My Japanese Childhood Friend Is Too Flirty - Chapter 47



46. Love or Friendship. (2)

“That’s about it for the announcements, any other questions? If not, let’s say goodbye and wrap it up.”

Right after our homeroom teacher’s words fell, the class president stood up and led us in a bow.

The students in our class, including me, shouted “Thank you for your hard work!” and lightly bowed our heads. Our teacher left the classroom with the usual closing remark.

Then, in an instant, the classroom became noisy.

The kids all gathered in groups, chatting away and getting ready to go home, creating a disorganized atmosphere.

But I was still just staring at the classroom wall.

The reason, well, obviously it was because of the two plans I had after school today.

From the moment I talked with Aki, until now during the end of day announcements, I’d been worrying non-stop, but I still couldn’t decide which promise to prioritize.

I put my elbows on my desk, opened my palm, rested my chin on it, and let out a groan.

“……Ughh.”

Aki, my childhood friend of 11 years.

Or Kim Seungwoo, who helped me with my first kiss with Aki.

It’s a dilemma as serious as whether to get jajangmyeon or jjamppong, whether to get soft peach or firm peach.

Thing is, refusing Kim Seungwoo’s request to follow Aki would make me this ungrateful, low-down scumbag. But meeting Ham Jieun for Kim Seungwoo means missing Aki in her swimsuit, you know?

‘Ugh, if it wasn’t for the swimsuit, I’d just bail…’

If it was any other outfit, I’d say sorry, but I can’t make it today and ditch, but it had to be a swimsuit she picks, so I can’t.

Aki in her swimsuit is a rare sight, something I gotta witness no matter what.

“Yeah…”

I *want* to witness it, that’s for sure.

The problem is, doing that means ditching Kim Seungwoo’s request.

He even said they could get hit with a penalty for not finding a cosmetic ad model, this is a risky situation, they need to find one and start the ad ASAP.

Forget all that, Kim Seungwoo is the rock who helped me kiss Aki at Jamsil Stadium.

Exaggerating a bit, he’s practically a benefactor, and to postpone his request for my own selfish reasons…

I don’t know, feels kinda wrong as a person, right?

“… Ugh.”

This is driving me crazy.

From noble mtl dot com

No matter how much I think, there’s no brilliant solution.

Honestly, the best way, generally speaking, would be to postpone either of the plans by a day or two. But, not in this current situation, it’s just impossible.

According to Kim Seungwoo, the ad contract deadline is the day after tomorrow, so there’s no moving that.

But postponing Aki’s plan? The shitstorm that’d rain down if I laid out all the facts and asked for her understanding would be too much to handle.

Because Aki told me not to do anything like cosmetic ad modeling.

If I tell Aki, ‘Hey, I think I have to talk about a cosmetic ad model, so I can’t make it today. Is it okay to go later?’, she might not show it, but she’d be stewing on it, one hundred percent, internally.

I specifically said not to do it, so is she more important to me than her? Are my words meaningless? Maybe she’s starting to dislike me… Things like that.

‘……Maybe I should just lie.’

If I told Aki a lie, that something urgent came up, and we could buy swimsuits together next time, things would probably go smoothly.

Aki’s kind and considerate, so she wouldn’t pry, either.

But, I don’t want to do that.

It’s not just about the promise I made when I was little, to never lie; more than anything, I hate the thought of lying to my precious childhood friend. I’d rather just be honest and get scolded.

……Anyway.

This stupid swimsuit is the problem.

If Aki wasn’t choosing a swimsuit today, I wouldn’t even be having this dilemma.

I’d be a little disappointed, but I could have just postponed the plan once……!

“Juu-Juu, wanna shoot some hoops before heading home?”

“……”

“Hey, why aren’t you answering?”

“……Just give me a sec.”

Because I’m in the middle of a life-or-death dilemma right now.

That’s what I was about to say to Sungmin’s question.

— *Shhhlick!*

With a loud sound, the back door of the classroom slid open, and a girl with long hair flying behind her entered the room.

That girl’s name is.

“Woo-ju~chan~!”

Fujiwara Aki.

She was my childhood friend of eleven years, by the count of years alone.

“Huh? That’s Joo Woojoo’s girlfriend.”

“Isn’t she in Class 1? Why did she come to our class?”

“Why else? She’s here to pick up Joo Woojoo, obviously. They always pick each other up.”

“No way, was that why you told us to wait? To show off your girlfriend?”

Sungmin, back turned to Aki, gives me a rotten look while staring at me.

I swear, I didn’t keep them here for that reason, but if that’s how it is, there’s no helping it.

I stood up and gave Sungmin’s shoulder a couple of taps.

“Sorry, I gotta dip today. Got a prior engagement.”

“Ugh, yeah, go. Go on your date and then break up already.”

Sungmin, saying something I can’t tell if it’s serious or a joke, leaves my spot, exchanging a quick glance with Aki as she comes closer.

Aki, after the brief eye contact, stands before me as if replacing Sungmin, and then looks up at me, a bright smile on her face.

“Were you waiting outside?”

“Yeah, we finished early so we were waiting for Woojoo~chan’s class to end. Let’s go, Woojoo~chan!”

Aki, as if in a rush, grabs my arm and tugs me along.

Almost following along with her cute nagging, I hesitated, looking over towards Kim Seungwoo’s seat.

And then, just as I looked, I locked eyes with Kim Seungwoo, who was already looking at me.

“…….”

“…….”

A brief moment of eye contact.

Felt like less than a second, honestly.

“……Ah.”

Kim Seungwoo’s mouth popped open like he’d just remembered something, and he immediately pulled out his phone, tapping away.

──Zhiing, zhiing.

[Did you have a prior appointment?]

The vibration was, as expected, a personal message from Kim Seungwoo.

I glanced at Kim Seungwoo, watching his eyes, and sent a reply.

[Nah, no appointment. You know, you’ve seen her enough to know? She’s always like this]

[Ah, then meeting Jieun later won’t be a problem?]

‘……Ah, what a shame.’

While sending the message, I started to come to a decision.

Yeah, it’s a shame I won’t see Aki in her swimsuit.

A real shame.

It’s like, really, really, really, really, really such a shame.

But still, putting out the urgent fire first is the right thing to do.

[Yeah, I’ll just head home together and then go straight to meet Ham Jieun. Don’t worry]

[But where and what time should we meet? You don’t have to walk home together too, do you?]

I got a little anxious and asked because that would be a bit difficult, and Kim Seungwoo, over there in the distance, chuckled to himself.

[Don’t worry, I already told her. The place is a cafe near the school, and she said let’s meet at 6:30ish, plenty of time]

[Really? Why not meet right away?]

[I don’t know exactly, but I think it was about a manager meeting for an ad deal or something]

‘6:30…’

It’s not even 5 yet.

Looks like I have a bit more time than I thought…?

[Okay, got it. So, 6:30 at a cafe near school, right?]

[Yeah, that’s right. Ji-eun will send the exact location with a map on Kakao later. I told her to do that]

[Aha, thanks!]

[Thanks for what, I’m more thankful]

Maybe it was the mutual niceties, but the chat felt kinda heartwarming for a dude-to-dude exchange.

I quickly thought it through in my head.

Meeting Ham Ji-eun at a cafe near school.

Figure about 15 minutes for travel time. So, that leaves roughly an hour and a half.

An hour and a half should be just enough time to squeeze in helping Aki with her swimsuit shopping, right?

…Wait.

That might actually work.

“Woo-joo~chan, all done with Kakao?”

“Huh? Oh, yeah. I’m done.”

“Heheh, let’s go then!”

As soon as I stuffed my phone in my pocket, Aki started gently tugging me along.

I grabbed my bag, slung it over one shoulder, and followed Aki, pretending to be reluctant.

‘……1 hour 30 minutes.’

Within that time, I’d ogle Aki in her swimsuit, then quickly send her home.

The time’s a little tight, but if I skip dinner and hurry, it’s totally doable…!

* * *

A huge shopping mall near our school.

Our school is only 10 minutes from downtown, so there are plenty of places to hang out if you just go out a little.

Movie theaters and arcades, restaurants, bowling alleys, and ping pong tables are a given, not to mention escape room cafes, board game rooms, PC bangs, and private room cafes. It’s probably faster to list places kids *can’t* hang out. Need I say more?

“Hmm…. Ah, the swimsuit section is on the 3rd floor, right? Woo-joo~chan, let’s go to the 3rd floor.”

“Ah, okay.”

Anyway, enough about that.

Normally, Aki and I would have picked one of the places I just mentioned to hang out together.

But today, we’re not going anywhere like that.

Because today is the day Aki chooses a swimsuit.

Right in front of my eyes, too…!

‘……Ah, I can’t wait.’

I’ve seen Aki in a swimsuit pretty much every year, so why am I this excited?

My heart swelling, I rode the elevator shoulder to shoulder with Aki.

Our destination, of course, is the swimsuit section on the 3rd floor.

From the outside, it looked deserted, but once we got inside, there were quite a few other customers besides us. It’s only March; it’s a bit early for water activities, too.

“There aren’t many girls here alone….”

They wandered through the quite large swimwear store, and then she muttered in a low voice.

Like Aki said, almost all the customers in the swimwear store were couples. There were no men alone, and only a few women on their own.

“Yeah. I’d feel really awkward if I came here alone.”

“Guys usually don’t come to a swimwear store alone, right?”

“Well, I guess it depends on the person… but I definitely wouldn’t come alone.”

“Why? Because *I’m* here?”

“……Saying it like that makes me sound weird.”

“Heh, just kidding…!”

Aki, after making a slightly mischievous remark, gave a small laugh.

I was about to say something back, but she looked cute, so I let it slide.

“Welcome. Is there anything you’re looking for?”

A swimwear store employee, flashing a business smile, approached us.

She was a woman who looked to be in her late twenties, and she was asking *me*, not Aki. Aki looks exactly like a foreigner, so they’re probably hesitant to speak directly to her.

“Aki, she asked if you’re looking for anything?”

“Um, no. I’m just going to look around for now. We can try things on here, right?”

“Ah, yes, of course. Understood. Please let me know if you need a fitting or have any questions!”

The employee was surprised for a moment when Aki spoke in fluent Korean, but she quickly flashed her usual business smile and returned to her place.

It’s almost a daily occurrence when I’m with Aki, but seeing people’s surprise like this still feels strange. I guess I’m used to it now, so I’m not that surprised when Aki speaks Korean so well.

“Woojoo-chan, why?”

“……Huh? Why what?”

“You were staring right at me, weren’t you? Got something to say?”

“Ah, was I…?”

“Yeah, you were staring. And it was a real intense stare, too.”

*‘Intense stare,’ huh, makes it sound like I was looking at her with some weird eyes…*

I was just looking.

“Ah, maybe…”

“Maybe?”

“Maybe you were just, like, demanding with your eyes to see me in my swimsuit already~?”

“…….”

Half right and half wrong.

It’s true I wanted to see Aki in her swimsuit soon, but I wasn’t demanding it with my eyes.

When I didn’t confirm or deny, Aki laughed quietly, as if she’d taken it upon herself to interpret it.

“Wooju~chan, got a swimsuit style you want to see?”

“Swimsuit style? Oh, you mean like, the kind?”

“Yeah, you know, like rash guards, monokinis, one-pieces, bikinis and stuff.”

Looks like she’s seriously starting the shopping, Aki’s looking over the swimsuits hanging on the rack while asking me.

I thought about her question for a second.

*‘…What I wanna see most is a bikini,’*

I almost said that, but forced it down.

If I said that, she’d be like, ‘Wooju~chan, you pervert, you wanted to see me in a bikini that badly…?’ and tease the hell out of me.

“Okay, since it’s the first time, how about something easy, like a one-piece?”

“……Wrong, Uju~chan.”

“Huh? What is?”

“A one-piece isn’t an easy swimsuit. Actually, it’s the *least* easy swimsuit!”

“……A one-piece? Why?”

“Uju~chan, you thought a one-piece covers more, so it’s less dependent on body type, right? But that’s not it. A one-piece is actually more dependent on body type than any other swimsuit. Especially a plain, solid-color one! Because, the lines show through completely…!”

“Ah….”

I see.

I just learned something I didn’t know.

“So, a one-piece is out as a first choice. Pick something else, Uju~chan.”

“Hmm, what else would there be….”

Usually, people think of one-pieces or bikinis, so if a one-piece is out, then isn’t it a bikini?

I trailed off, looking at Aki.

Should I ask her directly to wear a bikini, or not? I was sort of testing the waters.

Aki seemed to have read my mind just from my gaze, looking up at me with a face that seemed to say, ‘Aha….’

“You want to see a bikini, Uju~chan?”

“No, well. It’s not like I *really* want to see it……”

“If you don’t say you want to see it, I won’t wear it, though?”

“……I want to see it.”

No need for pride in front of a bikini.

“Uh-huh, I see. So, Space~chan wants to see me in a bikini…?”

“……”

“Heh, alright, I’ll stop teasing. …Let’s see, what should I try on then? Let’s see, let’s see, wonder if there’s something Space~chan would like~?”

‘She keeps subtly teasing me….’

If she’s going to come at me like that, I’ve got my own plans.

I casually glanced around, then looked at the inner part of the store that I’d been eyeing since I came in.

[This summer, an item to spice things up with your man…♡] Along with that subtly suggestive phrase, a 9-headed mannequin was wearing a swimsuit – a promotion corner that clearly targeted female customers with boyfriends.

“Aki.”

“Yeah?”

“How about that?”

I gestured with my eyes toward the inner part of the store.

Aki followed my gaze and looked at the promotion corner.

She found a rather bold bikini with quite a few cut-out parts, offering considerable exposure.

“I think it would look pretty on Aki.”

Half truth, half joke.

That it would look pretty on Aki, that was the truth, the part about asking her opinion, that was a joke.

The reason I asked her opinion was just to get back at Aki for teasing me.

I didn’t actually want her to wear it.

……And then.

Aki, without saying a word, looked back and forth between me and the bikini.

“……Alright.”

Slowly, she reached for the daring bikini.

“Since… Uju-chan told me to…”

Her face slightly flushed, she glanced at me and spoke.

“I’ll… try…it…on…?”

“……”

Uh.

Uh-huh.

……Uh-uh-uh?!