Chapter 2
883words
I quit my part-time job and became someone who sits in front of the computer all day. I decided to become a professional gamer and make a living streaming games. Emily didn't say anything, just silently supported my decision.
"Alright, that's it for today. Thanks for watching, everyone."
Late at night. I ended the stream, took off my headphones, and heard small, restrained applause. Looking back, Emily stood there with a mug in her hands, her eyes shining.
"Great job, James! Today's stream was amazing! You broke 10,000 concurrent viewers!"
"...Yeah."
"It made me so happy just watching. Here, have some hot cocoa."
"...Yeah."
Emily sat down beside me, excitedly showing me her phone screen.
"Look at this! Just from today's donations alone, there's this much...! Oh my god, it's more than I made working all last month...! James, you're incredible!"
I glanced at the number, then turned my gaze to Emily's profile, her face radiant with happiness. Then, I calmly announced:
"Emily. Tomorrow, we're going out."
"Eh? Going out? That's great! Where are we going?"
"...Don't ask. Just go to bed early."
The next day, I took Emily to the luxury shopping district.
"J-James... Is it really okay to come here? I-I feel so out of place just walking among all these high-end shops..."
I grabbed Emily's hand as she looked around nervously, and walked straight into the luxury boutique I'd already picked out.
"Welcome."
The store clerk approached with a practiced smile.
"May I help you find something today?"
"No." I turned to Emily. "Pick whatever you like."
"Ehh!? N-No way, James! Look at this bag, the price tag...! That's half a year's salary from my part-time job...!"
"Don't worry about the price. Just choose."
"But...!"
Ignoring Emily's protests, I pointed to a bag nearby.
"This one, and that one. Also, I want the one in that display case over there. We'll take all three."
"Y-Yes, of course, sir!"
"James!? What are you doing!? You can't just—!"
Emily frantically grabbed my arm, but I wordlessly handed my black card to the store clerk.
Walking out of the store, Emily clutched shopping bags of various sizes from different brands, still wearing an expression of disbelief.
"...Why did you buy so much for me..."
"This is repayment."
Hearing this, Emily looked up at me with confusion.
"Repayment for... Could it be about those debt collectors? No, that wasn't your fault at all..."
"……"
"But... thank you, James. I'm really, really happy. I'll treasure everything."
Emily smiled with genuine happiness. That smile pierced my chest once again. This wasn't something worth being thanked for. This was merely something I was doing because I didn't love her.
That night.
Emily laid out all the newly purchased clothes and bags on the bed, admiring them with childlike wonder.
"It's like a dream... Can I really keep all these things?"
She murmured as if talking to herself, then slowly turned around. Her eyes, unlike their daytime sparkle, were quiet and serious.
"...Hey, James."
"...What?"
"Do you love me?"
There it was again, that question.
I shifted my gaze away from Emily, staring into the darkness outside the window. My heart felt as if it were being squeezed by a cold hand.
"...I'm sorry."
The voice I managed to squeeze out surprised even myself with how faint it was.
For an instant, the air in the room seemed to freeze. But Emily's forcibly cheerful voice immediately thawed it.
"...It's okay. It's fine. For me, just having you by my side like this already makes me the happiest person in the world."
She said with a smile. My guilt peaked at that moment. "I'm sorry, Emily. You love me so much, but I just can't fall in love with you!"
There was certainly disappointment in Emily's eyes, but it quickly faded. She put on a smile. "I will still love you very much, James."
I suddenly felt a chill. My lips pressed into a thin line as I asked, "If I never love you, would you still love me?"
"Of course!" Emily's smile remained sweet, like poisonous poppies. Her tone was gentle. "After all, I really do love you!"
This made me somewhat curious.
"Emily, when did you fall in love with me?" I asked somewhat cautiously. "After all, we've been good friends for four years, but I never noticed anything..."
Emily poked my forehead. "That might be because James is too dense to notice such things."
After saying this, she hummed a little tune while rummaging through the closet for clothes. "I'm going to take a bath now. If you want to know the answer, you'll need to fall in love with me first, and then I'll reveal everything!"
I watched Emily's back as she walked away, slowly closing my palm, gripping it, but catching only air.
"Emily's love—" I looked down at the lines on my palm. "When did Emily fall in love with me?"
"That's truly a difficult question to answer."
Emily was beautiful, had a great personality, and was quite popular. During university, she dated frequently and was attracted to handsome, intelligent, wealthy guys.
While I was slow to react, not good with words, and completely clueless about romance.
How could she possibly fall for someone like me?
