My Japanese Childhood Friend Is Too Flirty

69. My Childhood Friend Is Too Cute, a Big Decision. (4)

Evening.

Playing with Sogeumi, that slightly arrogant cat, before I knew it, dusk was settling. It felt like we had only just started, but already it was past afternoon and into evening. The saying about not realizing your axe handle is rotting while enjoying the life of a hermit must be for times like these.

Anyway, Aki and I, after spending a few hours at the cat cafe, hurriedly made our way outside. Of course, not before exchanging farewells with Sogeumi.

‘Sogeumi, be good! Your unni will definitely come play again later! …Okay, Uju~chan, say goodbye!’

‘Huh? Ah… Be good.’

-Meow.

‘Yeah, Sogeumi says he’s going to miss Uju~chan!’

‘…Where exactly did you see that?’

Well, truth be told, it was more of a one-sided thing than a mutual exchange, but still.

In any case, after finishing our goodbyes like that, we immediately boarded the bus, and after a 20-minute ride, we got off at the bus stop near Aki’s house.

The reason we got off near Aki’s house is because Aki’s house and my house aren’t that far apart, and Aki’s house is in the middle of the way to my house.

Since we’re going the same way anyway, I can safely take her home and then go to my own place. That’s been our routine until now, too.

However, this time, the situation is different.

I’ll take Aki home as usual, but I don’t intend to send her inside right away.

Because today is the day I decided to confess to Aki.

Even though I failed at the dessert place because there were too many people, and at the cat cafe, my plans were derailed by an unexpectedly long time with Sogeumi.

It’s even better, though.

Thanks to the variable making things late, the sunset is deeply painted across the sky, making the surrounding atmosphere even better.

“Hey, Uju~chan!”

“Huh?”

The only problem, however, is the timing, I suppose.

The conditions were right, and I’d even scouted the perfect place, but I couldn’t for the life of me figure out how to set the mood, how to even begin. Never you mind that I’d never had a girlfriend before.

You need some kind of experience to reference, to *do* anything, really.

“Remember that promise we made, about raising a cat someday? I didn’t just say that, you know? You have to keep it, alright~?”

But, still.

With Aki subtly, no, outright, appealing to me with that “let’s raise a cat together~” line again and again.

I couldn’t just stand idly by, floundering for the right moment to confess.

‘Since I’ve already decided to confess anyway.’

If I had to do it, it had to be now. Was it not better to seize this instant, while a whimsical tale of our future slipped so playfully from Aki’s lips?

If I got too serious, Aki might feel inadvertently pressured, so maybe I should also act nonchalant, like ‘Then, shall we start dating now?’ kind of slithering over the confession, like a snake over a fence.

“…….”

No, maybe that’s not quite right…?

“Ah, why aren’t you answering? Don’t tell me, Uju~chan, you *don’t* want to raise a cat with me…?!”

“……Um, no. It’s not that.”

“Mmm, not that?”

Aki tilted her head, gazing up at me with an innocent expression.

I, momentarily hesitating, my head overflowing with the looming question of ‘How do I confess…?’

‘Ah, forget it…’

I closed my eyes tight and spoke.

“If we’re going to raise a cat together…I guess we’ll have to live together first, huh?”

And immediately, I stole a glance to gauge Aki’s reaction.

Even though Aki had been the one to make the initial appeals, there was still the chance she might dislike the idea, or just not be entirely on board.

If I sensed even the slightest hint of that, I would say it was a joke, that I was just talking, that she didn’t need to take it seriously.

“……Hehe, I suppose so?”

Aki linked her arm through mine.

Smiling gently, contrary to all my needless worry.

“Then, we can live together after graduation. We can get a place near the university… Hmm, how’s that sound?”

“…….”

How does it sound?

Only that the thought alone is wonderful…

“……I’ll think about it.”

Speaking with a touch of gruffness that belied my true feelings, I wriggled the fingers of the arm Aki was holding.

Was she doing it knowingly or by accident? Every time she linked arms with me, she kept pressing against my chest, and casually kneading my biceps and triceps, so it was impossible for me to keep my hands still.

“How long are you going to take to think about it?”

“Hmm, maybe… about two years?”

“What, two years? That’s too long. Think about it for just one day!”

“The day’s ending in five hours, I don’t think I can even think about it…”

Answering vaguely, I glanced around at our surroundings.

The location we were at now was an intersection near the bus stop.

If we walked just a bit further, we’d reach Aki’s house, and my destination, the playground nearby, meant I had to go right from here.

“Aki-ya.”

“Yeah, why? Are you going to live together?”

“…No, it’s not that.”

I gestured with my eyes toward the path on the right.

“There’s still plenty of time, so how about we chat for a bit before heading home?”

“Chat…?”

Aki’s gaze followed mine to the right.

If you kept walking down that road, you’d find the deserted playground we used to play at when we were kids.

Aki seemed to remember it too, looking at me with an expression that asked if I was thinking what she thought I was.

I nodded slowly.

“It’s been a long time since we went. How about we bring back some old memories for a change…? What do you say?”

“……Heh, sounds good!”

* * *

That playground, the one I dragged Aki out to, against her grandfather’s warnings.

It had been 11 years since we first came here, and we hadn’t visited at all since we became middle schoolers, so I guess it had been about 4 years since we last stepped foot here. Even with that much time passed, this playground looked exactly like it did 4 years ago, no, 11 years ago.

The bench where Aki and I played house was still there, the swing where Aki and I played house was still there, the jungle gym where Aki and I played house was still there, and the sandbox where Aki and I played house was still there.

“……”

It felt like I only had memories skewed towards one thing, but… well, I enjoyed it in my own way, too…

After briefly looking around at the nostalgia-filled equipment, I took Aki and walked deeper inside. Then, Aki, as if she had turned back into her childhood self, lightly grabbed my arm, pulling me along while speaking in a slightly excited tone.

“Woo-joo~chan, look at this. Do you remember this swing and seesaw? Heh, how is it exactly the same as back then…?!”

“I guess they repainted it?”

The rides, meticulously maintained over the years, still gleam with their former glory.

Without a word exchanged, Aki and I found ourselves instinctively drawn to the bench we’d shared eleven years prior, settling down cautiously.

“This bench… it’s been a while, hasn’t it?”

“Yeah, four, five years? Feels like ages, eh?”

“Mmm, something like that? Heh…”

Aki snickered, glancing up at me.

Puzzled by her sudden amusement, I stared back. Aki then gave my shoulder a playful nudge.

“Woo-joo~chan, you know what? Your arms… they’ve gotten seriously thick. It kinda gave me a shock, actually.”

“Oh, really?”

“Uh-huh. They were already pretty big, but now they’re, like, *suuuper* buff. Compared to when we were in elementary school, you’re a completely different person!”

“Well, if you’re going that far, *you’re* practically a different person too, you know?”

“Am I? I don’t feel like I’ve changed that much~?”

“No way, you’ve changed *a lot*. Your face, your height, your personality too.”

It feels like just yesterday you were saying you didn’t need any other friends but me , but there is a change of attitude now. Not to mention physical appearance, the way she treats people and her personality have changed a lot.

Come to think of it, back in elementary school, Aki would get instantly jealous if I even hung out with other friends.

Looking back on it now, I can say that if she had kept that personality, we will be in big trouble now. Maybe it’s an exaggeration, but i wouldn’t even think of playing with my friends back then.

“Heeeh, my personality….”

Just as I was thinking how lucky I was that things had changed for the better, Aki flashed me a mysteriously knowing smile.

“What is it?”

“Oh, nothing…. I just think…Woo-joo~chan might be mistaken about something.”

“Huh? Mistaken about what?”

“Mmm, never mind. It’s fine if you don’t know….”

Her voice trailing off, Aki leaned her head against my shoulder.

“But Woo-joo~chan, are you planning on going to sports college later on?”

“Huh? Why the sudden question?”

“Well, you’ve been working out *really* hard lately. Whenever I ask you to hang out on the weekends, you’re always like, ‘I’m working out right now,’ or ‘I’m at the gym, let’s meet up a bit later.’ So, I was just wondering if you maybe wanted to go to sports college~?”

“Ah.”

So, that’s why she’s asking.

I understood the intent behind the question. But answering it felt… complicated.

Because the reason I was working myself to the bone exercising… was none other than Aki herself.

As I’ve said before, Aki’s temptations, growing bolder by the day, are building something up inside me, but I have no proper outlet for it right now. That’s why I’m exercising to the point of exhaustion, releasing those dark impulses in a relatively healthy way, you see.

But if I were to tell Aki this…

She’d love it, probably. Asking why I’m dealing with it through exercise, implying there are better ways to relieve the buildup, testing me again.

“No, I don’t particularly want to go to sports college. But I am thinking of it as a means to an end. The more options I have for getting into university, the better, right?”

It felt like I could already see the future, so I hid my true intentions and gave her what I thought was a sincere answer.

“Well, yeah, but are you sure you’ll be okay? I’ve heard from friends that the sports college entrance exams aren’t easy…?”

“It’s not like I’ve decided to prepare for sports college yet, so it’s fine. It’s fine. Even if I did prepare, it shouldn’t be a problem. The *hyung* I got close to at the gym said he’d help me if I decided to prepare for the entrance exams, just to say the word.”

His name is Kim Sunwoo, and he actually goes to sports college. For some reason, he’s been fond of me since I was in middle school, teaching me different exercises and assisting me.

“Hey, aren’t you seriously thinking about preparing for sports college? I can teach you everything from beginning to end. If you’re going to do it, I’ll coach you, so think about it seriously~” That’s how persistent the *hyung* has been in urging me.

“Ah, I see. Is he trustworthy?”

“He is. There aren’t any bad people among those who like *soejil* anyway.”

“Heh, what is that supposed to mean? Where in the world did you hear that?”

“It’s a real saying, you just don’t know because you don’t do *heolseu*, Aki.”

“Yes, yes. Sure you do~”

Aki gave me a pretty smile while treating my words like a joke.

Judging by her expression, she’s just brushing it off, but I was quite serious. It’s been about three or four years since I met that *hyung*, but I haven’t seen anyone quite like him. He’s funny when he needs to be and serious when he needs to be, so he’s kind of cool.

If he was closer to my age, I’d even want to introduce him to a girl I know, which kind of says it all, doesn’t it?

“Oh, speaking of which, what about you, Aki? Do you happen to have any career paths in mind?”

“Atashi? Hmm, atashi is….”

Aki drew out the end of her sentence, tapping playfully on my arm.

“I don’t have any specific plans like wanting to do something or deciding to pursue this path later, but.”

“But?”

“I definitely want to have children and raise them. Not a lot, just about three….”

“…….”

A cough escaped me involuntarily.

I had asked if she had any dreams for the future or hopes for her career, but I was suddenly confronted with a random family plan, which left me fl*stered.

“As Uju~chan knows, atashi is an only child, right? So I was very lonely when I was little. I also thought it would have been so nice to have an older sister, younger sister, older brother or younger brother.”

Whether I liked it or not, Aki, still holding my arm, massaged my bicep leisurely and continued to speak.

“So I want at least two children. If there’s enough room, I’d even like to have three. That way, our children won’t be as lonely as atashi was.”

“…….”

“Understood?”

“…Huh? Understood what.”

I pretended not to know, even though I had a rough idea what she meant.

It wasn’t intentional, but a primal defense mechanism had sprung up, and Aki laughed as if she expected nothing less.

“Our Uju-chan, I wonder…when will you ever be honest with me?”

“……”

“Hehe, why? Uju-chan, do you dislike Atashi?”

“…No, I like you.”

“Mhm, Atashi too…”

A pause.

Aki flinched, as if she were about to say something.

“W-What, what did you just say…?”

“…I said I like you.”

“……Huh?”

“…I said I like you.”

“……”

“……”

“……”

“……”

“…………Eh, Ehhh?!”

Aki’s face turned bright red.