NTR Kousuke Chapter 6

Chapter 6: To See You One Last Ti

And so, after school, I head to the convenience store near Satsuki's house, our eting place.

(Now that I think about it, a place with people around might be... nah, that's rude of .)

Feeling a bit annoyed, Satsuki arrives five minutes late as planned.

She's holding sothing, but I can't see it clearly in the evening light.

Satsuki, looking annoyed, says,

"Phew, I'm not in the mood for this, but it's better to get it over with quickly, right?"

"..."

From the last two conversations, I've realized she's no longer the Satsuki I once knew.

She's beco prettier, sexier, but she's not the Satsuki I knew—or thought I knew.

My goal is to express the little gratitude I still feel and, if possible, to cut ties completely. Just these two things.

She might say sothing hurtful again, but she must have called out because she's willing to talk, right?

If possible, I don't want things to end like they did before; I want to part on slightly better terms.

There's tension between us.

Satsuki is staring at . I can't look at her face...

...Isn't this weird? I haven't done anything to be ashad of!

Hold your head high! Look her in the eye!

Breaking up with my first girlfriend—can I really end it without even looking at her?!

Honestly, I'm starting to feel so uneasy around Satsuki that it's almost traumatic.

I want to run away! That's the truth.

At tis like this, I think of my best friend.

Other than at the graduation ceremony, he's always been the ideal man I admire—loyal, brave, and kind.

I want to be like him, to show it through my actions.

Don't be a coward; she's probably going to say sothing hurtful anyway! Don't get your hopes up!

Satsuki says,

"What I said the other day is really how I feel, okay? I'm not going to apologize or take it back."

Yeah, I figured.

I understand that I should just think of her as a completely different person now.

Even so, the change makes sad.

Satsuki: "You said I don't need to beco Rena Kashii and that I don't have to, right? Well, just watch, I'll definitely surpass her!"

Did I say sothing like that?

Was it around the ti we started high school? Satsuki was abnormally obsessed with Kashii-san back then.

But what I ant was that she didn't need to compare herself to "that" Rena Kashii, and that Satsuki was fine just as she is.

...But, whatever, I guess.

"I said Satsuki is fine as Satsuki, but I guess that doesn't an anything to you, does it?"

Satsuki: "Why don't you just keep playing around with your so-called best friend (lol)? Pfft!"

I almost snap in that mont.

"Satsuki! Sho has nothing to do with this! Don't badmouth him."

Satsuki flinches a bit, then gets angry, saying she doesn't deserve to be called out like that.

Well, you call Kousuke without any respect too, don't you?

I want to get angry too! But since this is probably the last ti, I don't want to end on such a sad note.

After a short pause, I regain my composure.

Satsuki: "Well, I do think I said too much too suddenly. It must have been a shock for you, Kousuke, right?"

Satsuki says this with a somber tone.

This feels like the most normal she's been in the past three days.

I try to bring up so mories, but,

Satsuki: "I'm not interested anymore, and honestly, I just want to erase the past."

She's really changed, hasn't she?

But with the current atmosphere, I feel like I might be able to say thank you one last ti.

After a brief exchange where I ask to say sothing final and she agrees,

I talk a little about our mories. Though my words are few, she at least nods and listens.

"To , Satsuki, you were my first girlfriend. I wasn't perfect, but I truly loved you... Thank you, I really loved you."

She listened quietly. That's enough for .

Satsuki: "Well then, I'll say one last thing too."

With this atmosphere, she probably won't insult too much, right?

Satsuki: "So people know that you and I dated, right? Not many, but I've told a few myself... And that sses up the tiline of my dating period with Yamamoto, doesn't it?"

Huh? Well, obviously?

That's because Satsuki was fooling around and cheated!

Satsuki: "So! I want us to say we broke up amicably much earlier! And that it was your fault, Kousuke!"

"Huh? Why? You cheated, so it's your fault, isn't it, Satsuki?"

Satsuki: "If it's like that, people will think badly of and Yamamoto, won't they?! Anyway! When couples break up, it's always the guy's fault! Even in divorces, the wife usually gets alimony, doesn't she?!"

No, no.

"...In a divorce, the at-fault spouse obviously pays alimony! It's clear that the one who caused the divorce through cheating or violence is at fault."

Satsuki: "Huh? So you're saying I'm the bad one?! Unbelievable! You just said you loved , and now you're blaming with the sa mouth?!"

No, no, you cheated, didn't you?

...Is this it?

Now I'm starting to feel sad in a different way...

Satsuki: "Well, fine. I don't want to leave a bad impression and be resented either. Just don't go spreading unnecessary rumors about our breakup or that I'm dating Yamamoto, okay?"

(From the way she said that, it sounds like she might spread bad rumors or ones convenient for herself...?)

Now that I've cald down a bit, sothing clicks. I'll be careful.

Ignoring my thoughts, Satsuki hands the thing she brought with her.

...?

What's this?

It's the gifts and ntos I gave her over ti.

She stuffed them carelessly into a bag and handed it to .

Huh?

Satsuki: "I'm not saying it's for free! I'm returning everything I got from you! Ahahaha!"

I get it. No, I didn't get it until now.

The Satsuki I loved is no longer here.

My mood drops with a thud.

I politely thank her and take the bag.

Satsuki, who was mocking , looks at suspiciously as I accept the bag with a smile, then says goodbye.

"Yeah, see you."

Satsuki: "Heh! Acting all tough, huh!"

I understand clearly now—she's a completely different creature.

I don't plan to do anything myself, but if sothing happens, I won't hold back.

My heart still hurts, and I'll probably carry this with for a while, but I'm sure I'll recover soon!

My best friend Sho started working a part-ti job to change himself.

I, too, must change like my best friend.

I will absolutely show Satsuki, who made a fool of , what I'm made of!

That's the vow I made in the early sumr of my first year of high school.