My Japanese Childhood Friend Is Too Flirty

66. My childhood friend is so cute, I’ve made a big decision. (1)

Deep down, this is what I was thinking.

After the three months that Aki had promised me, she’d give up trying to seduce me, return to the Aki of old, the usual cute and slightly bewitching childhood friend.

But, I was wrong.

September, October, November, and then December.

Time flowed on, and winter arrived with only a month left in the second semester of our freshman year.

Aki, instead of stopping her seductions, spurred them on even more, saying she would make me pay the price for not falling for her in three months.

More intense than any seduction she’d attempted thus far.

Truly, she hadn’t actually taken her clothes off, but she showed me all sorts of cosplay and s*xy lingerie that was practically the same thing as being naked.

As a result, I had reached my limit.

With my childhood friend’s seductions becoming more and more intense and daring with each passing day, I reached a point where I could no longer endure it.

I’m not joking, really. I’m being completely serious. If Aki had made the first move, I wouldn’t have been able to hold back.

Because Aki sincerely wanted me to be unable to resist her seductions and to roughly pounce on her.

Because Aki, waiting with bated breath for me to make the first move, adhering to some strange personal philosophy that ‘naughtiness is started by the man…!’ was why I hadn’t crossed the line until now…

If Aki hadn’t possessed that strange philosophy, I would have caused an accident already, several times over.

My patience was as weak as damp Hanji paper.

If anyone touched it even slightly, it would become so thin that a huge hole would be punched right through!

…Anyway.

It was getting to the point where I was even starting to think this.

That if things continued like this, I’d end up causing a proper accident.

Before I, unable to overcome Aki’s seductions, caused an accident, I needed to take some special measures.

So, during lunch break, I called my friends together.

Usually, our basketball crew only ever insulted and fought each other, but when I told them I had something important to say, they all gathered without complaint.

“No, so what’s this thing you want to talk about?”

“Quit wasting time.”

“Hurry up and say it, I want to go play basketball before lunch is over.”

“… “

It wasn’t a gathering without a few grumbles, it seems.

I cleared my throat once, scanning them all.

Jaehyun, Seongmin, Byeongjae, Seungwoo.

Dongho and Jihun were off playing basketball, but even including them, they were always my steadfast friends.

“So, listen… Don’t freak out, alright…?”

“Huh? What is it?”

“Don’t tell me you’re getting a s*x change?”

“Or dropping out?”

“Ah, I get it. Both, then. That’s one hell of a decision?”

“I’m… going to confess.”

“Confess what? To who?”

“Wait a minute, is this b*stard two-timing someone?”

“No, damn it, two-timing? What is this, are you crazy? Seriously gone mad?”

“Explain it in detail. Confess? What’s that supposed to mean?”

While Jaehyun, Byeongjae, and Seongmin were running wild with their imaginations and cursing me out, Seungwoo alone looked at me with a serious expression and asked.

I looked towards Seungwoo and slowly said,

“You guys know, right? That I have a childhood friend in class one.”

“Yeah, we know. You mean that one with the pink hair? But isn’t she your girlfriend?”

“Wow, how can you even think about confessing to someone else when you have a girlfriend like that? This guy’s something else.”

“Ju-woo-ju is definitely something else. That guy’s got a monster dong.”

“I saw him in the bathroom yesterday and it was even bigger than the last time I saw it. At this rate, he’ll be wearing it around his waist by next year?”

“Wearing his d*ck as a belt? Damn. The color’s similar too, so people will mistake it for the real thing and misunderstand.”

“…*pfft*.”

“No, just listen for a second…”

I rarely swear, but a curse almost slipped out without me realizing.

I barely managed to suppress my anger and, after regaining my composure, continued speaking.

“I’m going to confess to her.”

“Yeah, so who *is* she?”

“Who else would it be? My childhood friend in class one, of course.”

“What are you talking about? Am I the only one who doesn’t understand?”

“Wait, isn’t she your girl? Why would you confess again, then?”

“Why else? Because she’s not my girlfriend.”

“She’s not your girlfriend?”

“Nope. Not her.”

“…….”

“…….”

“…….”

“…….”

Silence.

Everyone but me had clamped their mouths shut, staring.

No words spoken, but their eyes screamed, ‘What in the world is this guy saying…?’ Feeling their gazes, I cautiously added a word.

“Didn’t I tell you? We’re just childhood friends….”

“You never told us, you crazy fool!”

“Whoa, I just got goosebumps.”

“Wait, hold on. So you’re telling me you’ve been k*ssing and hugging a girl in front of everyone even though you’re not dating?”

“I’ve seen you two dating inside and outside of school, like, all the time, you know? Going to karaoke, room cafes, sharing *Bungeoppang*, holding hands, licking each other’s lips after?”

“Weren’t photos from a hotel, a swimming pool, and some ski resort your profile pictures? …I’ve seen so much, yet you’re saying you’re not together? That can’t be right. You’re messing with us, aren’t you?”

“…….”

Astoundingly, I wasn’t messing around.

Despite all that we had done together, just as they said.

Aki and I were, in fact, not dating…….

‘…Well, whatever.’

If I were to offer an explanation… I’d say that I thought we were practically dating, so it felt awkward to make a big declaration about it now.

And lately, Aki had been flirting with me nonstop, so there hadn’t been a good opportunity to bring it up.

It’s true, she never missed a chance to expose her pale skin and make my heart flutter.

If I confessed under those circumstances, wouldn’t it be understandable for her to interpret it as a signal that I wanted to get physical?

“No, I’m not messing with you….”

“Saying that right now is messing with us, you idiot!”

“But, Woo-joo.”

Seung-woo cautiously spoke up.

“Wasn’t it, like, practically official the moment you started doing all that? Why bother confessing at this point?”

“Ah, you’re right. I bet she’d be thinking, ‘Why is he suddenly making a fuss…?’ or something like that, huh?”

“…Well, that’s…”

They asked, so I brought it up. But I haven’t the faintest how to explain it.

*‘Aki keeps seducing me, and at this rate, I don’t think I can take it anymore, so I’m telling her that I’m hers, and she just needs to wait a little longer. Even if she begs me to hold on until we’re adults, I won’t be able to, so I’m confessing to tell her to wait just a little longer….’* Of course, I can’t say that out loud.

“Maybe there’s some other reason you have to confess? Like, she specifically asked you to, or something?”

“Right. Girls like that sort of thing, don’t they? Some kind of grand gesture.”

“Ooh, that makes sense. Pretty plausible, actually?”

“Hmm, do you think…?”

Sungmin, Byungjae, and Jaehyun all chimed in agreement, while Seungwoo, alone, tilted his head in confusion.

The three of them didn’t seem to catch on, but Seungwoo’s suspicion meant he definitely knew something was up.

However.

“Oh? Ah, that’s right. She asked me to confess…”

“…Well, if Uju says so, then I guess so?”

They chuckled under their breaths at my awkward excuse, nodding along, clearly pretending they didn’t know exactly what was going on.

“Anyway, so recommend some confession lines, alright? Something slick.”

“With that face, what do you need confession lines for? Just go up to her and say, ‘Bear my child,’ and you’re golden.”

“Or you could create a group chat and confess there. Like that meme, you know, ‘Who’s gonna announce it now?’”

“The way I see it, even if you made a group chat with the entire freshman class and sent, ‘Bear my child,’ they’d all be okay with it.”

“Wouldn’t that be a turn-off and make her dump him, though?”

“Nah. I saw them hanging out the other day, and she’s into whatever Ju Uju does. What was it? Something about the region that loves books the most is Northern Europe or something, and she was pecking him on the cheek and linking arms, saying it was funny?”

“Wow, that’s real love…”

“You two can’t let each other go, ever. You should stay together forever.”

“…Ah, come on. I’m being serious here.”

“I’m serious too, you moron.”

“Yeah, just go and roughly ask her to date you. What are you agonizing about?”

“Damn, thinking about it makes me angry. Why am I helping this guy come up with confession lines when I don’t even have a girlfriend?”

“……”

I guess I can’t really expect any help from these three.

I looked towards Seungwoo, the one who, at the very least, was well-disposed towards me.

“Hmm, in my humble opinion.”

Seungwoo, arms crossed, tapped his bicep with a finger.

“Since you’ve known each other for a good while already, instead of preparing something too grand… how about a simple gift along with the confession?”

“Oh, a gift. What would be good?”

“Girls like all sorts of things, don’t they? Something to eat, or a cute doll, maybe.”

“But it’s a confession gift. Is that really okay? Shouldn’t I give something a little better? Like a ring, or a necklace?”

“Nah, you can give them that sort of thing after you’re officially dating. A confession gift should be something that doesn’t feel like too much pressure. Because, you know, the gift could be too expensive and she might reject you because she feels burdened. Of course, she probably wouldn’t reject you no matter what you gave her, but, there’s always that ‘what if.’ Since you’re going to confess anyway, isn’t it better to avoid a gift that carries a risk?”

“Ah, I see…”

A confession gift could feel like a burden if it’s too expensive. I’m learning something new here.

“Seungwoo, what did you give when you confessed?”

“Chocolate. She really liked sweets, you see.”

“Ah, chocolate. What did she say when you gave it to her?”

“Said she hated chocolate.”

“……”

“……Pfft, I’m joking. She said she’d enjoy it, and that she’d buy me something tasty later on.”

“You did end up dating, right…?”

“Yeah, we dated. Didn’t last long, though.”

“Really? Why did you break up?”

“She said it was obvious I liked another girl and couldn’t date me like that.”

“Ah…”

“……Well, anyway.”

Seungwoo cleared his throat.

“That’s all the advice I can give you. You can handle the rest on your own, right?”

“Yeah, thanks, that was a big help.”

“Hey, why aren’t you thanking us? We gave you advice too, you know?”

“Yeah, you crazy fool, go and say it already. ‘Will you bear my children?’ ”

“No, no, you can’t just go and say it. You have to invite her to the group chat and say it where everyone can see.”

“Ah, that’s right. Make sure to invite us to the confession too, so we can watch from the front row.”

“……You guys should just go get some sleep.”

“Well, look who it is, showing up after making time, and *that’s* how you talk?”

“See? I told you, you shouldn’t take in a black-haired beast.”

“If you succeed with the confession, ask her to set us up with girls. Let us have girlfriends, too.”

Pretending not to hear my friends, whose words weren’t helping, I subtly got up from my seat.

“Where you going?”

“Don’t tell me you’re confessing right now?”

“Whoa, that’s some serious action.”

“……What are you talking about? I’m going to the restroom, okay?”

* * *

[Akiya]

[Are you free for a bit after school today?]

[Yeah, I am]

[But why??]

[I told you before, about buying you something sweet]

[We both ended up forgetting and didn’t eat it, right?]

[Ah, did we?]

[Yeah, we did. So let’s go eat something you want today]

[How’s that?]

[Whoa, sounds good ♡♡]

[Okay, then see you later~]