Chapter 35: Childhood Friend Chocolate, The Taste of The Moment When Everything Goes Wrong and You Almost Lose Something Important Because Of Yourself (80% Cacao)

Childhood Friend Chocolate, The Taste of The Moment When Everything Goes Wrong and You Almost Lose Something Important Because Of Yourself (80% Cacao)

My childhood friend, whose brain is still regenerating, presents a date plan that doesn't go well.

I, the humble Mashiro-san, will be reporting on the live stream. Here's the digest version.

Now, before I begin, let me explain how difficult it is to escort me.

First of all, I'm cute.

So cute, if you leave me alone, all sorts of ants will come running to me like a dropped candy. In other words, you can't just say, "Wait here for a second." Stay close by. To the bathroom? No, you can't.

Second, we've already ranked each other.

I'm on top, and Tomohiro is on the bottom. Whenever Tomohiro-kun does something cool, I will respond with lukewarm words, like praise for a child trying to act cool. Of course, I don't directly treat him like a kid, but that kind of feeling gets through to him. ...You ask me if I can't hide that? I do it on purpose. Oh come on, I'm embarrassed if you have to make me say that much.

Thirdly, I'm rich.

When Tomohiro-kun, who is struggling to make ends meet with his meager allowance, tries to buy something to impress me, I hit him with a valid argument, saying I feel bad and want to pay for it.

This woman is so troublesome!

What if he wants to give me a present?

Look, a present isn't about the price, it's about the feeling. Even if it's just a cheap accessory to me, if Tomohiro-kun has given up on a lot of things he wants just to buy it for me, it's a wonderful gift.

If you don't understand that, did you even take a proper moral education class?

Yes, all of these factors are why Tomohiro-kun can't escort me well.

...Or rather, is there even anyone who can escort me properly with all of these conditions met? 

Maybe there are.

The world is vast and the possibilities are endless. I'm sure I'll soon discover tens or even billions of things that my tiny brain can't imagine.

...Oh no! I was planning to make a digest version, but I ended up telling you everything without even needing to do so! It's all because of Hikari's incredible ability to explain things.

I hate myself for being so talented.

Eh wait, no way, I don't hate you! I love you, Hikari, so please don't cry!

I was enjoying my lame escort, but suddenly I started crying, and I tried my best to comfort myself.

Tomohiro-kun, who had been escorting me desperately, also panicked, unable to read the situation.

A fourth reason has been added to the list of reasons why it's difficult to escort me: My emotional instability.

What is this troublesome woman? I would lose interest in her in ten seconds... but she has a motherly face, so I can forgive her for everything. Lookism seems to be the strongest thing after all.

"Here you go, Mashiro-san. Drink this and calm down a bit."

Tomohiro-kun made me sit on a bench when I started crying and bought me a drink to calm me down.

Oh no, I've spent 3% of his precious pocket money on something so trivial. Poor guy. But I have to admire his attitude of not being stingy with his allowance for my weak self.

It's frustrating, but today, for the first time, my favorability for Tomohiro-kun rose.

I'll have to lower it later to keep it stable.

I took a sip of the juice he'd bought for me, thinking about what kind of mistake I could make and the horrible thing I'd do to someone who was worried about me.

Hehe, apple juice is delicious.

Sweetness is important after all. When you're feeling down, sweet things are the best. I believe that.

I apologized, saying thank you and sorry for worrying him, and assured him that it wasn't because anything he had done.

If I didn't follow up as I should, Tomohiro-kun would start to think that he had done something bad to hurt me, even though he hadn't done anything.

Once that misunderstanding was cleared up, the mystery of why I was crying would remain, but I'd leave that aside. There was no need for me to go out of my way to tell Tomohiro-kun the reason I was emotionally unstable.

I vaguely dodge the subject and leave the bench. It's still too early for me to tell Tomohiro-kun how I feel inside. I'll wait until much, much more time has passed. Until it's too late. That's fine, that's what I like.

As I was walking, convincing myself of this, a group of guys who looked a little like they were having a blast came towards me. They were the type who spread out sideways without any consideration for their surroundings, intimidating passersby.

Not the type I particularly like. 

"By the way, Mashiro-san, the TV show you told me about the other day was really funny! I don't know what kind of job I'll do in the future, but whatever it is, it will be helpful."

And if I'm not good with those type of guy, then Tomohiro-kun, who is essentially similar to me, is also not good with them. 

...Are Tomohiro-kun and I completely alike?

Compared to the pure Tomohiro-kun, am I like a maggot in a cesspit? Don't say such harsh things. But that doesn't matter right now.

The important thing is that Tomohiro-kun hasn't noticed the older guys in front of him yet. If he had noticed them, he would have distanced himself from them before they even got into his consciousness, so he wouldn't get involved. Tomohiro-kun is a smart kid, so he doesn't try to fight someone he can't beat even if he stands on his head.

...So what will Tomohiro-kun fight against? Well, Tomohiro is a pacifist. He won't fight anyone.　

If that's the case, then no matter how you look at it, this situation is not ideal for Tomohiro-kun. He's standing defenseless in their path, completely locked on to them. Yeah, it's not good. It's very bad. The worst part is that Tomohiro-kun hasn't noticed yet.

Yes, even though I knew it, I acted indifferently. I didn't tell Tomohiro, and pretended not to notice. I knew I was doing something strange. Out of the corner of my eye, those guys were licking their lips as if they had found a tasty prey. 

They all had the air of a good-for-nothing. They were a good match for me, weren't they?

Standing before those good-for-nothings, Tomohiro-kun finally comes to his senses and trembles slightly. He's not big, strong, or trained in martial arts. There's no way Tomohiro-kun wouldn't be scared, surrounded by such rough-looking guys.

It's really, really adorable.

His legs are trembling, but he doesn't turn around and run away. Is that because I'm right next to him? He can't run away because there's someone he wants to protect. No matter how hard he tries, Tomohiro-kun can't protect me, and even though he knows that, perhaps I'm still someone he wants to protect.

When I think about it like that, it makes me kind of happy. I almost feel guilty for not preventing him from getting into this situation.

But there's no other way.

I couldn't bear to imagine the look on Tomohiro-kun's face as he was unable to protect me, his precious friend, and had me taken away from him right in front of him.

I know, my value is too great to lose here.

I shouldn't have done this.  

But the loss of potential value, the devaluation of something that still has a long way to go, is also exciting.

It feels better to destroy a Cards Tower just before it's completed than to build one once it's complete. It's the same thing.

If I think about it that way, the current situation isn't so bad.

Tomohiro-kun stepped forward to protect me, but now one of the guys is picking a fight with him and putting his arm around his shoulders.

If I were to sacrifice myself for the sake of protecting him, it would surely hurt him more than anything.

An incredible wound that would never leave him, no matter what he do in the future.

It's nothing compared to the blissful moment I had imagined, but I thought it would be a happy one in its own way.

It's exciting, even with the knowledge that all my efforts up to now will be for naught.

So, I'm fine with the guys who are bothering Tomohiro-kun being thugs.

I ask the thugs not to do anything bad to Hiro-chan, saying I'll do anything. 

At that moment, Tomohiro-kun's expression of despair contrasts with the joyous smiles of the thugs.

Of course, from their perspective, they're happy and elated to be able to do whatever they want with an exquisitely beautiful girl like me.

I'd have the same expression if it was the other way around.

Well, I don't get involved with beautiful girls or start fights with them, though. It's just an example.

The thugs were happily chatting amongst themselves about how lucky they were to have such a beautiful girl, while their dirty hands were being put towards me.

I watched as Tomohiro-kun desperately tried to stop them, telling them to let me go and that it was no good, but was held back by their strength and unable to do anything.

It was no good, he'd hurt himself for no reason.

Surely Tomohiro-kun wouldn't realize that even if he tried to stop this situation, there was nothing he could do with his own strength, and he'd just get beaten up for no reason.

"Hiro-chan, I'm fine. I'm just going to talk to them for a bit, so be a good boy and wait here."

A clearly forced smile, meant to reassure Tomohiro-kun. A strained expression. And "good boy," a word that is only used to refer to the person being protected.

Tomohiro-kun fully understands the meaning behind it. Now that he's fully reached adolescence, he understands that if I were to be taken away like this, there's no way I'd be able to just talk to them.

But even if he understands, it doesn't mean he can do anything.

When you think about it, which is happier, being able to understand or not?

There is sad knowledge in this world that only brings despair. Abandon all hope, you who possess this knowledge.

But, sorry Tomohiro-kun, but the situation itself isn't that bad. At least for me. So I'll be taken away obediently.

However....

It felt extremely uncomfortable when they touched my shoulders as they laughed vulgarly, making fun of Tomohiro-kun.