Chapter 38: A Childhood Friend Who Closes The Gap Due To An Incident VS Someone Who Didn't Even Know The Incident Existed

A Childhood Friend Who Closes The Gap Due To An Incident VS Someone Who Didn't Even Know The Incident Existed

Three days have passed since I asked Tomohiro-kun to defile me and got rejected.

Time flies.

I did exchange messages with Shota-kun, who sent me a worried email afterwards, and told him that I got home without any problems and that I didn't think Tomohiro-kun was too upset, so there's no problem there either.

Mama, who saw Tomohiro-kun and me and wondered if something had happened, was worried about me.

When I told her that I was almost attacked and that I was saved thanks to the security alarm, she smiled and said, "It's good to be prepared." 

It's so cute, Mama-sama. Only a goofy, innocent Mama-sama can win.

I may be pretty, but I'm a reincarnated person who stinks of sewage inside. I can't compete with a real beautiful girl.

Aside from the fact that I'm no match for Mama-sama, I've had some pretty dangerous experiences, so my Dad scolded me.

Girls never know what dangers might lurk, so they should take better care of their bodies.

Of course, I treasure this high-spec body that Mama bestowed upon me. That's true, but looking at my actions alone, it's understandable if he thinks I lack a sense of danger. A normal girl wouldn't sacrifice herself to protect her childhood friend.

By the way, while I was scolded like that by my Dad, Tomohiro-kun also seems to have been thoroughly scolded by the neighbor mom.

From her perspective, Tomohiro-kun had put me, someone she cared deeply about, in danger. Apparently, she simply continued to scold Tomohiro-kun, regardless of whether I told her to or whether everything turned out okay.

Hikari-chan is so loved!

Poor Tomohiro-kun, being targeted by a bad person is something that would normally cause worry, and yet he's still being scolded so relentlessly.

But whether or not it was thanks to that scolding, Tomohiro-kun has changed. 

Honestly, it seems like his stronger motivation is to become someone worthy of me. But the reason doesn't really matter.

What's important is that Tomohiro-kun, who'd always just followed me around like a chick, has now begun to walk on his own will.

It's a bit inconvenient for me to see Tomohiro-kun become independent, though. But hey, this delicious snack is trying his best to make himself even more delicious. It'd be a shame as a producer not to support him.

I watch over the boy who's begun to raise himself for me, feeling a little lonely.

This is a life, not an object, so it's inevitable that he'll develop a will of his own someday.

In fact, it was quite late for him to develop a will of his own. Was he trying to achieve self-reflection or something? No, he wasn't. Is it my fault?

Now, let's take a closer look at a day in the life of Tomohiro-kun, who is trying to become a great man.

...Interview permission? There's no need for that. After all, it's Tomohiro-kun. My lack of consideration has hindered Tomohiro-kun's growth. Reflect on this.

Done?

Good, do more.

Tomohiro-kun's mornings begin with the sound of the morning bell. The moment he hears the bell rang by his cute childhood friend to wake him up, the lethargy that had been overwhelming his body is blown away. His sleepiness disappears in an instant, as if he's been injected with some kind of dangerous drug, and he wakes up with his eyes wide open. My presence makes him sleepy, like he's drowsy. He looks like he's on meth.

As for the before and after, I guess you could say that he's getting up earlier than before.

Until now, I'd had time to chat with the neighbor mom, but for the past two days, I haven't.

The neighbor mom seems a little unhappy. Be happy, your son is growing up.

He says he'd like to eventually be able to wake up on his own without me having to wake him up. He's already set the alarm. I'm impressed. Habits that have been maintained for years aren't easy to change, so be patient.

When Tomohiro-kun wakes up in the morning, he heads to the bathroom, then comes in for breakfast. He's still in his pajamas at this time.

Unlike me in my pajamas, he doesn't look that cute, so I'll skip this part. If he were cute, I'd gaze upon him every day as if licking him. I'm always licking my sister's, after all.

Okay, that's just a metaphor. I'm not some pervert who always looks lewdly on my family either. Don't get me wrong.

Back to Tomohiro-kun. After breakfast, he goes back to his room to get changed and get ready for school.

I'd follow him, but I don't have the vulgar hobby of peeking at boys' bodied.

...Do I have a hobby of peeking at girls' bodies? I look closely at my Mama's body, no need to peek. They're so beautiful. It really inspires my creativity.

While I'm waiting, I chat a bit with the neighbor mom, and then Tomohiro-kun, who's finished getting ready for school, arrives and the timer stops.

Yep, your time has improved by about 10 minutes.

That means you've been wasting a lot of your time up until now, so you should reflect on it.

You've reflected on it, and that's why you've been able to improve your time? Good job, good job.

I can't reach him like that, so I make Tomohiro-kun squat down and pat his head when he comes right in front of me. It must be so embarrassing to be petted by a girl in front of your mother. But he enjoys being petted. The fact that he doesn't resist or run away is proof of that.

...Neighbor mom, don't give your son a murderous look.

I head to school with Tomohiro-kun, who still looks embarrassed. As for the before and after, I'd say that Tomohiro-kun, who used to walk half a step behind like a Yamato Nadeshiko, now walks beside me.

A Yamato Nadeshiko should walk three steps behind. What a half-hearted kid.

Another big difference is,...

"...Hikari-chan, your luggage is heavy today, right? I'll carry it. No, let me carry it."

... Not that Tomohiro-kun came to me to be my gofer... but that the way he called me reverted to the way he used to call me. 

The reason he started calling me Mashiro-san in the first place was because his self-esteem had reached a minimum, and he felt that pretending to be my childhood friend, even though he wasn't worthy of it, was a sign of his potential growth.

"Right now, it's not appropriate, but I'll work hard to become someone worthy of you, little by little. To achieve that, I want to start with the formality," Tomohiro-kun said.

I told him it was fine to call me Mashiron or Pikarin, but he still wanted permission to call me by that name. He's such an interesting guy. I never get bored of watching him. It tastes like home cooking.

Although he's not the main character, Tomohiro-kun being a gofer... and willing to carry heavy things for me is also a sign of his growth.  

Up until now, he'd been thinking things like, "Will she be annoyed if someone like me offers to carry her luggage...?"

He essentially thought the relationship was reciprocated, and worried that I might dislike him, so Tomohiro-kun's self-perception was a mess.

Who's fault is this? ...Well, who's fault is it, I wonder?

My heart aches a little, knowing where the blame lies so clearly. But I don't have the kind of weak heart that would be ruined by a little pain, so I was invincible.

As expected of a reincarnated person, their heart is dirty. Dirty and strong...

I think you should stop mistaking a lack of empathy for a strong heart. That's not cool...

Ahh, just kidding! Hikari-chan, you're amazing for being able to understand other people's feelings! I'm not saying you're uncool, so don't cry!

As usual, tears flowed from my sudden, matter-of-fact, words, and a surprised Tomohiro-kun comforted me.  

As expected of Tomohiro-kun, as you'd expect from a childhood friend, he's used to dealing with my emotional instability.

Amazing, amazing.

... I know it's a little late to say this, but I wonder why I'm so emotionally unstable. I wasn't like this in my previous life, so I think it's because I was reborn, or because of this body. I think so, but if that's the case, then I can't explain why my Mama and little sister, who have the same body, aren't unstable either.

Hmm, ...It's a mystery.

He wipes my eyes with a handkerchief made specifically for wiping tears, and I feel so much better when he comforts me.

My eyes don't get swollen from crying, so I really do have a strange body. If I were to collect the seven wonders of my body, I'm sure I'd find nine.

Thinking about such silly things, I arrived at school, greeting everyone with a smile and 1.3 times more energy than I usually do.

I had assumed that there would be some mild bullying from middle school and high school onwards, but thanks to our friendly and wonderful class, nothing happened.

Maybe it's because I'm just too cute.

Maybe I'm so cute that no one feels like bullying me.

Lookism, banzai!

Everyone at school already knows the story of how I was almost attacked by some thugs and saved by Shota-kun and the others.

Someone from the karate club had told it somewhere. It caused everyone to act a bit self-conscious, so to clear things up, I wanted to reassure them that I was safe.

That was the reason for the 1.3 times increase in my greeting.

But yesterday mostly cleared up the misunderstanding, so I think it's okay from today onwards.

Forcing myself to act cheerful is quite stressful. Especially since it's 1.3 times more stressful this time, so the stress level is only increasing.

"Mashiro! Are you okay!?"

So, just as I was reducing stress and taking care of my skin, the door slammed open and a boy came running in.

It seemed like it was Satoshi-kun from another class who was so flustered he'd forgotten his usual awkward greeting.

Your information is slow.