[Warning 15+]
Part Two~Save That Old Energy Only For Me, Seriously!~Chapter 80No Way!
Before anyone knew it, the sky had started crying.
The rain was coming down in sheets, heavy drops smacking against the asphalt and shattering into a misty spray.
And, like some kind of meddling stranger, the rain chilled Haruki's red right cheek, which was still burning hot.
Haruki had been soaked to the bone for a while now.
The hair Haruki'd spent so much time styling for today was a complete mess, matted down and sticking to her back. The outfit she'd picked out just to wow Hayato had soaked up so much rain it felt dull and heavy as lead. All that makeup she'd put so much effort into had washed away in a heartbeat, replaced instead by dark shadows stretching across her face.
"...Oh."
Haruki was supposed to have been walking aimlessly. And yet, right in front of her stood the apartment building she'd been seeing a lot of lately.
Looking up at it again, the place felt massive. Makes sense. It was a family-oriented complex that could easily house 💯 families, making Haruki hallucinate that maybe, just maybe, there was room for someone like her too.
"...What the heck am I even doing?"
Haruki let out a self-deprecating laugh. Without even realizing it, her feet had led her straight here. She didn't even have to think to know why.
Haruki's heart had been screaming for help for a long time now.
If Haruki just went to Hayato's place like this, he'd probably take her in without saying a word. She knew for a fact he'd just stay by her side and let her lean on him in silence.
That was just the kind of boy Hayato—Haruki's buddy—was. She wanted to bolt inside right this second. But she just couldn't bring herself to do it.
"But that's not just 'cause it's me, is it...?"
Then Haruki thought back to what happened today. She'd seen someone get saved right in front of her eyes—she'd seen Kazuki. She figured she must've looked exactly like that back in the day.
To Hayato, it was no big deal, and making new buddies was supposed to be a good thing. But to Haruki, the idea of just being a 'buddy' felt like she was being told she wasn't special, and it made her chest tighten with pain.
It wasn't like it was Hayato's fault. Or Himeko's. And definitely not Kazuki's. Deep down, Haruki felt like she was the 'bad girl' for not being able to handle these messy emotions.
But back when Haruki was in Tsukinose, when she was shunned, lonely, and had locked her heart away, Hayato was the one who'd grabbed her hand and dragged her out into the world.
To Haruki, Hayato—her buddy—is special. But as that 'specialness' starts to include more people, she feels like her own unique connection with him is getting watered down.
So, in the end, it was probably just Haruki's pride talking.
They'd stood side-by-side as equals since they were kids. Especially lately, Haruki'd been leaning on Hayato way too much, and that's exactly why she couldn't rely on him right now. She didn't want to. She wanted to stand tall and proud next to her most precious friend. After all, she was the one who had to decide to suck it up and push through.
Pulling out her smartphone, Haruki made an excuse to herself that she was just checking in, then she dialed Hayato's number.
'...Haruki?'
"Oh yeah, it's Haruki."
'What's up today? Wanna vent about some MMO? Or did you find some manga or anime that got you all hyped up again?'
"Nah, I don't really have any specific reason, just felt like calling, I guess."
'I see.'
"Yeah... ...so, um, we're friends... ...right?"
'Huh? What's with the sudden question about something so obvious...? ...Is this about Takura Mao?'
"---!"
Haruki froze right then and there. She'd been careless. If someone gave it even a second of thought, they'd figure it out.
Haruki k*lled the urge to just break down and lean on Hayato, forcing herself to sound as upbeat as possible.
'I knew it. What happened? More importantly, where are you right now? I can hear the rain―'
"A-Ahaha, seriously, it's nothing! Um, actually, I'm just hungry so I'm on my way to the convenience store right now... ...later!"
'―Hey!'
Haruki took off running. This time, she made a conscious effort to head somewhere far away from both her place and Hayato's.
Haruki knew deep down that what she was doing was pretty much pointless. But she just couldn't stop herself from running.
◇◇◇
"What the heck am I doing?"
Eventually, Haruki ended up in some random park she'd never seen before.
The evening shower had completely cleared out, and the sky was so full of twinkling stars it was almost annoying. Haruki muttered that to herself as she slumped onto a bench.
Haruki'd long since cooled her head. A self-deprecating laugh bubbled up in her throat when she thought back to how she'd been acting just a minute ago.
"Um, are you okay?"
"...Huh?"
"You're Nikaidō-san, right?"
"...Mitake-san?"
Haruki's voice trailed off into a question. Things were happening way outside her comfort zone.
Mitake Minamo's outfit was exactly as plain as usual—a loose black top and skinny jeans—but the bottles of soy sauce and mirin peeking out of the tote bag in her hand gave off total homemaker vibes instead of a high school girl. Looked like she was just heading home from a grocery run.
Then, looking at Haruki's own soaked-to-the-bone state, it was painfully obvious to anyone that this was anything but normal.
"Um, well..."
Haruki made a troubled face, desperately scrambling for some kind of excuse.
Mitake Minamo stared hard at Haruki, and then, whatever Minamo'd decided, Minamo pumped her own fist in front of her own chest as if she were psyching herself up for something.
"M-My place is right around here, y'know! You're gonna catch a cold like this, y'know!"
"Oh, no, but seriously, I'll just be a bother―"
Then Mitake Minamo grabbed Haruki's hand and gave it a hard tug.
Minamo was tiny, so she wasn't exactly strong, just like she looked. Even though Haruki got pulled up by the sudden move, she had zero intention of letting Mitake Minamo take care of her. After all, Haruki knew she'd brought this on herself. Haruki felt like it'd be totally wrong to let Minamo help.
"There's no way I can just leave a buddy in a state like this!"
"...Huh?"
Haruki must've looked like a total idiot right then. And even Mitake Minamo had a look of pure shock on her face. Looks like even Minamo was surprised by what just came out of her own mouth.
But even while Mitake Minamo was flustered and turning beet red, she scrambled for words, desperately trying to string a sentence together.
"Um, y'know, Gardening! We're Gardening buddies! So, um, well, ugh~...!"
Haruki had no clue why Mitake Minamo was going this far for Haruki. But watching Minamo use every inch of her tiny body to earnestly get her feelings across actually made a little giggle escape Haruki's lips. Haruki's heart felt just a tiny bit lighter.
"Thanks, Mitake-san. But my place isn't even that far, so I'll be fine."
"---!"
As Haruki said that, she slipped out of Minamo's grip and turned around, giving Minamo a wave with the hand Minamo'd just been holding. That's when it happened.
"No way!"
"...Huh?"
Thump! Haruki felt a light impact against her back.
Mitake Minamo had lunged forward and hugged the soaked-to-the-bone Haruki, not even caring that Minamo was getting drenched herself. Minamo was desperate. But Haruki couldn't wrap her head around why Minamo was doing all this. It wasn't like they were best buds or anything; At most, they were just casual "Gardening buddies" like Minamo'd claimed. With a troubled look and a shaky voice, Haruki asked Minamo why.
"...Why?"
"Right now, Nikaidō-san, you've got the exact same look in your eyes as Kirishima-san! Um, I know you probably have no idea what I'm talking about, but still, I just can't let this happen...!"
"...Huh?"
Those unexpected words practically burst out of Mitake Minamo.
"The same as Hayato"― at those words, Haruki finally froze in total shock.
Author's Notes:
So, here's the tea on the home center cats.
The American Shorthair boy officially found a forever home! Congrats to him.
In his place, we've got a new little boy, a Somali kitten.
Honestly, it's not a breed I hear about every day.
But man, his fur is all fluffy and golden like a stalk of grain, and his face is kinda round and cute. He's got this vibe of wild nobility and elegance, but at the same time, he feels weirdly familiar to us Japanese folks. People apparently call them "Fox Cats." Ah, okay, I totally see the Oinari-san vibes now. Supposedly, their voices are super tiny and sweet like little tinkling bells, but unfortunately, he was knocked out taking a nap the whole time. Well, he's just a kitten—sleeping is literally his full-time job, right? Meow.
TL: Reeze27
ED: Reeze27
PR: Reeze27
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Before anyone knew it, the sky had started crying.
The rain was coming down in sheets, heavy drops smacking against the asphalt and shattering into a misty spray.
And, like some kind of meddling stranger, the rain chilled Haruki's red right cheek, which was still burning hot.
Haruki had been soaked to the bone for a while now.
The hair Haruki'd spent so much time styling for today was a complete mess, matted down and sticking to her back. The outfit she'd picked out just to wow Hayato had soaked up so much rain it felt dull and heavy as lead. All that makeup she'd put so much effort into had washed away in a heartbeat, replaced instead by dark shadows stretching across her face.
"...Oh."
Haruki was supposed to have been walking aimlessly. And yet, right in front of her stood the apartment building she'd been seeing a lot of lately.
Looking up at it again, the place felt massive. Makes sense. It was a family-oriented complex that could easily house 💯 families, making Haruki hallucinate that maybe, just maybe, there was room for someone like her too.
"...What the heck am I even doing?"
Haruki let out a self-deprecating laugh. Without even realizing it, her feet had led her straight here. She didn't even have to think to know why.
Haruki's heart had been screaming for help for a long time now.
If Haruki just went to Hayato's place like this, he'd probably take her in without saying a word. She knew for a fact he'd just stay by her side and let her lean on him in silence.
That was just the kind of boy Hayato—Haruki's buddy—was. She wanted to bolt inside right this second. But she just couldn't bring herself to do it.
"But that's not just 'cause it's me, is it...?"
Then Haruki thought back to what happened today. She'd seen someone get saved right in front of her eyes—she'd seen Kazuki. She figured she must've looked exactly like that back in the day.
To Hayato, it was no big deal, and making new buddies was supposed to be a good thing. But to Haruki, the idea of just being a 'buddy' felt like she was being told she wasn't special, and it made her chest tighten with pain.
It wasn't like it was Hayato's fault. Or Himeko's. And definitely not Kazuki's. Deep down, Haruki felt like she was the 'bad girl' for not being able to handle these messy emotions.
But back when Haruki was in Tsukinose, when she was shunned, lonely, and had locked her heart away, Hayato was the one who'd grabbed her hand and dragged her out into the world.
To Haruki, Hayato—her buddy—is special. But as that 'specialness' starts to include more people, she feels like her own unique connection with him is getting watered down.
So, in the end, it was probably just Haruki's pride talking.
They'd stood side-by-side as equals since they were kids. Especially lately, Haruki'd been leaning on Hayato way too much, and that's exactly why she couldn't rely on him right now. She didn't want to. She wanted to stand tall and proud next to her most precious friend. After all, she was the one who had to decide to suck it up and push through.
Pulling out her smartphone, Haruki made an excuse to herself that she was just checking in, then she dialed Hayato's number.
'...Haruki?'
"Oh yeah, it's Haruki."
'What's up today? Wanna vent about some MMO? Or did you find some manga or anime that got you all hyped up again?'
"Nah, I don't really have any specific reason, just felt like calling, I guess."
'I see.'
"Yeah... ...so, um, we're friends... ...right?"
'Huh? What's with the sudden question about something so obvious...? ...Is this about Takura Mao?'
"---!"
Haruki froze right then and there. She'd been careless. If someone gave it even a second of thought, they'd figure it out.
Haruki k*lled the urge to just break down and lean on Hayato, forcing herself to sound as upbeat as possible.
'I knew it. What happened? More importantly, where are you right now? I can hear the rain―'
"A-Ahaha, seriously, it's nothing! Um, actually, I'm just hungry so I'm on my way to the convenience store right now... ...later!"
'―Hey!'
Haruki took off running. This time, she made a conscious effort to head somewhere far away from both her place and Hayato's.
Haruki knew deep down that what she was doing was pretty much pointless. But she just couldn't stop herself from running.
◇◇◇
"What the heck am I doing?"
Eventually, Haruki ended up in some random park she'd never seen before.
The evening shower had completely cleared out, and the sky was so full of twinkling stars it was almost annoying. Haruki muttered that to herself as she slumped onto a bench.
Haruki'd long since cooled her head. A self-deprecating laugh bubbled up in her throat when she thought back to how she'd been acting just a minute ago.
"Um, are you okay?"
"...Huh?"
"You're Nikaidō-san, right?"
"...Mitake-san?"
Haruki's voice trailed off into a question. Things were happening way outside her comfort zone.
Mitake Minamo's outfit was exactly as plain as usual—a loose black top and skinny jeans—but the bottles of soy sauce and mirin peeking out of the tote bag in her hand gave off total homemaker vibes instead of a high school girl. Looked like she was just heading home from a grocery run.
Then, looking at Haruki's own soaked-to-the-bone state, it was painfully obvious to anyone that this was anything but normal.
"Um, well..."
Haruki made a troubled face, desperately scrambling for some kind of excuse.
Mitake Minamo stared hard at Haruki, and then, whatever Minamo'd decided, Minamo pumped her own fist in front of her own chest as if she were psyching herself up for something.
"M-My place is right around here, y'know! You're gonna catch a cold like this, y'know!"
"Oh, no, but seriously, I'll just be a bother―"
Then Mitake Minamo grabbed Haruki's hand and gave it a hard tug.
Minamo was tiny, so she wasn't exactly strong, just like she looked. Even though Haruki got pulled up by the sudden move, she had zero intention of letting Mitake Minamo take care of her. After all, Haruki knew she'd brought this on herself. Haruki felt like it'd be totally wrong to let Minamo help.
"There's no way I can just leave a buddy in a state like this!"
"...Huh?"
Haruki must've looked like a total idiot right then. And even Mitake Minamo had a look of pure shock on her face. Looks like even Minamo was surprised by what just came out of her own mouth.
But even while Mitake Minamo was flustered and turning beet red, she scrambled for words, desperately trying to string a sentence together.
"Um, y'know, Gardening! We're Gardening buddies! So, um, well, ugh~...!"
Haruki had no clue why Mitake Minamo was going this far for Haruki. But watching Minamo use every inch of her tiny body to earnestly get her feelings across actually made a little giggle escape Haruki's lips. Haruki's heart felt just a tiny bit lighter.
"Thanks, Mitake-san. But my place isn't even that far, so I'll be fine."
"---!"
As Haruki said that, she slipped out of Minamo's grip and turned around, giving Minamo a wave with the hand Minamo'd just been holding. That's when it happened.
"No way!"
"...Huh?"
Thump! Haruki felt a light impact against her back.
Mitake Minamo had lunged forward and hugged the soaked-to-the-bone Haruki, not even caring that Minamo was getting drenched herself. Minamo was desperate. But Haruki couldn't wrap her head around why Minamo was doing all this. It wasn't like they were best buds or anything; At most, they were just casual "Gardening buddies" like Minamo'd claimed. With a troubled look and a shaky voice, Haruki asked Minamo why.
"...Why?"
"Right now, Nikaidō-san, you've got the exact same look in your eyes as Kirishima-san! Um, I know you probably have no idea what I'm talking about, but still, I just can't let this happen...!"
"...Huh?"
Those unexpected words practically burst out of Mitake Minamo.
"The same as Hayato"― at those words, Haruki finally froze in total shock.
Author's Notes:
So, here's the tea on the home center cats.
The American Shorthair boy officially found a forever home! Congrats to him.
In his place, we've got a new little boy, a Somali kitten.
Honestly, it's not a breed I hear about every day.
But man, his fur is all fluffy and golden like a stalk of grain, and his face is kinda round and cute. He's got this vibe of wild nobility and elegance, but at the same time, he feels weirdly familiar to us Japanese folks. People apparently call them "Fox Cats." Ah, okay, I totally see the Oinari-san vibes now. Supposedly, their voices are super tiny and sweet like little tinkling bells, but unfortunately, he was knocked out taking a nap the whole time. Well, he's just a kitten—sleeping is literally his full-time job, right? Meow.
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:
• Indonesian / Bahasa Indonesia
←Previous Table of Contents Next→