Volume 2 - CH 3

“Well~ It’s the first time I met him but he’s pretty intense～ Your little brother.”

After the blind date party at the family restaurant was over, I ordered dessert and a drink at a nearby coffee shop, and an after-party with Shinobu was held. I asked Midori to join us, but she refused, saying she was too lazy. Hikari and Paa san must still be working part-time and so it was only the two of us.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t realize the possibility of Daiki going after you, Shinobu san.”

“The sky’s been spinning around lately~ You’ve only been going out with her for a week, but you were so into her~”

If it had really been only a week, I might’ve been able to throw these feelings aside. But in reality, it had been 10 years. Unlike that night when I was dumped and immediately returned to the past, now that we have completely broken up, it seems that I have done a lot of damage without even realizing it. If I hadn’t gone back in time, I would have made a mistake at work that would’ve killed me.

“Then~? What would Kouki kun, who wanted to be alone with me, do~?”

Shinobu san smiled mischievously while drinking a drink with a lot of cream on it. Even though she should’ve known that it was a hard work to get Shinobu san away from Daiki.

“Anyway, I’ll pay the bills.”

“That’s it~?”

“……That’s all.”

“What the hell~ That’s too bad~”

I’m sure Shinobu san, who’s enjoying my situation, is laughing. I think Shinobu san just thinks she’s playing with her juniors. But I am not. The other Shinobu san’s words were stuck in my ears.

[For me in this era. If you push me, I think I will fall.] I didn’t take those words seriously. It’s not that I didn’t want to go out with Shinobu san. But I have never been conscious of Shinobu san as the opposite sex.

Well, that’s just a possibility. And there’s no way that the adult Shinobu san would remember the feelings she had 10 years ago. That was just a joke. Let’s just say it was a joke.

“Yo.”

I was having a drink too, and somehow. Daiki, who had just bought a coffee, sat next to Shinobu san.

“What are you, a stalker?…”

“I’m not. I just happened to walk into the store and you guys were there.”

Unlike earlier, nothing stirs my heart. Perhaps it was because I was no longer in a hurry to beat Daiki like in the blind that party.

“Anyway, let’s exchange contact information. Or are you dating my brother?”

“I’m not dating Shinobu san. Don’t bother me all the time. If you want to do it, just do it already.”

Daiki rushed at me because he was treated poorly by me at the party, but now I can calmly let it go.

“Eh～Didn’t you stole Kouki kun’s girlfriend～? I don’t want to be friend with that kind of person～”

Because Shinobu san is my friend.

“Well, that’s what she said. Too bad for you. You should make Saki as happy as possible. That’s the part I couldn’t do.”

Finally, I was able to say out loud what I didn’t even think I could say. That’s what adults do.

“It’s not like that, Shinobu chan. I was just asking for advice as a younger brother because my brother didn’t give her any attention. The reason she dumped him is because he’s useless person.”

“Well, if that’s the case, then that’s fine.”

I told Daiki, who’s still obsessed with Shinobu san even though she rejected him.

“Shinobu san is my part-time colleague. If the relationship gets strained, it will be awkward and I will have to quit my part-time job. Do you know? Your allowance comes out of my part-time job. That coffee is my money, too. If you don’t want your allowance cut, don’t mess with my friends.”

This is the power of working adults, simple money abuse. Well, I don’t have much money now because I work part-time, but I’m still working. It works for Daiki who always have fun.

“….Tsk.”

Daiki thought about it for a while, but in the end he really went home this time because he still wanted his allowance.

“…..It seems like you’re back to your usual, Kouki kun. Or rather….you looked a little bit mature～?”

“It’s not just a little, it’s 10 years.”

Shinobu san, who didn’t understand what I said, tilted her head and spoke softly.

“But,……friends, huh-……”

“What?”

“Nn~n. Nothing~”

I talked for an hour with Shinobu san. It was around eight o’clock and we parted

“Bye-bye !”

“Yeah !”

I parted from Shinobu san and headed home. It was around that time.

“Yaa-hoo～”

Shinobu san appeared in front of me. But it was not the Shinobu san I had just met a moment ago, but the Shinobu san from 10 years later

“I came to see you. Here.”

“!?”

And that Shinobu san. For some reason, she was in my arms, and she was smiling in a way I had never seen her smile before.

“W…why are you suddenly hugging me….?”

I was unsure why, so I asked her. The answer was,

“That’s because I’m Kouki kun’s girlfriend~.

If the past changes, the future will change. My new life has begun.