Ranobe Mo Ore Mo Sukina Gyaru - Volume 1 Chapter 11.1

Gal and a Mini Runaway 1

Six days after the day I helped out at Nakamachi’s Bakery.

Late in the night on a certain Friday, past midnight.

After my parents had gone to bed, I was sitting on the living room sofa watching a variety show.

Then, beside me, there was a slight bump. She had just finished taking a bath and sat down.

“How are you doing? Lately, are you enjoying school?”

Her name is Asako Yoda.

Currently a third-year university student, she’s my older sister who loves movies so much that she’s a member of the university’s film club.

With reasonably attractive features, a devastatingly small chest, and a not-so-slender figure… for some reason, she’s moderately popular at the university and is quite the extroverted type, with many friends.

At her core, she’s an introvert like me, but she’s skilled at putting on a facade that fits in with her surroundings.

I find myself both respecting and despising that about her.

And so, in response to my sister’s question, ‘Lately, are you enjoying school??’ I answered like this.

“It’s alright.”

“What an uninteresting response… But I’ve been getting the feeling that you’ve been going to school with a relatively cheerful attitude lately. Ryu-kun, did something good happen?”

“…I’m going to ignore you.”

“If you declare that you’re ignoring me, then that means m not you’re really ignoring me, huh… But well, if you’re doing fine, there’s no need for Onēchan to worry,”

Said my nagging sister as she averted her gaze from me and turned toward the TV screen.

…My sister has this overprotective side when it comes to me, which I both appreciate and find annoying.

It seems I’m not good at straightforwardly acknowledging family matters.

Staying that way, the two of us sat in the living room, watching a variety show, when suddenly…

I don’t even understand why, but a question like this came out of my mouth.

Can a Boy-Girl Friendship Hold Up?

“Hey. Do you think male-female friendships can exist?”

“…What’s gotten into you all of a sudden? Are you at that age? Are you in the midst of your youth or something?”

“Wrong…There was this light novel I read recently that dealt with male-female friendships, and I just got a little curious.”

“Oh, I see, it’s about two-dimensional stuff… I thought maybe something happened to my little brother, and he’s having some kind of youthful dilemma.”

My sister said that with a disappointed look.

…I wasn’t exactly lying. Ever since I met Tsumakawa, I’ve found myself prioritizing reading light novels that focus on friendships between boys and girls.

——I can’t help but wonder if this otaku is trying to learn from light novels about real-life problems he’s facing!?

While I was giving myself a hard time, I continued talking.

I couldn’t tell Tsumakawa this, but my true feelings, which I could only share with my family, were packed into these words.

“I don’t think friendship between a man and a woman is possible.”

“Is that so? What’s the reasoning behind that?”

“Men see women, and women see men; through a sexual lens no matter what. …The feeling of ‘wanting to stay just friends forever’ is impossible when both sides see each other in that way. Because we’re of the opposite sex. If we’re together all the time, we’ll develop feelings for each other. And if we deliberately maintain a moderate distance to prevent that, we can’t call that a friendship anymore. In other words, for a man and a woman to be together as pure friends, one or both of them would have to have… ‘I actually like the other person, but I’ll endure it within the framework of friendship.’. I think something like that is necessary.”

“…hey, Ryu-kun. Have you possibly made a close female friend?”

“Onēchan, why did the conversation suddenly take this turn?”

“Wow, it’s been a while since you called me ‘Onēchan.’ I’m so happy, and I can tell you’re flustered right now.”

My sister said that with an intentionally exaggerated look of exasperation.

Then, with a somewhat happy smile, she patted my shoulder a few times before continuing.

“But you know… Ryu-kun, you said that male-female friendships don’t work if they’re not willing to endure, but if they can make it work by enduring, then isn’t that still friendship?”

“Th-that is… “

“Well, what you’re saying isn’t entirely wrong, Ryu-kun. But let me give you an answer, as your Onēchan, to your dilemma about male-female relationships. Male-female friendships can exist. However, that’s only the case when it’s a friendship between a guy and a girl who both have separate romantic interests…Friendships between men and women that don’t work out, I’m sure there are plenty of those in this world as well, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing.””

” …… “

“So, what’s your take, Ryu-kun? Do you want to be friends with that girl?”

After my sister’s words, I pondered for a while.

Then, after a long silence, what finally came out of my mouth was… something so feeble that I wasn’t sure if I could call it an answer.

“…I can’t really bring myself to think it’s okay for us to become friends…”

“Wow, I can’t believe you’re still at that stage (stuck)! This girl must be going through a lot…!”

My sister said that, putting her hand on her forehead and looking up at the ceiling. It was an extremely unpleasant reaction.

Stop it, don’t tease your sulky brother.

I’m delicate, okay?

Just as I was about to retort to my sister, in that instant—buzz, buzz.

My smartphone, placed on the table, vibrated briefly.

When I checked my phone, there was a message from Tsumakawa displayed on it,

『Can I stay over at Yoda’s place today?』

I widened my eyes in surprise to a message I hadn’t even anticipated.

Meanwhile, my sister, seeing me like that, chuckled a bit and casually said,

“Be careful not to message her too much for fear that you might be disliked.”

No, it’s not me!

She’s the one who’s sending me a bunch of messages!