Chapter 51 Conflicting Feelings

This all happened before I entered high school.

Asanagi took a deep breath. She really had prepared herself to tell us this story. The way she spoke was so easy to understand that even I, who had nothing to do with her back when she was in middle school, could empathize with her easily.

The younger Asanagi was still Asanagi, huh?

Anyway, I escorted Nitori-san and Houjou-san away before she started telling us her story, so they werent here currently.

If they were here, I didnt know what Amami-san would do to them.

T-thats So, when you said your parents didnt have enough money to pay for your tuition and you had to go to a different school

That was a lie, Im sorry. I just wanted to run away from everyone. I didnt think I could handle it if that situation were to go on any longer Because of that, you went as far as following me here, Im sorry

No need to be sorry! Umi is my best friend! Sure, Sanae-chan and Manaka-chan are also my friends, but youre irreplaceable to me! Sure, in exchange for that, my parents got really mad at me and I have to study hard for my exam, but its all worth it! A life without you, I dont think I can handle that, Umi!

I could understand her feelings.

Asanagi was the first person who reached out to her. If Asanagi turned a blind eye to her back then, who knows what wouldve happened.

Yuu, you said that Im your best friend, right?

Eh? M-mhm

That was the source of the problem Dont get me wrong, Im happy to hear that from you, but that was the reason why everything turned out like this

Eh?

Actually, I did confront those two. Back at the graduation ceremony, I asked them, Why did you two lie to her at that time?

That explained why their faces stiffened up when they saw Asanagi.

They told me, If it werent for you, she would smile at us more often,, Even when you werent there, all she was thinking about about was you, we were her friends too, it isnt fair! And even after I decided to leave you, you still thought about me and abandoned them

I could understand that.

When I saw Amami-san for the first time, no, when I saw her smiling face for the first time, I thought to myself, A girl this cute does exist, huh?. Im sure everyone in the class also thought the same.

For better or worse, Amami-san was just that charming.

Since those two girls had been hanging around her for years, it would be normal for them to feel jealous toward Asanagi.

As you started to blend into our group of friends, I felt more and more left out because everyone would only look at you. The girls who used talked to me often started to ignore me and only talked to you

The friends that she loved and cared about, were starting to be taken away by Amami-san before she noticed. Just thinking about it made me wince.

And this girl had put up with it for years.

But, in the end, everything was my fault, no? I was the one who introduced you to my friends. I was the one who told you to smile. Theres no way I could tell you to go back to your gloomy self just to make me feel better I couldnt do it

Amami-san did nothing wrong. She was just doing her best to live and have fun. And like Asanagi said, in the end, she brought this upon herself.

If at that time she didnt reach out to Amami-san, she wouldnt lose her friends, but if she were to do that, then what would happen to Amami-san?

Everything was a mess.

Neither of them did anything wrong. Things just turned out horribly wrong.

Then, the reason why you didnt tell Amami-san about our relationship is

Mhm. I didnt want her to take you away from me

By keeping Amami-san and I away from each other, she tried to minimize the possibility of that happening. In addition, I couldnt care less about getting more friends, so my circumstances were perfect for Asanagi.

I, who wanted to stay away from the rest of the class, and Asanagi, who didnt want to experience that pain again.

We managed to keep our relationship a secret for a while, but of course we simply couldnt hide it from Amami-san.

You could say that we were too careless about keeping it a secret from her, but she was bound to find out eventually.

Hey, Yuu.

What is it?

Do you like me?

Of course I do! Youve always been my best friend ever since I first met you!

Me too. I love you so much But at the same time, I hate you Im sorry, I must sound really selfish now

Umi

She loved her, but at the same time she hated her.

The two conflicting feelings existed at the same time in her heart.

Seriously

Why were human emotions so difficult to understand?

Sorry, I think I need some time to calm down.

Umi, wait

Its fine, Yuu. Im not going to run away. I just need to be alone for a while, okay?

After saying that, she walked away and blended into the crowd.

I had a vague idea on where she went. The whole school was crowded, so if someone needed to be alone, there was only one suitable place.

Im going outside for a bit, Amami-san. I have a lot to talk about with her, after all.

Maki-kun

She told Amami-san to not follow her, not me. So she cant say anything if I were to follow her.

Shell probably call me an idiot again, but who cares.

Please, Maki-kun The only friend that can help her is you I think she needs you more than anyone right now

Roger. Dont worry, Ill bring that dumbass back real quick, okay?

After receiving Amami-sans blessing, I chased after Asanagi.

I understood Asanagis feelings. As promised, Asanagi had laid bare her feelings to me.

All I needed to do was to give her my response properly.