Crossing Paths, Traumatized, and Yet… - Chapter 26

Wakaba and Shiraishi started calling each other by their first names “Wakaba and Ren-kun.”

As for Ren, he wanted to get to know Wakaba better, so he proposed singing a song with her.

Wakaba readily agreed, which made him feel relieved.

“Let’s choose a song together!”

he said, and together they began to search for a song.

As they looked at one tablet together, their shoulders naturally touched.

Ren was thrilled.

Before he knew it, he had fallen in love with Wakaba.

He started to be aware of her after the summer festival, and when everyone started making him sit next to her all the time, he realized that he liked her.

After that, he actively appealed to her to make her like him too.

Although there was not much of a response, today, it felt like he made a lot of progress.

She started to call him by his first name and even sang songs with him.

And now they are holding a tablet and choosing it together.

Even though their shoulders are touching, she doesn’t seem to dislike it.

There was no sign that she didn’t dislike him.

The thrill of the moment increased.

The only thing that bothers him a little bit is Daiki.

Daiki is good friends with Wakaba.

They are always together.

They look like an older sister and a younger brother.

But when Daiki was singing just now, Wakaba’s face didn’t look like she was looking at her brother.

For a moment, it seemed like it was a face looking at someone she liked.

It was really just for a moment, so it could have been his imagination.

So he wanted to be more aggressive in appealing to her.

He doesn’t know if Daiki likes Wakaba or not.

But it seemed to him that Wakaba was on the verge of liking Daiki.

She naturally followed Daiki with her eyes, just as she did when she herself fell in love with Wakaba.

That is why he wanted to close the distance between them at once.

Thanks to this, they had become accustomed to a relationship where they did not mind touching each other’s shoulders.

The song selection was finished and the music began to play.

Ren was nervous, but sang as close to the audience as possible.

Their breathing seemed to be in sync.

Toward the end, their shoulders were touching each other all the time.

His heart was pounding.

Wakaba was not sure if she had sung well, but she was very satisfied with her performance.

Wakaba looked at Daiki and remembered the way he was singing.

“Daiki was so cool just now…

But he was happy to be cheered up by the girls.

That pisses me off a little!

But Daiki has grown up, hasn’t he!

Sis is happy for you!”

Is what she thought.

Then Ren asked her to sing a song with him, so she said OK and they decided to pick a song together.

She was looking for a song that she could sing better than the one Daiki had just sung.

She was so engrossed in her search that she was bumping shoulders with Ren.

Wakaba, not caring about that, chose a song she thought she could sing well.

“Let’s sing this song!”

She told him.

The song was decided upon, as Ren also knew the song and said he could sing it.

The song that Wakaba and Ren had chosen was played.

“I’m going to make Daiki say I’m good!”

She sang with great enthusiasm.

She sang with joy.

Ren sang happily, too, and the two of them sang enthusiastically, so close together that their shoulders were almost touching.

As for Wakaba, she sang very well and it felt good.

She high-fived Ren as well and finished singing.

She immediately turned to Daiki and tried to make a smug face, but he was gone.

“Why?

Why isn’t he there?”

She thought

“I’ll definitely complain about it later!”

She followed up.

A little later, Daiki came back to the room.

He probably went to get a drink.

But Wakaba, who was annoyed with Daiki, glared at him.

Daiki looked troubled.

So she talked to Ren-kun again.

It seems that he returned to his seat while they were talking.

After that, they exchanged gifts and the meeting ended quickly.

Wakaba remembered Daiki’s troubled face earlier.

“Somehow,

he looked lonely…”

With that thought in mind, she went outside with everyone.

After going outside, those who had not had enough fun said they were going to a family restaurant.

Wakaba was also invited by Ren and the others, but when she looked at Daiki, she heard him say he had to go home because he had something to do.

Wakaba said

“I’m going home with Daiki too!”

and decided to leave.

But Daiki came up to her and said

“You go with the others!

I’ll be fine!”

He said.

Wakaba said,

“Why?”

Wakaba wondered.

Daiki approached Wakaba and whispered

“I’m going to have dinner with my father, so don’t worry about it!”

He told her.

“I guess it can’t be helped if you’re having dinner with your father.”

After thinking about it and worrying about it for a while

“I understand.

Be careful on your way home.”

So, she decided to go to a family restaurant.