After Becoming a Counselor for Girls, I Ended Up Producing a Lot of Potential Girlfriends Who Became Mentally Ill - Chapter 9

Chapter 9: Shizuku Wants to Sleep Beside Me, But…

“…I might be inherently too serious.”

I responded to Shizuku, who had brought up the idea of us sleeping together.

“I put too much emphasis on guilt. I want to be fair.”

“Mm-hmm.”

“Shizuku, I can’t agree to your suggestion, and I won’t.”

“Is it really a no? But I’m asking for it.”

“Yeah. My role as a counselor is to solve problems, not create them.”

Kujo came to mind.

If I could let go of all the entanglements, this would be so much simpler.

—If we weren’t together, none of this would matter. Such a selfish way of thinking.

Being good to both Shizuku and Kujo—that’s one way of handling it. I thought about it after seeing Kujo’s ex, Sasamoto, act so nonchalantly.

But I could never choose such a convenient way of life for myself.

“I’m not confident I could keep it a secret. I wouldn’t know what to do if it came out.”

“If it does, I’ll take responsibility.”

“That’s what they call shared responsibility, right? It’s terrifying.”

The challenge is deciding how much I’m willing to allow myself going forward.

If I cross the line, I’ll become a bona fide scumbag—a womanizer, no less.

“Don’t make such a complicated face. I’ll prepare another bed for tonight.”

“Are you okay with that, Shizuku?”

“I can’t betray Seii-kun’s conscience!”

Her words were filled with determination.

“Alright, time to set up the bedding.”

“Let’s do this!”

Before setting up the bed, there were things to do—like soaking in the bath and brushing teeth.

Shizuku, being a girl, said she’d take even longer.

Once most of the preparations were done, I found myself with idle time again. And during that time, my mind kept spinning with unnecessary thoughts.

Even though there wouldn’t be any sleeping together, I couldn’t shake the restlessness.

I talk to girls more than most people, but physical contact is scarce. It’s strange, but that’s my reality.

“…S-sorry to keep you waiting.”

Shizuku entered the room, her face flushed.

Her voice, sweet and tinged with both nervousness and excitement, wasn’t just her usual high energy. It carried all the allure of her femininity.

“Oh, you didn’t keep me waiting that long.”

This is bad. My heart is pounding.

When it’s just counseling, I can keep calm. It’s easier to separate my role from myself.

But this is different. I’m facing her as both a counselor and Yasuda Seiichiro.

“Alright, I’ll take the lead. Seii-kun, follow me.”

“Sounds like a line straight out of a story.”

“That’s just how hyped up I am!”

Shizuku’s excitement resembled the kind of late-night energy you get when you’re overtired.

Together, we carried and laid out the bedding.

I’d sleep on the floor, and Shizuku would take the bed.

“Today was a lot of fun, Seii-kun.”

“Same here. It brought back old memories.”

“Back when you were a tiny, adorable kid?”

“Shizuku, you’re still adorable.”

My cheesy line wasn’t like me, but it struck a chord with Shizuku.

She covered her face with her hands, avoiding eye contact. The gesture only accentuated how petite she was.

This is bad. I’m starting to become aware of Shizuku in a whole new way.

“Well, I’m heading to bed now.”

Shizuku got into the bed—or rather, she didn’t. Instead, she slipped into my futon, poking her head and hands out.

“Come on, come on! I’m always ready for you.”

“This is ridiculous. Why are you in here?”

“Marking my territory.”

“Are you a dog?”

No matter how much I tried to pull her out, she wouldn’t budge.

“Alright, hop in already!”

“But I said no sleeping together.”

“I’m a sly woman. Haha. Just ten seconds, let me stay here for ten seconds.”

“Fine, just ten seconds.”

“Yes!”

Faced with Shizuku’s unyielding persistence, I had no choice but to compromise.

I slid gently into the futon next to her.

“How does it feel?”

“Close, and warm.”

“This is my first time doing this.”

“Same here.”

My normally talkative mouth wouldn’t move. I was too focused on the sound of our heartbeats and breaths to stay composed.

I nearly forgot the ten-second rule.

“Alright, time to go back.”

“No way.”

“That’s against the rules.”

“Rules are made to be broken.”

“That doesn’t make it okay.”

Reluctantly, she got out and returned to her bed.

“My heart’s racing so much I don’t think I can sleep. How about reminiscing about the past?”

“Great idea, Seii-kun!”

And so, we lightly looked back on our journey from the beginning to now.

When I talked about when we first met, Shizuku looked embarrassed.

“My chūnibyō phase was a dark time. Don’t bring it up lightly.”

“I remember you had a dark dragon sealed in your left hand.”

“Ahh! Seii-kun, you’re so mean! I feel like I’m going to boil, evaporate, and disappear into the atmosphere!”

“It’s okay, Shizuku. You’re still chūnibyō now.”

“Wrong! Now it’s kōnibyō!”

“Either way, it sounds like a lot to deal with.”

I teased her a little.

“Now it’s my turn. I draw the card of Seii-kun’s failed romances!”

“I don’t think there are any.”

“Then I activate ‘You Were Totally Crushing on That Senior’!”

“That was ages ago. I admired her; it wasn’t love.”

“And rumor has it, she’s still single. Direct attack!”

No way. I was honestly shaken.

There was a senior I had genuinely found cute. I hadn’t thought about wanting to date her, but hearing she was single stirred something in me.

“But I’m the only one you’ll ever see!”

She rolled off her bed and slipped into my futon again.

She tugged the blanket upward, completely wrapping herself inside.

“I can’t see anything now. It’s just Shizuku.”

“Now it’s physically just me. I finally get to monopolize you, Seii-kun.”

My heart kept racing for a while.