Forever and Always, My Childhood Friend is the Cutest Girl in the World Chapter 10: Meeting my Childhood Friend

Chapter 10: Meeting my Childhood Friend

Link to Original Chapter: https://ncode.syosetu.com/n5894gb/10/

When I was in Grade 2, I heard of the rumours of a girl in the neighbouring class who was always by herself and would give death stares to all the other kids. That girl was pretty infamous, but I didn't really know about the rumours for two years because I wasn't really part of my class community. 

Her name was Rin Asakura. A name I would become very familiar with. 

Our meeting was pretty spontaneous and sudden. It was June and the onset of summer was quickly approaching. After school, all my classmates were playing dodgeball, but I was inside in the air conditioned library. With my allowance, I bought writing paper and with an HB pencil in hand, I was manically writing down hiragana, as if I was some crazed demon. 

Yes, I was writing. Even at a young age, I aspired to be an author. I wanted to become one no matter what. But it's not like I had a meticulous plan mapped out or anything. It just felt like the right thing to do given that being an author was what I wanted to do. If you ask elementary kids nowadays what they want to do, they'd probably say Youtuber. The first thing they'd do is make a channel and that's basically what I was doing. 

The reason I wanted to be one? It's honestly a bit childish. Every sunday night there would be a program on TV called "The Sweet Continent", where they could showcase the author, Maple Satou, who I thought was so cool.  My desire really was that simple. I wanted to be just like Maple-sensei, sitting by myself at a desk creating these stories I could be proud of. I committed my second grade self to that very ideal. Back then, I was bad at socializing, but it was justified in my mind since those would be my working conditions as an adult. 

So, after school, the library was my heart and soul and the place I spent the most time in. I would find a place as far away from the entrance as possible and every day I write until I physically could not anymore. 

I was also writing the day I met Rin. That day, I was in the middle of writing when my stomach started acting up, probably because of the fan I was sitting under. So I rushed immediately to the washroom. After I successfully vanished the demons, I made my triumphant return to my seat where I saw a girl sitting down in my seat reading my paper. 

My only thought was that she was so pretty. It was a childish sort of affection. Her skin was as white as snow and her features looked like that of a sculpture. Her jet black hair extended all the way down to her waist. She was as radiant as the starry sky. Rin really did exude such a brilliant charm, almost like a sharp blade. I remembered reading a label for this kind of beauty in a book I read: Yamato Nadeshiko. That described Rin perfectly. 

"Did you write this?" 

That girl noticed my presence and her large, shining pupils were staring right at me, awaiting my answer. Her eyes had so much strength to them, to the point of anger almost. Even though I barely had any social skills, I could tell she was hard to deal with. I ended up backing away slightly. 

"Ahh, sorry." 

As if she just noticed, that girl starts to blink rapidly. 

"I wasn't glaring at you or anything. My eyes are kind of mean looking, that’s it." 

Her response seems quite practiced, like she had to say that many times. Hearing those words, I guess I just accepted it. I wasn't still aware of her, but I did know that she read my work. 

"You read it...?" 

"Yes I did." 

She really did. The girl in front of me, she continues on. 

"This paper fell on the floor so I picked it up and happened to take a peek." 

For a second grader, hearing that was pretty rare, I was honestly a bit embarrassed. I averted my gaze from that girl. 

"Well, the stuff you write was quite interesting, I found myself really liking it." 

Fidgeting around, Rin scratches her cheek. Her tone and general vibe gives off an innocent vibe and I can feel my heart pulsing. 

"I'm sorry I read it without your permission." 

She bows her head. This definitely isn't something a second grader would normally do. Rin comes from a strict family where manners are important and has been drilled into her since a young age. Though it would be a long time before I knew that. 

"Umm..." 

I ended up ignoring her apology and the full flow of the conversation. In those days, I wasn't angry for having someone else read my work and I would be fine showing it to others depending on the circumstances. I didn't have that thought process yet because having someone read my work only brought up feelings of curiosity. That's why I had to ask her. 

"How was it!?" 

"Huh?" 

My expression then might have been sparkling, and that's what Rin saw when I asked her. 

"My novel, how was it!?" 

Normally I was quiet and I rarely said anything, however, when it came to my work, I was very interested to hear people's thoughts. I devoted all my passion towards it. Now that I learned someone had read my work, all I wanted to know was their thoughts. My need for some validation must have rubbed off on that girl as her eyes softened as she continued looking at me. 

"It was quite interesting." 

In that moment, my world of complete darkness was completely shattered. Hearing those words alone flipped a switch within me, those honest thoughts were like a drug to me. I had no friends at the time, I was always alone, but I could feel my body shaking from everyone that was happening. The girl who said those words to me, it felt like the warm spring sun was wrapping around me. 

At the time, my second grade self didn't realize those feelings, but I had fallen in love with that girl right there and then. My own Aphrodite. That girl covered her mouth with her hands and started laughing. Witnessing that innocent, childish laugh caused my heart to skip a beat. I didn't understand why my face felt so hot then. 

"Why are you laughing?" 

"Sorry, I always thought you were the silent type." 

It's as if she knew who I was long before she talked to me today. And from then on, the relationship I had with the girl had been ensured to last for a long time. 

"You aren't going to continue writing?" 

And that was how I met Rin.

______

Translator's Note: Sweet backstory. Nice seeing their relationship get developed. 

Chapter 9

Chapter 11