Chapter 31: The Ice Lady and A Proof of Friendship

The day after inviting Chiaki and Hinami to the house, after a normal day at the school while the couple are constantly grinning, the intercom rang once during dinner.

“Please excuse me.” Fuyuka said as she walked in the door, looking no different than usual.

Looks like the concern about Fuyuka being bothered to be called “just a neighbor” was nothing to worry about.

I felt silly for being the only one who was conscious about yesterday.

Asahi had changed his mind about such thoughts after eating.

“…I’m sorry, for slowing you down.”

 

“Don’t worry about it.” Fuyuka made a small apology, however Asahi encouraged her with a short and straightforward statement.

This same exchange already happened five times today.

Sitting on the edge of the sofa, Fuyuka’s expression was clearly gloomy.

This was not the first time that I had seen Fuyuka get depressed over a failed cooking attempt.

One mistake a day was the norm, and every time it happened, Fuyuka looked frustrated.

But then again, Fuyuka made a lot more mistakes today.

Mistaking salt for sugar, or forgetting the cat’s paw.

Just when you thought she splashed grease all over the floor, she slipped her hand and dropped the plate in the sink.

Fortunately, she was not injured, but one wrong move and she could have been hurt.

It was as if her mind was wandering somewhere.

“Are you worried about what happened yesterday?”

When I suddenly remembered Chiaki’s words and called out to her, Fuyuka gulped.

And then an awkward silence soon fell.

This short yet long silence surely represented affirmation.

So, Asahi waited patiently for Fuyuka’s words.

I won’t force you to talk about something you don’t want to.

If I had been so blunt, I would have asked her why she was acting as the “Ice Lady” a long time ago.

And I’m sure she would have rejected me and not opened up.

“…I don’t know the answer to the question last night.”

Eventually, Fuyuka, who had been facing down in silence, spoke up in a faint voice.

The question that was asked last night was probably what Hinami asked.

―Hey, hey, Are you friends with Asahi?

From that moment until now, it seemed Fuyuka had been searching for the right words to answer.

“…For a long time, I avoided the idea of friends. Not associating myself with anyone and preferring to live alone. That’s what I thought for sure.”

Asahi listened to Fuyuka’s words in silence, keeping the questions of why and for how long floating in his mind.

I’m not talking to the Ice Lady right now, but rather I’m talking to Himuro Fuyuka.

From the inside of the cold ice that she covered herself with, she revealed her true feelings that were filled with warmth.

“…Yet, for some reason, when you told me that I was just a ‘neighbor,’ I felt a bit hazy. I thought I wanted it to be that way, I thought that’s what I wished for… I wondered what kind of relationship we have, but I can’t seem to find an answer…”

Asahi carefully received each of the words that were slowly being said in a small voice.

Apparently, Chiaki’s point was right on target.

Fuyuka had been concerned about the words “just a neighbor.”

The reasons for this were unclear and difficult to ascertain.

However, the same feeling could be understood by Asahi.

I’m sure we got too involved with each other.

“Just a neighbor,” those words felt fiercely uncomfortable and disgusting to describe this relationship.

“I didn’t mean to say it. It’s just something I had to say to calm the situation.”

“…Is that true?”

“Yeah, I promise.”

I looked up a little and gave Fuyuka a strong affirmation.

I kept thinking about it until I fell asleep last night.

The relationship between Kagami Asahi and Himuro Fuyuka.

“…I consider you to be my friend. I don’t know how you feel about that, though.”

“Friend.” It felt embarrassing just saying it.

My cheeks heated up a bit and I could feel my heart beating faster, even if I didn’t want to hear it.

However, without showing his embarrassment, Asahi looked at Fuyuka, who opened her eyes slightly.

Our eyes met for a moment, and then Fuyuka immediately turned her head down again. I couldn’t see her expression because of her long hair, but I’m sure she reacted to the word “friend”.

Asahi also didn’t know what could be considered as friendship.

The definition of a friend was not clearly defined.

There was no proof of that relationship anywhere.

But anyone could be considered a friend.

Himuro Fuyuka was a friend.

That was the conclusion I came to after a night of thinking.

“I… consider you to be my…”

Fuyuka then paused.

The silence that fell again had a somewhat warm feeling to it.

“I think I want… to be friends…”

“…What do you mean ‘you think’?”

“Because there’s nothing to prove that we’re friends…”

I laughed a little, surprised that we’ve had similar thoughts.

And I wrapped my head around the problem.

A proof of friendship – it was an invisible connection that couldn’t be put into form.

However, there was one thing.

I recalled a way to let someone know that you consider them as a friend.

“…Fuyuka.”

I tried to speak as straightforwardly as I could, but my voice drastically blurred.

As I thought it was embarrassing, I unconsciously scratched his head.

I resisted when Hinami forced me to call her by her name.

When it came to doing it voluntarily, Asahi couldn’t help but look away from Fuyuka, unable to see the other person’s reaction.

“It’s not uncommon for people to call their friends by their first name. If you don’t like… I’ll stop.”

I think it will be proof of our friendship – sending that message in the midst of silence.

I don’t know what kind of expression Fuyuka had on her face, or how she felt when she received the words.

After a few moments of silence, a voice reached Asahi’s ears.

It’s faint, weak… yet clear and beautiful.

“…Asahi…kun.”

When his name was called, Asahi reflexively turned to the owner of the voice.

Then, their eyes met perfectly.

Fuyuka looked straight and unwaveringly at Asahi.

“Will you be… friends with me?”

Her cheeks, hidden by her silky glazed hair, were the reddest they had ever been.

Her caramel eyes, reminiscent of jewels, glittered with a thin transparent film.

Cute, such a simple thought dominated Asahi’s mind.

My heart was beating at a tremendous speed.

A warm heat arose from inside my body.

Even without looking in the mirror, it was clear that I was now the same color as Fuyuka.

“…Of course.”

I wondered how long I had been gazing at Fuyuka.

After finally coming to his senses, Asahi spoke back short and blunt.

Why was it that just calling each other’s names felt so special?

What was the identity of these fluffy feelings swirling around in my mind?

There was so much I really didn’t understand.

Recently, I have been encountering many difficult problems that I cannot solve alone.

Nevertheless, there was one question that I can give an answer to, with confidence.

Kagami Asahi and Himuro Fuyuka were friends, and this answer would get a big red check mark.

In this way, we can slowly find the answers one by one.

“Just concentrate on cooking tomorrow, I don’t want to clean up any more grease, alright?”

“Why are you bringing up that story now…?”

“You looked so gloomy just now, so I couldn’t bring myself to tell you.”

The expression on Fuyuka’s face right now was very calm and seemed to be gentler than ever.

She seems to be sulking a bit for pointing out the catastrophe an hour ago, but this was fine.

She looked gloomy, which was just a pretense.

The truth was, he wanted to change this itchy and embarrassing atmosphere.

He tried to calm the heat that was spinning through his body and the pulsating heartbeat in his chest by talking as before.

But unfortunately, it didn’t turn out the way Asahi wanted it to.

“…You’re such a tease, Asahi-kun.”

Asahi almost opened his mouth impulsively at the words that were spoken.

This time for sure, the four letter word “cute” was just at the tip of his tongue and he stopped it just in time.

‘That’s not fair…’

The slightly pouting cherry blossom lips and the charming eyes confused Asahi’s mind. Fuyuka sometimes unconsciously acted in a way appropriate to her age, which was bad for his heart.

More importantly, he still couldn’t seem to get used to being called by his first name, even though he had started it himself.

And it seemed that Fuyuka was the same in that she was still not used to it.

“Asahi-kun.” Fuyuka slightly blushed after calling him, and she smiled perhaps to hide her embarrassment .

And again the expression on her face was so adorable, and when he finally couldn’t look directly at her anymore, Asahi turned away and started preparing for the study session.