ALL NOVEL Chapter 45
“Ooh, so you’re actually taking Shizuna-chan out somewhere?”
“Yeah. Well, it’s sort of a date, but…”
Ryuichi was at his part-time job, and today Satsuki hadn’t come to the club, leaving him alone with Chisa. It was easy for him since he only had to deal with her alone, but apparently the manager had heard that he’d come down with a cold the other day and thus told him to only take on Chisa for the day.
“Seriously though, there’s no way this is considered proper work, is there…?”
“I think it’s okay. I mean, you are like a son to the boss too, aren’t you? That’s why he got worried when he heard you were bedridden with a cold.”
“Hah?”
Incidentally, Chisa also knew about his cold, as if it was as a matter of course. He knew that Shizuna had Chisa and Satsuki’s contact information, but he didn’t expect her to have the manager’s contact information as well.
“Well, I’m the one who told him, though.”
“So it was you.”
Apparently, the culprit was Chisa. Ryuichi glared at her, but she continued chugging her beer as if she didn’t care at all.
“That’s just how worried she was for you. She’s going to make a great wife, y’know?”
“…A wife, huh. I’ve never thought about that.”
Even though he’d had quite the number of relationships with women, he’d never thought about that kind of future. It was only now that he could do whatever he wanted, but once he was older, he would have to consider his future more seriously.
“………”
Shizuna had said that she would always be by his side. It was as if she was declaring that she would support him not only while he was in high school, but for the rest of his life as well. He knew her well enough to be sure that she would never leave him, no matter what he chose to do.
“………”
“You’re overthinking things too much, you know~?”
She stood up from her seat with a thunk and hugged Ryuichi. The smell of alcohol was more powerful than her sweet, feminine smell, and his expression turned into a frown, but he didn’t push her away.
“She’s by your side because she wants to be. She just wants to; that’s all there is to it.”
“…Really, now?”
“Yes, really. For the record, I’m not saying that’s bad, y’know? Shizuna-chan, Satsuki, and I are here because we want to be with you; that’s it.”
Her words were extremely honest and straightforward. She stared intently at Ryuichi as she told him that they were with him only because they wanted to be with him; nothing more, nothing less.
“Leaving me and Satsuki aside, I’m sure Shizuna-chan will never leave you. I’m not saying that because I know her all that well myself, but her will seems rock solid, and she seems to care about you more than anyone else.”
Ryuichi had thought it over so many times, yet he could never reach a conclusion as to how he and Shizuna had gotten so close with each other. Perhaps there was some sort of corrective force from this world. Despite the vastly different relationship he had with her now, perhaps it was just his destiny to meet Shizuna and get close to her.
…I’d definitely hate it if that was true.
If his relationship with Shizuna was somehow predetermined, he wouldn’t like that. After all, he wasn’t following the story; he had gotten to know her through his own way of life and spent time with her from then on.
“……?”
“What’s wrong?”
It was then that he suddenly stared at Chisa intently. If he were to interpret her earlier words as they were, it would mean that Shizuna would not leave him, but Chisa and Satsuki might.
“…Does that mean you and Satsuki will leave me?”
It was true that the only relationship he had with them was that of sex friends. However, if he had to say whether their relationship was deep or shallow, he would answer with the former, which was precisely why he could keenly tell that he was deeply emotionally connected to the two. That’s why he felt a little sad about the possibility of them parting.
“Haha~, I see, I see. That’s so adorable of you, Ryuichi. ♪”
“………”
When he saw her grinning face, he immediately regretted having said the words he did. Without a second thought, he looked away from her and drank the juice he had on hand, having noticed that the manager was also grinning at him as he washed the dishes.
“Well, that was just a figure of speech, y’know? Whatever changes happen in our relationship, I’m sure Satsuki and I will never leave you either. That’s unless you tell us yourself that you don’t want to see us anymore.”
Of course, it wasn’t certain that their current relationship would last forever. Still, the fact that he wanted to cherish his time with them as much as possible was proof that he had changed.
“I liked the previous you too, but I really like the current you better.”
“Have I really changed that much?”
“Yup. Seriously, I’m so curious about what happened to you to make you the way you are now.”
He wondered what her reaction would be if he told her that he was a different person on the inside…no, if he told her that he had regained the memories of his previous life.
She was still drinking her beer, and the complexion of her face was gradually turning redder and redder in proportion to the growing amount of alcohol she was consuming.
“Maybe I’m a different person on the inside. Or maybe I’ve regained the memories of another me in a previous world…”
“Ahaha, what’re you talking about so suddenly?”
She heartily slapped him on his back as she guffawed. Well, he knew this was the kind of reaction he was going to get, so he didn’t really have much to say in response.
However, the words that followed from her were very warm.
“If that’s true, then you must’ve been a very kind person in your previous life, huh?”
“Guh…”
To Chisa, it must’ve only been a casual remark. But to Ryuichi, the words she’d just said were special. The Ryuichi in this world was undoubtedly none other than Ryuichi; there was absolutely no involvement from his former self. Both versions of himself were truly him, though, which was why he was really happy to hear himself in his previous life referred to that way, even if it was just a casual remark.
“…Heh, I’ve really encountered some nice people, huh.”
“Ryuichi?”
Chisa tilted her head to the side in confusion. Ryuichi asked her this.
“Still gonna drink?”
“Nah, I think I’m done…wait, are you talking about that?”
“Yeah.”
“All right, then. Take me to bed. ♪”
Incidentally, the manager gave him a thumbs up and laughed at him, urging him to go. Ryuichi lifted Chisa’s body in a princess carry and headed to the back.
“………”
“What’s the matter?”
“Nothing…I’m just thinking about how wonderful a man you are.”
“That came out of nowhere, don’t you think?” he said, chuckling. They disappeared into the back room, but did not reemerge until several hours later.
“…I don’t know what to say anymore. I feel like spending my time like this at my part-time job is so wrong.”
“What are you saying? It’s part of your job to serve the customers.”
Seeing his manager acting the same as usual left him unable to say otherwise. Incidentally, Chisa had been in Ryuichi’s arms ever since they came out of the back room, never leaving his side for even a moment.
“You were so incredible today. You were so kind, and so strong… Ah~, geez, you’re really getting me hooked on you.”
“Men get excited when they have nice women in front of them too, y’know? Now that I think about it, maybe that part of me is just too far gone, too.”
“…Geez, when you get like this, you’re just so…”
She placed her hand on his cheek. She gently and tenderly stroked him, as if she were handling something fragile.
“Don’t worry. Me and the girls will be there for you no matter what, so try not to carry all your burdens on your own, all right?”
“Do I look like that kind of person to you?”
“You didn’t. But now you do.”
It seemed that Chisa was really watching him closely. Of course, it wasn’t only her; Shizuna and the others would definitely notice as well, but still, she might’ve been the first to be able to notice before anyone else.
“Well, at the very least, we’re not the only ones watching over you.”
“Huh?”
“I’m watchin’ you too, y’know?”
It was the manager who’d chimed in. He was still wiping down the cups, not even looking at him, but his words meant that he also cared about Ryuichi a lot.
“Listen up, Ryuichi. You may be a delinquent in lots of ways, but don’t forget you’re still just a kid. Don’t hesitate to ask for help if you need it, and if you ever worry either me or Chisa-chan, I’ll fuck you up. Literally.”
“Ahaha!”
“…Please don’t.”
Ryuichi could feel that he was truly serious when he said that, so he made up his mind to never carry his burdens by his lonesome.