Chapter 5: Self-consciousness

Daiki and Wakaba were in their final year of school before they knew it.

Since then, not much has changed and Daiki has continued to live the same fake life at home.

To maintain a normal relationship with his mother and father.

Daiki tried to live the same life as when he knew nothing, the same as when he was unaware of anything.

A life of pretending to be unaware when, in fact, he was aware of it.

Daikis heart gradually became worn out.

However, it was also true that Daiki was able to continue with his current normal life thanks to his hard work.

He was able to spend more and more time with Wakaba at school and at home, and was able to have a good time with her.

Being with the cheerful and energetic Wakaba made him forget all the bad things he was going through.

He was attracted to Wakaba as a girl, not as a sibling as he had felt before.

When the girls were talking together during recess at school, they were talking about the person they liked.

The boys listened attentively.

There were many boys who were not interested in such things, and yet the boys who were beginning to be aware of them were listening attentively.

Daiki was one of them.

He thought that Wakaba was probably the most popular among the boys.

The girls were getting excited and were making a lot of noise about what kind of person they wanted and what their preference would be.

At last, one of the girls spoke up.

Dont you have someone you like?

All the boys who were aware of the situation concentrated on it at once.

I dont have one

What group is he in?

Its a secret!

They were getting excited.

At last it was Wakabas turn.

All the boys were listening at once.

I dont know if Im ready for that kind of thing.

She was heard saying.

All the boys were feeling both relieved and disappointed.

Daiki naturally felt the same way, but because he was always with her, his disappointment was stronger than that of the other boys.

The days went on like that, and the same routine was being lived.

For now, Daiki was able to spend his time in peace.

The stress at home was balanced out by being with Wakaba.

As the year went on and graduation approached, one day a boy confessed his feelings to Wakaba.

Daiki and Wakaba were going to go to a local junior high school, so they could spend their junior high life together.

However, boys who live in different school districts or choose to take the middle school entrance exam will end up in a different middle school.

It seems that one of the boys confessed his feelings to her.

Wakabas answer was.

Im sorry, I dont know.

She said.

Even if we go to different middle schools, we can still have fun together!

and seemed to be unconcerned about it.

The boy who was rejected seemed to think that he still had a chance.

When I have a day off, Ill come visit!

Daiki overheard the girls saying that he felt like he had not given up on her.

From then until graduation, Wakaba was confessed to by a number of boys.

Wakaba was turning all of them down, but they didnt seem to have given up on her.

Then came the graduation ceremony.

On the day of the graduation ceremony, she was confessed to by one of the boys, but she was the same old Wakaba.

The graduation ceremony was over, and that day was the first time in a long time that he had been able to spend time with his family.

After spring break, Wakaba invited him to play with her.

At that time, Daiki asked her about it.

Wakaba was not bothered by it and mentioned that she had been confessed and so forth.

His feelings were blurred.

He was jealous.

Im the one who spends the most time with you.. and yet you see me as nothing more than a male friend?

It was at this point that Daiki realized for the first time that he

I love you, Wakaba.

was in love with Wakaba.