Chapter 2 can be read openly and honestly.
"Hey! Your name is Haruko Hayama, right?"
Naruto Uzumaki caught up with her, resting his hands behind his head, not wanting to reveal his joy too much.
The bread in his hand crunched as he moved, completely unaware that he was glancing at her too frequently. Naruto Uzumaki was quite pleased with his composed and respectful manner as he caught up with her.
He remarked, "What a name, just like the sun."
"Huh?"
Unexpectedly, he followed her. Haruko was stunned by his words and looked back at him in disbelief, "Why does Uzumaki-kun know my name?"
Naruto Uzumaki stopped and looked at her with a strange expression. "Aren't we classmates? Also, you can just call me Naruto!"
"No... I mean..."
They hadn't even spoken, so how could the protagonist remember her name?
Haruko was completely baffled, never imagining that she had been noticed so early on.
Naruto Uzumaki realized this too, a sly glint in his eyes, and whispered, "Besides, Haruko has been spying on me, hasn't she?"
"!!!" Haruko Hayama's pupils widened in shock.
If I was surprised before that he remembered my name, now I am horrified that he discovered my secret behavior.
Unaware of her odd behavior, Naruto pointed smugly at himself, "I'm going to be Hokage, these little tricks won't escape my notice!"
"I'm so sorry..."
Haruko, who had been caught by the person in question, wished she could be stabbed back to her original world with a kunai right now.
"It doesn't matter."
Seeing her surprised expression, Naruto eagerly moved closer and added in a negotiating tone, "If you become my friend, you can look at me anytime, and you can look at me openly and honestly!"
His expression was firm, and he seemed to be thinking of her, but... what does it mean to look at her openly and honestly?
Don't make her sound like a pervert!
While internally complaining, Haruko felt too embarrassed to refuse him and dared not look at him, so she changed the subject.
"Um... it's getting dark, I need to hurry home."
"Ah...yes..."
Seeing that she was about to turn and leave, Naruto quickly grabbed her arm. He then noticed the potatoes in her basket and, trying to make conversation, asked, "Are you out running errands?"
Haruko hesitated for a moment after being pulled, but after meeting his clear yet foolish gaze, she quietly pulled her arm back.
"Hmm...we're having curry rice tonight."
"Curry, that sounds delicious!"
Naruto Uzumaki eats instant noodles for almost every meal, so how could he resist drooling when he hears about this kind of delicious food?
Amused by his comical expression, Haruko asked him curiously, "Does Naruto like curry?"
"No, it's not that. I bought paint before, and I don't have enough money, so I can only save on dinner for the next few days." Naruto Uzumaki pitifully rubbed his stomach, which was rumbling at the right time.
"I see..."
Remembering that he was the main character, Haruko Hayama swallowed her invitation.
Although the protagonist is pitiful, when I think about how I would be surrounded by danger after getting in touch with the protagonist, I realize that I am obviously more pitiful!
So Haruko Hayama, you absolutely cannot be soft-hearted!
Almost too ashamed to face Naruto, Haruko waved goodbye to him, her gesture revealing a hint of urgency.
"Bye-bye then!"
"Oh...bye-bye!" Unable to think of any other topics, Naruto whispered his goodbye to her.
Suddenly, remembering why he had chased after her, Naruto reached out and pulled her arm back.
Once again pulled away, Haruko looked on with a big question mark above her head and turned to stare at him.
As soon as Haruko pulled her hand away, Naruto instinctively pulled it back. The two of them stood there in the middle of the road for a long time, pulling and tugging at each other, attracting curious glances from passersby.
We can't afford to get entangled with the main character any longer!
Naruto spoke first, eager for confirmation, "We're friends now, right?"
"this……"
Haruko's mind raced as she considered how to politely and gracefully decline a friend request.
Finally, she came up with an excuse. Haruko's expression turned serious as she looked at him earnestly and said, "Actually, I'm sick."
"Is she sick?" Naruto Uzumaki became nervous, infected by her expression.
"That's right, and it's a mental illness. If I make friends and don't see them for a long time, I feel cold all over, have chest tightness and shortness of breath, and in severe cases, I may even vomit blood. So I can't make friends!"
She's making it sound so serious, how can the main character still be friends with her?
Naruto gasped, clearly believing her words, and pressed for an answer: "What kind of illness is this?"
"This is called... it's called... 'Post-traumatic stress disorder after making friends'!"
She herself thought it was outrageous, but Haruko couldn't be intimidated in front of him, so she nodded firmly at him.
That's how scary it is, so don't be friends with her, it'll only hurt you and others!
However, the protagonist's reaction seemed to be somewhat beyond her expectations.
Naruto Uzumaki muttered, "No wonder..."
No wonder she always watched him from afar, not daring to come up and speak, and would hide whenever he approached. It turned out that she wanted to be friends with him but was afraid of burdening him because of her illness!
Naruto suddenly realized what was happening, and his gaze towards her shifted from shock to sympathy.
Haruko Hayama: ...
Can you please stop feeling sorry for her?
"I never expected... Haruko, you actually wanted to be friends with me so much!" Naruto Uzumaki said, his eyes filled with tears.
Then, seeing her terrified expression, Naruto Uzumaki gripped her hand tightly and declared, "Yosh! I understand. As Haruko's friend, I'll stay by Haruko's side!"
"No, no, no! I didn't..."
At this moment, Naruto was completely consumed by his sense of justice in saving his friend from the clutches of illness, to the point that he couldn't listen to Haruko Hayama's sophistry.
It looks exactly like a spirited golden retriever puppy, wagging its tail and dreaming of protecting its owner.
Haruko felt exhausted. She had underestimated the protagonist's overflowing enthusiasm and compassion for seriously ill patients, which completely reversed their positions.
How did she become so dependent on him?!
"Oh right, Haruko should hurry home, shouldn't she?" Naruto Uzumaki belatedly realized.
Upon hearing him bring it up, Haruko, as if her life had come back to life, quickly agreed, "Yes, yes, yes!"
"Then let's hurry up and go!" Naruto Uzumaki took her hand, which she had just pulled away, and pulled her forward.
Haruko was horrified. "We...?"
“Yeah.” Naruto looked at her, puzzled. “Haruko can’t be separated from her friends, so I’ll definitely have to go with her… Won’t that bother you guys?”
So you know how to bother people!
Just as she was about to continue the conversation, Haruko suddenly noticed a golden retriever with dark clouds covering its head, its tail drooping because it couldn't go home with her.
"No..." Dazzled by his deceptively charming appearance, Haruko Hayama spoke faster than she thought.
"Great! Let's go right away!"
"Um...wait...no!"
******
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