Kikanshita Yuusha no Gojitsudan : Chapter 6

Chapter 6 Side Story Akane’s Anxiety

Author Note : This time from Akane’s perspective.

---

　I had a strange feeling of unease in my chest since that morning.

　It was an uneasy feeling, or perhaps it would be closer to call it a feeling of anxiety.

　It’s as if something important is about to slip away out of my reach.

　That kind of anxiety.

　　What came to mind when I thought of “something important” was the face of [That guy].

　[That guy] Kashiwagi Yuuya.

　I grew restless, so I walked my dog(Elizabeth) and headed for the university.

　When I arrived at the university’s parking lot, I saw that Yuuya’s bike was already parked there.

　He rarely leaves his bike at the university, so he must have already come to the university today.

　I’m a little relieved.

　Since Yuuya is a pretty serious guy, I’m sure he’ll be attending lectures until the evening again today.

　I also have a lecture I have to take. I came a little too early, but it’s okay to do so once in a while.

　As time went by, my anxiety only grew stronger.

　I couldn’t even concentrate on my lectures.

　I couldn’t stand it anymore, so I waited for Yuuya in the bike parking lot.

---

　The first time I met Yuuya was right after I entered junior high school.

　Because of my parents’ job, we moved from Fukuoka, where I had been living until then, to this city after I graduated from elementary school.

　Even though it’s inevitable, once I entered junior high school, I didn’t have any friends there.

　In my class, there was a group of kids from the same elementary school, but I wasn’t able to be part of that group.

　If it had been a private school, maybe it wouldn’t have been so bad, but for me at the time it was a very high hurdle, and if it had stayed that way, I might have grown tired of going to school.

　About a week after I entered the school, it was Yuuya who approached me when I was alone.

“You’re Kudo, right? Where do you live?”

　I think it was something like that, if I remember correctly.

　I remember a gentle, friendly smile that stuck with me.

　I don’t really remember what I said to him.

　After that, Yuuya continued to talk to me while I was on my own, and he introduced me to some of his friends.

　Yuuya was a caring person and had many friends. Because of that, I think he could quickly become a part of the class.

　Yuuya wasn’t a particularly noticeable person, but he would casually follow up and help people when he saw someone in trouble.

　He was quite mature and serious for his age, and as far as I knew there were hardly any people who disliked him.

　But he wasn’t particularly popular either, though.

　Yuuya started calling me by my given name when I was in the second year of junior high school.

　There was a boy in my class with the same surname, and because it was confusing, he started calling me by my full name, “Akane Kudo”, and eventually he started calling me “Akane”.

　I also changed the way I called Yuuya from “Kashiwagi-kun” to “Yuuya” after he started calling me by my name.

　From that time on, Yuuya became “special” to me.

　After entering high school, my relationship with Yuuya didn’t change, and we didn’t get particularly close, nor did our relationship become strained.

　Yuuya started working part-time right after he entered high school, and although he was busy with his part-time job and studying every day, he would still go out a few times a month, either just the two of us or with friends.

　To tell the truth, although Yuuya didn’t seem to realize it, in high school Yuuya was quite popular with the girls. Unlike the boys of his age, he didn’t seem to have a strong interest in girls, and that was probably the reason.

　Still, few girls directly approached him. Apparently, they gave up from the start because I was always around. I was by no means the one who was sabotaging them. I think.

　Well, he was busy with his part-time job to get his motorcycle license and because he was studying properly; he didn’t have the time to pay much attention to such things.

　I think it’s not that he wasn’t interested, because there were times when he got excited with other boys when looking at pictures of gravure idols.

　It’s a secret that I got depressed after comparing my own breasts to those in the photos I’d sneak a peek at.

　The college exams were really hard for me.

　My grades weren’t as good as Yuuya’s, so when I heard about the school he was applying to, I freaked out.

　Nevertheless, I studied hard, and although I couldn’t get into the same faculty, I managed to get into the education department of the same university. At that time, I felt as if I had exhausted all my luck.

　I thought about advancing my relationship with Yuuya when I entered the university, but I didn’t want to ruin the comfortable relationship I had with him, so I kept going on with it. Although I’m very unwilling to settle into a position of being a villainous friend to him, I can’t seem to get the hang of it.(Note : Not so sure about this paragraph)

　I was beginning to regret that now.

---

　I looked at the clock.

　It was almost time for Yuuya to come home.

　However, I don’t know if he’ll be coming soon as he often shows up at the circle room. Still, I wanted to feel relieved by seeing Yuuya’s face.

　I suddenly felt a presence and turned my attention to the entrance of the bicycle parking lot and saw Yuuya walking up to me.

　But he seemed to have a different atmosphere than usual. What is it?

　Anyway, I called out to him.

“isn’t it Yuuya? Going home?”

“Ye, yeah, it’s been a while.”

　There is something strange about this. To begin with, it hasn’t been that long, and Yuuya rarely make mistakes like this.

“I feel like we just met the day before yesterday.”

“Really?”

　Yuuya’s eyes are swimming. And his eyes seem to moisten up.

　I stare at Yuuya so as not to miss even the slightest change.

　When I take a closer look, there is no doubt that it is indeed Yuuya, but his atmosphere is clearly different from the day before yesterday. It’s as if you’ve met someone you haven’t seen in about a year.

“Yuuya, did something happen?”

　I dare to ask him directly.

“What do you mean by something?”

“Hmmm, like the look and the atmosphere? I feel like you’ve changed all of a sudden.”

　Yes, I feel like he’s become very mature or masculine in some way. Not in a bad way, but an obvious change.

“Aren’t you imagining things? People don’t change that quickly. And it’s not like anything in particular has happened.”

　Yuuya says to cover it up. For some reason, he seems to try not to make eye contact with me.

　I suddenly feel uneasy. I wonder if he’s found a girlfriend?

“Is it really~… maybe you’ve got a girlfriend?”

　I jokingly but seriously asked. And yet I’m afraid to hear the answer.

“Buh! Idiot! There’ s no way!”

　For a moment, Yuuya looks at me as if I had just said something unexpected and replies.

　This is not a face when he is telling a lie. Yuuya’s lie is immediately apparent to me.

　I’m a little relieved that my worst-case scenario didn’t come true.

“That’s right~. Yuuya, who has never had a girlfriend in his life, doesn’t have that kind of resourcefulness.”

“I don’t want to be told by Akane, who has a history of not having a boyfriend.”

“Excuse me! It’s not that I can’t have a boyfriend, I just don’t make one!”

“He he, I’m sorry about that.”

　The usual interaction with Yuuya. It’s fun.

　Not only that, my heart is pounding and my mind is racing. I’m somewhat disturbed by the fact that Yuuya right now looks so cool somehow.

“Well, it doesn’t matter. I have a place to stop, so I’m going home.”

“Where are you stopping?”

“Mc*. I’ve got a sudden craving.”

　I panic a little.

　The uneasiness from this morning has already gone away, but I still can’t stop myself from wanting to be with Yuuya today.

“I’m coming with you! I haven’t been there in a while.”

“The Mc* in front of the station, right?. I’ll go ahead and reserve a seat.”

　I said that and started up the scooter without listening to Yuuya’s reply.

　This way, the usual Yuuya should be able to chase after me with a bitter smile on his face.

---

　When I arrived at Mc* in front of the station, I placed my order and took the empty seat.

　The restaurant was almost 80% full, but I was glad I was able to secure a seat.

　As I waited for Yuuya, I wondered if I had been a little too pushy. I was half convinced that Yuuya would come, but I wanted to do my best to not give Yuuya any poor impressions.

　Not long after, Yuuya comes into the store.

　Looking at his appearance, I again have the impression that “he’s different from before.”

　If anything, his presence is unusual. The moment he entered the store, all eyes turned to Yuuya.

　Yuuya doesn’t seem to mind that much as he finishes his order, receives his food and walks over to me.

　The way he carries himself is reminiscent of a tiger or some other large cat-like animal, which gives him a sense of strength and gracefulness.

“…I knew it, Yuuya, you’ve changed!

　I press on to Yuuya.

“Not again.”

　Yuuya says in a dumbfounded, yet somewhat deceptive manner.

“The atmosphere, the way you walk. Also, there’s something different about your body shape. And the atmosphere.”

“I’ve been working out lately, and that’s probably why it looks that way, yes?”

　Do you think working out will change you that quickly?

　Of course, I don’t think it’s a bad thing for Yuuya to become better looking. When I think about the future, my anxiety increases, but that can’t be helped.

　But honestly, it’s frustrating to see Yuuya changing without my knowledge. If you’re going to change, I want to change you with my own hands. What am I saying?

”…By any chance, have you fallen in love with me?”

　Yuuya suddenly said such a thing.

　You can tell from his expression that he’s just teasing me, but I’m struggling to control my agitation.

　I’ve been in love with Yuuya since long ago. That is, ever since junior high school.

“Huh? Do you want to drink Coke from your eyes?”

　I’m embarrassed, and I can’t help but say that while glaring at Yuuya.

　I really hate myself for not being honest.

　After that, Yuuya and I have a casual conversation, and then we decide to go home.

　I love watching Yuuya ride his motorcycle. He looks very happy and loving as he rides his bike.

　At the same time, I am a little jealous. I want to ride it once in a while too… Not that; I want him to care for me like that too.

　In fact, I’m carrying out a plan that I’ve been keeping secret from Yuuya. If that plan is accomplished, I will be able to spend more time together with him. Maybe.

---

　I didn’t have an afternoon lecture the next day, so I decided to go to the station to hang out with my best friends Nana Aizawa aka Nacchan.

　I met Nacchan at university.

　She’s a good girl, very sweet and lovely. She’s a bit quiet and shy, but we hit it off right away and since then we often go out together and visit each other’s houses. The only complaint I have is that she has bigger breasts than me.

　When we were browsing through clothes and accessories together, we were approached by three guys.

“Hey, student?’ Do you want to hang out with us?”

　I often get picked up like this when I’m with Nacchan.

　When I’m alone, I’m rarely picked up like this, which is something I can’t accept. It’s true that Nacchan is cute even to me as a woman.

“I’m sorry. We’re very busy.”

“Don’t say that. I know a good place.”

　This time he’s quite persistent. He comes closer than he should, blocking our path.

“I told you I’m busy! Get out of my way!”

　My boiling point was low to begin with, and I raised my voice. There are many people around, but no one I could seem to count on.

“Yo! What’s going on?”

　Suddenly, another person calls out to us.

　My heart leaps. Why does he always arrive at such a perfect time?

　As it was, he intervened between us and the men as if to protect us.

　Yuuya is talking about something with the three guys who have been picking on us.

　Come to think of it, I’ve never seen Yuuya fighting with anyone much. I wonder if he’s okay. I’m worried.

　A few moments later, I saw three pickup artists hurrying away, bowing to Yuuya.

　What in the world did he do? They didn’t seem to fight with each other, though.

　I tried to pursue it, but I was kind of misled.

　It seems that Yuuya was also here to do some shopping.

　Without a moment’s hesitation, I offer to accompany him.

　Nacchan, who knows how I feel, laughs and agrees to go with me.

　The three of us go into the UNI*LO shop a little further down the street and do some shopping.

　The tall Yuuya looks good in whatever he wears. It’s not a biased opinion of someone in love. Yup.

　The proof of this is the female customers in the store who keep glancing at Yuuya. It is somehow not very interesting.

　I pulled Yuuya’s hand and recommended clothes to him to show everyone around me.

　Nacchan looks at me and chuckles.

“Something about Kashiwagi-kun’s atmosphere has changed, hasn’t it? A little eye-catching?”

　Oh, even Nacchan says such things. It’s a bit troubling.

　Honestly, I don’t feel like I can win if Nacchan becomes my rival.

　I’ve heard that Nacchan has someone she likes, and it’s not Yuuya, but she’s too shy to tell me the details.

　I hope Yuuya won’t get too much of a crush on her. (TL : Sorry not so sure about this part)

---

　We left the store after buying quite a few clothes.

　He said he happened to make some money in the lottery or something. He usually saves the extra money right away, but that’s just how it is.

　I told him that I was going to have dinner with Nacchan before going home, and Yuuya agreed to come as well.

　When Yuuya sent a text message to his younger sister, Ayumi-chan, about it, she ended up coming too.

　Ayumi-chan has a bit of a BroCon, and seems to think of me as her rival.

　I don’t dislike her, though. I don’t think she dislikes me, but she thinks I’m not interesting.

　We met up with Ayumi-chan and we went into a nearby family restaurant chain.

　The four of us finished our meal while chatting happily. Of course, we finished our dessert.

　I felt like Ayumi’s love for her brother had sped up, but I decided not to worry about it. But her appetite surprised me. It seems that no matter how much she eats; she doesn’t get fat. I’m really jealous.

At first, I had planned for us to split the bill,  but Yuuya paid for all of it because he could afford it.

　I was joking about making him treat me at Starbucks, but I wonder if he was serious.

　Next time when Yuuya is out of money, I’ll pay for the whole thing.

---

　As we were walking home after a pleasant meal, we heard a tremendous noise. It seemed to be a traffic accident.

　I couldn’t see it directly, but people started to get noisy.

　Soon, Yuuya gave us instructions.

Somehow, He seems to be very familiar with the way he gives those instructions, To put it bluntly, it’s really cool. 

　I follow his instructions and act to check on the other party in the accident.

　As I was following Yuuya with my gaze, just before he cut through the crowd, I thought I saw his entire body enveloped in something like a faint light. Since it was only for a brief moment, I assumed it was a mistake of some sort and resumed my action.

　I approach the car that I believe is the other party in the accident. The front part of the car appears to be quite damaged. The driver appears to be still inside the car.

“Are you okay?”

　When I looked into the car to see if he was injured, I saw a man in his mid-20s making a phone call without a care in the world.

“I had an accident, and a bunch of people showed up. Oh, man, give me a break~”

　I heard that voice through the slightly open window.

　It pissed me off. It just pissed me off.

　I banged on the car window and forced him to open the door.

“What are you doing here without even calling an ambulance?”

　I yell at him.

　The guy gets out of the car with a frown on his face and looks annoyed.

　I look at Yuuya and see that Yuuya is taking care of the collapsed girl? I saw him holding out his hand. I don’t know what he’s doing.

　Yuuya’s hand and the girl’s body are surrounded by a faint light.

　I was curious, but I couldn’t help but watch. I start to walk while pushing the man towards Yuuya.

“Ah, today’s not my lucky day.”

　I yell at the man who is still talking like that after all this time.

“Hey you! She’s lying there injured! What are you thinking?!”

　The man seemed to mutter something, but I didn’t hear it.

　But suddenly, Yuuya grabbed the man by his chest. The man’s legs were completely floating.

　When I looked at Yuuya in a hurry, his eyes were tinged with anger.

　This is bad. If this continues, Yuuya might punch the man.

　I don’t want Yuuya to get injured or caught by the police Officers because of this man.

　I held onto his arm and tried to pull him away, but his body didn’t budge.

　A few moments later, as we heard the sirens of the ambulance, Yuuya finally let the man go. Thank God.

---

　We were finally released after explaining the situation to the police officers who arrived afterwards.

　Yuuya looked very unhappy, however…

　We saw Yuuya and Ayumi off as they rode home on Yuuya’s bikes, and we decided to leave too.

　In the end, I couldn’t ask Yuuya what the light that enveloped him was.

“Did you see that light, Nacchan?”

“Light? What Light?”

“The light that came from Yuuya’s body when he was with the collapsed girl.”

“’Hmm, I didn’t see Kashiwagi-kun then~. I wonder maybe he was in someone’s shadow.”

　Nacchan should have been calling the police at the scene of the accident, so I don’t think there’s no reason for her not to see Yuuya.

　I was curious, but decided not to continue with my words.

“But it was cool, wasn’t it, Kashiwagi-kun?”

　I giggled and looked at Nacchan and she looked at me with a smile like her prank had been a success.

“I guess we’ll have plenty of Akane’s story after this today, huh? You were hugging Kashiwagi-kun, right?”

“What? No, that wasn’t a hug or anything…”

　My face heats up as I remember the feel of Yuuya’s arms as I cling to him.

“Oh well, it’s okay. You should stay at my house today.”

　Nacchan forced her way home, while pulling on my arm as I panicked.

---

Author Note :

Yuuya tries desperately to hide it, but it’s pretty obvious.(lol)

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