My Childhood Friends Reign on Top of the School Caste

Chapter 14

Sayuri: “Meet at 10:00 a.m. at ○○ station on Sunday. Don’t be late.”

Etsuji: “What if I have plans too?”

Sayuri: “You don’t.  Even if you did, it wouldn’t be a big deal. Anyway, you don’t have the right to refuse.”

It seems I don’t have the right of refusal after all.

On Sunday, we were at the local outlet mall. There was a theme park adjacent to the mall, and the place was crowded with people from all walks of life. It is a popular spot for families, couples, and students.

The four of us were visiting such a place.

“So, why are Erika and Kouki here too?”

I’m glad. Sayuri is smiling again today. I think I see a vein in her forehead, but I’ll stop reading too much into it.

“I invited them. We were talking about having everyone together this time.”

“Of course. Since we didn’t have club activities today I’m glad we were able to come.”

“Well, I didn’t get invited last time! Today I’m gonna play around!”

This time, I’ve talked to all of them. I’m sure they won’t bother me later.

“Rikiya has club activities. I tried to talk to Makoto, but he had something to do, so we’ll have to wait.”

“…That’s not what I meant. I was… looking forward to having a… date with you alone.”

“What’s wrong? Sayuri? What did you say?”

“Nothing… Nothing at all.”  (ED: ✪ ω ✪)

She seems a bit sullen. What did I do wrong? Was it supposed to be a consultation for something she didn’t want anyone to hear? If that’s the case, I’m sorry…

“That’s fine, that’s fine! We’ve come all this way, so let’s have some fun today!”

It’s good to have Kouki around at times like this.

“What should we buy today?” As Kouki started walking, we also started walking. We didn’t have a specific goal in mind, but just wandered around and went into stores we liked.

Erika and Sayuri were browsing clothes together in a friendly manner. Kouki and I were also browsing men’s clothes.

This reminds me of the time when Sayuri and I used to study fashion and come here to shop. Back then, I was still sensitive to trends. Compared to the me from before, I don’t know what the trends are because I’ve settled for simple clothes.

Kouki is very fashion-conscious, so I asked him to show me around the stores. As he was admiring the latest trends, Sayuri called me over and said, “Come here for a minute.”

She brought me to the fitting room. Apparently, she had found some clothes she liked and wanted a man’s opinion. Erika was also there.

After a short wait, the curtain of the fitting room shuffled open.

“This is it…. What do you think?”

Sayuri was wearing a white shirt with a transparent feel. I’ve heard that it’s a sheer fabric

“Ooh that’s nice, that’s nice! It suits you so well ”

Kouki immediately complimented her. This is one of the points that make Kouki popular.

Sayuri’s response was surprisingly indifferent: “Oh yeah.”

So, what should I say?

“It looks good on you. It looks cool and summery. The skin that shows through is not too flashy and feels elegantly s**y.”

“Eh?”

“Ah…”

I was thinking of a way to tell her, and it came out naturally. I’m sure I didn’t say anything strange, but…

I wonder…?

Erika is wearing a beige set-up. The top has short sleeves and a fluttery hem. The bottom is slim and extends to around seven inches.

“Oh! It looks great on you! It’s super cute!”

Kouki was the first to give his impressions again.

The response was again indifferent, “Oh, yeah.” As Sayuri had said before, Kouki’s words and actions may be considered light. It seems that because of this, people don’t take his compliments seriously. I’m sure Kouki is speaking from his heart…

“What about you, Etsuji-kun?”

Hmmm.

“I think it’s great. You look more mature than before. I’ve always thought that setups could be worn by anyone, but I’m impressed with your ability to pull it off.”

“Heh?”

“Ah…”

I had to say it out loud again.

It was like a habit. When Sayuri and I were picking out clothes in junior high school, we used to say what we were thinking to each other in order to exchange opinions. That feeling still lingered in my mind. It had been a long time since I had been shopping with someone, so I was not aware of it until now.

“T-thank you… I’m so happy.”

“Hey! I think you’re giving Erika too much credit.”

“You can’t help it. It’s what Etsuji-kun thinks.”

“It doesn’t make much difference. There are other people here, so get dressed again.”

Kouki and I went to look at our clothes again.

At that time, we were having this conversation.

“Have you ever had a girlfriend, Etsuji?”

“Ha? What’s with the suddenness?”

“No, I thought about it when I saw how you were acting earlier. I thought, ‘If you’re so good at complimenting people, you’d be popular’.”

“What’s that? Is that sarcasm? Unfortunately, I’ve never been popular with anyone.”

“It’s true… You’ve never been popular. I don’t think so.”

“What about you, though? How many hookups did you have?”

“I don’t have any! I don’t even have a girlfriend.”

“What? Really? I’m kidding about the multi-timing, but I thought you had a girlfriend.”

“Didn’t you know? We broke up in middle school and never saw each other again… Enough about me! I’m talking about you! What’s your story?”

That’s right, I’m interested. But there’s no point in talking about it if you don’t have a partner.

“If you have a partner, yes. What about Sayuri or Erika?”

“I don’t know… We’ve known each other for a long time, so I’ve never really thought about it. There’s no way I can match the level of those two in the first place. It’s impossible.”

‘…I don’t think so-‘

“What about you? How do you feel about Sayuri and Erika?”

“No, I don’t… And don’t talk about it in front of them, okay?”

“Why not? I think you’re perfect for each other…”

“I like this dress.” He changed the subject. It seems like he doesn’t want to talk about it anymore.

Sayuri and the others seemed to have purchased the clothes I had just bought. We joined them and moved on to other stores.

After that, we looked around the various stores and I bought some clothes too. In addition to shopping, we had lunch, ate ice cream, and watched the street performance in the square.

On the way home, Sayuri came up beside me as I walked.

“That was fun. It kind of reminded me of when we were in middle school.”

Just like Sayuri, I remembered it too. We were so pure back then.

I miss it.

“Next time… well…”

“Hmm?”

“Next time… I want to go… just the two of us.”

It was a small voice, but this time I could hear it.

I wondered if she was remembering middle school and wanted to exchange opinions again. I don’t know much about it now, but if you still want to invite me…

“Yeah, you can teach me a lot of things then, Sayuri.”

Even though I replied positively, Sayuri turned her head to the side where I was not. Was it just lip service?

” L-Leave it to me! I’ll make you look really cool.”

I didn’t know if I should take it seriously, but all I could do was laugh.

“…Just the way I like it.”

She said something at the end and ran towards Erika. She’s always hard to hear.