Chapter 135-136 – The Second Scenario- 4
[MC POV]
It had been some time since I met Haru under the bridge, just like in the game.
"No way. So, she…"
"Pfft. Really?"
'Amazingly, I have already succeeded in becoming friends with Haru.'
If you were to ask how it was possible to become friends with someone so quickly after just meeting, the answer was simple.
What she needed right now wasn't comfort or advice, but rest. So, I acted accordingly.
'How did I know that, you ask?'
Well, there were a few similar scenes in the game, and in those scenes, the script explained it like this:
[Tip 1: What Haru needed that day wasn't comfort or advice, but rather a pleasant, everyday conversation.]
[Tip 2: If I had spent time with Hiro then, just like when we were kids, sharing fun stories and jokes, would my fate have changed?]
That's why I didn't bother with useless advice and simply shared pleasant, everyday stories with her.
At first, Haru was indifferent to my words, but over time, she became more and more interested in my stories. And half the reason for that was…
"In Korea, an older friend of mine…"
It was because of the stories about Korea.
I did tell her about Takuya, but honestly, it didn't seem very interesting. So, I disguised stories from my previous life as stories about an older neighborhood friend, which made them more intriguing.
I couldn't help it. Honestly, Takuya's life wasn't that interesting. He had few friends and a narrow social circle.
"…that's what an older friend of mine told me."
"That's amazing. How can you have classes until 7 PM at college?"
"My friend said they even have something called 'night study.'"
"Night study?"
"Yeah, they gather students at night to study."
"How can people do such a terrible thing…"
For the record, Haru seemed to firmly believe that these stories came from an older neighborhood friend of mine.
That was because most of the stories were about Korean things, and I didn't have much experience with them myself.
What kind of nonsense is that, you ask?
The stories I was telling were actually stories that older friends I had met in the military had told me. Thanks to that, I could share them as if I were telling someone else's stories.
Anyway, we were in the middle of a conversation when…
"Haha! Haha. Hahaha…"
Haru had been laughing at my stories. But suddenly she sighed deeply. She then made a face as if she had seen the end of the world.
Looking at her, I thought it was the right moment and said, "What's wrong? Do you have a problem?"
Haru looked at me for a moment, sighed again, and then said, "Well, it's a story about my friend…"
Usually, a "friend's story" in this kind of situation was 100% about themselves.
Actually, even if it wasn't this kind of situation, looking at Haru's expression, it was obvious that it wasn't someone else's story.
Anyway, after listening to Haru's story, I thought, 'What a moron.'
Hiro was a moron. What else could you call someone who got angry at a girl just because she got angry at him while he was trying to comfort her? No. Actually, if it had been just any girl, I would have understood.
If a stranger suddenly starts acting up, it's better to just let it go. But doing that to a girl you like? That's not just moronic; that's super moronic.
'Hmm? Aren't I bad at comforting people too, you ask?'
I'm good at it with my dick.
Anyway, after listening to Haru's story, I cursed Hiro.
"He's a moron. That guy."
"A mo-ron?"
"Ah. An older friend of mine said that it means 'stupid' in Japanese."
Hearing my words, Haru chuckled and said, "It's nice of you to comfort me, but please don't curse him too much. He tried his best. And honestly, I wasn't completely in the right either."
At that, I nodded in agreement.
Well, she told me not to curse him, and she admitted that she was wrong too. There was no reason to say anything more.
I was about to agree and say something else, but…
"Oh, it's getting brighter now."
"Yeah, it is."
The weather had cleared up, so I canceled that plan.
I could have continued the conversation, but that would have made it seem like I had an ulterior motive. That's why I decided to retreat for now.
But if I just said, "See you later, sis~" and left, wouldn't that be a bit lame?
I pondered for a moment and then got up from my seat.
"Are you leaving now?"
"My purpose was to avoid the rain."
At my words, she nodded, looking slightly disappointed, and said, "…Okay. Take care."
Before leaving, I said one more thing to her.
"Before I go, I'll say one last thing. Sis, it's good for your mental health not to try to endure everything."
At my words, she looked at me, puzzled.
"Huh? What do you mean…?"
"I mean, you should share your struggles and hardships with someone," I said.
"Wouldn't they dislike me if I did that…?" she asked, her voice tinged with worry.
I shook my head gently. "If someone dislikes you for needing comfort, then they aren't someone who's meant to be helpful in your life. Don't worry about them. And…"
I stepped closer, cupped her cheek softly, and lifted the corners of her mouth slightly. "You look prettier when you smile like this. Always try to smile."
"Hwet?" she whispered.
I immediately pulled my hand away from her flushed cheek and dashed out from under the bridge. "See you next time! Sorry for touching your cheek!!"
"Eh."
I left in a hurry, disappearing from sight. Behind me, the girl stood with a flushed face, staring blankly in the direction where the boy had vanished.
It was a summer where the rain seemed to pass by too quickly, leaving only fleeting moments behind.
…
…
While Haru was lost in thought, Takuya, who had quickly left the scene, drank some water from his bag, wiped his mouth, and muttered, "Phew! Acting like the protagonist of a light novel is exhausting."
Everything I had just done was meant to make my meeting and farewell with Haru more dramatic.
Otherwise, why would I have been crazy enough to grab a girl's face and lift the corners of her mouth like that?
It was all to leave a memorable, dramatic impression, so I had taken a slightly bolder and more provocative approach.
Of course, I felt so cringey doing it that I wanted to die.
'I want to die. Seriously.'
Of course, for an 18-year-old girl in despair, it would be the most dramatic scene.
If she doesn't remember it after all that, I'd really want to kill myself.
'Well, whatever.'
"Now, where should I go…?"
I had achieved my goal, but seeing my already damp clothes and bag, I couldn't help but worry.
If I went home like this, Yuka and Ayaka would definitely nag me.
I had already been exposed to Yuka, so I didn't have the courage to ask her to wash my clothes with a straight face.
Going to Sota's house was out of the question since I had already told him I had other things to do. It would be awkward. As I wondered where to go, a good idea came to me.
"That's right! There's that place!"
As soon as the thought struck me, I changed direction and started walking toward my destination.
A little while later, I arrived at Haruka's house.
'Since Haruka and I have a close sexual relationship, I think she would probably let me take a bath.'
That's what I thought as I approached her house, but…
"Oh my? Takuya-san? Haruka isn't here right now…"
"Eh?"
Haruka wasn't home.
It wasn't like I had come to the house of an employee who had gone to work. As far as I remembered, Haruka wasn't supposed to work today.
So, why wasn't she home? The answer was simple.
"She said she was going to check things out because of the rain, just in case."
"Ah."
She explained that, since there had been a lot of rain this time, she went to work to see if there were any problems or unexpected issues.
In other words, she had gone to work for the company.
'Sob, Haruka.'
You might think it was just dedication to her job, going back to work on her day off, but I figured Haruka had too much pride in her computer skills to return to work for something so trivial.
So, the reason was probably just one thing.
'She went to work on her day off for me.'
It was for me.
One could call it a simple misunderstanding, but Haruka, who liked me enough to give me a handjob with milk, was definitely capable of that.
Even if it wasn't entirely for me, it was admirable that she went back to work on her day off.
Of course, because of that, my plan was ruined. I decided to just let my clothes dry in the wind and under the sun that was starting to come out again.
That was until Miharu-san suggested I take a bath.
"Would you like to take a bath before you go, if you don't mind?"
Of course, I didn't refuse. Honestly, I felt a bit sticky.
"Then, I'll be in your care."
With those words, I entered the house. I took steps that were familiar to me and made my way to the bathroom.
The water in this bathroom was really nice and warm.