After Being Dumped With the Insult, “You’re So Clingy!” and Finding Her in Despair, I Kept Encouraging My Beautiful Classmate and as a Result, That Beautiful Girl Started Directing Her Heavy Emotions Toward Me Instead, but Since I Like Emotionally Heavy Girls, It’s No Problem - 7

Chapter 7: Jujoji and I, Who Skipped School

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The two of us got along and called the school to inform them that we would be absent today. The teacher on the other end accepted it without much fuss.

“Phew…”

This was actually my first time ever calling in to report an absence, so I felt a little nervous. I had, after all, maintained perfect attendance until now. After ending the call, I placed my smartphone by my pillow. Perhaps because I was finally free from the tension, my stomach let out a loud growl. Thinking back, I hadn’t eaten anything since last night. It was only natural that I was hungry. And apparently, Jujoji, who was beside the bed, heard it too.

“Oh my… But having an appetite is a good thing. It means your body is recovering.”

“That’s true. Then let’s have breakfast.”

“Understood. Please stay where you are, Kokonoe-kun. I’ll handle it.”

When I suggested eating, Jujoji stood up and started walking toward the kitchen.

…It seemed I wasn’t going to be allowed off this bed at all today.

“Excuse me. I’m going to open the refrigerator.”

“That’s fine, but there’s probably nothing in it.”

“Huh?”

She asked for permission to open the refrigerator, and I agreed. However, I was pretty sure the only thing inside was a bottle of tea. Wearing an expression that clearly said “There’s no way,” she swung the refrigerator door open. As expected, the only thing inside was a bottle of tea.

“You’ve got to be kidding… There’s only tea. …Kokonoe-kun, what were you planning to eat for breakfast?”

“I think there are some cup noodles in the kitchen cupboard. I was going to eat those. You can have whichever one you like too, Jujoji. Just boil water in the kettle.”

When I first started living alone in high school, I had tried hard to cook for myself. But gradually, laziness won out, and I ended up eating mostly convenient cup noodles and pre-made meals.. If I bought them by the carton during supermarket sales nearby, food expenses were surprisingly cheap.

However, Jujoji looked exasperated at my answer and firmly rejected it.

“That’s unacceptable… I refuse! I can’t let you eat something so lacking in nutrition when you’re just recovering from illness, Kokonoe-kun!”

“But there’s nothing else to eat, right? The stores probably aren’t open yet either.”

“I’ll go home and get some.”

“That’s way too much trouble for you, Jujoji. It’s not like cup noodles have zero nutrition.”

“That’s not trouble at all. I told you earlier, I love taking care of people, so if anything, it makes me happy.”

“Hey, hey…”

No sooner had she said that than she picked up her school bag and began preparing to leave the room, ignoring my attempts to stop her. Just as she was about to head out, she suddenly turned around as if remembering something and shot me a suspicious glare.

“Listen carefully. While I’m back at my house, you are absolutely not allowed to get off the bed. Please stay at rest. Oh, I’ll permit bathroom trips only.”

“And if I move?”

“Hm? Did you say something?”

“N-Nothing. I’ll stay in bed.”

Jujoji once again smiled sweetly, radiating pressure. I caved under it and obediently decided to follow her instructions.

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An hour later, Jujoji returned carrying a large amount of luggage. She had her school bag in her right hand, a big plastic bag in her left, and a travel bag on her back.

“…You brought a lot.”

“Yes. The plastic bag contains cooking ingredients, and the travel bag has my overnight set.”

“…Wait. Overnight set? Are you planning to stay again today?”

“Of course. Oh, and I’ve already persuaded my parents, so there’s no need to worry.”

“Seriously…?”

Once again, I felt sorry for making her go this far, but since I was the one who gave her permission to nurse me, I couldn’t really say anything more.

“Now then, I’m going to put my heart into making something nutritious! Ufufufu♡”

She took an apron out of her bag and put it on, then pulled out a thick green onion from the plastic bag, placed it on the cutting board, and began chopping it rhythmically. She poured water into a pot, added something to it, and began simmering it down.

What in the world was she making?

A few minutes later, the contents of the pot began to bubble vigorously, and a delicious aroma drifted to my nose. Triggered by that, my stomach growled loudly again.

…Come to think of it, I was about to be treated to a homemade meal by Jujoji, who was said to be the “Number One Girl Guys Want as a Girlfriend.” Even if it had happened by chance, if the guys at school found out about this, they would definitely be jealous.

“All done. It’s packed with vegetables and meat, so it’s full of nutrition!”

About twenty minutes later, Jujoji placed a bowl of food on a tray and carried it over to the bed. It looked like she had made nabeyaki udon. It was a classic dish to eat when you had a cold, second only to rice porridge. The smooth noodles were easy to eat even with a sore throat, and in this case, they were topped with meat and vegetables soaked in broth, along with an egg. It was certainly nutritious.

“Smells great…”

I moved to dig into the udon right away. However, for some reason, Jujoji was the one holding the chopsticks.

“Jujoji, can you hand me the chopsticks?”

“I’ll feed you.”

“Huh? No, I can eat by my—”

“Don’t be shy. Fuu, fuu. Okay, say ahh.”

Unbelievably enough, she picked up some noodles with the chopsticks, blew on them to cool them down, and then held them out toward me.

“……….”

“What’s wrong?”

She looked at my bewildered face with a smile. Judging from her behavior so far, no matter what I said, she probably wouldn’t listen. I resigned myself and opened my mouth.

“Good. Well done. …Is it tasty?”

“Huh? Yeah, it’s good.”

“I’m glad. Ufufufu♡”

Jujoji smiled in satisfaction.

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“La~♪ La~la~♪”

Jujoji hummed cheerfully as she washed the dishes at the sink. She seemed to be in high spirits. Watching her like that, I realized her mental state had recovered considerably. Yesterday she had cried her eyes out, yet now she was smiling and humming. The fact that she was smiling more was proof that she had gained some emotional composure.

“Jujoji, you seem to be in a good mood.”

“Yes. When I take care of you, Kokonoe-kun, I strangely feel at ease.”

“Taking care of me?”

…She had said she loved taking care of people. If that was the case, then maybe after being rejected by Senkawa and getting hurt, she was desperately trying to fill the gap in her heart by doing something she loved in order to repair herself…

That was how I interpreted it. Emotional wounds weren’t something that healed easily… Especially not in a short period of time. For Jujoji to fully recover, she would need to take a long time to mend her heart. If so, then what I should do was help her heal, even if only a little faster. To be honest, it was true that I felt slightly uncomfortable being taken care of by her. But if it contributed to her peace of mind, then maybe being cared for wasn’t such a bad thing.

“If it helps put your mind at ease, Jujoji, then do as you like.”

…Because I never wanted to feel the same regret again.

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