Be careful with the laid-back beauty who took a liking to me. Otherwise, it will be too late! - Chapter 13: Things I Need to Convey

Episode 13: Things I Need to Convey

After returning from the dessert buffet, I lay on my bed, hugging my favorite teddy bear, and thought about the feelings I realized today.

(I don’t just see Kawai-kun as a friend; I like him as a man…)

I’ve looked it up before. Feeling excited, wanting to be in a special relationship, wanting to monopolize someone – that’s what I heard love is all about.

Now that I think about it, all of those apply to me. I feel excited when I’m with Kawai-kun, I want to be in a special relationship with him, and I want to monopolize him.

Among these, the desire to monopolize him feels the strongest.

Even though I like him, Kawai-kun hasn’t realized yet that I like him romantically. Before she realizes it, I’ve decided to make Kawai-kun like me.

Now, if I were to confess my feelings to him, how would Kawai-kun respond? Would he say he likes me too?

He said he liked me as a friend before, so even if I confess, he might reject me. He might think of me only as a friend and not as a romantic interest.

(Should I talk to someone about this…?)

───The Next Day

“Sorry for the wait, Koga-san!”

Waving her hand enthusiastically as she approached me was Shiina-san, wearing a white T-shirt and a light pink skirt.

“Good morning, Shiina-san. Sorry, I suddenly…”

On our day off, I had arranged to meet Shiina-san at a certain shopping mall.

I thought she would be perfect to consult about love, considering how sociable she is with guys.

While I do interact with guys quite often when they initiate the conversation, I’m only interested in talking to Kawai-kun, and I don’t usually initiate conversations with other guys.

“Sure, want to go to a café?”

“Yeah, let’s go. If you don’t have any preferences, how about my favorite café? I’m sure you’ll like it too, Shiina-san.”

Saying that, we entered a café known for its pancakes. They have pancakes with custard, which is why I often come here.

“Custard cream pancakes! Koga-san, do you come here often?”

“Yeah, their pancakes are delicious.”

As I expected, Shiina-san’s excitement level soared. Custard lovers just can’t resist.

“I often come to this shopping mall, but I didn’t know about this place. Thanks for letting me know, Koga-san.”

“No problem. I know a lot of places that serve custard desserts, so I can always recommend some to you.”

“Thanks. I didn’t know Koga-san liked custard so much. We didn’t talk much last year, but let’s talk a lot this year!”

“Yeah, let’s talk a lot.”

(Shiina-san is so radiant…)

Without hesitation, Shiina-san and I ordered custard cream pancakes and engaged in love talk until our orders arrived.

“Ah, it’s about Kawai-kun again. You were with him before, right? I think you and Kawai-kun make a great couple. I’ll cheer for you.”

“Thank you… Do you have anyone you like, Shiina-san?”

The other day at the dessert buffet, when I finished eating and went for seconds, I saw Shiina-san at a nearby table.

She was also with a boy, just like me. I’ve seen that boy before. I think his name was… Oh, I forgot… I remember he was in the same class as us last year, though…

“Someone I like? No, there isn’t anyone.”

She shook her head, saying she didn’t like anyone. It seems that the boy I saw with her the other day wasn’t someone she liked.

“The guy you were with at the dessert buffet? It seemed like you were with a boy from our school, but…”

“It’s Hagihara-kun, but I couldn’t refuse when he asked me out. He said we could go wherever I liked, so we ended up at the dessert buffet… Honestly, I don’t remember much about the delicious custard taste.”

I understand that Shiina-san finds it hard to refuse someone’s request because of her personality.

One thing that bothered me was that she didn’t seem to have enjoyed herself very much.

“Do you dislike Hagihara-kun?”

“No, it’s not like that. It’s just that talking to a boy I’ve never talked to before made me incredibly nervous. I was so busy thinking about what to say and various other things that I couldn’t enjoy the sweets.”

“I see…”

The day I first talked to Kawai-kun, I was nervous too. And I enjoyed the crepe… enjoyed it… Huh? I remember eating it normally without any trouble.

Instead of being too nervous to swallow, I ate normally and even showed off my appetite.

Now, I’m embarrassed about it, and just then, the waitress placed the pancakes on the table.

“Here you go. Custard cream pancakes.”

“Wow, they look delicious, Koga-san.”

“Yeah, let’s dig in.”

As we started eating, I became so happy that I silently ate the custard cream pancakes.

When I finished, Shiina-san was surprised.

“Oh, right, I’ve been talking about myself this whole time, but today was supposed to be about you, Koga-san. What’s your consultation about?”

Since Shiina-san said she would listen to my story while eating slowly, I decided to consult her.

“I feel excited when I’m with Kawai-kun, I want to be in a special relationship with him, and I want to monopolize him… Is this love?”

When I consulted her about love, Shiina-san seemed to enjoy listening to such stories earnestly.

“I’ve never been in love, but if you feel that way,

 it might be love.”

“Love… So this is what love feels like… When would be the right time to confess…”

“I’m not sure… But as for my friend’s story, she confessed when she felt like the other person also liked her. But I think it’s fine to do it at your own pace.”

“At my own pace… Yeah, thanks for listening to me, Shiina-san.”

I might fail if I rush. So until I’m sure that Kawai-kun sees me as a romantic interest, I won’t convey my feelings of love. I’m afraid of being rejected, so the moment I know he likes me, I’ll tell him how I feel.

That’s what I’ve decided, but I didn’t understand myself. I can’t hide my love for what I like.