Kai’s mood still hadn’t recovered by the next day. If anything, it’d gotten even worse.
After lunch, Kai went right back to his room and checked his smartphone. He looked at a LINE chat with him and Kotobuki.
“Did you view today’s Demon Slayer?”
That was the message Kai sent at 12:04 a.m. Kotobuki didn’t text him no matter how long he waited, so he had tried to start a conversation first. Kotobuki’s social anxiety wasn’t anything new, so he figured she’d been worrying about it the whole time. Maybe she really regretted what happened. Maybe she couldn’t work up the courage to break the ice. Kai wanted to be considerate, so he went first and acted as though nothing happened. He hit the send button in the hopes that Kotobuki would respond just like her old self.
But he didn’t even get a read receipt.
[12:31] “Are you free tomorrow? I have plans with Jun. Would you like to join?”
[12:36] “Jun would certainly love to see you too.”
[12:39] “Including myself, of course!”
[1:46] “If you’re busy tomorrow, you can just tell me when you’re available.”
[3:00] “Sorry, I’m heading to bed for the night.”
[9:12] “Good morning.”
[10:01] “I don’t mean to be a bother, but I hope you can respond.”
So went the many messages Kai sent to her, but it was now the afternoon and not a single one had been read. He was being completely ignored.
What’s she thinking?
Kai made up his mind and tried calling her, but to no avail. There was no sign that she’d pick up.
Is she that torn up about it? Maybe she’s having a tough time moving on...
Kai could theorize, but it wouldn’t lead to an answer. If she never responded, then he’d never know. But as he kept racking his brain, one terrifying thought crossed his mind.
There’s no way that she’s trying to cut off contact...right?
If she were, then Kai couldn’t blame her. He chose his friendship with Jun over her. It would only be natural for her to be so deeply hurt that the bridge between them was forever burned. Sure, maybe he was jumping to conclusions. But if he wasn’t...
His thoughts spiraled out of control. He at least wanted to see her face.
We have the same shift next week, so sure, I’ll see her there...
But would he have to agonize over this fear until then? No, even that was optimistic; Kotobuki could always skip work, if not quit altogether...
“Man, this is rough...”
Kai tossed away his smartphone and sighed. Could he have spared himself from this pain if they’d stayed friends the whole time? Would he have been better off if he’d just pretended not to notice Kotobuki’s feelings? Should those dense protagonists you see in fiction actually be the model for dealing with romantic relationships?
He couldn’t come to an answer, and time soon ran out. The doorbell rang, meaning that Jun was here. He had to snap out of it; Jun didn’t know a thing, so he didn’t want his glum face to give her a hint.
“Good aftersmooch!”
Jun showed up as happy as a clam. Her eyes darted around Kai’s room as soon as she entered it.
“Looking for something?”
“Yeah, Hotey. Y’know, in case she was here.”
“Well, she’s not. Trust me, I’d tell you if she were.”
“But what if you wanted to surprise me?”
“Fine, I’ll keep it in mind for your birthday. Hope you can wait until December.”
“You remembered my birthday? Is this love?!”
“No, it’s your brother.”
The hardcore gamer that Kai so deeply admired, jyunjyun1203, proudly displayed Jun’s birthday in the last four digits of his online handle.
“I can’t wait until December,” whined Jun as she sat on the bed. “I wanna play with Hotey now!”
“Got it, soon.” Kai did his best to play it cool. He didn’t tell Jun that she might not see her ever again.
“How soon is soon? Five minutes?”
“That’s too soon.”
“Then, tomorrow?”
“Do I have to remind you that Kotobuki has a life of her own?”
“Oh well, guess I’ll settle for hanging with you.”
“It’s an honor and a privilege.”
Jun grabbed the remote and turned on the two TVs as she and Kai traded friendly jabs. As though through psychic communication, Kai grabbed two PS4 controllers—not Switch controllers—and handed one to Jun.
“Shall we play Tanks? Shall we play Warships? Or perhaps...”
“Let’s start with Monster Hunter!”
“Figures.”
The spark of Iceborne had rekindled their passion for the series. Their copies of World hadn’t left their consoles. Still, they’d grown used to this game after playing it to death, so it was less a session of serious hunting and more of a chance to chat while mashing some buttons.
“Jun, you see Demon Slayer?”
“Not yet, but I recorded it.”
“That udon scene was hilarious!”
“No spoilers!”
“You already read through the manga!”
“But now I can’t cry with joy that the udon scene made it into the anime!”
“...Actually, I apologize.”
“Glad you understand.”
“Well, are you still behind on We Never Learn?”
“Yep. I spent last night at Reina’s for a sleepover.”
“Wow. Tons of fun.”
“It was a ton of fun! Too bad we had to go to sleep early since Reina had work this morning.”
“Going pro sounds tough. Feels like she’s lost pretty much all of her Sundays.”
“Anyway, that’s why I got to do the walk of shame this morning.”
“Wow, Myaakawa’s such an adult that she’s not even ashamed of it. How, dare I say, lewd.”
“Heh, if you want lewd, you should’ve seen the underwear set Nocchi was wearing.”
Jun giggled teasingly. Incidentally, Nocchi was a friend of Jun’s, a member of Reina’s circle of popular girls, the ace spiker on the volleyball team, and also a tall, sexy girl with big boobs and a healthy suntan.
“...”
“Ooh, did you imagine it? Didja?”
“Jun, that’s just cruel! A boy’s pure heart is not your toy to play with! Jerk!”
“You know, I snapped a picture. Maybe I’ll show you if you can guess the color.”
“For real? You better take that back, you don’t want me getting serious.” Kai was a man who’d take on any challenge for the right prize.
“For real, for real. Okay, you got ten seconds, and...go!”
“Chestnut!”
“Ugh... You’re actually right... I could’ve sworn you’d say black. I’m legit kinda creeped out...”
“It wouldn’t be a quiz if the answer were that obvious. I’m not falling for a trick question!”
“I’m creeped out that you put thought into this.”
“All right, hand over the goods, pronto.”
The man who’d take on any challenge now demanded the right prize. They had just hit the point in their monster tracking where the game was switching areas, so taking a peek at a smartphone wouldn’t hinder their hunt.
“Fine,” said Jun, pursing her lips. “A promise is a promise.”
She operated her controller with one hand and unlocked her phone with the other. She then begrudgingly pointed her phone’s screen at Kai.
Nocchi in her underwear Nocchi in her underwear Nocchi in her underwear Nocchi in her underwear Nocchi in her underweeeeeear...
Kai gulped before glancing sideways to bask in the full glory of the lewd, dark brown lingerie...that was laid neatly on the floor. Of course, Nocchi was, er, nowhere to be seen.
“You tricked me! You treated a boy’s pure heart as your plaything!”
“I didn’t lie, and I kept my end of the bargain! You’re the one who got the wrong idea. Oh, my poor little Kai, you’ve gotta learn to get your mind out of the gutter.”
“I’m suing you for false advertising!”
“Go ahead and try. We both know you still got turned on.”
“Gulp.”
Kai grimaced as Jun hit the nail on the head. Even a simple photo of a bra and some panties turned into something far more powerful when you knew that a friend was wearing them. It was hot.
“Pervert! Perv alert! You’re going to horny jail!”
“Look, all men are equally perverted. It’s true!”
Kai’s voice screeched as he attempted to defend himself from Jun’s teasing.
The two laughed boisterously as they continued both their game and their foolish banter. This casual yet cherished moment was a panacea for Kai’s weary heart. Maybe he really was a child, or maybe he was just not an adult. But he still felt the same way, even after all this: a friend was better than a lover. Way better.
He’d be sad if he never saw Kotobuki again, but he had no regrets over choosing his friendship with Jun. Of that, he was certain.