-san: A polite suffix, but not excessively formal.
-kun: A common suffix among friends and younger people.
-chan: A common suffix among people youāre close with, mostly used for feminine nicknames and girls, since itās cutesy and childlike.
-senpai: A common suffix and noun used to address or refer to oneās older or more senior colleagues in a school, workplace, dojo, or sports club.
As soon as I called Riko, she answered immediately. I wanted to talk about the interesting things that happened during summer vacation since we couldnāt meet due to conflicting schedules. Despite that, we kept the small talk to a minimum while discussing everything, not hiding a single event.
āā¦ No, that was weird on your part, Yui-chan.ā
āIs thatā¦ so?ā
Itās not that I didnāt expect this from all past events, but I still went silent for w while. Noticing I didnāt fully understand what she meant, Riko carefully spun her words as if explaining them to a child.
āNow, Yui-chan, I think your criteria for judging what makes a man happy consists only of the customers who come to the store.ā
āHmm, I think so, since thereās no other guy I know. Takuya-san, the ācaptainā, Yuta-kun, and a whole lot of other dudes were happy to be abused by me.ā
āYou might think so, but I donāt believe Yuta-kun is one of them.ā
That canāt be. Ever since I started hurling horrible words at people, the number of customers coming specifically for me increased dramatically. In other words, there was a demand. The ācaptainā was the first guy who asked me to insult him, then Takuya-san started to promote me enthusiastically. Even Yuta-kunā¦
Heā¦ Huh?
āHe was there for me evenĀ beforeĀ I became popular.ā
āIs that right? Well, he was different than any other customer at the time. Did he, yāknow, ever say what he liked about you?ā
Riko never pushed me too far, and thanks to her patience I gradually regained my ability to think clearly. Cāmon, I need to remember. I mustāve asked him what he liked before.
āā¦ Myā¦ smile.ā
Thatās right, a smile. When I was first getting to know him, I asked that same question.
āHey, Yuta. Iām not popular, so why are you supporting me that much?ā
āHmmā¦ Youāre cute and fun to talk to, but the nicest thing about you is your smile.ā
āMy smile?ā
āYeah. What can I say, when youāre happy you look so radiant.ā
Ohā¦
āI seeā¦ He liked me just the way I wasā¦ I, I understandā¦ā
For a moment, I thought Iād cry. My fingertips, however, felt nothing at the hem of my eye. Overwhelming regret dried up my tears, and I couldnāt shed a single drop. How could I not notice something so simple? Maybe other people liked my smile as Yuta did, but he was the only one who ever put it into words.
Maybe his heart had a lacerated wound to begin with; the reason his eyes reflected fragility. Thatās why, when I kept pushing and pushing that character, what hid beneath him finally surfaced and he exploded. In terms of just being professional, my character may have been the right choice, but playing it without any thought madeĀ meĀ act like a slave to my own creation.
āYui-chan, what do you want to do now?ā
āIā¦ I want to apologize to him. Oh, and I want to thank you as well.ā
First and foremost, I must apologize. Itās not enough to just say I didnāt know any better or that I was wrong. I hurt the same person who saved me with his words, and I have yet to repay him for it. Besides, I want to thank him for being there for who I really was.
āThenā¦ we have to plan something. Do you happen to know which school he goes to?ā
āYeahā¦ Thereās only one school around here with a fountain.ā
He always came by the store on the weekends, so I never knew what school he went to. However, I recalled one thing. He once told me there was a fountain where he attended.
āThen you could make contact with him,ā Riko added. āI donāt know where he lives, and Iām not even sure you even should go there, so just wait until the vacationās over. If you donāt have the courage, I can go with you.ā
āThanks, but Iāll try to do it on my own.ā
āWell, Iāll be rooting for you from behind the scenes! If you need anything else, call me! Iāll lend an ear anytime.ā
With that, we hung up the call. Silence reigned in the room again, but I no longer felt alone. A little spark of courage lit inside my heart. What a good friend I haveā¦ It was all my fault in the first place, yet she still listened kindly without stating the obvious and rubbing salt into the wound. Without her, I wouldnāt even know what I did wrong.
Iāll repay Yuta and Rikoās kindness by doing something. Even if Iām terrified of being rejected, IĀ willĀ tell him what needs to be said.