After I Started Living Alone, My Place Turned Into a Hangout Spot for Beautiful Girls

Chapter 20: Sprout (Part 2)

Shizuru’s comment that I might be “kinda okay” made my heart race.

But she must have sensed the mood wasn’t quite right.

“Just to clarify, when I said you’re kinda okay, I don’t mean I want to be your girlfriend or anything like that~,” she said.

Shizuru was being suggestive.

What she said could easily be mistaken for a confession, like she had a crush on me.

That’s probably why she made sure to clarify it was just a passing thought, nothing more.

“I get it. Thinking someone’s ‘okay’ is a bit different from actually liking them, right? I mean, I’d totally think dating you is ‘okay’ too,” I said.

“If you got your hopes up, sorry about that~,” she teased.

“Come on, I’m not so naive that I’d think you like me just because you said I’m kinda okay.”

The awkward tension started to fade.

My flushed face calmed down a bit, so I decided to tease her back.

“Well, if you want to be my girlfriend, you’ve got a long way to go!” I said, deliberately sounding arrogant to make it clear I was joking.

Shizuru laughed, as if mimicking me. “Pfft, it’s kinda fun having the tables turned when I’m usually the one doing that. So, what do I need to do to raise your affection points, Teruaki-kun~?”

“I could tell you, but you absolutely can’t do it, okay?”

“Why not?” she asked.

“Because I’d fall for you.”

“So, what would make you all flustered, Teruaki-kun?” she pressed.

She was totally planning to tease me by doing exactly what I said, wasn’t she?

And so, I ended up chatting with Shizuru late into the night, having a blast.

※

The next day, after talking with Shizuru until midnight, school went on as usual.

Shizuru didn’t have track practice today and didn’t need a shower, so she wasn’t coming over.

I felt a little lonely thinking about that…

“The train’s not running, so I came to hang out!” Shizuru announced, showing up at my house out of the blue.

Apparently, I’d gotten pretty close with her. Her sudden visit didn’t bother me at all.

I invited her in while we talked.

“You said the train stopped. Is it gonna take a while to get moving again?”

“They announced it’ll be fixed around 8 p.m. But waiting at the station sounded lame, so I thought, ‘Why not go to Teruaki-kun’s place!’ Was that a bother?”

“Not at all. Honestly, since you didn’t have practice today, I was feeling a bit lonely thinking you wouldn’t come over. Wait, Shizuru?”

Instead of heading to the living room, Shizuru went toward the bathroom.

I called out to stop her.

“Hehe, I didn’t come to borrow your shower today, did I?” she said.

It seemed like she’d gone to the bathroom out of habit.

It was the rainy season, but it was already hot like summer.

Shizuru was slightly sweaty.

“It was hot today, so why don’t you take a shower?”

“If you say so, maybe I will borrow it again today.”

“Alright, I’ll be in the living room.”

“Thanks~,” she said.

With that, Shizuru smoothly disappeared into the changing room.

Or so I thought… but she came back in front of me.

“What’s up?” I asked.

“Shouldn’t you message Sakuya too?”

“Oh, right, you said the train’s not running.”

“Yeah, it’d be sad if she’s stuck at the station, right?”

Following her suggestion, I sent Sakuya a message: “If you can’t get home, you can come to my place.”

A reply came back instantly.

“It doesn’t look like the train’s moving yet, so I’ll take you up on that.”

Looks like Sakuya would hang out at my place until the train started running again.

Shizuru, peeking at my phone, said, “Bummer, huh?”

“What do you mean?”

“You don’t get to be alone with a cute girl like me anymore.”

“You’re being suggestive again, like last night… Seriously, I might start taking you seriously one day.”

I said it with a hint of exasperation.

Bold as ever, Shizuru puffed out her breasts and declared, “Why don’t you just fall for me?”

I laughed at her familiar line.

As usual, I asked her, “By the way, how much more do I need to work to win you over?”

“Hmm, just keep going like this!” she said.

“Ugh, there you go being suggestive again… I’m heading to the living room first.”

Shizuru was such a handful. She really loved teasing me.

I started heading to the living room, but…

Looking a bit awkward and scratching her cheek, Shizuru said, “I’m not being suggestive. If you keep this up, I might actually end up liking you, Teruaki-kun… Hehe, I said it.”

She wasn’t in love yet. But that might not always be the case.

Blushing, Shizuru said it firmly, then left me standing there stunned and went to take her shower.

—

Chapter 21: Sprout (Part 3)

Sakuya’s Side

The train stopped, and I couldn’t get home.

So, I decided to relax at my cousin’s place until service resumed.

Using the spare key I had, I let myself in—

There, in the living room, sitting on the sofa, was Teruaki striking the pose of a thinker.

“What’s wrong?” I asked, my face a mix of exasperation and curiosity.

Teruaki looked at me with an expression hard to pin down and started talking.

“Well, uh, someone told me if they keep trying so hard, I might end up falling for them.”

“Who said that?” I pressed.

“…Shizuru Mizutani.”

“I see,” I replied.

Surprisingly, I wasn’t shocked. No, there was no reason to be.

Because lately, watching Shizuru, it was obvious—she was totally into him.

Or rather, thinking about it, wasn’t she into him from the start?

I was reflecting on how this moment had finally arrived when Teruaki, with a pathetic look, turned to me for help.

“What should I do?”

Now that I no longer harbored excessive resentment toward him, Teruaki felt like a real little brother to me.

Seeing him rely on me, his big sister figure, was kind of nice.

No, actually, pretty nice.

Teruaki’s unexpectedly cute side almost made my heart skip a beat.

But that made me feel a bit frustrated, so I flicked his forehead.

“Figure it out yourself,” I said, brushing him off.

Still, my little brother figure clung to me, whining pitifully.

“But it’s my first time dealing with this… Can’t you at least hear me out a little?”

They say the more hopeless a kid is, the cuter they are, and Teruaki’s usual cockiness melting into this clingy act was getting to me.

“God, you’re hopeless,” I sighed.

I had no intention of actually helping.

But being relied on by Teruaki after so long made me ridiculously happy.

“Thanks…” he muttered.

“So, what do you want to do, Teruaki?” I asked.

“I mean… what should I do?”

“If you want to win her over, put in the effort. If you’re fine with things as they are, just keep acting normal, right?”

I told him it depended on his feelings.

Then, Teruaki peered at me anxiously and said, “But if I try to win her over, what if she says, ‘Oh, sorry, I don’t actually like you, Teruaki’?”

He hit the nail on the head.

Steeling myself, I decided to be blunt.

“That’s entirely possible,” I said mercilessly.

Teruaki’s shoulders slumped, and he looked dejected.

“Well, from my perspective, not trying would be a waste,” I added. “You’re not likely to get close to a beauty like Shizuru again, you know.”

God, what was I even saying to him?

It wasn’t like me to say something so encouraging.

But then, Teruaki asked, “So, what do you think of me, Sakuya?”

It seemed he was worried about not being good enough for a beauty like Shizuru.

He looked genuinely troubled, so I figured I should be kind.

“Your face is average, but you’ve got great communication skills, you read the room well, and your family’s well-off. I mean, it’s not like you need to be so pessimistic, right?”

“Huh?” he mumbled.

“I didn’t want to say this because you’d get cocky, but you’re actually a pretty charming guy, you know?”

God, what was I saying?

I’d been so dismissive of him lately that praising Teruaki felt incredibly awkward.

But even after I went out of my way to say that…

“No way that’s true,” he said, brushing off my words.

That ticked me off a bit.

This was exactly his problem…

I wanted to scold him, but his low self-esteem was probably partly my fault.

Every time he messed up, I’d say, “God, you’re so hopeless.”

“The fact that Shizuru’s into you should clue you in that you’re pretty charming,” I pointed out.

“Really?”