Chapter 17

Suddenly, I felt like trying something I’d never done before.

Not just staying inside reading books all the time—something else entirely.

The reason for this shift in thinking… it was thanks to Yuu.

Yesterday, when we ate ice cream together, I found myself thinking that this summer might actually be fun.

…No, more than that—I wanted it to be fun.

Not another uneventful summer like the ones I’ve had so far. I wanted something more. Something better.

That’s why I wanted to try doing something new, something I’d never done before.

…Lately, I’ve felt like I’ve been changing.

A while ago, there’s no way I would’ve even thought like this.

But now I’m changing—for the better.

Little by little, but it’s real. All thanks to Yuu.

I peeked into the living room from behind the door, making sure to stay out of sight, and quickly glanced around.

It was ten in the morning.

I knew that she usually did chores in the living room around this time on Sundays.

…There she was.

Right in the middle of the room, Yuu was wiping down the table.

She was less than ten meters away from where I stood. Just a few steps, and I could reach her.

“…Tch.”

Calm down. You’ve run through this a dozen times in your head.

There’s nothing hard about it. Just talk to her like you always do.

“…Phew.”

I took a deep breath and focused.

I made up my mind to move forward—and just then, Yuu finished wiping the table and walked off toward the kitchen.

The distance between us widened without mercy.

“…”

…W-Well, it happens. These things happen. I’ll just try again next time.

Even if not now, I’ll have plenty more chances.

I returned to my room and sat in my chair.

“…Sigh.”

This might sound sudden, but—when someone who doesn’t have any friends wants to do something with another person, what’s the first big hurdle they face?

Does it depend on the person? Sure, maybe.

There are probably a bunch of different hurdles depending on why someone doesn’t have friends.

But if I’m talking about myself specifically, the answer’s simple.

It’s asking the other person.

…How do you even ask someone to hang out?

I’ve never done it before, so I have no idea how I’m supposed to go about it.

It’s been half a day since I started thinking about trying something new.

I decided to make plans to go somewhere with Yuu—my best friend—but the plan was already stalling right from the beginning.

“…Ugh.”

Now that I think about it, Yuu and I haven’t gone out together even once in the past two months.

I never go out except for school, and Yuu usually goes out when I’m not home.

So this whole plan is something completely new to both of us.

And that makes me nervous. What if she turns me down? What if she hates the idea? Yuu doesn’t really seem like the type to go out much, anyway.

I even kind of wish she’d be the one to invite me.

…No, no, come on. I know I’m the one who wants this. Wishing for her to take the lead is way too pathetic.

Still, it’s hard to ask… What should I do?

I stood up and peeked into the living room again.

“What have you been doing this whole time?”

“Wah!”

Before I knew it, Yuu was standing right in front of me.

My heart jumped from the surprise.

“You’ve been looking this way for a while now…”

“N-No, it’s nothing really…”

Stay calm—this is your chance, isn’t it?

Just ask her now, before you miss it again.

I took a deep breath and gathered my resolve.

“Um—”

“Um—”

Our voices overlapped.

Uh… now what?

“Y-You go first, Yuu.”

“Really? Okay, I’ll go then.”

I prompted her to speak first.

Not gonna lie, I was definitely trying to delay it a little.

“I kind of need to talk to you about something… I, um, don’t really have many clothes…”

“Clothes?”

Now that she mentioned it, we hadn’t bought any new clothes for her in the past two months.

“So… I was wondering if maybe… you could buy me some?”

Yuu looked up at me apologetically, her voice soft.

Clothes, huh. I don’t mind buying them.

I mean, clothes are a necessity. It’s only natural to buy more when needed.

…Wait a second.

Now that I think about it—this is actually the perfect opportunity, isn’t it?

“Sure. Then let’s go this afternoon.”

“Really? Thanks!”

I agreed, and just like that, we made plans to go shopping together.

In the end, it was Yuu who invited me, so I did feel a little pathetic.

…But more importantly, I got to make plans to go out with her.

…Yeah. Next time, I’ll do better.