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 - 39

Chapter 39: To You, Who Have Been Doing Your Best

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Upon returning to the classroom, I saw the three gyarus gathered around Shizuku. Miura was patting Shizuku’s back gently, Sasamoto was stroking her head tenderly and Suzuki, who was standing in front of Shizuku to watch over her, was the first to notice me.

“Ah, you’re back.”

Immediately, Shizuku turned around to look at me. Her blue eyes were glistening with tears. Well, it was no surprise to see her in this state. After all, she had just learned the harsh truth of her savior. It wasn’t surprising, but once again, I could feel sharp pain throbbing deep in my chest. It was a sensation I never wanted to experience again if I could help it. While suppressing the boiling anger to ensure my emotions wouldn’t show on my face, I walked over to Shizuku. 

“…It’s done.”

Smiling, I held out her phone, which she had entrusted to me.

“Yeah.”  

Shizuku took her phone with a soft smile on her face and yet, tears were still trickling down her cheeks from the corner of her eyes. 

“Sorry for making you hear something so painful, Kushina.”

“…No, it’s okay. Hearing Suou-kun got angry on my behalf is more than enough to save me…. Thank you, Suou-kun.”

Shizuku said while giving me a radiant smile. Feeling a bit embarrassed at her sincere gratitude, I reflexively turned my face away. 

“You’re welcome. Though, to be honest, the reason I was angry wasn’t just for your sake or anything though…”

“Oh, oh? Suou, are you feeling embarrassed?~”

“I’m not.”

“You totally are~!”

While still stroking Shizuku’s head, Sasamoto teased me. She was laughing cheerfully and beside her, Miura and Sizuku nodded in agreement, seemingly in sync. 

“But you know, Suou. You’re surprisingly very hot-blooded, huh? You know, I was honestly kind of moved when you went off on Yamachi earlier.”

“For real, for real~ But yeah, I think I finally understand what Sawa was talking about before.”

Their words, although meant jokingly, made Shizuku stare at them intently. Under Shizuku’s vicious glare, both Miura and Shizuku smiled awkwardly and raised their hands in a mock surrender. With a similarly sheepish expression on her face, Sasamoto, who finally stopped stroking Shizuku’s head, began gathering her things. 

“Well then, I guess it’s about time for us to take our leave. So yeah. Suou, please take care of Shizuku.”

“Ri-Right…”

I nodded and Sasamoto began dragging Miura and Suzuku out of the classroom. After watching the three of them leave, I took a deep breath to put myself in order before turning to Shizuku. The classroom was eerily quiet. The school was devoid of any trace of life even in the hallway. It was just the two of us here, just Shizuku and me.

I sat down in the empty chair beside her and turned to face her directly. 

“Shizuku.”

I called her name and Shizuku turned toward me, offering me a faint, lopsided smile. Tears were still trickling down her cheeks, but her expression carried a hint of calmness that somehow brought peace to my heart just by looking at it. 

“Hm? What is it?”

“Well, it’s just…”

But the words couldn’t come out of my mouth. I had called out to her without even thinking what I wanted to say first.

What an idiot I am… Darn it…

Desperately trying to keep her from noticing how awkward I was, I scrambled to find something to say. After straining my brain for an answer, I finally managed to say a few words. 

“…You did great holding out until now.”

However, my sudden and unexpected comment left Shizuku tilting her head in confusion.

“What’s wrong? Why did you say that out of nowhere?”

“No, it’s just… I was thinking how amazing that you managed to hold out until now. Especially when I remember you showed up at my part-time job, completely drenched from the rain. You looked so—”

I tried to cover my embarrassment by talking more, but the more I spoke, the more I dug into my own grave. So, I decided to just apologize. 

“…Sorry. Actually, I called your name without thinking it through first. I don’t have anything to say to you….”

Shizuku stared at me. Her eyes were wide open. She blinked a few times before she said…

“What’s with that? Heh.”

Then, she let out a small laugh. A soft chuckle escaping her lips. 

“Pfft… Ahaha! You just called my name? Oh my god, that’s hilarious! Ahahahaha! Goodness, I’m laughing so hard that I stopped crying!”

“…You’re laughing too much.”

“Sorry, sorry! But seriously… It’s just so funny! I mean, Suou-kun, you’re not the type to do things like that, so that makes it even funnier! Crap, I think I’m going to laugh again…!”

God, I really want to punch my past self from a few seconds ago. 

I thought to myself while pressing my palm against my forehead. But still, even though she was laughing at me, but I didn’t feel upset at all. The overwhelming embarrassment made me want to bash my head into something, but I held back. Then, I stared at Shizuku again. 

Her eyes were still red and swollen. Tear marks stretched over her pure white cheeks, but her expression looked bright and clear, just like the sky after the rain. A few seconds passed and Shizuku finally managed to stop laughing. She then turned her body toward me. 

“Haaa… I haven’t laughed this much in a while.”

“…Well, I’m glad I could make you laugh.”

“Come on~ Don’t sulk, okay? You really cheered me up. Thank you.”

She said as she offered her head to me.

“What now?”

“Suou-kun, you said it earlier, didn’t you? That I did great holding out until now? So, give me a reward.”

“Sure, I don’t mind giving you a reward, but… What do you want me to do?”

“…Pet me.”

She said shortly while still holding her head out toward me. Shizuku’s cheeks were adorned in a faint blush as she continued on.

“As a reward for me holding out until now… Pet me, just like Natsuki did earlier.”

“…Are you sure?”

“Yeah. Come on. Hurry up!”

Her quick urging made me glance up at the ceiling. 

Well, it should be fine I guess. If a petting is what she wants, then I just need to give her one.

Pushing aside the inappropriate thoughts lurking in the back of my mind, I slowly extended my hand toward Shizuku and placed my palm on her head. I ruffled her lustrous golden hair and…

“Hey! Your way of petting…! You’re treating me like a dog, aren’t you?!”

“Ah, my bad. Okay, I will try to be gentler.”

“…No. It’s fine. This way feels more like you, Suou-kun.”

“The heck with that?”

I didn’t understand what she meant, but since she seemed pleased, I figured I didn’t need to bother thinking about it too much. 

Actually… She does look like a happy puppy right now… 

That thought crossed my mind and I gave Shizuku’s head a good ruffling for a while before the words spontaneously escaped my lips. 

“Hey, Shizuku.”

“Hm? What is it?”

“I told you yesterday that you didn’t need to give me your answer right away, but.. How about having dinner at my place today?”

Upon hearing that, Shizuku flashed me a bright smile and answered. 

“Yes!”

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