Girl Next Door

Chapter Twenty-Two

"Whoa!" exclaimed Takeru, "You and Risa-chan almost kissed?!"

It was the day after the little incident between Kyosuke and Risa after class.

"Dude, keep your voice down!" Kyosuke hissed, looking at the ground as he, Takeru and Ichiro sat on a bench in the school grounds.

"Why you so down, man?" asked Takeru, smiling widely. "You should be happy. This is a huge step forward. You almost kissed her."

"I know," replied Kyosuke with a sigh. "I should be happy, but I don't know what Risa will think of me."

"Kyosuke," said Takeru with a modest expression, "what do you really feel for Risa-chan?"

It took a short moment of silence before Kyosuke spoke.

"I think..." he said, then paused. The two other boys waited for the rest of his sentence.

"I think," Kyosuke continued, "I'm in love with her."

Takeru's and Ichiro's eyes widened.

"Wow," said Takeru. "I knew you liked her as a friend, but man, I didn't know you actually felt that serious about her."

"How long have you been feeling this way, Kyosuke-kun?" asked Ichiro.

"Since... Since the day she got back from America," Kyosuke replied, clasping his hands together.

"I see," said Ichiro.

"By the way, Ichiro," put in Takeru, "what about you and Yukie-chan? How you guys doing?"

Ichiro flinched a bit.

"T-This isn't about me, Takeru-kun!" he said, adjusting his glasses. "Kyosuke-kun is the one having difficulty here. By the way, Kyosuke-kun, why are you so worried?"

"Well," replied Kyosuke, "I'm afraid if I confess to her, and she rejects me, things will be more awkward between us as neighbors and classmates."

"Oh," said Ichiro with a hint of sympathy.

"Kyosuke," said Takeru in a seemingly reassuring tone, "Risa-chan's a very nice girl. If she turns you down, she'll do it properly."

Kyosuke looked even more troubled. Ichiro glared lightly at Takeru.

"Which is not likely to happen," said Takeru, grinning. "Besides, have you seen the way she looks at you?"

Kyosuke looked at Takeru with a curious expression. "What...?"

"Every time she looks at you, Kyosuke," said Takeru, looking as if swept into a daydream, "she bats her eyelashes and her cheeks turn pink. That's something special."

"You really think so?" asked Kyosuke.

"Yes," put in Ichiro, "but all things have their time. From what I learned from the books I've read, you have to build your relationship first. Just water the plant until the flower blooms."

"I think I've heard that before... in a manga," said Takeru with a suspicious look.

"But Ichiro-kun," said Kyosuke, "me and Risa have known each other since we were four."

"But she left for America, didn't she?" said Ichiro, adjusting his glasses, "That takes away a lot of experiences from you two. You and Takanaka-san have to rebuild those childhood memories until you've filled the gap between the both of you. Then you two will have fully known each other and are ready to take the next step."

Kyosuke took Ichiro's words to heart. He took a deep breath.

"You're right," he said, finally smiling. "I won't confess to her right away. I should just wait for the opportune moment. Thanks, Ichiro-kun."