LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 3: Gently Comfort her, Then .....
I give Chinatsu-chan advice. I was able to persuade her to go to karaoke.
“What would you like to drink?”
“Ah, I’ll go with you”
“Now, now. It says on your face that you want to sort out your feelings. Chinatsu-chan, sit down and relax. So, what do you want to drink?”
“…… orange juice.”
So, the smart guy went to the drink bar!
With this, I should have been able to show “I’m close to Chinatsu-chan’s heart”.
But we couldn’t spend too much time here.
Chinatsu-chan was weak after being abused by her beloved childhood friend. She probably wanted someone to listen to her as soon as possible. That’s why we came to the private room of a karaoke bar, a quiet place where no one could disturb her.
But what if she was calm?
“Areh, I … am alone with a boy in a closed room! That’s filthy! I have to go home soon!”
It could be that.
The moment she thinks that, I would become an asshole who took an innocent, helpless girl in a room. I must avoid that.
Thus, while showing kindness, do not let Chinatsu-chan cool down.
“Su, ha-……”
First, a deep breath. Before Chinatsu-chan came to her senses, I released my tension.
I went to the drink bar and ordered orange juice for Chinatsu-chan and myself. I also had orange juice, which was a technique to make people feel closer to each other when they share the same drink. I think I read something like that in a book.
Quickly, so as not to spill my glass of orange juice, I returned to the room where Chinatsu-chan was waiting for me.
“Here you go.”
“…… T-thank you, Sano-kun.”
Okay, good. She hasn’t cooled off yet.
Although we had come to a karaoke bar, we didn’t sing any songs and just sipped orange juice. The singing voice coming from next door created a kind of romantic atmosphere.
“…. you know.”
She finally opened her mouth. I was absolutely stunned by what she told me about her childhood friend.
*****
I was completely unaware of this, but it seemed that Osako was being bullied.
And Chinatsu-chan seemed to notice it right away. Hats off to her, since she wasn’t present at the scene, but rather deduced it from Osako’s trivial words and actions. Jealousy…
She sought out the bully and confronted him.
It was a detective-like feat to identify the culprit, even though Osako did not tell her about it. However, she was not thorough enough.
I heard that those culprits told Osako that they were bullying him under the direction of Chinatsu Sugito.
This was something that would normally be considered a lie. It was nothing more than harassment.
However, Osako believed the lie.
(T/N: “Childhood friend”)
He then resented Chinatsu-chan, who was supposed to have helped him out. I don’t know how they became friends, but with the popular Matsuyuki as his companion, Osako abused Chinatsu-chan.
“No, no, isn’t it strange that you are being blamed for this?”
“I know it is! Isn’t it strange! It’s not my fault, right!”
When she finished speaking, Chinatsu-chan drank the rest of the orange juice in one gulp. Her eyes were fixed as she exhaled.
“In fact, Chinatsu-chan, you were only doing good things. Doing your best. You are a hero for helping Osako. That’s so great!”
“Right! Because of his strange pride, Kentaro was reluctant to tell me about the bullying. So I did my best to find out what was going on. I did it all by myself, looking for the main bully and telling him to stop.”
Perhaps her engine revved up as she was venting her frustration, “Mou~!” she shouted loudly.
If she had not been rewarded for her efforts, she would not have been punished for complaining, one, two, three, four, … or even more.
But I must say this.
“Chinatsu-chan is really amazing. There were several guys who bullied Osako, right?”
“Yes, there were three boys.”
“It’s dangerous to talk them into quitting on their own. I know it’s a little late for that, but I’ll help you in those situations. I just need you to speak to them properly.”
“…Un. I’ll be careful next time.”
She must have realized how careless she had been. Chinatsu-chan became calm.
“But I guess I don’t have to be careful anymore. I … Kentaro hates me…….”
After that, she became depressed.
Until now, Chinatsu-chan had been repeatedly fighting with Osako and getting upset. Although she would complain to me, she would eventually come to the conclusion that it was her fault.
It was the same trend as before, but this time the level was different.
Despite her strong-willed impression, her mind was not that strong.
I was now convinced that if I let it go, it would drag on forever.
“Chinatsu-chan, let’s sing.”
“Huh?”
I smiled and held out the mic.
“You can’t pretend it didn’t happen. But what you can do is look to the future, right?”
“W-well ……?”
“But if you’re depressed all the time, you can’t think straight. So let’s sing. Sing and let your bad feelings dissipate. It’s not too late for that.”
“Sano-kun …”
Ah!, Chinatsu-chan, you’re a little teary. Did I say something good?
She will be cheered up by my words. If that happens, I’ll be happy too.
After that, we sang together until our throats were hoarse. We dueted on several songs and enjoyed karaoke at its best.
*****
After karaoke was over, I was on my way to drop Chinatsu-chan off at home.
“Ah, that was fun.”
“I’m glad to hear that.”
“I always complain about Kentaro to Sano-kun ……. I’m sorry I’m always giving you trouble.”
“It’s nothing, don’t worry about it.”
“Mou~, why are you so nice to me, Sano-kun? You are so different from Kentaro.”
Suddenly, I stopped.
“Sano-kun?”
Noticing me standing there, Chinatsu-chan turned around.
“…because I like you.”
“Eh?”
I said so that she could hear me.
“I like you, Chinatsu-chan. That’s why I want to be nice to you.”
(T/N: BROOOOOOO WHAT)