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Mana
Novel
A Story About Seducing My Childhood Friend

Chapter 22: Pulling a bicycle home with my childhood friend

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Pulling a bicycle home with my childhood friend

I walked through the side of the shop and stepped outside. The stylish lights illuminated the signboard, casting light over the parking lot in front.

The blond man was sitting on the fence just where the light faded away. The light from his smartphone illuminated his expressionless face.

I took a step closer to the blond man.

Lately, Aya’s world has been quite tumultuous, I thought. She got entangled with me during the school trip, was harassed by boys from other schools, and almost attacked by Edato-sensei.

From Best Couple Award to dealing with a stalker now.

Perhaps this is another scenario that the gods have orchestrated.

Well, what does it matter?

I’ll just calmly do what needs to be done to win Aya.

I took another step closer to the blond man.

Calmly proceed… is all I’m doing.

A sharp ringing echoed in my ears.

God’s intuition flooded my mind with a multitude of images.

Memories of the future.

— A future where I leave the blond man alone.

— A few months from now.

— A man waiting in an alley to ambush Aya on her way home from school.

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In his hand…

— I shut out the future images right then and there.

Unbelievable.

What could Aya have possibly done?

Why would this man do such a horrible thing to her?

Fury surged through me from the depths of my being.

Again, a sharp ringing echoed in my ears.

God’s intuition, as if insisting, showed me another memory of the future.

The future that I should strive for…

— The blond man suddenly flinched as I approached him. Thanks for reading on ManaNovel!

I called out to him without hesitation.

“Excuse me, what have you been doing in front of the store?”

Seeing that I was wearing a uniform, the man suddenly turned arrogant.

“Just waiting for someone…”

“Is it the girl inside?”

“None of your business, right?”

“No, it is my business. You’re causing trouble.”

Saying so, I snapped photos of the man with my smartphone.

“I’ll report this stalking to the police. I’ll also report it to your workplace.”

“What!?”

At the mention of his workplace, the man visibly panicked.

He didn’t strike me as a college student, so I mentioned his workplace instead of school.

And it turned out to be the right guess.

“Why are you doing this, and what’s with you since earlier!”

The man stood up.

He was about ten centimeters shorter than me. He seemed muscular, but it should be fine.

I approached the man, applying pressure as I backed him into a corner.

“Mr. Stalker, if you keep pestering Aya, things probably won’t end well for you.”

“Don’t mess with me! What the hell do you mean by things won’t end well, and what’s this about threats, I’m reporting you for harassment!”

Saying so, the man snapped a picture of me with his smartphone.

In that moment, I snatched his smartphone away.

“Hey, you!”

Looking at the smartphone, I found two pictures of Aya that were probably taken secretly inside the store. One was taken over the menu, capturing Aya in the distance, and the other was from under the table, trying to capture her as she left, but the timing seemed off in that one. Both pictures were blurry.

There were no other photos of Aya or anything taken around her house.

This stalker is probably new to this, I thought. Maybe today is the second time he’s met Aya.

He probably doesn’t know about me yet, which means he hasn’t followed her home. Not yet.

“Give that back! Are you kidding me? That’s theft!”

The man reached out for it.

I showed him Aya’s pictures.

“These are taken without consent. It’s a serious crime.”

The man’s expression changed.

He put his hand in his pocket and took out a key.

He doesn’t seem to have a knife or anything. Not yet.

The man gripped the key and lunged at me.

I raised my elbow, pretending to guard myself as I took the attack.

A metallic sound followed, and the tip of the key ran across my arm.

Dull pain.

But it wasn’t too bad. The cut area was swelling slightly, with a faint trace of blood.

“This is self-defense.”

Saying so, I grabbed the man and wrestled him to the concrete of the parking lot.

“Boyan!”

Aya and Ryouji came running from the entrance of the shop.

Aya’s face was pale.

“Call the police, please.”

I shouted, and a patrol car arrived after a while.

After being interrogated, I was released in the early morning.

When I went to school right after that, even though we were at school, Aya hugged me.

And for a while, she wouldn’t leave my side.

It seemed like she had been deeply shocked.

Not by the stalker.

She was scared and shocked because I got hurt.

She stopped going to Ryouji’s shop and the afternoons were filled with sex at my house.

Aya sought sex from me as if to keep me tied to her.

On the other hand, things with Tokita ended quickly.

She started rejecting Tokita excessively, as if she associated him with the stalker.

At the same time, the story of me protecting Aya from the stalker spread throughout the school. Students started looking at me differently.

I was able to be with Aya in name and reality…

— I shut out the future images right there.

Exhale.

Thanks to the vivid visions, my head was strangely cool.

Certainly, this must be the shortest route to get Aya.

Both her heart and body would be mine.

In a frightening way.

But it’s a rejection.

What’s the point of shocking Aya?

Implanting a lifelong trauma and keeping her tied to me is meaningless.

Plus, I can’t afford to lose the chance to come to Ryouji’s shop.

This place is filled with memories of Aya and me.

Seeing Aya work here happily, I love it.

And then, there was that high-pitched sound again.

It seems like it’s showing a different future.

Perhaps because I wasn’t obeying my intuition, it’s trying to suggest a compromise.

I was talking to the blond man.

“I’m actually dating that girl.”

I pretended to be Aya’s boyfriend.

“What? Boyfriend!?”

“Could you delete the pictures from your phone for now?”

“Why? I mean, why should I?”

“You took those pictures without permission, right? I might report you.”

I reached out towards the man’s phone.

He instinctively pushed back abruptly.

I fell backward as a result.

“Boyan!”

Aya ran over from the entrance of the shop.

She had a shoe horn gripped tightly in her hand.

Ryouji emerged from the shop in a hurry.

Seems like Aya saw me fall and rushed out reflexively.

Aya paused diagonally behind me and gave the man a sharp look.

“So, what… What do you want with from him?”

Nervously, she referred to me as ‘him’.

Both hands gripping the shoe horn, they trembled uncontrollably.

The blond man started to get flustered.

“Uh, well, I was wondering if I could get Aya’s contact info, um…?”

“It’s annoying! Get lost!”

Aya squeezed out her words, raising her voice as much as possible.

“Uh, I mean, well, really? He’s, like, your boyfriend or something?”

The man seemed shocked, trying to hide it with a nervous smile.

“…Yeah, we’re dating… kinda…”

Aya seemed to grasp my plan and awkwardly matched her words.

Even though it’s a charade, hearing Aya call me her boyfriend made my heart race.

The man continued to smile awkwardly and was led away by Ryouji, who had grabbed his shoulder.

I gently pulled the trembling Aya close…

I shut out the future images there.

Indeed, this seems to be the most peaceful route.

Among the paths my intuition is suggesting, this one is quite circuitous.

Still, it’s likely the route where Aya gets hurt the least.

But as I recall Aya, gripping the shoe horn while trembling…

What’s the point of making her feel like that?

I walked up to the blond man.

He noticed and lifted his eyebrows in confusion.

“Good evening. I’m that girl’s childhood friend.”

I didn’t face him directly but sat down next to him.

The wall dug into my backside, causing a bit of discomfort.

Has this guy been waiting here for over an hour, hurting his backside?

“Huh? Uh, yeah?”

The man seemed confused and drew back.

I continued speaking with a calm tone.

“Well, I thought you might be in on it too.”

“In on it? What are you talk…”

The overly friendly atmosphere from me made the man somewhat uneasy, and he switched to polite speech.

In just a few seconds, I’ve engaged with this man quite a bit.

So, I have a rough idea of his personality and how he reacts.

“You also have feelings for her, right?”

“Huh!? No, I mean, I’m just… sort of an acquaintance of Aya.”

Ignoring the man’s words, I carried on.

“But you know, waiting out here in front of her workplace could cause problems. It’s better to stop.”

“No, it’s not like that… I mean, I think Aya will understand.”

I wonder what Aya would understand.

Ignoring the man’s words, I continued.

“She already has a boyfriend. I’ve had a crush on her for over five years. However, she’s been in a relationship with her boyfriend all along.”

“Wha, a boyfriend!? Really? I see…”

I glanced at the shop and noticed Aya staring at us through the window.

I smiled and waved at her.

Aya made a face that seemed to say “Sorry, wait for me” and waved back.

Looking to the side, I noticed the blond man staring at Aya.

“…But, you know, Aya isn’t doing so well with her boyfriend. So, like, there’s that saying, ‘when you give up, it’s over.’ That’s why…”

He had a desperate tone, as if clinging to something.

It appears he still can’t fully let go.

Ignoring his words, I decided to ask.

“Where did you meet her?”

“Ah, yes, here at this shop…”

“What attracted you to her?”

“…Well, uh, she smiled a lot when I placed an order or paid. Our distance was really close… It felt close.”

“How did she treat other people?”

“…I don’t know, she was just being herself, I guess.”

The man hesitated for a moment.

He must have realized that Aya had a friendly and outgoing manner not just with him, but with everyone.

“When you paid earlier, how was it? Was she a bit troubled?”

“Indeed, she seemed a bit distant… but yeah.”

“So, you were a bit shocked, right? You probably realized. That’s why you decided to wait here.”

“More like surprised, well… yeah.”

The man still seemed bewildered.

Rejected by Aya, he was trying to get something from her. He was starting to understand her feelings and his own in a vague way… that it’s impossible.

It’s like waking up from a dream.

This man has only known Aya for a few weeks, and this is only their second meeting.

If it’s at this point, he has only glimpsed a fraction of Aya’s charm.

Before getting fully obsessed, he can still turn back.

I kindly spoke to the man.

“Well, I’ll be going then. You shouldn’t come back to the shop anymore.”

“Huh, I shouldn’t…?”

…It’s forbidden.

For him, who doesn’t understand Aya’s pain, who can’t imagine it.

There’s no way I’ll allow him to get any closer.

If he does get closer…

Before that happens, it’s best for him to quickly move away from her.

The man seemed to sense my unsettling presence and fell silent.

That’s good.

I took a light deep breath to calm myself.

“Also, please delete the photos of that girl from your phone.”

I smiled at the man.

I think I managed to smile in a friendly manner.

The man widened his eyes and stared at me.

His face seemed to be contorted with fear.

He stammered, “Huh? Well…” and hurriedly started fidgeting with his phone.

He was probably hurrying to delete the photos.

That’s fine.

When I waved my hand, the man nodded his head slightly and left, bowing his head.

I watched his back until his silhouette became as small as a speck.

My intuition told me that he wouldn’t appear again.

Back in my third year of middle school, when I heard that Aya was targeted by a stalker.

I researched various strategies and self-defense techniques on my own.

Apparently, around 80% of people stop stalking when warned.

I’m glad the blond man wasn’t part of the remaining 20%.

Really.

I let out a sigh.

I slowly stood up.

My butt was hurting.

Looking inside the shop, Aya was once again staring at me.

I raised my hand once more.

With a relieved expression, Aya mouthed, “I’m heading out now” and disappeared into the back.

Nothing had happened to Aya today.

That’s good.

I won’t let anything happen around Aya.

- - -

“Sorry to keep you waiting.”

Aya in her school uniform came out of the shop.

Ryouji-san waved from inside the shop.

His face seemed to say, “Tell me the details later.”

I bowed my head slightly and approached Aya’s bicycle.

“I’ll pull it for you. It’s heavy, right?”

“Yeah, thanks.”

Normally, I would just start pulling Aya’s bicycle without saying anything.

But my gut feeling kept telling me to say something this time.

Indeed, Aya’s reaction was better than usual.

It takes about thirty minutes by bicycle and an hour and a half on foot from the shop to Aya’s house.

But whenever I come to pick her up, we walk back.

Talking makes the time fly, and… besides, the soft sensation of her back against mine when we ride together almost made me lose control of my senses.

But now…

I just wanted to spend as much time as possible with Aya.

“That guy from earlier, do you know him?”

Aya casually asked, disguising her curiosity in her tone.

She was probably talking about the blond man.

“Oh, while waiting for Aya, we just had some small talk. Apparently, he’s a regular here.”

“I see…”

Strange.

Aya’s walking speed was a bit faster.

When Aya is truly scared, she just wants to distance herself from the situation.

At first, she would give a polite smile, but gradually her expression would turn blank.

Right now, Aya’s expression was blank.

“What were you talking about?”

Aya asked, looking ahead.

She was trying to hide her fear, speaking with a flat tone.

Aya had noticed.

She knew that the blond man had been lurking around.

She knew that I had driven him away.

Suddenly, I remembered that scene my intuition had shown me.

Aya gripping the shoe horn, trembling.

In hindsight, maybe she was excessively frightened.

Perhaps Aya knew.

Back in our third year of middle school, she had been targeted by a stalker.

Or maybe, without my knowledge, she had experienced similar things with others.

Aya sent a worried sidelong glance.

I started speaking to reassure her.

“Oh, that guy…”

—Don’t say it.

—Don’t shock her.

—Just imply it a bit.

My gut feeling whispered.

Telling Aya about the stalker would shock her.

Even though it had been encouraging me to give a shock just earlier, now in this situation, it would be better not to shock her too much.

Instead, imply it a little, make her anxious.

This power, which consistently offers the best possible routes, leaves me in awe.

However…

“Aya, apparently he fell for you at first sight. Being too friendly with anyone might lead to unwanted attention, so you should be careful.”

“Me…?”

It was as I had anticipated.

Aya’s shoulders trembled slightly, and her face contorted.

Yet, I needed to communicate this properly.

While I’m intent on protecting Aya from anything that might happen to her, I don’t plan on churning out dangerous individuals either.

Aya needs to realize that she might attract such dangers, too.

She must be scared right now.

But it’s better for her to be here with me, than for me to be hurt in front of her.

Better than me confronting the stalker, than her holding the shoe horn.

If Aya has grown a bit stronger, she can handle this level of information.

At least, that’s what I feel.

“Aya, are you okay?”

“Ah… well…”

Confusion colored Aya’s face.

She seemed like she might cry, biting her lower lip to hold back her tears.

She exhaled through her nose, then took a deep breath through her mouth.

Tightening her expression, she looked at me.

“No, I’ll be careful.”

—Sorry, Boyan.

Aya tried to continue.

But even though she was scared, she earnestly accepted it.

She didn’t need to apologize to me at all.

—If you were my boyfriend, I wouldn’t have to face this kind of unease.

“Huh?”

—Then, you could come to the shop every day.

I interrupted her toughts.

“It’s not like… I can’t come already, right?”

Aya’s stiff expression started to change, her cheeks slightly turning red.

“Aya, have a little self-awareness.”

“What about?”

“You don’t realize your own charm. You’ve always been popular.”

“Oh, come on… Well, I was popular with kids.”

“No, even Leo-kun from the Makino’s comes running to you.”

“He’s a dog!”

Relentlessly teasing Aya.

I can feel warmth growing in Aya’s heart towards me.

For a while, Aya and I exchanged light banter.

How long had we been laughing?

Without realizing it, we were walking with our shoulders close together.

Perhaps it was due to the narrow alleyway.

Suddenly, Aya’s expression turned serious.

“Even Boyan…”

“Huh? What’s gotten into you?”

Aya opened her mouth, as if she had resolved herself.

“There might be a girl who’s into Boyan.”

“Really?”

“You’re way too uninterested!?”

For some reason, Aya seemed annoyed.

Her feelings transmitted through the shoulder we were touching.

—Like Yukari…

Yukari said something similar, like he might help.

Like he could be relied upon.

I know that more than anyone else.

More than Yukari.

More than anyone.

Is this emotion jealousy?

The same feeling I’ve harbored towards Tokita for so long.

And now, Aya is… to Yukari… for me…

—Calm down.

Yeah, I need to calm down.

Just then, Aya’s phone vibrated.

“Oh, it’s my mom.”

Aya looked at the smartphone she retrieved from her pocket and muttered.

Her mom must be worried since she’s coming home late.

“Hello? … Yeah, he’s with me now. … Yeah, we’re together… Yes, that’s right. So—”

—I’m okay.

“…Ah, yeah. Right now, I’m… walking near the shopping district… Yeah, it might take a bit longer… were passing by the family restaurant… Boyan’s gonna give me a ride… Yeah, make sure to warm up the bath, okay? Thanks, bye.”

After ending the call, Aya stopped in her tracks.

The shopping district and the family restaurant had been passed about thirty minutes ago.

Now, right in front of her, there was a park, just three minutes’ walk from Aya’s home.

“Hey, Boyan…”

—More, a lot more.

I want to talk with Boyan more.

Want to be together more.

I feel the same way.

“Aya, wanna stop by the park?”

“Yeah…”

Saying that, Aya looks down, like a girl in love.

I’ve updated the many adorable expressions of Aya in my memory.

Just talking.

Of course, that’s all it will be.

Is this the clever arrangement of fate?

Normally, there should have been occasional passersby, but today, there wasn’t a single one.

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