About the Cool Beauty in My Class Declaring She Won’t Eat Anything Except My Bento - 23

Chapter 23: Can I Stay With You?

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“Is it okay if I stay with you a little longer today?”

The words were spoken with a tremble, yet they were distinct. Even though I had been teasing her a bit, I couldn’t help but freeze up at that suggestion.

“…………Meaning?”

“I mean exactly what I said, but, um, it’s not just you, Kirihara-san, who feels like those male students got in the way.”

Based on how her attitude differed between school and my house, I could tell she was fairly attached to me. So, was it okay for me to adopt the convenient interpretation that Ayano wanted more time with me?

As she stated her reasoning as if it were nothing, Ayano’s face remained as red as ever. Her shoulders were shaking enough that I could tell even from across the table, and it seemed Ayano herself understood the weight of her own proposal.

“Um… I’m a guy too, so when you say things like that…”

Still, I had to ask her properly, just once.

“Are you going to do something?”

“I’m not doing anything… wait, you already asked me this before.”

“Hehe, that’s why it’s okay.”

“…………But, I might play a prank on you even if I say I won’t, you know?”

“I’ll get back at you if you do.”

“Well, there’s only a net gain in that for me.”

“Do you want me to play pranks on you?”

“…That’s a bad way of putting it.”

“You really are cute.”

“Keep talking.”

With that, I stood up and headed toward the kitchen. Since she was staying a bit longer, I figured I’d get some snacks and juice to make it feel more like an after-party. I ran away using that as a pretext. I’d slipped into Ayano’s “little devil mode,” so I needed to cool my head or things would get bad.

When I returned to the living room with various items on a tray, Ayano’s sitting position had changed. To be specific, she was between the sofa and the table, and a space exactly large enough for one person had been left open next to her.

“Ayano-san.”

“I was thinking.”

“…Alright. Let’s hear it.”

“Why do we always sit across from each other?”

The long table in my living room was fairly large for someone living alone. I used this table for studying too, so I’d wanted something that wasn’t too small. Because of that, when two people sat on opposite sides of the table, they were fairly far apart. In other words, it was the distance of strangers.

“It’s just the general sense of things.”

“People will think we’re on bad terms.”

“Who? It’s just the two of us right now.”

“Exactly, it’s just the two of us, right? So it’s okay if you sit next to me, isn’t it?”

“…Ayano, you’re unfair.”

“Girls are unfair creatures. Anyway, I want to eat together, side-by-side.”

Once she said that, I couldn’t say anything more. If Ayano was okay with it, then it was fine. It was not like I disliked it, anyway. I placed the tray on the table and sat down to Ayano’s left. We had passed close to each other and walked side-by-side before, but was this the first time we’d sat side-by-side? I was glad I’d finished my shower after the sports festival.

“Even so, Kirihara-san.”

“Hm?”

“I was the one who asked if I could stay with you longer… but what should we do?”

“I’m at a loss if you ask me that… but I think just chatting while eating snacks is good.”

“As expected, that might be a brilliant idea.”

Ayano nodded at my suggestion. And so, time passed as we got excited talking about the sports festival and other things.

“…By the way, about lunch today.”

Suddenly, Ayano brought up a topic with a solemn look on her face.

“It was unusual, wasn’t it? Me letting my emotions out on the surface like that.”

“Well, yeah. Honestly, I was happy about it, though.”

“I’m glad. Well, um, I wanted to talk about why that happened.”

“Sure, I’d like to hear it.”

“Being able to say that immediately is one of your virtues, Kirihara-san. Also, I’m sorry. Rather than just ‘talking about it,’ I found myself wanting you to know, Kirihara-san. Everything about me.”

I stared back at Ayano as she looked up at me from beside me. She had an expression that was hard to describe, and I felt a sensation as if I were being drawn in to her.

“…I’ve grown up being told I’m ‘cute’ ever since I was little.”

And then, I listened to Ayano’s life story. From the content, I could tell she trusted me deeply, and everything—her actions until now, and what happened during lunch—made sense.

“Sorry for telling you such a story.”

“It’s fine. I’m happy to get to know you better, Ayano.”

After hearing her story, I realized once again that my presence might have been something necessary for her. The presence of someone who didn’t treat her as just a “cool beauty.”

“Well, um… that’s why.”

“Eh… um, what is?”

“I started remembering the old days, so I want you to stay by my side today.”

Ayano sat up straight and closed the distance between us. Because I understood the meaning behind her seeking me out, I felt that I wanted to protect her. I reached out my hand toward the head of such a lovely Ayano and pressed my fingertips right against the base of her neck.

“Hyah!?”

“Oh, good reaction.”

“K-Kirihara-san!?”

“Even if it’s only in front of me, Ayano, I want you to smile more. If you smile, your own feelings will brighten. As for everything else…”

(I’m not that skillful of a person. That’s why…)

“Just let me protect you on my own. It might be a little creepy, but I want to prioritize you, Ayano… No, I mean, I want to spend more time together.”

I felt embarrassed by the cheesy lines I’d just said, so I looked away and tossed a snack into my mouth. Even so, I hoped my feelings reached Ayano. Then…

“…Nngh?”

My left cheek was poked and pushed in. It was Ayano’s doing.

“You’re cool, aren’t you, Kirihara-san?”

“…I’m looking pretty uncool right now, though.”

“It’s reached saturation.”

“…………Do you even need it? That?”

“I don’t need it, but I just felt like touching you.”

..She “felt like touching me.” I wished she wouldn’t say things that lead to misunderstandings like that. When I tried to get back at her by doing the same thing to her side, she made another funny sound: “Hyah!”

“Y-you can’t touch a girl’s stomach!”

“I only do it to you, Ayano.”

“Even with me, it’s a no! There are girls who really hate it, you know!”

As she spoke, she drummed her fists against my leg. I laughed and pulled away, saying, “Sorry, sorry,” but then she said, “I’ll do it too,” and poked my side.

“Pfft, haha! That’s more ticklish than I thought.”

“Oh, how rare. I like that kind of smile, too.”

When I couldn’t hold it in and burst out laughing, Ayano kept poking me as if seizing the opportunity. Seeing her searching for the right spot—”Is it here?”—was adorable. Since she was playing pranks so innocently, I wanted to watch her forever.

However… Having someone touch my body was quite hard to endure.

“Wait… Ayano, stop, stop.”

“…It’s fun, so no.”

“Ayano!?”

She wouldn’t stop even when I pleaded. I was very happy that she was enjoying herself, but this was honestly bad. In many ways. To stop her directly, I reached my left hand around Ayano’s back to hold her still. …………But.

“Hyah… ah.”

I had sensed it somehow, but Ayano, who had absolutely no resistance to being touched by the opposite sex, gave a violent jolt and since she was leaning forward to tease me, she lost her balance. Thinking it would be dangerous if she fell off the other side, I instinctively pulled Ayano toward me.

Thump.

And then… Ayano’s head landed on my lap like I was a lap pillow.

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