[Warning 15+]
Part One~She Only Acts Like Her Old Self When She's with Me... Wait, Hold Up!~Chapter 36Look, I―
Outside, the rain was coming down in sheets, making a heck of a noise.
But inside this high-end apartment with its solid soundproofing, the only thing echoing through the place was the steady hum of the dryer.
That low-frequency thrumming vibrated right into the bathroom next door.
"What the heck is wrong with me…?"
Even Hayato's mumble got swallowed up by that sound.
Hayato was soaking in the tub, totally spiraling into a pit of self-loathing.
Every time Hayato thought back to what he'd just done, his face would go beet red and he'd dunk himself under the water.
Hayato's heavy sighs just turned into bubbles, floating to the surface before popping into nothing.
(Aw, d*mmit!)
Just thinking about what happened made Hayato realize his face was getting hotter and hotter.
Looking back, that was a pretty ballsy move.
'Wh-What!! You're seriously asking me to stay over? That's a pretty bold move, don'tcha think?! Is this like one of those situations where you're gonna do something pervy to me?!'
'?! N-No! That's not it! I mean, it's pouring out there and it'd be a waste to get your clothes soaked, plus you might catch a cold or something, it's just, you know, that!'
'What exactly is "that" supposed to be?! Mmm~ does this mean you just wanna be with me that badly? Is that it?!'
'Yeah, it is! D*mmit! So just stay over tonight, let's go back inside!'
'Wait, hold up, are you for real?! It's not like we're in that kind of relationship yet, I mean, it's too soon, I'm not mentally prepped for this, and Hime-chan is right there too!'
'Yeah, Himeko would be stoked. I mean, well―'
Obviously, once they both realized what was happening, it turned into total chaos.
They scrambled to play it off like a joke to kill the tension, but there was still one thing Hayato absolutely wouldn't budge on.
'―I don't wanna let Haruki go back to that house today.'
'…Oh. Right… …I see, yeah…'
It was just Hayato being selfish. He only acted that way because he couldn't stop seeing that lonely look on Haruki's face from earlier today.
Now that Hayato's cooled down and thinking about it, that was a seriously "suggestive" thing to say.
Luckily, when Hayato dragged Haruki back, Himeko was pretty shocked at first but then got all hyped up, shouting, "Heck yeah, sleepover party!"
"Man, it's scorching, time to get out."
Since Hayato'd been spiraling in his thoughts the whole time, he ended up staying in the tub way too long. Since Haruki and Himeko had already finished their turns, no one was there to complain.
Hayato gave his dizzy head a quick cold shower to chill out before finally stepping out of the bathroom.
Hayato did a quick dry-off, left his hair damp, and threw a hand towel around his neck.
Wrestling with the problem of where the heck Haruki was gonna sleep on such short notice, Hayato headed back to his room.
"Oh, welcome back. I'm borrowing a bunch of your stuff, kayー?"
"…"
What Hayato found there was Haruki, looking as casual as she ever did.
Despite being in a boy's room in the middle of the night, Haruki was sprawled out face-down on Hayato's bed, hugging a pillow and kicking her feet back and forth while engrossed in a manga.
Haruki was just wearing one of Hayato's oversized T-shirts, and she'd wrapped a towel-blanket around her waist to make sure nothing was showing. Maybe because she'd just hopped out of the shower and was prepping for bed, she'd put her hair in pigtails, which looked totally fresh and new to Hayato's eyes.
Seeing Haruki so relaxed made Hayato feel kinda embarrassed, like he'd been way too self-conscious for no reason. He let out a sigh while scrubbing his wet hair with a hand towel.
"I looked for your pervy stash but couldn't find it. Is it hidden in your PC or something?"
"Don't be a moron… …More importantly, is that my shirt? Didn't you borrow one from Himeko?"
"Oh…"
At Hayato's words, Haruki went dead serious and sat up straight on the bed to face him. Of course, she kept her lower half strictly covered with the towel-blanket.
"Well, the thing is, between Hime-chan and me, she's just a tiny bit taller, so we're basically the same size."
"And? So wearing Himeko's clothes shouldn't be a problem, right?"
"U-Um, I did borrow them, but... ...when I mentioned they were too tight around the chest, Hime-chan just chucked Hayato's shirt at me without saying a word…"
"…"
"…"
"…Pffft! H-Haruki, that's just… …man, I guess Himeko actually worries about that stuff too… …Haha!"
"Wh-Wh-What should I do?! Hime-chan is sulking so hard right now. What am I supposed to say to her… …Jeez, Hayato! Stop laughing and give me some advice since you're her Big Bro!"
"Ow, ow! Quit hitting my back! Just give Himeko something sweet and she'll cheer right up!"
"Whoa, talk about a half-*ssed answer!"
Even though Haruki was being dead serious with her problem, Hayato just burst out laughing the second he heard the story.
Pouting her cheeks, Haruki started drumming on Hayato's back as a protest.
Looks like Haruki had stepped right on one of Himeko's landmines without even trying.
Hayato knew for a fact that Himeko was insecure about that stuff, considering he saw her battling with cartons of milk every single day.
So yeah, it made total sense why Himeko was sulking.
"…Even Hime-chan is starting to worry about chest size and stuff, huh. She's really turning into a proper girl."
"Haruki?"
Suddenly, Haruki's voice went all quiet and somber, and she gripped the back of the shirt she'd been hitting. Then, she started feeling around Hayato's back like she was trying to gauge something.
"You're big. Back in the day, you weren't that much different from me, but now there's such a huge gap. Hime-chan already outgrew me in height, and your cooking skills are just insane now… ...Things aren't like they used to be anymore, are they…?"
"…I mean, yeah, a lot of cr*p has happened to me too."
"I see…"
Haruki mumbled, sounding totally drained. Even though she was acting like everything was fine, she was clearly still hung up on what happened earlier today.
―Man, I'm glad I didn't leave Haruki by herself.
That's what Hayato was thinking, but since he was still in the dark about the whole situation, he was flat-out out of things to say. Pushing any further felt risky because there were just too many things they didn't know about each other now. It was this wall of "awkward distance" between Hayato and Haruki, built up over seven years of nothing but silence.
A lot of other stuff had changed too.
The pitch of their voices was different, Hayato's shoulders were broad and solid while Haruki's were soft and sloped, and they both had their own new habits and skills. Even the worlds they lived in were totally different now. No matter how much they wished for it, those days when they could just laugh and play without a care in the world weren't coming back.
But still, deep down, Hayato had this feeling that he could safely say hadn't changed one bit since those days.
"Today was, like, a total blast."
"…Huh?"
"I mean, I'm sure there's a lot of crap going on, but just hanging out with you today was, well, I had a really good time."
"…Oh."
Hayato's face was beet red, a total rerun of how he looked in the bathroom.
Hayato knew he was just caught up in the moment and saying this on a whim, and he'd definitely wake up tomorrow morning cringing so hard he'd want to die.
But even so, looking at Haruki right now, Hayato just couldn't keep it in.
"Look, I was pretty d*mn lonely after you left. I didn't have any other friends my age. It's not just about today, ever since you moved here, every day's been fun again just like the old days… …So, I'm just really happy we got to reconnect."
"Haya...-to…"
Maybe it wasn't something Hayato had to go out of his way to say. They probably both already knew it deep down.
But right now, Hayato felt this surge of certainty, almost like a sense of duty, that saying it out loud actually mattered—that he had to put it into words.
"And, look, I don't know what you're going through. Maybe what I can do doesn't amount to much. But still, at the very least, I can be right there by your side. It's not like the old days, we've got smartphones now, so I can always come running if you― Haruki?"
"…Wait, what?"
It happened right as Hayato looked up from scratching his head in total embarrassment.
What Hayato saw was Haruki, with huge, fat tears just streaming down her face like a broken dam.
Haruki probably didn't even realize it was happening, 'cause she only seemed to notice she was crying after seeing the look of shock on Hayato's face.
"Wait, why am I… …huh, what the… ...haha, that's so weird…"
Haruki'd totally lost control of her emotions—no matter how many times she wiped her eyes, the tears just kept coming until her face was a complete mess.
Neither of them really knew why things had turned out this way.
But Hayato, figuring Haruki probably didn't want him seeing her like this, quietly turned his back to her.
"Here, I'll lend you my back."
"Mnh… …I'll borrow it for a bit, then…"
With a soft thud, Hayato felt Haruki's forehead press against his back. And before long, the sound of sobbing started leaking out from right behind him.
Hayato had no idea which specific word did the trick.
But once the floodgates were open, Haruki's tears just kept flowing, and they didn't look like they were gonna stop anytime soon.
This was the explosion of everything Haruki'd been bottling up for seven long years.
If Haruki'd kept carrying all that crap by herself, she probably would've ended up totally broken.
―So, for now, Haruki should just cry her eyes out.
Even though the last thing Hayato wanted was to make Haruki make that kind of face, he squeezed his own hands so hard it hurt while feeling the warmth spreading across his back. All he felt in his chest was total helplessness and something that felt a lot like being pissed off at himself.
(I…)
All sorts of memories from the past—of back when Hayato was totally useless—came flooding back. It was―
"Big Bro, you in there? Look, I was kind of a j*rk to Haru-chan earlier, so how should I―"
"…Oh."
"…Hime-chan?"
Click, without even waiting for an answer, the door swung open and Himeko strolled in, looking surprisingly timid for once.
But the second Himeko saw Hayato and Haruki—her big bro looking all grim with a scowl on his face, and her childhood friend with her eyes all puffy from crying—her face went from zero to beet-red in a heartbeat.
"Wh-Wh-What the heck did you do, Big Bro?!"
"Wait a sec, Himeko, I didn't do anything!"
"Then why is Haru-chan crying her eyes out?!"
"I... ...Hayato just made me cry…"
"Hey, knock it off, Haruki!"
"Big Bro, you j*rk!"
From an outsider's POV, you couldn't really blame Himeko for getting the wrong idea.
Thinking her Big Bro had pulled some kind of scumbag move, Himeko started chucking everything within reach—remotes, magazines, whatever—straight at Hayato.
"Ahahaha!"
"Haruki, stop laughing and help me calm Himeko down!"
Watching Hayato struggle while being grilled by a super-pissed Himeko, Haruki just stuck out the tip of her pink tongue at him.
Seeing how fast Haruki flipped the switch, Hayato couldn't help but wonder what the heck that whole emotional moment earlier was even about.
But then again, this was Haruki's usual self, and it was her way of signaling that she was gonna be okay now.
"(Thanks!)"
Haruki's lips moved silently, mouthing those words to Hayato as he let out a heavy sigh.
TL: Reeze27
ED: Reeze27
PR: Reeze27
If you like our work, please consider supporting us on Ko-fi. 🙏
Support Us: https://ko-fi.com/ninjacross
Donations are very much appreciated.
Your donations really support us to finish this novel from here until the end, so please consider to support us.
Follow Our Official WhatsApp Channel: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaRa6nHCsU9OAB0U370F
Read in other languages:
Outside, the rain was coming down in sheets, making a heck of a noise.
But inside this high-end apartment with its solid soundproofing, the only thing echoing through the place was the steady hum of the dryer.
That low-frequency thrumming vibrated right into the bathroom next door.
"What the heck is wrong with me…?"
Even Hayato's mumble got swallowed up by that sound.
Hayato was soaking in the tub, totally spiraling into a pit of self-loathing.
Every time Hayato thought back to what he'd just done, his face would go beet red and he'd dunk himself under the water.
Hayato's heavy sighs just turned into bubbles, floating to the surface before popping into nothing.
(Aw, d*mmit!)
Just thinking about what happened made Hayato realize his face was getting hotter and hotter.
Looking back, that was a pretty ballsy move.
'Wh-What!! You're seriously asking me to stay over? That's a pretty bold move, don'tcha think?! Is this like one of those situations where you're gonna do something pervy to me?!'
'?! N-No! That's not it! I mean, it's pouring out there and it'd be a waste to get your clothes soaked, plus you might catch a cold or something, it's just, you know, that!'
'What exactly is "that" supposed to be?! Mmm~ does this mean you just wanna be with me that badly? Is that it?!'
'Yeah, it is! D*mmit! So just stay over tonight, let's go back inside!'
'Wait, hold up, are you for real?! It's not like we're in that kind of relationship yet, I mean, it's too soon, I'm not mentally prepped for this, and Hime-chan is right there too!'
'Yeah, Himeko would be stoked. I mean, well―'
Obviously, once they both realized what was happening, it turned into total chaos.
They scrambled to play it off like a joke to kill the tension, but there was still one thing Hayato absolutely wouldn't budge on.
'―I don't wanna let Haruki go back to that house today.'
'…Oh. Right… …I see, yeah…'
It was just Hayato being selfish. He only acted that way because he couldn't stop seeing that lonely look on Haruki's face from earlier today.
Now that Hayato's cooled down and thinking about it, that was a seriously "suggestive" thing to say.
Luckily, when Hayato dragged Haruki back, Himeko was pretty shocked at first but then got all hyped up, shouting, "Heck yeah, sleepover party!"
"Man, it's scorching, time to get out."
Since Hayato'd been spiraling in his thoughts the whole time, he ended up staying in the tub way too long. Since Haruki and Himeko had already finished their turns, no one was there to complain.
Hayato gave his dizzy head a quick cold shower to chill out before finally stepping out of the bathroom.
Hayato did a quick dry-off, left his hair damp, and threw a hand towel around his neck.
Wrestling with the problem of where the heck Haruki was gonna sleep on such short notice, Hayato headed back to his room.
"Oh, welcome back. I'm borrowing a bunch of your stuff, kayー?"
"…"
What Hayato found there was Haruki, looking as casual as she ever did.
Despite being in a boy's room in the middle of the night, Haruki was sprawled out face-down on Hayato's bed, hugging a pillow and kicking her feet back and forth while engrossed in a manga.
Haruki was just wearing one of Hayato's oversized T-shirts, and she'd wrapped a towel-blanket around her waist to make sure nothing was showing. Maybe because she'd just hopped out of the shower and was prepping for bed, she'd put her hair in pigtails, which looked totally fresh and new to Hayato's eyes.
Seeing Haruki so relaxed made Hayato feel kinda embarrassed, like he'd been way too self-conscious for no reason. He let out a sigh while scrubbing his wet hair with a hand towel.
"I looked for your pervy stash but couldn't find it. Is it hidden in your PC or something?"
"Don't be a moron… …More importantly, is that my shirt? Didn't you borrow one from Himeko?"
"Oh…"
At Hayato's words, Haruki went dead serious and sat up straight on the bed to face him. Of course, she kept her lower half strictly covered with the towel-blanket.
"Well, the thing is, between Hime-chan and me, she's just a tiny bit taller, so we're basically the same size."
"And? So wearing Himeko's clothes shouldn't be a problem, right?"
"U-Um, I did borrow them, but... ...when I mentioned they were too tight around the chest, Hime-chan just chucked Hayato's shirt at me without saying a word…"
"…"
"…"
"…Pffft! H-Haruki, that's just… …man, I guess Himeko actually worries about that stuff too… …Haha!"
"Wh-Wh-What should I do?! Hime-chan is sulking so hard right now. What am I supposed to say to her… …Jeez, Hayato! Stop laughing and give me some advice since you're her Big Bro!"
"Ow, ow! Quit hitting my back! Just give Himeko something sweet and she'll cheer right up!"
"Whoa, talk about a half-*ssed answer!"
Even though Haruki was being dead serious with her problem, Hayato just burst out laughing the second he heard the story.
Pouting her cheeks, Haruki started drumming on Hayato's back as a protest.
Looks like Haruki had stepped right on one of Himeko's landmines without even trying.
Hayato knew for a fact that Himeko was insecure about that stuff, considering he saw her battling with cartons of milk every single day.
So yeah, it made total sense why Himeko was sulking.
"…Even Hime-chan is starting to worry about chest size and stuff, huh. She's really turning into a proper girl."
"Haruki?"
Suddenly, Haruki's voice went all quiet and somber, and she gripped the back of the shirt she'd been hitting. Then, she started feeling around Hayato's back like she was trying to gauge something.
"You're big. Back in the day, you weren't that much different from me, but now there's such a huge gap. Hime-chan already outgrew me in height, and your cooking skills are just insane now… ...Things aren't like they used to be anymore, are they…?"
"…I mean, yeah, a lot of cr*p has happened to me too."
"I see…"
Haruki mumbled, sounding totally drained. Even though she was acting like everything was fine, she was clearly still hung up on what happened earlier today.
―Man, I'm glad I didn't leave Haruki by herself.
That's what Hayato was thinking, but since he was still in the dark about the whole situation, he was flat-out out of things to say. Pushing any further felt risky because there were just too many things they didn't know about each other now. It was this wall of "awkward distance" between Hayato and Haruki, built up over seven years of nothing but silence.
A lot of other stuff had changed too.
The pitch of their voices was different, Hayato's shoulders were broad and solid while Haruki's were soft and sloped, and they both had their own new habits and skills. Even the worlds they lived in were totally different now. No matter how much they wished for it, those days when they could just laugh and play without a care in the world weren't coming back.
But still, deep down, Hayato had this feeling that he could safely say hadn't changed one bit since those days.
"Today was, like, a total blast."
"…Huh?"
"I mean, I'm sure there's a lot of crap going on, but just hanging out with you today was, well, I had a really good time."
"…Oh."
Hayato's face was beet red, a total rerun of how he looked in the bathroom.
Hayato knew he was just caught up in the moment and saying this on a whim, and he'd definitely wake up tomorrow morning cringing so hard he'd want to die.
But even so, looking at Haruki right now, Hayato just couldn't keep it in.
"Look, I was pretty d*mn lonely after you left. I didn't have any other friends my age. It's not just about today, ever since you moved here, every day's been fun again just like the old days… …So, I'm just really happy we got to reconnect."
"Haya...-to…"
Maybe it wasn't something Hayato had to go out of his way to say. They probably both already knew it deep down.
But right now, Hayato felt this surge of certainty, almost like a sense of duty, that saying it out loud actually mattered—that he had to put it into words.
"And, look, I don't know what you're going through. Maybe what I can do doesn't amount to much. But still, at the very least, I can be right there by your side. It's not like the old days, we've got smartphones now, so I can always come running if you― Haruki?"
"…Wait, what?"
It happened right as Hayato looked up from scratching his head in total embarrassment.
What Hayato saw was Haruki, with huge, fat tears just streaming down her face like a broken dam.
Haruki probably didn't even realize it was happening, 'cause she only seemed to notice she was crying after seeing the look of shock on Hayato's face.
"Wait, why am I… …huh, what the… ...haha, that's so weird…"
Haruki'd totally lost control of her emotions—no matter how many times she wiped her eyes, the tears just kept coming until her face was a complete mess.
Neither of them really knew why things had turned out this way.
But Hayato, figuring Haruki probably didn't want him seeing her like this, quietly turned his back to her.
"Here, I'll lend you my back."
"Mnh… …I'll borrow it for a bit, then…"
With a soft thud, Hayato felt Haruki's forehead press against his back. And before long, the sound of sobbing started leaking out from right behind him.
Hayato had no idea which specific word did the trick.
But once the floodgates were open, Haruki's tears just kept flowing, and they didn't look like they were gonna stop anytime soon.
This was the explosion of everything Haruki'd been bottling up for seven long years.
If Haruki'd kept carrying all that crap by herself, she probably would've ended up totally broken.
―So, for now, Haruki should just cry her eyes out.
Even though the last thing Hayato wanted was to make Haruki make that kind of face, he squeezed his own hands so hard it hurt while feeling the warmth spreading across his back. All he felt in his chest was total helplessness and something that felt a lot like being pissed off at himself.
(I…)
All sorts of memories from the past—of back when Hayato was totally useless—came flooding back. It was―
"Big Bro, you in there? Look, I was kind of a j*rk to Haru-chan earlier, so how should I―"
"…Oh."
"…Hime-chan?"
Click, without even waiting for an answer, the door swung open and Himeko strolled in, looking surprisingly timid for once.
But the second Himeko saw Hayato and Haruki—her big bro looking all grim with a scowl on his face, and her childhood friend with her eyes all puffy from crying—her face went from zero to beet-red in a heartbeat.
"Wh-Wh-What the heck did you do, Big Bro?!"
"Wait a sec, Himeko, I didn't do anything!"
"Then why is Haru-chan crying her eyes out?!"
"I... ...Hayato just made me cry…"
"Hey, knock it off, Haruki!"
"Big Bro, you j*rk!"
From an outsider's POV, you couldn't really blame Himeko for getting the wrong idea.
Thinking her Big Bro had pulled some kind of scumbag move, Himeko started chucking everything within reach—remotes, magazines, whatever—straight at Hayato.
"Ahahaha!"
"Haruki, stop laughing and help me calm Himeko down!"
Watching Hayato struggle while being grilled by a super-pissed Himeko, Haruki just stuck out the tip of her pink tongue at him.
Seeing how fast Haruki flipped the switch, Hayato couldn't help but wonder what the heck that whole emotional moment earlier was even about.
But then again, this was Haruki's usual self, and it was her way of signaling that she was gonna be okay now.
"(Thanks!)"
Haruki's lips moved silently, mouthing those words to Hayato as he let out a heavy sigh.
TL: Reeze27
ED: Reeze27
PR: Reeze27
If you like our work, please consider supporting us on Ko-fi. 🙏
Support Us: https://ko-fi.com/ninjacross
Donations are very much appreciated.
Your donations really support us to finish this novel from here until the end, so please consider to support us.
Follow Our Official WhatsApp Channel: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaRa6nHCsU9OAB0U370F
Read in other languages: