it’s time for me to go home.”
“Good! See you later!”

A door slam heralded the peace that once again came to our home.

 

“Alright, I’m going out for a bit, Mom.”

“Hehehe, as expected of my son, I didn’t need to tell you what to do! Good boy!”
“…Mom, please.”

 

Feeling fed up with my mom’s smirk, I put on my shoes and went outside.

 

*   *   *

 

Outside, I walked at a quick pace and soon, I discovered a familiar braided hair.

 

She seemed to have noticed me as she turned around before I could say anything to her.

 

“Oh my, are you going to escort me to the station?”
“No, I’m going to the convenience store, it just happened to be in the same direction as the station.”

 

While rubbing together my thumb and index finger, I replied.

 

“I see. Let’s take a walk there together, then.”

 

Pansy walked next to me, almost as if she was skipping her steps. It seemed that she was in a good mood.

 

“Joro-kun.”

 

As I walked while maintaining my silence, Pansy called out to me in a serious tone.

 

“What is it?”
“How long are you going to make an excuse to yourself to not make up with those guys?”

“…That’s none of your business.”

 

Of all the topics she could bring up, she brought up that one. F**k me.

 

“You could at least try to talk to them. You might have stopped being friends with them, but who made the rule that you can’t talk to them?”

“What made you think that I’d answer your question?”

“Of course. Jeez, I guess you won’t be reconciling with them anytime soon, huh?”

“I don’t remember saying anything like that.”

“You don’t need to, your previous words were enough to tell me about your situation. The fact that you didn’t want to answer means that you aren’t even close to reconciling with them.”

 

Tch. She said that with a serious tone, not with her usual teasing tone.

 

“You just need to approach them and talk to them. There’s no need to do anything fancy.”

“No way it’s that simple. I doubt that they’d want anything to do with me anymore.”

“That’s just not true.”

 

She denied my words without any hesitation.

 

“What the hell do you know about them? I’ve known them way longer than you did.”

“I’ll answer that statement with a question. Do you think they’re stubborn enough to not reconcile with you just because they found out about your true nature? Think about it, maybe they’re just like you, poor souls who want a reconciliation but are unsure on how to do it.”

“…Who knows. Let’s move on.”

 

I didn’t want to continue this conversation anymore, so I urged her to walk quicker so we’d arrive at our destination faster.

 

While doing that, I tried to gain a little distance from her.

 

“Wait.”

 

Pansy, who caught up to me after a short dash, held my hand to stop me from walking.

 

“Shut it. Get away from me. You know I hate you.”

“That’s it.”

“Huh?”

 

Pansy, who had been looking indifferent, suddenly made a small smile.

 

“Just treat them how you treat me, Joro-kun. Be yourself, tell them what you’re thinking and what do you want from them. If you can do that, I’m sure everything will be resolved.”

“…”

“You don’t need to apologize to them if you don’t want to. If you’re angry at them, then just be angry at them. There’s nothing to lose anymore, isn’t it? Your relationship with them is already broken, even if you fail, your relationship will stay the same. On the contrary, if you succeed, things will get better. Do you understand what I’m trying to say?”

“…I don’t need you to point that out to me.”

 

She probably understood my struggle and tried to help me in her own way.

 

Basically, she was trying to tell me to make up my mind and take action… Ugh, this was why I hated her…

 

“The more friends you have, the more good memories you can make.”

“…Are you speaking from your experience?”

“Feel free to think of it that way.”

“Hmm… I’ll take that answer as a yes.”

“Sure.”

 

If that was the case, then she should make an effort to make some friends herself.

 

This girl was literally always staying in the library without talking to anyone but me.

 

“That aside, get your hand off of me. It’s annoying.”

“Oh my. I would love to walk while holding hands with you, though.”

 

I shook off her hand and walked away.

 

*   *   *

 

After that, we walked in silence. None of us made any sound until a familiar building entered our sights.

 

“I guess this is where we part ways.”

“Yeah.”

 

Finally… Freedom. What a great feeling.

 

“Joro-kun, do you mind hanging out with me for a little bit longer?”

“Haah? Why the hell would I— Oi, where are you going?”

 

Before I even finished replying to her, Pansy had already walked away from me.

 

I hurriedly followed her to a space under a tree where there were very few people nearby.

 

“Can you wait here for me?”

“…Got it…huh?”

 

What was she up to? She suddenly went behind the tree.

 

“Sorry to keep you waiting.”

“You need to stop doing something so suddenly like— Huh?”

“I’m doing this right now because I couldn’t do it back in your room. Pardon with my chest, I can’t exactly unbind it here.”

 

T-That surprised me… She suddenly came out from behind the tree, not in her usual braided four eyed appearance, but with her braids untied and glasses removed.

 

She was exactly my type. It was hard to restrain myself from hugging her right here and then.

 

“Hehehe, that’s a cute reaction…”

 

With a bewitching smile on her face, Pansy slowly approached me.

 

Just like that, she placed her hand on my head, which stood still as if it was paralyzed.

 

“You’re a kind person, Joro-kun. I’m sure everything will go well for you. And even if it doesn’t, I’ll still be there for you. I’ll take responsibility and cheer on you every day if you want me to.”

 

Pansy said in a calm voice as she patted my head.

 

Our faces were so close to each other that I could feel her breath on my face.

 

“…Can I get the ‘cheer on you’ part in advance?”

“What a greedy person. But, fine, I can give you that. First, do you mind closing your eyes for a bit?”

“…Y-Yes!”

 

A strange atmosphere ensued between us. I could smell her soft scent and a tingling sensation on my right hand.

 

No good… If things were to go on like this, I would be— Wait, wasn’t that last part sounded…strange?

 

“Oh my, welcome back, Stinger-kun.”

“WOOOAAH!”

 

Before I knew it, Stinger-kun had attached itself onto my right hand.

 

Without paying any attention to me, who was panicking, it majestically floated to Pansy’s shoulder like a king.

 

“Could it be…”

“Yes. This is Stinger-kun’s favorite oak tree, ‘Spiritus.’”

 

That was just evil! She could at least give me a heads up!

 

“Sorry about that, it wasn’t my intention. Anyway, are you satisfied with this?”

 

Huh? I thought the whole cheering on me thing had pretty much gone down the drain after that happened.

 

Why did she have both her hands behind her ears? Was she initiating a bunny?

 

“Master~ What kind of book do you want to read today, pyon?~”

“P-Pyo—”

 

T-That was from one of my collections! ‘Mufufu Book Club with Maid Usa-chan!’ She didn’t only ransack them, but also checked their contents?!

 

 

“How was it? I don’t think it was good enough, but I did my best.”

 

I was stunned. I didn’t even expect that she would do that for me.

 

“Jeez, you could at least tell me if I did it right or not… Anyway, let’s move on.”

“…Y-Yeah, let’s do that.”

 

I genuinely didn’t expect that she actually did that for me.

 

It didn’t get risky, which was great, but I had to pay the price for it and it was pretty high.

 

“Thank you for today, Joro-kun.”

 

Pansy, who was walking beside me dejectedly, thanked me in an indifferent tone.

 

“Huh? For what?”

“For allowing me to enter your room, for having a nice talk with me and most importantly…”

 

She trailed off.

 

I could see her cheeks reddened, but she didn’t avert her gaze from me.

 

“For escorting me here.”

 

With that as her final remark, she put her glasses back on and walked into the building in front of us, the station. After making sure that she was out of my sight, I turned my body around and returned to the direction where I came from.

 

“I guess I’ll stop by the convenience store first before going home.”

 

Haah… She was so cute…

 

TL: Iyo

ED: Iyo

 

 

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