Chapter 188 – The Distance Between Childhood Friends

After nodding to each other, we slowly approached them while trying to keep ourselves hidden so we could hear what they were talking about.

Something must have happened at Mizore-san's house since Riku-san's eyes were swollen and his lips were smeared with blood.

Did he get into a fight with someone?

We listened to their conversation.

"Don't worry about me, just go back quickly. You're still on the clock, aren't you?"

"I'll go back after I treat your wounds. C'mon, turn around."

Shizuku-san pulled out an antiseptic from the bag she was carrying and began treating Riku-san's wound.

At first, Riku-san refused her care, but after some stubborn persuasion from Shizuku-san, he gave up and let her do whatever she wanted.

"Ouch! Shizuku, slow down– Ack!"

"Don't worry, it'll be over soon. You're a strong man, aren't you? Strong men can take this kind of pain easily."

"Stop treating me like a child. Jeez, how old do you think I am?"

"Old enough, you're getting close to thirty. But, that doesn't matter. Your mental age is still that of a child. No adults would pick a fight with a relative over something like that."

"Ugh…"

Apparently he got into a fight at Mizore-san's house. Mizore-san and Sora-san probably told him to come here so he could calm down.

I asked Umi about it and she told me that one of the relatives was drunk and just insulted everyone he thought of. Riku-san probably fought with that person.

'Grandma told me to stay away from him since he was dead drunk, so I did. Until I left, nothing major had happened, though.'

He was probably a distant relative of Mizore-san's. I guess there was always one or two people like that in every family and the Asanagis were no exception.

But still, Riku-san was a mild-mannered man. Umi insulted him a lot but he never got mad at her for it. And that same man got into a fight with a distant relative? There must be a reason for it.

Could it be?

We kept watching the two of them as Shizuku-san finished her work and let out a sigh of relief.

"Still, Shizuku, even though what he said was true, I still hate that he said it out loud in front of everyone like that…"

"Like I said, it's fine, I'm used to it. I don't care what people say about me at this point. I'm a grown up too, you know? Besides, I know how to handle drunks like him better than you."

I didn't want to assume, but at one point, that person probably insulted Shizuku-san. In response to this, Riku-san stopped him and was punched in the face. This made sense. Although Riku-san was currently unemployed, he was part of the self defense force. There was no way that someone who was professionally trained like him would throw punches without being provoked.

"I'm happy that Rikkun got angry for my sake, but I hate it when you get hurt because of me… That's why, don't do anything that will make me worry too much, okay?"

"…If you say so."

"Then, will you promise me?"

After saying this, Shizuku-san forcefully took Riku-san's hand and intertwined their pinky fingers.

I didn't expect something out of a romcom manga to happen here.

Should we leave now? But we would miss a good show… I guess we should stay a bit longer.

'Look at that guy, getting all cocky in front of Shizuku-san, even though he couldn't even speak in front of Yuu properly.'

'Cut him some slack, let him have his moment.'

But, if Riku-san had feelings for Shizuku-san, did that mean he didn't have any for Amami-san? Makes sense though since there was a ten year age gap between them. Besides, she was his sister's best friend, so it would be awkward if they got into a relationship. 

What about Shizuku-san? Did she have the same feelings toward Riku-san?

"Do you remember this area, Rikkun? We used to go to the river down the road and play there together, right?"

"Yeah. There were too few spots for us to play around in the countryside, so finding that place was a godsend, huh? I remember we used to ride our bikes until midnight just to find a good spot to play in."

"I remember that. Oh yeah, there was a time when we got lost in the mountains because we got too excited, didn't we? The sun already set as well and… Rikkun, do you remember what you said to me back then?"

"…No. It was a long time ago, I don't remember every detail, you know?"

"Really? Then, why are you blushing right now?"

"I'm not! It's just, it's hot around here!"

'The hell are you talking about, it's cool around here!', whispered Umi.

This was so hard to look at. But then I realized, this was probably how Umi and I looked from other people's perspective.

'What's wrong, Maki?'

'N-Nothing…'

…Oh well.

"Alright, I calmed down already. The old hag probably kicked out that drunk guy, so let's go back."

"Okay. I'll go back to work then. There's only a single group of guests in our place, but I still have to keep them company for a while."

"Just don't let them go too far with their flirting. Give them pizza or something, that'll make them sit down and obey you."

"Jeez, why are you acting like this, Rikkun?"

It seemed like their conversation had come to an end as they started to walk away.

Time to go home— Or not.

"Rikkun."

Shizuku-san suddenly called out to Riku-san.

"Hm? What is it, Shizuku?"

"Um… Why did you stop calling me 'Shi-chan'?"

"T-That's… Um… We're already adults, you know? …Besides, you are… Um… You know…"

"I see. I guess you're right."

Riku-san's words were interrupted by Shizuku-san's sad smile.

It was true that they were in their late twenties and Shizuku-san herself had a child of her own. Riku-san was probably thinking that it was natural that their relationship would change.

I could understand his feelings, but at the same time, I knew that this wasn't the right way to do it.

"Sorry for asking such a strange question, Riku-kun. Forget what I just said."

"…I'll do that."

They were walking the same path, but the few steps distance between them seemed like a thousand miles away to me.

'Umi.'

'Hm?'

'The relationship between childhood friends is such a pain in the ass, huh?'

'No, no, it's my brother's fault. I mean, the scene just now? If he just said whatever his true feelings are, their relationship wouldn't worsen like this. It's completely his fault… Maybe… Wait no, it's definitely his fault.'

I remember Shizuku-san said that she confessed to him once and he rejected her. That was probably the first trigger to why things between them became complicated like this.

This wasn't any of my business, but I should probably ask Shizuku-san about what happened back then. I mean, she was about to tell me anyway if Reiji-kun didn't interrupt us.