Actually, the Hungry Gyaru Who Eats a Lot Was Being Cheated On, so I Decided to Win Her Heart (And Stomach) From Her Jerk Boyfriend - 19

Chapter 19: I Want You to Overwrite It

ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー

Having finished that large amount of omelet rice set with ease, Kushina left my older sister and Ichika utterly shocked. 

“Shizuku-chan, I didn’t expect you’d be able to finish all of that!~”

“Shizuku-oneechan, you’re so amazing!”

Their reaction was understandable. Not only did Kushina ate the same amount as me, but she actually ate it faster than me and she looked much more delicate than me, all while looking completely unfazed and all. In fact, it would be impossible for anyone to not get surprised when they saw how much Kushina could eat for the first time. 

Time passed by. All the dishes had been cleared and Kushina’s clothes had fully dried too. By then, the sky, which had been painted in a reddish hue earlier, had turned mostly deep blue. Now that Kushina had fulfilled the goal of her visit, I reluctantly decided to  call it a day. Besides, I didn’t want her to return in the dark. It would be better for her to return now. 

“Sorry, Kushina. I ended up making you stay over longer than you need.”

I said to Kushina, who was walking beside me. I was walking her to the station from my house. Upon hearing my words, Kushina gave me a cheerful smile. 

“Ahahaha!~ What are you talking about? I should be the one thanking you! You let me take a nice, warm bath. You dried my clothes for me and you even gave me an early, delicious dinner! And now?? I’m even receiving another bonus of you walking me home! This is already more than I could ask for!”

“I see.”

“…That’s right.”

She said briefly before she began twirling her hair around her finger. After that, she looked up at the sky with a distant expression on her face before she slowly turned her gaze toward me. 

“…Suou-kun, thank you so much for today.”

“…What’s with that? Why are you acting so formal all of a sudden?”

“It’s just… I just realized I haven’t thanked you properly yet.”

“That’s… For what, exactly?”

“For everything, of course.”

Her platinum blonde hair that reached down to her back swayed gently as she said that. Kushina then spun around and stood in front of me as she continued on. 

“Thank you for helping me get back on my feet when I was feeling down. Thank you for saying you’d be on my side until the end. Thank you for watching over me from the shadows. And… Thank you for protecting me. For everything you’ve done to me… Thank you, Suou-kun!”

She thanked me while giving me a radiant smile. Her face was absolutely beaming. It was so dazzling that I couldn’t look at it directly and I instinctively turned my face away.

“…You’re welcome.”

Unable to bear the growing embarrassment, I gave her a curt reply which caused her blue eyes to narrow into a playful grin. She flashed a mischievous smile and took a step closer to me.

“Uh-oh, are you embarrassed~?”

“I’m not embarrassed.”

“No, no, you are. Your face totally says you are~. You don’t have to lie~”

Knowing she was teasing me, I was a little annoyed, but when I thought about how she had regained her spirit this quickly, the irritation in my heart naturally faded away. After all, I had been doing my best just so she could regain her smile back. I wanted her to smile from the bottom of her heart again, just like she did now. 

In that case, I guess my job is finally over now. 

She had broken up with Yamachi, who had been cheating on her. I had made it clear to Yamachi what would’ve happened if he dared to get near Kushina again, so the chances of him approaching Kushina again were slim to none. Considering all that, I didn’t need to get involved with her again. 

All that was left was to walk her to the station safely and once I had fulfilled my promise to make her lunch… But for some reason, I started to feel somewhat lonely.

“By the way, why do you still call me by my last name, Suou-kun?”

She suddenly asked. 

“Huh…?”

“It’s just… Both Mio-oneesan and Ichika-chan call me by my first name, but Suou-kun… You’re still calling me by my last name.”

“…I mean, I can say the same to you. You also still call me by my last name.”

“Well, I guess you’re right, but for me, I just like the way Suou-kun’s last name rolls from my tongue. No, wait. Oohh~ Don’t tell me… You actually wanted me to call you Gakuto-kun, or Gaku-kun or maybe Gakkun?”

“Nope. Just Suou is fine.”

“Yeah. I figured you’d say that.”

She flashed a mischievous grin, showing her white teeth, then continued.

“But still, I’m curious. Why do you still call me by my last name?”

“…The reason is… I mean, it’s nothing serious, really.”

I hesitated, pondering whether I should tell her or not.

“Ah, so there is a reason. What is it? Is it something like, you feel embarrassed in front of your family, or something like that?”

“No, that’s not it. If it were that simple, I would’ve called you by your first name already.”

“Then what is it?”

Kushina blinked her eyes in confusion.

…Well, I guess it should be fine now. It’s not something I need to hide and maybe this reason might sound trivial to her. 

I convinced myself before I finally relented. 

“—It’s because I didn’t want to remind you of Yamachi.”

“Of Takashi?”

I nodded.

“When I stepped in between you and Yamachi in front of the hotel, that guy shouted your name, and you… You were trembling. So, I thought if a guy like me started calling you by your first name like that, it might remind you of that moment and I didn’t want that. That’s why I didn’t want to call you by your first name.”

“…I see. So that’s the reason why…”

“Well, yeah, more or less. I know I’m just overthinking it. I know the reason is so trivial… Ahh, darn it. Saying it out loud is making me embarrassed.”

I scratched the back of my head with my palm to distract myself from the embarrassment. Feeling self-conscious, I turned my gaze away from Kushina, who was staring at me intently. A brief silence ensued between us before suddenly, my face was cupped by both her hands. She forced me to face her and I was met with her beautiful face. She looked so beautiful even without makeup. My heart skipped a beat. 

“Suou-kun, you’re right. You’re overthinking it. You really don’t need to worry about that. I’m fine even if you call me by my first name.”

“…Yeah, you’re right. Sorry.”

“But still, thank you. I’m really happy to know you’re thinking about me that much. I’m really, really happy.”

She said while giving me a soft smile. I could feel my heart beating faster and faster. 

“I really understand how you feel, Suou-kun. I know it very well and that’s why… Suou-kun, I want you to call me by my first name.”

“That… Why?”

“To be honest, being called ‘Shizuku’ by a guy is still… A bit scary. You’re right. Takashi’s voice and face will haunt me again, but….”

Kushina released my face and smiled bitterly. However, my heart was still beating so fast. It continued to pound strongly against my ribcage. 

“But that’s why, Suou-kun.”

She paused for a moment before continuing.

“—I want you to overwrite it.”

Kushina said with a smile, albeit she looked like she was close to tears. I inhaled and exhaled slowly, trying to calm my pounding heart. Then, I closed my eyes for a moment before looking straight at her. 

There’s no way I’m going to back down after reaching this far. 

The day she decided to break up with Yamachi, I had made up my mind too. I would quietly support her so that, one day, she could move on from this incident and laugh about it even. 

And for that, there’s one more thing I need to do. 

“…I understand. Shizuku.”

In that instant, her blue eyes flickered curiously. Her mouth left gaping open in surprise before a relieved, soft smile appeared on her face. 

“Ehehehe~ Somehow, I’m feeling a bit embarrassed when you call me that face to face like this…!”

“You were the one who told me to call you by your first name though.”

That being said, a strange feeling was swirling in my chest too. It felt somewhat frustrating. If I were to put it into words… I felt a bit uneasy and embarrassed. But well, if this could help Shizuku to move forward from her past, then this was a small price to pay. 

“I will tell you this though. I won’t call you by your first name in public. It wouldn’t do any of us good if people start making weird assumptions about us.”

“Yeah, that’s fine. Ah, right. Should I call you Gaku-kun too when it’s just the two of us?”

“…Please don’t.”

Seeing me sighing deeply, Shizuku started giggling softly instead. Then, we began walking toward the station again. It seemed Shizuku needed a little more time before she could move forward from this incident. In that case, my role of watching over her from the back would need to continue for a little while longer too.

ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー