A Beautiful Girl Confessed Her Love to Me as a Punishment Game, but After We Started Dating, She Started Getting More and More Obsessive - Chapter 14

Chapter 14

As I retrieved my books from the locker in front of the classroom and headed to the library, I found Kiryu-san already studying alone.

Her long eyelashes were illuminated by the light streaming through the gap in the curtains. With her head lowered, diligently working on her answers, Kiryu-san looked as though she had stepped out of a fantasy world. It gave the quiet library an illusionary chill, as if the air had dropped by two degrees.

I took a seat diagonally in front of her and opened my kanji practice notebook.

Kiryu-san tucked her long black hair behind her ear and glanced briefly at me. After shifting her gaze between the empty seat in front of her and me a few times, she said nothing and returned her attention to her assignment.

It wasn’t the workbook we’d been given in class.

“Is there something on your mind?” she asked.

“Oh, no… Uh, is that homework from a prep school?”

“This? No, it’s just a regular study guide. I bought it at a bookstore.”

“Wow. Our school already gives us a ton of homework. Isn’t it tough?”

“Well, yes, but I don’t really see it as a burden.”

“That’s impressive. Do you have some sort of goal you’re working towards?”

“Not really. I just… want to leave home.”

“So, you want to go to a university outside the prefecture?”

“Yes. If that’s the case, it’d have to be a proper university. My parents probably wouldn’t approve otherwise.”

Going to a university outside the prefecture would mean dealing with tuition, rent, and living expenses. Letting their child move out and live alone would understandably make any parent worry.

Kiryu-san understood all that, yet she was making earnest efforts to pursue her goal.

I couldn’t help but admire that.

“You’re amazing, Kiryu-san.”

“I’m not amazing at all. I don’t even have a clear idea of what I want to study. I just want to move out. Besides…”

“Besides?”

“No, it’s nothing.”

Kiryu-san hesitated for a moment, looking slightly guilty, then left her sentence unfinished.

Her reluctance made me curious about what she was going to say, but she didn’t seem willing to share, so I refrained from asking further.

“Even if your reasons are personal, having a goal and working towards it is admirable. It’s impressive, really. Me? I just do my homework to avoid getting scolded. Honestly, I’d skip it if I could.”

“Hehe, thank you. Still, even if your motivation is to avoid trouble, it’s commendable that you do your homework, Numata-kun.”

Was she being genuine or sarcastic? I couldn’t tell, but it didn’t feel bad at all. Beautiful smiles are unfair that way.

Feeling slightly embarrassed, I started my kanji practice.

Kiryu-san resumed her studies as well.

She worked on assignments unrelated to school for her future, while I scribbled kanji into my notebook to avoid being reprimanded by the teacher tomorrow.

It felt like we were on completely different scales.

If I had a goal, would I be able to work hard like Kiryu-san?

The brightness that made me want to close my eyes wasn’t just from the sunlight streaming in at a direct angle.

“It’s a good stopping point. Shall we go?”

When the clock passed nine, Kiryu-san suggested leaving.

I was grateful for the idea; my legs were getting stiff, and I had made decent progress.

“Sure. So, where are we going today?”

“Hehe, you’ll find out when we get there.”

Out of habit, I started walking a little behind her. But remembering Minami-san’s comment about looking like a stalker, I mustered the courage to walk beside her.

As I adjusted my pace, my pinky accidentally brushed against hers.

Startled, I quickly stepped an arm’s length away.

Kiryu-san didn’t even seem to notice and continued walking confidently.

My heartbeat wouldn’t calm down.

It’s not like I was expecting anything. I knew full well that Kiryu-san didn’t see me that way. But as someone inexperienced in life, every little action of hers made me nervous.

“I’ll just put this back in my locker!”

“Alright. I’ll wait by the shoe lockers. No rush.”

As I rushed off, almost fleeing, she reassured me with her usual calmness.

My chest hurt. My stomach felt a little off too.

Taking a deep breath to fill my lungs, I held it briefly before exhaling, which helped calm me down a bit.

After shoving my notebook into the locker, I jogged back to the shoe lockers.

At the lockers, Kiryu-san was waiting.

“Kirino!”

A voice called out from a distance.

As Kiryu-san approached me, Fujisaki-kun, who had been waving at her from afar, froze in place.

“Shall we go?”

“Y-yeah.”

Without acknowledging Fujisaki-kun, she pointed toward the school gate.

I glanced at him briefly. My eyesight wasn’t great, so I couldn’t see his expression clearly. Maybe that was for the best. It felt a little sad.

But Kiryu-san didn’t like Fujisaki-kun much. Since she chose to ignore him, I didn’t have the courage to get involved.

“It’s pretty sunny, huh…”

Unable to bear the awkward silence, I brought up the weather.

“Yes. It’s been raining nonstop lately.”

“Do you think the rainy season is almost over?”

“In Amami, they’ve started seeing sunny days, but they haven’t officially announced the end of the rainy season yet.”

“Got it.”

Though the sky showed patches of blue, the humid air and my nerves made my skin feel sticky.

As we walked, I made small talk about breakfast, neighborhoods, and dinner the night before. According to her, she had grilled fish, rice, and miso soup for dinner and granola with a green smoothie for breakfast.

Such a stereotypically Japanese dinner.

Eventually, we arrived at our destination—a tall building by local standards, easily over ten stories.

The sign on the large structure read “KIRYU Tourist Hotel.”