Chapter 15 - It Was Warm, Despite the Cold Wind

It was so cold, in fact, it was a lot colder than I had anticipated. I wish I had brought my cozy scarf...

Brr...

So-so- cold. That may be too much of an exaggeration, it's cold of course, but not that cold. Maybe it's around 14°C, I can't tell…

I glanced to the right side of me. There is, of course, Yuuko and in contrast to me, she looked very warm. How much jealousy can this fact add to my heart...?

[19:11] Yuuto : Hey, are you still at the convenience store?

[19:11] Yuuto : You better be because if you're not, the whole family will be in huge panic.

That's what I messaged her again on the way, but she still didn't reply.

My head is full of negative thoughts, scary imagination, and it makes my head hurt.

And abruptly, I felt my sleeve getting tucked, and so I turned to look sideways.

"Hey, Yuuto. I know this is not a very fun situation, but trust me, she's going to be okay," she said softly, her smile was very gentle too.

I exhaled hard to wipe away my worries, and with a smile that was full of hope, I replied, "Yeah, I'm very sure about that."

As if she's not done comforting me yet, she circled her hands around my hand.

"He-hey, what are you—"

"Don't worry, I'm right by your side."

"Thank you," I whispered under my cold breath.

Thanks to her, not only did she successfully comfort me, she also somewhat warmed my heart.

I feel oddly calm, I didn't blush, I didn't stutter. It only feels very calming, very comfortable that I couldn't explain in words.

"Hey, Yuuto," she suddenly called me.

"What is it?"

"You know, this feels kind of nostalgic, isn't it?"

"Nostalgic?" I looked at her, who's currently looking at me with a soft curve formed on his mouth.

She didn't answer me immediately, instead she chuckled as if remembering something funny.

"I think it happened when we're at elementary school, 2nd grade. The time that I recklessly insisted on going to the convenience store alone, do you remember it?"

I gave it a little thought, making sure that I both still remember it and didn't misremembered.

"Oh yeah, I remember."

"Hehehe. I told you and Kumiko to not follow me to prove that I can do it myself, but," she stopped, looking at me as if she wanted me to continue it for her.

"You cried when you're confused to choose which way to go through on an intersection," I continued, though I don't know if she really wanted me to do so or not.

After my continuation, she smiled. "And you suddenly showed up behind me. You tried your best to calm me, and... you succeeded," she added.

"Then I lead you to the convenience store, with you sobbing hard while hugging my hand on the way," I said, completing the story.

As far as I remembered, that's the whole story in a nutshell.

She chuckled, closing her mouth with her hand. "I couldn't believe I was such a cry baby at that time."

"Me neither. In my eyes, you were a strong girl at the time."

"Is it because I defended you from the other boys and girls?" She looked at me, raising one of her eyebrows.

"That's one of the reasons too."

When I said that, her face turned into confusion. "One of the reasons? Do you have any other reason?"

"Hm... Maybe? Do you know about it? I don't really remember."

"How should I know if you never told me what it is?" She said, looking at me with her unamused expression.

"Haha. I suppose you're right."

In response to my disappointing words, she snorted.

Compared to myself in the present, I was very fragile in the past. Way too fragile that I could break into pieces with only a single rough touch.

But now... uh... I think I'm stronger...? I couldn't really tell, but I think I'm not as fragile as how I was in the past.

Wait, why are we talking about my past?