CH 195

Chapter 195 – Reason For Hating Men

“Shouldn’t you go after her?” (Torimoto)

“…Even if I try to say something to Kei-chan right now, she won’t listen.” (Saniwa)

As expected of her childhood friend. She really understood how Shakuhara worked.

“Um, sorry about Kei-chan.” (Saniwa)

“No, it’s fine. Everyone has something they aren’t willing to compromise over. You can’t just tell her to like what she doesn’t like.” (Torimoto)

I opened the box, took out a pot of [Aurora Tea] and a pair of cups, and placed it on the table.

“Have some tea if you like. It’ll calm your mind.” (Torimoto)

I took the other cup and moved to the other side of the table.

“T-Thank you. Umm… I’ll help myself. Sip… It’s delicious.” (Saniwa)

Saniwa let out a deep sigh as her face relaxed.

It seemed to suit her palate. She had looked like she wanted to cry earlier, but I was able to stop that just in time.

“…U-Um, I hope you won’t think poorly of Kei-chan.” (Saniwa)

“Hm?” (Torimoto)

“…It’s my fault that Kei-chan has that kind of attitude towards men…” (Saniwa)

She started telling me things I hadn’t heard before. It was a flow of conversation that couldn’t be stopped.

“We… had another childhood friend.” (Saniwa)

“I see. Is that friend not here?” (Torimoto)

“No. Rather… I wouldn’t want them here.” (Saniwa)

There was a clear anger in her words. Her expression was also uncomfortable.

It seemed that this childhood friend had done something to her…

“…Is that childhood friend of yours a man, by any chance?” (Torimoto)

Hearing my question, Saniwa bit her lower lip and nodded.

Ah, this is definitely a trauma caused by that childhood friend.

“The three of us had always been together since we were young. We were in the same elementary school, middle school… and high school.” (Saniwa)

She continued speaking, her gaze lowering sadly. Her hands trembled slightly around her cup.

“At one point, that childhood friend consulted me. He said… that he liked Kei-chan.” (Saniwa)

Ooh, this is developing like a typical childhood romantic-comedy-type plot. But if it really followed the flow of a rom-com plot, that meant that Saniwa had probably already fallen for the male childhood friend.

“I loved the two of them a lot and was happy to hear that. So I decided to cheer him on.” (Saniwa)

Huh? …Well, that doesn’t follow the template, does it?

No, maybe it’s the pattern where she suppresses her own feelings and tries to bring the two of them together?

I wasn’t sure if it would be indelicate of me to ask, but since I was a bit curious, I decided to go ahead with it.

“How did you feel about that male childhood friend of yours? You said you liked him, but is that as a friend? Or…” (Torimoto)

“Ah, as a friend. Umm… I don’t really understand romance… Besides, even back then, I was never good with boys.” (Saniwa)

I see. Maybe this girl had spent her whole life unaware of the fact that he was her first love. She had said that she didn’t know how to interact with guys, so it wouldn’t be strange if she had feelings for him.

Well, I didn’t really care about that.

“So you knew that your childhood friend liked Shakuhara-san, and you decided to support him. But what about Shakuhara-san’s feelings?” (Torimoto)

“Err… Kei-chan actually consulted me about it too.” (Saniwa)

“…! Could it be…?” (Torimoto)

“Yes. They liked each other.” (Saniwa)

Damn riajuus!

(TL: Riajuu – Japanese internet slang used to refer to people who have good, fulfilling lives and are satisfied with their offline life. Often used by otaku to refer to people who are popular in school or have girlfriends/boyfriends. Sometimes translated as normies.)

But man, who knew it was even possible for childhood friends to like each other? That kind of development only happened in stories.

“Then the two of them…?” (Torimoto)

“Yes. They started going out.” (Saniwa)

“Ahh, that’s great to hear. But… judging by your expression, something must have happened.” (Torimoto)

I could tell from the loathsome expression on her face that she was about to get to the truth of the matter.

“The two of them started dating, and Ryogo-kun… Ah, that’s my male childhood friend’s name. I found out at the time that he had recently started hanging out with a group of delinquents.” (Saniwa)

“So he got to the rebellious age, huh?” (Torimoto)

“It would have been good if it was just that, but…” (Saniwa)

Saniwa’s brows furrowed in displeasure, as if she was looking at something she didn’t like.

For a while, a silence stretched on, as if it was difficult for her to continue speaking.

“………Ah, if it’s too hard for you to speak about, you don’t need to say it.” (Torimoto)

“Sorry……” (Saniwa)

It seemed that something pretty serious must have happened between them. It was easy to imagine that the incident was what led to the girls being here now, as part of this religious order.

“But… Because of the trouble that Ryogo-kun caused, Kei-chan was hurt badly. He… How could he… sniffle, do something like that…hic.” (Saniwa)

Oh, come on… Don’t cry here.

She must have thought of something horrible. It would be troublesome if anyone saw her crying. Especially Shakuhara. If she came back and saw this, she might just go ahead and shoot me in the head with her gun.

…Good grief.

“Ahh, well, you know… I was bullied a lot back when I was in school.” (Torimoto)

“….Bueh?” (Saniwa)

She had tears in her eyes, but she stopped crying and looked up at me with wide eyes.

A bitter, self-deprecating smile rose to my face as I continued speaking, wondering why I had even ended up having to talk about this.