Chapter 35: A Friend From The Past (4)

"Tsubasa, you do know the punishment for cheating, don't you?" Chinatsu said, her tone ominously calm.

"Huh?! Uh, n-no, I wasn't cheating on you or anything, I swear!"

"Then, kindly explain why you touched her shoulder when she leaned on you. I saw everything from outside through the glass." Her eyes turned as cold as ice. If I didn't explain myself quickly, I'd probably find myself on the receiving end of a judo throw. She was rather skilled in judo, after all. "I want a clear and honest explanation of what's going on here."

I audibly gulped. Chinatsu's aura was practically oozing with bloodlust, making even Suwano take a step back. What are you doing, Suwano? Aren't you going to help me out here?

"I'm starting to count to three..." Chinatsu began.

"Wait, Chinatsu, it's not what you're thinking," I stammered, my voice trembling. "Suwano and I were just... catching up! We used to be classmates, and we were reminiscing about old times, that's all."

Chinatsu's expression remained as frigid as ever, but she didn't interrupt.

"I swear, it was completely innocent," I added hastily. "There's absolutely nothing going on between us. You're the only one for me, Chinatsu."

I lied, of course. There was also Natsumi, but revealing that in this situation was out of the question.

"Not a good enough explanation... two." Chinatsu's countdown continued.

Seemingly, she wanted a more detailed explanation, and I was at a loss for how to provide one. I wasn't accustomed to situations like this, and I definitely didn't want to go through the accusation of cheating ever again. It felt like I was being interrogated by a relentless detective determined to pin the crime on me.

"Chinatsu, please, just listen. Suwano and I were friends since middle school. We haven't seen each other in years, and today was the first time I've come across her. I didn't expect to run into her, and when I saw her, I wanted to say hi, catch up, and reminisce about the old days. That's all it was, I swear."

Chinatsu glanced over at Suwano. Her eyes softened for a moment, but then the frostiness returned. I attempted to glance back at Suwano, but Chinatsu's glare forced me to keep my focus.

"Alright, I'll accept your explanation. It seems like you're just friends, nothing more. But hold on a minute. I thought your friend was a guy? See? You're lying to me!"

"W-Well, I have more than one friend, you know."

"Cheating is a big no-no, Tsubasa..." Although she softened her gaze somewhat, a trace of bloodlust lingered. "You still value your manhood, right?"

"Let's not delve into that topic, please."

I couldn't forget the messages where Chinatsu jokingly (I hope) threatened to cut off a certain body part if I ever cheated on her or Natsumi. I had no interest in finding out if she would actually carry out those threats. I wanted to continue enjoying my intimate moments with both Chinatsu and Natsumi. So how the hell was I supposed to extricate myself from this mess? I glanced over my shoulder at Suwano standing behind me. I couldn't see her expression, but she was my only hope in this situation. She was the person Chinatsu suspected me of cheating with, so her word might hold some weight.

If Suwano affirmed that we hadn't done anything inappropriate and were just friends, it might bolster my defense against the cheating accusation. Granted, coming from Suwano might not be the most convincing testimony since she was the very person Chinatsu was suspicious of, but it was worth a shot

No risk, no reward, right?

I turned around, about to ask for Suwano's help, but my words caught in my throat when I saw her expression. It wasn't the usual sullen and glaring look she often wore. She appeared...sad.

I couldn't pinpoint why, but seeing her like this tugged at my heartstrings. I didn't understand my own emotions. Why did I want to hug her right at this moment? I couldn't make sense of it. My thoughts were a jumbled mess.

Suwano turned her gaze towards Chinatsu and offered a smile. It was the saddest smile I had ever seen from her. Without me prompting her, she decided to speak up in my defense.

"Don't worry, miss. I'm just an old friend of your boyfriend's. We used to hang out, nothing more."

She looked at me. I thought her eyes were a little bit teary, but I couldn't be sure. "And you, Kurogane. You shouldn't be hanging out with a girl like me anymore since you have a beautiful girlfriend. Even the cashier there is having weird ideas."

I looked at Ichinose who was the cashier. She was looking at us, but the moment our eyes met, she averted her gaze and just smiled wryly.

"Besides, it's not like you're my type anyway. You're completely not my type at all. Haha," Suwano laughed, though there was a tinge of pain in her laughter. "It's not like I'm your type either, right?"

I didn't shake my head. I simply let her continue.

"I'm sorry, but I think it's time for me to go. My friends outside are waiting for me. It was nice catching up with you, Kurogane. I hope you'll make your girlfriend happy."

She turned to leave.

"You bet," I replied.

Suwano glanced back for a moment, but then, she quickly averted her gaze and resumed walking away.

"Suwano," I called after her.

She stopped in her tracks. "What?"

"Let's meet again."

I felt a need to say this. If I didn't say it, it felt like she would disappear from my life completely, like this was the last time we would ever meet. Saying those words was a reassurance to myself, a glimmer of hope that we might cross paths again someday.

She didn't reply immediately. She just stood there, and there wasn't any awkwardness in the air, only tension hanging between us.

"Yeah. Let's," she finally said.

With that, she left the convenience store without buying anything. I watched her figure as she slowly disappeared from my view.

At that moment, it didn't feel like things would ever be the same between us, but I hoped against hope that it wouldn't come to that. I hoped that when we did meet again, we would still be friends.