The Guy Friend’s Reaction

The next afternoon after Itsuki revealed his new relationship to Chihiro, he received a text from Nayuta that she had been discharged from the hospital. He offered to come help her out, but she declined, explaining her father was taking care of that. She would then be moving out of the suite at the business hotel she had been living in since late March of this year on the pretext of “focusing on her novels” and spend some time at the family home in Kanagawa prefecture.

Itsuki figured this would happen. He knew Nayuta already took the hour-long trip home a few times a week, but here was this girl living in a hotel, barely even eating, so unable to take care of herself that she wound up hospitalized. No sane parent would want to send their child right back into that same environment.

Your apartment is so far away. I’m lonely

…So cute.

Itsuki reflexively typed “Me too” into the phone but rewrote it before sending. He was a little too bashful for that.

You came over to my place all the time even before you were in that hotel. It’s not that far!

Nayuta replied almost instantly.

You’re right

But now I can stay over all I want without worrying about making the last train. Maybe it’s better if I don’t live within walking distance after all

The term “stay over” made Itsuki’s face warm up.

She had stayed over before, of course, but he remained stoic on those occasions, concentrating wholly on his work or forcing himself to go to sleep instead of dealing with her. Now, though, they were a couple. There was no reason to keep his distance. They could kiss, they could hug, they could touch each other, they could sleep under the same covers. They could even go beyond that if they wanted…probably.

The next time Nayuta stays at my place…what’s gonna happen to me?

A jumble of anxieties and expectations accelerated his heartbeat. He had trouble thinking straight as his thoughts disappeared into a pink-tinged fog. He wanted to see Nayuta soon. He wanted to ask when she’d be over next. He knew he had a lot to do—writing for All About My Little Sister and Sisterly Combat, brainstorming for new series—but his mind was too full of Nayuta to care.

So it takes a girlfriend to feel this kind of…euphoria?

But as Itsuki was letting the happiness wash over him, the sound of the doorbell ringing dragged him back to reality. A little ashamed of his rose-tinted mind, he quickly stood up and headed for the door.

“…Hey…Itsuki…”

Behind it was Haruto Fuwa with a thousand-yard stare.

Haruto had learned of Itsuki and Nayuta’s relationship while chatting over the phone earlier with Kawabe, his editor. The topic had come up after they finished their novel-related discussions, when Kawabe simply commented, “Hey, did you know Kani and Hashima started dating?”

“You’re joking, right?” Haruto replied, unable to parse the concept at first, but it was apparently true.

“Yeah, the boss and Yamagata saw it firsthand. It was exactly like the climax of some romantic drama. It’s funny to think that stuff really happens, huh?”

“…Oh. Wow… Really…?”

…When the call ended, Haruto immediately ran out of his family’s house in Chiba and headed for Itsuki’s apartment.

Now he and Itsuki were seated facing each other at the kotatsu table. Haruto, fresh from catching his breath with some iced tea from the fridge, stared at his companion wordlessly. Itsuki avoided his gaze, a little sheepish.

“………”

“………”

“……………”

“……………What?! Did you want to say something?!”

It was Itsuki who gave in to the silence first.

Haruto answered with an emotionless question: “Is it true that you’re a thing with Nayu now?”

“Ah…yeah,” Itsuki replied, a tad daunted at the excessively direct question.

“Oh,” Haruto whispered back before once again falling into silence, examining Itsuki’s face.

“Ngh…”

…I’m not really anything yet, but when I’m a protagonist on an even level with Kanikou…then I’m gonna tell her that I love her. And I know it’s not fair to her, but I need her to wait until then.

Haruto remembered what Itsuki had told him a while ago, back when Haruto was pushing him to quit screwing around and accept Nayuta as his girlfriend. And when Haruto had replied, “So be it,” he sincerely meant it.

At the time, the conversation felt like something passionate and profound, a private moment shared between two rivals striving to fulfill the same ambition. But hardly a breath later, Itsuki dove right in. If the roles were reversed here, Itsuki would probably be ranting about what the hell Haruto was doing.

“…Huh.” Haruto let out a light sigh, then fell back into staring at Itsuki.

“…………Ughhhhh, all right already!” Itsuki raised his voice. “If you’ve got something to complain about, just say it! Please!”

“Complain?” Haruto listlessly replied. “No, no complaints, really. Just…like…I’m thinking about that one Hermann Hesse story, and I know how Emil felt when he said ‘Now I see the kind of man you are.’”

“That’s totally dissing me, isn’t it?!”

It was, perhaps, one of the most damning things one friend could say to another. It simply wasn’t worth being happy for, or angry at, their companion—there was no value in applying emotion to their relationship at all.

“Um… You really mean that…? You’re that upset…? ’Cuz, like, I’d appreciate it if you’d be all like, ‘What the hell are you doing,’ but… I mean, I don’t think I’m totally the bad guy here or anything…” Itsuki shrugged, crestfallen at the shock.

Haruto gave him another cold stare, and then:

“……………Pfft!”

He blurted out a chuckle.

“Uh?”

Itsuki stared, wide-eyed and confused, as Haruto cracked a smile. “Quit freaking out, Itsuki. There’s no need to feel that obliged to me. You finally got a girlfriend you really like. Be happy for that!”

“Um…okay…”

Itsuki frowned as it finally dawned on him that he was being mocked. But he still felt he owed Haruto something.

“…I mean,” Haruto continued, “you haven’t given up on being as big an author as Nayu, right? Or did you get your anime adaptation, and that’s a good enough finish line for you?”

“Oh, of course not!” Itsuki snapped back. “This anime is just a checkpoint on the highway! And yeah, maybe I got my anime first, but I still have a while to go before I’m equals with Kanikou!”

Haruto grinned at the boundlessly honest declaration. “Then I’ve got no complaints. So be happy! Nayu deserves that.”

“Y-yeah…”

Itsuki blushed a little as he nodded, still a bit anxious.

“…Haruto, are you sure you aren’t angry or frustrated with me?”

Haruto replied with his classic breezy smile. “Nope. Not at all.”

“…Oh. Well, good.” Itsuki sighed. “So we’re good like we were?”

“Yeah.”

Itsuki grinned, pure happiness on his face. “So you’re cool even if I lose my virginity before you, right? We can keep on drinking and playing games together like always?”

“……Um, er, mmhmm.”

Haruto’s breezy smile froze as he just barely remembered to nod.