My Friend Doesn't Hesitate 26

 ACT26     What Was She Feeling When They Were Close?


「Here, coffee. It's hot, so be careful.」

「Yeah, thanks, Shiro-chan.」


In Mashiro's home in the apartment building, Akami was sitting quietly on the sofa in the living room.

On a rainy day, her umbrella broke, and as an extension of Akami escorting Mashiro all the way to her house, for some reason she invited her to stop in, but.

As a matter of fact, it was the first time she had invited Akami to her house, so the current situation felt quite special.


「I've already asked this before, but Shiro-chan's mother is still working at this time after all?」

「Yeah. She doesn't come home until fairly late.」

「Haeh～. If it's always like this, don't you feel lonely?」

「When I was a kid, a little bit.」


Mashiro's family had been a single-mother household since long ago, and her mother was out of the house until late on weekdays due to her work.

When she was a child, she felt unhappy about that many times, and just like Akami said, she felt lonely countless times.

However,


「In the past as well as now, she has allowed me to live comfortably, and besides, even if our time together is short, she properly lets me know that she loves me.」

「...Shiro-chan, you really love your mother.」

「Yeah.」


Puffing out her chest, she said that.

She absolutely wanted to repay her someday.


「I wonder if that's why? Shiro-chan, you sometimes act a bit spoiled.」

「Ah, please don't say that.」


Her face got a little hot.

But... Akami might be right.


She was used to her mother's routine absence.

Her mother loved her properly.


Even if she knew that, when she returned home, there was no one to say welcome back.

Sometimes, that would cast a slight shadow on Mashiro's heart.

――She would sometimes want someone to be by her side.


In particular, recently.

Her, Mashiro's best friend.


「Shiro-chan?」

「Nn... sorry, I was lost in thought for a moment.」


When Akami called out to her with a curious expression on her face, Mashiro was slightly startled.

No, she mustn't.

Once again, for a moment, she almost acted like a spoiled child with Akami. At first, it only happened for a moment, but recently, she got such urges quite often.

Naturally, she thought that was being too dependent on her, and since she was going to be alone quite a lot in the future, she had to restrain herself a little more――


「Shiro-chan.」


Just as Mashiro was thinking that.

As if an idea had come to mind, Akami called her name.

Wondering what she wanted, she turned to face her, and Akami spread her arms towards her with a proud expression.



「At any time, plunge into Onee-chan's chest without hesitation.」

「........................」



For a moment, Mashiro was flabbergasted,


「... Buu.」


Then, she burst into laughter.


「Ah, wh-why are you laughing!?」

「No... sorry, I just, ku, ku, ku, hahahahahaha.」

「Even though I was kindly trying to respond to Shiro-chan’s spoiled childishness, you don't need to laugh that much, do you!?」

「A-after all, I can't help but think it's funny, ku, hahaha.」


It had been a long time since she had laughed out loud like this.

That was how truly funny it was to see Akami doing her best to act like an older sister.

At the same time,


「Geez! Even if Shiro-chan wants to be spoiled in the future, I don't―」

「――Thank you.」

「Care... so...?」


She was very grateful.

Spontaneously, Mashiro placed her forehead on Akami's meager chest.

The minor details became inconsequential; Mashiro wanted to do that from the bottom of her heart.


「......Thank you.」


Once again, she muttered that.

Perhaps in response to that, or because Akami lost the outlet for her anger, she exhaled heavily as she put her hand on Mashiro's head.


「Geez... you're truly hopeless, Shiro-chan.」

「Yeah.」


After answering.

She decided to stay like that and have Akami spoil her a little.

With the scent of the coffee she had brewed earlier, and faintly feeling Akami's heartbeat, once again, Mashiro felt something slightly stirring inside her chest.


「... For some reason, my heart is pounding.」


Why was that?

That mutter to herself leaked out as her forehead remained placed on Akami's chest.


「Shiro-chan?」

「Akami, right now, what are you feeling?」

「Wh-what am I feeling, you ask... I'm not sure what to say...」

「?」


Thinking it was strange for Akami to be at a loss for an answer, Mashiro raised her face a little and found that Akami was blushing bright red. She felt like she had been seeing that a lot lately.

Is it such an embarrassing thing?... she wondered, but Akami was cute like this.


「Eh... Sh-Shiro, chan?」


Mysterious.

The closer she was to her face, the more she wanted to get closer.

A tiny face. Big dark brown eyes. A shapely nose. Slightly round cheeks.

And.

As if she was lured in by the scent of coffee mixed in with the faint sighing from her beautiful cherry-colored lips――



Bebeben, ben, ben, bebebebebebeーn♪



「!」

「!」


Suddenly, from the pocket of Mashiro's blazer, shamisen-based valorous music resounded, making Mashiro jump.

Akami, who was a little dazed, looked similarly surprised, as her eyes opened wide,


「Sh-Shiro-chan, your phone.」

「I know.」


Separating from Akami in a hurry, Mashiro took out the smartphone that was ringing melodiously from her blazer pocket and looked at the screen.

The caller was Mashiro's mother.


「Sorry, Akami. It's from my mom, so I have to get up for a moment.」

「O-ok.」


Asking Akami's permission first, Mashiro answered the incoming call.


... I was about to go out of control again.


Truly, when she was in front of Akami, once she thought of doing something, she usually did it immediately after.

Even when, like had happened before, they were things that Akami seemed to dislike.

She truly needed to do something about not crossing that line.


「Ah, yeah, it's nothing, Mom. Yeah... ah, that's right.」


Was there any connection between that impulse and this stirring in her chest?

Still harboring mixed feelings, Mashiro replied to her mother on the phone, but.


「...... Eh?」


Thereupon.

When she heard a certain proposal from her mother over the phone, Mashiro felt the various feelings inside her heart being blown away.


　　☆　　★　　☆　　★　　☆　　★


Shiro-chan, what were you trying to do just now? 　

After saying that her heart was pounding, for some reason she brought her face closer...

If she had kept going, maybe we would have ended up ki... ki-ki-kissing?

... N-nononono, n-naturally, there's no way, right? Ha, hahaha.

Well, if that did happen, everything would work out as desired, and in order to be ready to do it at any time, I've been preparing with my imagination, but... thinking back, it feels like that was kind of futile.

Well, I guess the smell of coffee caught her interest?

Yeah, it was surely that.


「Hey, Akami.」


Oh, Shiro-chan's call is over... no, it looks like it's still ongoing.

I can see on her smartphone that the phone call is still on.

What's going on?


「What is it, Shiro-chan?」

「It seems my mother's work is ending early today, so she'll return home before six o’clock.」

「Hmm. So, why are you telling me this?」

「Yeah. Mother wants to meet Akami, so she told me to ask if you'll have dinner with us.」



............ Once again, what did you just say?