Now that we’ve got that out of the way, let’s take a look at what happened last time.

My childhood friend, Kisaragi Yuika, is a beautiful, reclusive girl.
She’s been a recluse since a year and a half ago, right after she entered high school.

But Yuika finally got the chance to take a step outside.
By writing a novel and having it read by people on the posting site, she regained her connection to the world.
Time, which had stopped for her, began to move from here. If this is a story, then our second chapter will surely begin here.

“I came here thinking how deeply moved I was, and today…”

My face stiffened in the middle of the room.
At my feet was my childhood friend who is rolling around on the floor, wasting away.

“I want more and more bookmarks! I want feedback and reviews too! I want more and more people to look at this!”
“This girl is really…”

Last night she was crying like ‘I’m just happy that someone read it,’ but after one night, this is what was left.

“Oh, for goodness sake, I was so moved, you konoyaro!”

Hold her head tightly. I ruffled her hair like I would wash a dog’s hair.

“Yaaa!”

Yuika screamed like she was in a slasher movie and scampered towards the bed.
Well, I guess she was more of a rabbit, not a dog.

“What are you doing all of a sudden? Do you have any sense of decency, Souta, to ruffle a maiden’s hair like that?”
“That’s my line. The first novel you have written is not going to go so smoothly, is it? Don’t take everything for granted, and expect to get knocked down.”

“Well, it’s not like I’m completely new to this.”

Fixing her messy black hair with a hand comb, Yuika’s lips twitched.

“When I was in elementary school, I used to write poems every day about Souta.”
“What? Poems about me? What’s that? I’ve never heard of that!”
“There’s no way I’ll tell you. If I told you, I’d explode and I’d die.”
“In other words, it’s 100% pure black history!”
“Souta will die as an added effect.”
“Taking me with you…!? What’s with that super high-level spell! It’s not like you’re going to die from being triggered by your childhood friend knowing it…”

I haven’t had a chance to read her novel yet either.
I wonder if Yuika’s creations are something on a different level for me… scary, I’m scared.

I shuddered and realized that I was being fiercely stared at.
Yuika was sitting on the bed with her face in her knees, looking at me.

“Why are you backing away? Would you hate it if I wrote a poem about Souta?”
“No, I’m not backing away, and I don’t mind…”
“Sounds fishy. What are you really thinking?”
“Well, I’m having a hard time understanding…”

Because what a girl of that age is supposed to do when she writes poems?
That’s a pretty in-depth statement though.

“Fuuu, I don’t even understand Souta anymore!”

Yuika pulls the covers over her head and shifts into bun mode.

She’s sulking. It’s very unreasonable to feel like I’m the one who’s at fault.

I’m sure she’ll be in a good mood in five or six minutes even if I leave her alone, but it’s payday and I have a prepaid card on hand.

“Here, here, Yuika. What do you think this is?”

I slowly insert the card into the head area of the futon. It’s like feeding a small animal that’s holed up in a den.
I thought this would put Yuika in a good mood and she would come out, but…
Something unexpected happened.
Taking off the futon, Yuika stood up vigorously.

“Oh no, I forgot! I was going to tell you about my decision today.”

She clutched the card and muttered something.
Decision…? What is that about?

“Souta.”

She got off the bed and held out her arms toward me.

“—Hug. Price of the day.”
“Ah, yeah. … Got it.”

On days when I get paid for my part-time job, I buy her a billing card as a souvenir and she gives me a hug in return.
It’s a routine of ours that started somehow.
So I hugged Yuika as usual. I could feel her soft touch through her pajamas, and the smell of her shampoo tickled my nose. A feeling of happiness filled my heart. But.

“Souta. More… tightly.”

“What, more? … Like this?”
“More, more.”

I put all my strength into my arms as I was told, and our bodies came into close contact with each other.
But Yuika nuzzled her face further into my neck.

“More. I want to stick with Souta to the limit.”
“No, no, you know what, I can’t keep my reason anymore…”

I stepped back, fearing that one part of me might get into trouble.
But then, as if by chance, Yuika came after me with her legs entwined. I’m going to be in real trouble if she reaches my waist.

“What’s wrong, Yuika? We can’t go any further than…”
“It’s okay.”

Yuika said, squeezing me tightly.

“I don’t care about reason anymore, just hug me until I break!”
“Don’t you care about what happens to you!?”

I hugged her so tightly that I couldn’t be aware of the boundary between our bodies, and I couldn’t tell whose heartbeat was beating more loudly.
Yuika hugged me back just as strongly.

“Souta, Souta..!”
“…Guh, Yu-Yuika!”

It was the first time I had ever shouted out Yuika’s name with so little reason to spare. I really, really felt like I was going to lose my reason.
Just as the tension reached its peak, Yuika looked up.

“Souta, I—”

It was not the usual… words that were said.
Yuika continued.
With a bright red face and clear, straight eyes.

 

“I’ll do my best—to make you like me!”

 

For a moment, my mind went blank.
I was so surprised that I lost the strength in my arms.

“Do your best to make… who like you?”
“You, Souta!”

She puffed her chest in a cute way.
It was a straightforward declaration of war from my childhood friend.

No, no, no, it’s too sudden!
What am I supposed to do?

I was just so shocked.
But I guess from Yuika’s point of view, it was nothing sudden.
My childhood friend was smiling and smugly said, “hehe, how’s that?”

No, seriously… I was unprepared for this. And this is how the second chapter of me and my reclusive childhood friend began.