Chapter 90: Unanswered Feelings
In the spacious outdoor hot spring.
Nagi still couldn’t help Kanade wipe her back as she had hoped.
Taking advantage of the moment she helped Nagi wash her hair and was wiping it dry, Kanade quickly slipped over to the side where the shower was and cleaned himself off.
“Um, Nagi, I’m going to head out now…”
“Huh!? Aren’t you going to soak in the hot spring, Kanade?”
Just as Kanade was about to turn and leave, he suddenly felt Nagi grab his arm.
The force from her grip was quite strong, making it hard for him to pull away.
It was at times like this that Kanade would realize that his childhood friend was an athletic, multi-talented beauty.
“Ah no, I’m good. Besides, the time—”
“—I was really looking forward to soaking in the hot spring with you, Kanade…”
Nagi’s slightly lonely and weak voice came from beside him.
What guy could refuse a naked beautiful childhood friend in a situation like this?
At times like this, Kanade found himself struggling with the fact that his childhood friend was an overly affectionate and defenseless beauty.
If he wasn’t by Nagi’s side, what if she showed this side of herself to other boys…
Kanade couldn’t help but feel worried.
At this point, he felt it was necessary to have an open and honest conversation with Nagi.
“Nagi, actually, I think we’ve grown up. We’re not kids anymore like we used to be…” Kanade slowly turned around to face Nagi, trying to look serious.
He focused his attention fully on Nagi’s face, avoiding looking below her shoulders.
He had to thank the steam from the hot spring for partially obscuring the enticing figure of the girl before him.
“So, there should be a distance between boys and girls. Things like bathing together or having skin-to-skin contact…”
“I think those are things that should be done only between people who are really close…”
“We should properly cherish our bodies and save them for… the most important person.”
Kanade spoke the words he had wanted to say for a long time, albeit in a stuttering manner.
He felt he was being very sincere, but his leaning posture may have lacked persuasiveness.
These seemingly roundabout confessions, once spoken, meant he could no longer enjoy the moments where he felt like a lucky wolf around Nagi.
What if Nagi found out that he had been looking at her in that way all this time?
What would her reaction be?
Would she feel disgusted that her childhood friend looked at her with such eyes?
According to the famous Westermarck effect, males and females who grow up together with close living contact in childhood tend to develop a repulsion or even disgust when they start viewing each other in a romantic light.
In a way, this is a human evolutionary mechanism designed to prevent inbreeding.
Although Kanade’s view of Nagi wasn’t influenced by this effect, what about for Nagi…
“…So, that’s why I wanted to be with you, Kanade.” Nagi’s voice was soft but clearly reached Kanade’s ears.
Her perfectly shaped and exquisite cute face was blushing, whether from shyness or the steam of the hot spring, and a few damp strands of hair clung to her fair, smooth cheeks, looking incredibly charming and seductive.
“If it’s you, Kanade… it’s okay…” At those words, Kanade’s mind went blank.
He let Nagi slowly hold his hand.
In that moment,
Kanade truly felt a strong emotional wave radiating from Nagi, powerful enough to engulf him entirely.
The hypothesis he had been entangled with,
Today,
In this moment,
Because of his open discussion with the girl before him,
He got an answer.
He was not the only one with unreciprocated feelings.
This girl, who had been by his side since childhood, whose personality was incredibly gentle, adorable, and dazzling, also had feelings for him that exceeded mere friendship.
Not just satisfied with being childhood friends.
But for a deeper, more intimate relationship—
But why was it happening now? Kanade’s heart was filled with intense struggle and reluctance.
For a brief moment, he wished he had misinterpreted her.
Or that Nagi would reject his roundabout confession.
Because—
He was soon going to leave this girl right before him.
This was an invitation he couldn’t refuse.
A separation lasting several years lay ahead.
If he accepted her feelings, if he confessed his emotions here…
The two might truly become lovers, and he could experience the happiest time.
But…
With someone as gentle and considerate as Nagi, even knowing he would be leaving, she would surely silently wait for him, right?
But for her, who was afraid of loneliness,
This long-distance relationship would undoubtedly be exceedingly lonely.
Moreover, according to Yako, once he entered the artificial academy island, his contact with the outside world would be limited to a certain degree. He wouldn’t be able to see or even contact her at any time during breaks or regular days…
In other words—
Would he plunge this girl before him into four and a half years of solitude and pain?
Damn it! Why? Why now—
At this moment, two different voices surged within Kanade’s heart.
One was a hope that he would accept the feelings of the beautiful childhood friend before him.
Even if he couldn’t be by her side, he could still make her “belong” to him in this way. For the more than four years he would spend away from Kawano City on the artificial academy island, he wouldn’t have to worry about someone else taking her away from him.
The other voice was—
“It’s all because of you.”
The dense and dark memories, the ones he thought had completely dissipated.
In this moment,
Flashed briefly through his mind.
It was merely a dream.
A bizarre and baseless dream.
But for some reason,
His instincts were frantically warning him.
He couldn’t agree.
This matter—could not be agreed to.
“…Nagi, you really are quite troublesome…”
After a heated inner struggle,
Kanade finally said this ambiguous response, dripping with sweat.
At this moment,
He pretended not to notice Nagi’s feelings for him.
Just like the main characters in manga who are completely oblivious to the affections of the girls who like them.
“But if I don’t leave soon, the girls’ bathing time will start…” Kanade forced himself to turn away, using sheer willpower.
“If I don’t leave soon, the teacher will scold me…”
With his back to Nagi, Kanade felt as if he was mechanically moving his legs—
“Kanade!”
At that moment, Nagi’s voice came from behind him.
Accompanying her voice was a strong wave of emotion.
“I’ve already heard it from Mana-chan…”
“…”
“Kanade is leaving Kawano City soon, right?”
