I Love Monster Girls!

Memory Fragment #6 - Burning Question At The End Of A Memory

Sometime around the end of Chapter 23: Cycling Guilt.

''Uff... My legs are sore...'' Brid groaned as she walked. ''Both ways.''

''You don't have to specify...'' Karumi sighed as she followed your lead.

... It was like Brid did not listen. She continued to talk to herself, not minding the both of you.

''Brid?'' You called out to her, but to no avail.

''She seems kind of stupid, don't you think?'' Karumi whispered into your ear.

''Haven't known her for long... But...'' As you looked at how Brid was speaking to herself, without regard for anything else, you came up with your answer. ''She seems pretty autistic.''

''I remember when you called Yuni that.'' Karumi had a moment of reminiscence.

''Couldn't help it. She was like a rabies-infested dog sometimes...'' You smiled as you remembered. ''In a good way, of course.''

''Reminds me...'' Karumi put a finger to her chin. ''I... Can't lie about what I'm about to say, but I really did think that there was something going on between you both.''

There we go again.

Don't listen. She is beginning to speak nonsense again.

''The way you both acted, the way you spoke to each other. Honestly, the only answers I had in mind were that you were either gay, or that there was friction between you both.''

''But now that I see you, I guess the former is out of the question.'' She finishes.

''Right...'' You avoided making eye contact with her after that.

...

Approximately two minutes of silence pass by without the both of you talking, and Brid is still in her own world.

''... Yuni ran her mouth about you a lot.'' Karumi began again. ''Be it about things you both did, or her just admiring you.''

''Where are you going with this?'' You looked over your shoulder at Karumi.

''I'm just saying, me and her father acted the same way with each other.'' She told you. ''It isn't such a stretch to assume she-''

''Are you saying that she secretly harbored feelings for me?''

''... I certainly don't deny that.'' She continued.

...

...

This... Made you go deep in thought.

Yuni was never like that towards you.

She was straightforward, acting like a real friend towards you.

And by like a real friend, I mean like a total knock-over.

Sometimes you really felt like she was high on something. All the stupid stuff that you've both done in the past is evidence of this.

But never once has she acted all lovey-dovey.

... But... let's be honest, people don't act like that to their crushes, if they don't want to make it obvious.

The girls in your school act like that, because they want to make it obvious.

But most people would go with the latter, and be timid around their crushes. Acting like themselves.

That goes for Yuni as well.

... Did she...?

''I'm sure you harbored feelings as well, am I right?'' Karumi asked with a smirk. ''I mean, a teen whose best friend is of the opposite gender. Talk about luck.''