NTR Kousuke

Chapter 149

Chapter 149: The Way Home

After shopping at the bookstore, everyone walked together toward the terminal station.

Me and Airi-senpai.

Sho and Kureha-san.

Nozomi and Seree-san, making three pairs.

At the terminal station, we all ate crepes together one last time.

While Sho and I were talking about the other childhood friend, the girls' team was—

Airi: "Look! You've got cream on your mouth! Are you two sisters or something?"

Kureha: "...Ehehe♪"

Nozomi: "Ahaha♪"

The two of them were making Airi-senpai fuss over them, but they looked like they were having fun.

Nozomi is always like that with people like Kashii-san—she's always wanting attention, it's a common sight.

...Maybe it's just that Airi-senpai has a big-sister personality?

After we finished the crepes, it was almost time to say goodbye, but Airi-senpai was pouting for once.

Airi: "...Why am I the only one left here when everyone else is going home together?!"

No, no, it's not like we're leaving you behind...?

A childish senpai is kind of a rare sight.

Maybe today was just that fun?

Smiling fondly, I said,

"...I'll see you at club tomorrow, okay? I had a great time today. Thanks for getting along with Sho and Nozomi. See you tomorrow, Airi-senpai!"

I said "See you tomorrow!" copying the way Sho's said it since we were kids.

Airi-senpai looked a little shy,

Airi: "...Yeah, see you tomorrow."

She smiled and kept waving a little until we were out of sight.

Since she's an only child, maybe these kinds of get-togethers are unusual for her?

Even though we're friends, when Sho and his younger siblings are around, it almost feels like a family gathering.

While waiting for the train on the platform, I talked with Sho.

Sho: "Airi-san is a good person and a good big sister, right?"

"Yeah, she is."

Sho: "I think she's a really great girl. I really do!"

I understood what Sho wanted to say.

I thought about dodging the question... but Sho would figure it out anyway.

So I might as well be honest, right?

"She really is a good person—I trust her and I respect her. ...But I don't know. Am I weird?"

Sho: "...People don't always understand themselves, you know. But apparently it's obvious to everyone else."

"...Aren't you the easy-to-read one, Sho?"

Sho: "You think so?"

He laughed and gave me a punch on the shoulder, so I punched his shoulder back!

...Honestly, doing dumb stuff like this is a lot more fun than trying to guess at the mysterious depths of girls, don't you think?

☆ ☆ ☆

At Toko Station partway, Kureha-san got off.

Sho: "...I'll walk her home, just in case!"

"...Eh? Isn't it right over there?"

Sho: "...Towanko is such a weakling monster she had to skip school the next day after playing GK at the ball game tournament because of full-body muscle soreness."

Does playing GK move that much?

Kureha-san blushed,

Kureha: "Fufu! He worries so much about me♪"

Sho: "...Don't act all girlfriend-y, you'll make people misunderstand! Anyway, I'll take the next train home! You two take care!"

Kureha-san kept repeating how much fun she had today.

Maybe because she's also an only child? At the end, she looked really sad, like she felt big-sister vibes from Airi-senpai and little-sister vibes from Nozomi.

Sho also politely thanked and apologized to Seree-chan before getting off at Toko Station.

Well, we're getting off at the next station too.

Our Shinkawa Station really is nothing compared to the terminal station.

We left the station, walked down the single road, then through the west area, and split up at the elementary school.

...Maybe I should follow Sho's example and walk the two girls home? That's what I thought as we walked.

We took a side street off from the station and walked through the residential area.

Nozomi murmured shyly,

Nozomi: "...Kousuke-kun, it's just the two of us... right?"

Seree: "...So I'm invisible now, huh?"

Nozomi: "...Oh, come on... I was just joking!"

Seree: "...Dragged here first thing in the morning just for this treatment... Like I even matter!"

Nozomi desperately tried to calm her best friend down.

...Poor kid...

We walked through the west area, and the house just before the bridge was apparently Seree-san's.

Nozomi insisted, "Saved! Thank you! I love you!" and pushed Seree-san toward her house, and Seree-san looked happy as she went inside.

...Guess she's an easy one to please.

Seree: "Fufuun! Home at last!"

Mother: "Seri? What happened to you?!"

Seri: "Ah?!"

From behind, we heard a voice like that, and Nozomi and I burst out laughing.

I mean, of course she'd be surprised—her daughter comes home with blonde hair, big boobs, colored contacts, and broken Japanese!

We chatted as we crossed the bridge.

Halfway across,

Nozomi: "She came home in disguise with a totally different character. ...My Uroya Kenuma has a cute backstory too! She's got big boobs! Blonde hair and green eyes!"

Apparently, Uroya Kenuma has her own backstory.

Her dad's a luxury car dealer, she's the type to devote herself to her boyfriend, and—boobs! Boobs!

By the time we finished crossing the bridge, Nozomi spun around in front of the elementary school,

Nozomi: "Kousuke-kun, you'd really rather have a blonde, big-boobed girl than a shrimp like me, right?"

She said it like a joke, but her eyes were serious.

Middle schoolers still have so many uncertainties about who they want to be.

...I still have no idea who I'll become, either.

Even in high school it's the same, though with grades, athletics, and all sorts of things, you start to get a vague sense of where you stand.

Nozomi and the others haven't reached that point yet.

It's easy to just call it "anxiety," but I don't really know what Nozomi wants. But as someone who's always treated her like a little sister...

I stepped closer to Nozomi and took off the blonde wig.

"...Nozomi, lose the boobs."

Nozomi: "...That's the first time anyone's ever told me to lose the boobs..."

Nozomi grumbled and complained.

I took two extra steps closer than usual and patted Nozomi on the head.

"...You don't need blonde hair or big boobs, Nozomi. ...Nozomi, you're best just the way you are!"

Nozomi's face lit up with a beaming smile.

She laughed, hugging her belly, looking so happy and joyful!

Nozomi: "Kousuke-kun! You'd say that to other girls too, wouldn't you?"

Huh?

"Sho would say it, too, right?"

The way she asked made me think she'd probably asked her brother Sho something similar.

Nozomi: "How did you know?!"

Nozomi was surprised, but still smiled happily.

The Tachibana family was right in front of us.

Another fun day was coming to an end.

Looking at Hii-chan, the youngest brother's face, I decided to head home too.

Spring break was almost over. I was filled with excitement for the feeling of spring and eagerly awaited the new semester.

☆ ☆ ☆

There was a girl watching from a distance as Airi, looking so happy and shy, kept waving at Kousuke.

Airi's face was flushed with that unmistakable look of a girl in love, clear even to that girl watching.

Meanwhile, Kousuke wasn't his usual silent, expressionless self either——

Ninomiya: "...I wonder if Aya knows about this?"

Nagase Aya's best friend, the gyaru Ninomiya Niina, had seen it all.

She saw her best friend's favorite boy waving at the famous beauty Tendou Airi from the new third-year class——