On the way back, Tanaka Masao could clearly sense that Eriri was in a low mood.
He wanted to comfort her, but he didn't know what to say. Should he just come out with it?
[Eriri, forget about Aki Tomoya and just throw yourself into my arms...]
If he actually said that, Eriri would definitely block him on the spot.
Tanaka Masao followed silently behind her, thinking hard about how to cheer her up.
But as he was lost in thought, his gaze drifted elsewhere.
[Eriri may be a little flat on top, but her hips… not bad, you could...]
Realizing what he was thinking, Tanaka Masao shook his head vigorously.
[No, no, why am I having such dirty thoughts now? I should be thinking about how to comfort Eriri.]
[Comfort… something safe, something gentle...]
On the way, Tanaka Masao couldn't control his wandering eyes, and naturally, he couldn't think of a good way to console her.
Meanwhile, Eriri, distracted by her own worries, didn't even notice where his eyes had been.
······
Without saying a word, the two eventually returned to Eriri's house.
"I'm home," Eriri called out weakly before heading straight to her room.
Sawamura Sayuri, who had just come out, saw this and frowned.
She pulled Tanaka Masao aside and asked,
"Tanaka-kun, what happened? Did you have a fight with Eriri?"
"No, we had a lot of fun today."
Tanaka Masao quickly explained what had happened on the way back.
"After that, Eriri suddenly stopped talking and seemed really down."
Hearing this, Sayuri sighed helplessly.
"Ah… it must be because of Tomoya."
She, too, felt powerless about the matter.
If things went on like this, not to mention patching things up, even simple communication between the two would become difficult.
With an apologetic look, she said,
"Sorry, Tanaka-kun, I must've troubled you. That boy is Tomoya Aki, Eriri's childhood friend.
They had some disagreements in the past, and they still haven't reconciled."
Seeing her somewhat discouraged expression, Tanaka Masao tried to comfort her.
"Sister Sayuri, it's normal for friends to have conflicts. They'll always find a way to work things out."
Hearing that, Sayuri seemed relieved to have someone she could talk to. She guided him to sit down and began to open up.
For years, it wasn't just Eriri who had been troubled—Sayuri herself had worried constantly.
It wasn't easy, caught between her only daughter and her daughter's only close friend.
Finally, she had someone to confide in.
Although Tanaka Masao knew the general story from anime in his past life, he didn't know the details.
So, he listened carefully.
At one point, Sayuri asked,
"Tanaka-kun, how do you usually handle conflicts with your friends?"
"Hmm…"
After a pause, Tanaka Masao answered honestly,
"I don't have any friends."
Sayuri, who had been speaking so freely, froze when she heard that.
It took her a moment to react.
"Tanaka-kun… what did you just say? You don't have any friends?"
Tanaka Masao nodded.
"Yes, I don't have any friends, so I don't know how to handle that kind of conflict."
He wasn't lying. He hadn't had friends, so naturally, there were no conflicts.
Even when he did have some companions in his past life, little disagreements were quickly forgotten and resolved within a day.
After hearing his straightforward answer, Sayuri fell silent.
She had thought it was already sad that Eriri couldn't reconcile with her only good friend.
But Tanaka Masao's situation was even lonelier—he didn't have a single friend at all.
Thinking about how she had just been complaining to him, she suddenly felt ashamed.
It was like someone with a small scratch whining about the pain to an amputee.
She inwardly scolded herself.
[Oh, damn it.]
"Sorry, Tanaka-kun, I didn't realize you…"
Seeing her embarrassment and guilt, Tanaka Masao waved his hand lightly.
"Sister Sayuri, you don't need to worry about that. It's nothing unusual."
This time, it was Sayuri's turn to be surprised.
"No, no, it's not normal at all to have no friends."
"Really?"
Tanaka Masao thought about it. The people he knew now were Yukino Yukinoshita, and the Sawamura mother and daughter.
"But now I've made friends at school, including Eriri and Sayuri."
Hearing this, Sayuri smiled softly.
"Yes, I'm your friend now, and Eriri is too."
Suddenly, Sayuri's eyes lit up, as if she had thought of something.
"Tanaka-kun, you live in Chiba, right? Since you rarely come all the way to Tokyo, why not stay here tonight?"
"Stay?" Tanaka Masao hesitated.
"Wouldn't that be too much trouble?"
In truth, he really wanted to stay.
Not because of any strange thoughts.
But because he was exhausted.
He had come from Chiba early in the morning and spent the whole day with Eriri, which had worn him out.
It was already afternoon. If he went back to Chiba now, he wouldn't arrive until after dark.
He really didn't want to make the long trip back.
Seeing his hesitation, Sayuri pressed her advantage.
"It's no trouble at all. You and Eriri must be tired after going out all day. Just stay and rest here tonight.
It's decided. I'll prepare a room for you."
Without giving him a chance to refuse, she went off to clean the guest room.
Watching her leave, Tanaka Masao sat nervously on the sofa.
This was his first time staying at a girl's house.
[I'll be eating dinner here tonight… I wonder what it'll be like.]
[Will Eriri's father come home tonight? If he does, how should I face him?]
[I'll probably take a shower here… but I didn't bring a change of clothes. What does Eriri's bathroom look like?]
[Will anything unexpected happen?]
Feeling nervous, Tanaka Masao also couldn't help but feel a little excited and expectant.
...
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