Chapter 101 - Re-encounter

"HOTARU!" "TOMOKI!" BAAM! "Is that really you!? My best pal whose heart got torn to pieces?" - he cried. "And is it really you!? The guy who spoiled every ending of every anime I watched?" - I couldn't hold back my tears either. "Damn! It's really you! Hahaha! I have so much to tell you." "Me too, bro. But hey... did you really name yourself Sebastian?" "I mean... who wouldn't? Since they let us choose our own names, I had to take advantage of it." "Fair enough. First, let me introduce you to my friends." I could tell we were the center of attention now, but honestly, I didn't care. "Guys, this is Hirose Hotaru. He's my childhood friend and, in a way, my long-lost brother." - Then I turned toward Hotaru. - "And Hotaru, these are my friends, Edomae Ayame, Satou Ryuichi, and Tachibana Himari." "It's a pleasure to meet all of you. Thank you for taking such good care of him."- Hotaru bowed politely. "What are you, my mom or something?" - I retorted. "Fufu~ Likewise, Hirose-san." - Ayame said with a smile. "He's actually the one who takes care of everyone around here, though he can be a handful sometimes." - Ryuichi said. "H-Hirose-kun... do you still remember me?" - Himari asked. I think I ruined her moment. "Of course I remember you! We finally know each other's names. It's kind of sad that my best friend had to introduce us." "Hehe~ You're right!" While the two of them were talking, I couldn't let this opportunity slip by. "Ryuichi, give me five random numbers between 0 and 99." "It's amazing how I instantly know what you're planning. How about one, two, three, four, and five?" "Noted." "You can't be serious..." "Fufu~ If you somehow win, I want two ice creams." - Ayame said. "And I want at least twelve tubs of ice cream, all with different flavors." - Ryuichi added. "Are you planning to open an ice cream shop?" - I asked. "By the way, Tomoki, if you want, you can spend some time with your friend. You haven't seen him in a long time, right?" - Ryuichi said. "Don't worry about us. Take your time and enjoy being with him." - Ayame added. "It's okay. Besides, I don't want to ruin Himari's moment." It was obvious how happy Himari was. Actually... Hotaru looked just as happy. Hmm... I think I have a plan. "Guys, how about the three of us support them? I trust Hotaru. He'd definitely treat Himari well." "You trust him that much? Fine, but tell us something first. Do you think he likes her?" - Ryuichi asked. "It's obvious that Himari-san likes him. The real question is how your friend feels." - Ayame said. "Don't worry. Just give me one chance to talk to him alone, and I'm sure he'll become aware of her feelings." "How!? Hey, you can't just tell him that Tachibana-san likes him." - Ryuichi protested. "Yeah, Tomoki, I agree with Satou-san. If he's only looking for friendship, it could make things awkward between them." - Ayame said. "Only if he already has someone else in his heart. Don't worry. If he's still the same guy I know, trust me, he'll be the one confessing." "If that happens, I think I should start building a bunker." - Ryuichi said. "Tomoki... you're not going to threaten him or anything, are you?" - Ayame looked at me suspiciously. It's incredible how little faith my friends have in me. That being said... I think I'm forgetting something really important. ♦♦♦ "So, pal... how's everything going here? Are Aunt Haruka and Uncle Masaru doing well?" - Hotaru asked with a worried expression. Right now, we were on the rooftop, just the two of us. "We're doing fine. They both got married here, though you won't believe this—Dad now has more four wives and four kids." "Uncle Masaru has a harem now!? Oh... my bad." "It's okay, bro. If you think about it, it's kind of funny. But what about you? Is your mom doing well here?" "Mom has become much softer, though she still turns into a demon whenever I go outside by myself. As for my father, just like in our world, he's with another woman now. The difference is that Mom here already knew what kind of man he was, so she only wanted a casual relationship." - Hotaru... "You've really had it rough." "Nah! At least I'm relieved that Mom here never really cared about him. Though from now on, she won't let me do half the things I used to do back in our world. Haha!" I knew he was worried about his mother. After all, she'd been a single mom raising her only son. And honestly, it wasn't exactly reassuring to think about what happened to our counterparts in this world if we'd really swapped places. There was only one thing I could do. "Haha! Do you remember when we went to the arcade and nearly broke the buttons trying to pull off a combo in that fighting game?" "And then we stayed out so late that our moms almost killed us. Or when you caught a cockroach with your bare hand and asked us if it was a beetle?" "Please, bro. That's something I really want to forget. A few weeks ago, that memory came back to haunt me. Can you believe this school actually has a custom involving that… thing?" "Hahaha! This school really is something else." Most of our conversation was spent reminiscing about our childhood and talking about how crazy this world was. At one point, we even started chanting random spells, just in case we actually had some kind of magic... you never know. By the end of it, though, we found ourselves looking around to make sure no one had seen us doing something so embarrassingly childish and suspicious. Then I asked him something important. "Hotaru... do you know if she's here?" "I don't know. I was shocked when neither you nor she showed up in my contacts." "I see... Thanks." "By the way, Tomoki... are you aware that Tachibana-san..." "Yeah, I know. She went through a lot... and she finally found you." "Now everything makes sense. So the girl you like now is Edomae-san?" - he asked with a grin. "Yep." "Man, I'm really happy for you! I was seriously worried." "Was I really that bad?" "Oh, you bet! But things should be easier now, right? I mean, I've heard a little about you from my classmates. You've become quite the popular guy." "The problem is that the girl I fell for is the richest, smartest, most beautiful, and most well-known girl in the entire school. Just so you know, her family is the one funding this scholarship for male students." "Holy— But if it's you, I'm sure she'll fall for you. Let's be honest, it's hard to find a decent guy in this world." "That's for her to decide." "...Sorry. You're right." I guessed he'd remembered my failed confession back in our old world. "Don't worry about it. So, what about you? Do you have a girlfriend now? Or at least someone you like? You were always complaining about how anime protagonists got harems so easily. Well, now's your chance." "At first, I thought the same thing. But something—or rather, someone—stopped me." "Let me guess... your mom?" "Exactly. I went to an all-boys high school because Mom didn't want me to risk being assaulted by a woman. I only got permission to enroll here after convincing her. Honestly, the only women I really interacted with were my customers at the Butler Café. Can you believe it?" "So we'll never get to experience a real maid café." "Sigh~ You're right. Damn. I should've visited one at least once." "So, Hotaru... what do you think of Himari?" "She's a nice, cute girl. You really missed your chance, bro." "I won't deny that. So? What are you planning to do?" "Get to know her better, spend more time with her... and, when the time comes, work up the courage to ask her out. Just like an old friend of mine once did." "Haha! Then let me tell you what some old friend of mine once told me too: if I were a girl, I'd definitely date you. Good luck!" "..." Hotaru fell silent. "..." So did I. "...Is this how you felt when I said that?" - Hotaru asked. "Yeah. Sometimes your jokes go a little too far." And that was how our conversation came to an end. Since he wasn't in any club, he headed home while I went to the student council room to discuss all the concerns we'd gathered so far. As always, Mom picked me up afterward and drove me home. The moment we arrived, I opened the front door. "I'M HOME!" - I shouted. "You don't have to yell like that, Tomoki-nii." - Miyuna-chan said. "Come on, don't be like that. Let's just say I ran into an old friend today." "An old friend? You should introduce him to us sometime. And don't forget about Satou-san." - Himari-chan said. "As for my old friend, he's already on his way to getting a girlfriend. But don't worry, I've already started making plans for Ryuichi... Mwahaha!" "I'm actually curious about this old friend of yours now. Seeing you this happy... I wonder if he's the reason you've changed so much." - Natsumi-chan smiled. "Well, you're not entirely wrong." "Just let us know ahead of time if you invite him over. I'll make sure we give him the warmest welcome possible." - Erina nee-san said proudly. "Haha! Don't worry, Erina nee-san. You... don't... have to..." HOLY— I totally forgot about her. Damn you, Sebastian!