I Accidentally Said “I Want a S○x Partner” in the Class Group on LINE, and the School Idol Responded - Chapter 17

I’m following Shinozaki on her way home, and there’s no way I should be praised for this.

Watching her figure a few dozen meters ahead, I think to myself.

But I’m worried about whether she really has a place to go home to.

If she does, that’s fine. If this worry of mine turns out to be unnecessary, then this whole tailing thing is just a waste of time.

But what if Shinozaki doesn’t really have a proper place to go?

If that’s the case, I want to help her somehow.

As I think that, I see Shinozaki walking on the sidewalk in front of the station. When she turns a corner, I hurry to follow before I lose her.

Of course, I stay careful. I peek around the corner slowly, thinking about the chance she might be waiting for someone, and see that she’s walking normally. So I keep following her.

The street is full of izakayas and snack bars. On the roadside, drunk office workers are talking loudly.

Shinozaki walks through all this and enters a small office building, climbing the stairs.

…Could this be her home? No way.

I go closer and check the floor directory. Among karaoke spots and ticket shops, I notice there’s an internet café.

…No way. Could this “place to go home to,” Shinozaki mentioned, be the internet café?

I don’t know… maybe she just wants to do solo karaoke, or maybe she has some tickets to sell. I hope that’s the case.

But… if she’s actually living in the internet café, I can’t just ignore that kind of life.

I have to check. After thinking that, I head to the fourth floor where the café is.

“Excuse me. Did a girl with long black hair come here tonight? She’s my little sister. I’m trying to find her.”

I say this to the staff at the counter. It’s a lie, but if they think I’m looking for a family member, maybe they’ll tell me something.

“Oh, yes. That girl is here tonight, too.”

Tonight too… bingo.

“Which room is she in?”

The staff tells me the room number easily. I pay for just 30 minutes, then head to Shinozaki’s room.

“Eh…”

When I knock, Shinozaki opens the door, and the moment she sees me, her face freezes in surprise.

“…Hashiguchi-kun, why…”

“I’m sorry. I followed you… I know it was awful of me.”

I bow my head. I can’t deny that this was wrong. I’m ready to take whatever scolding comes.

“But I was worried. I didn’t know if you were really going home properly.”

“…”

“This is it. You’re living here?”

She didn’t answer right away. It was like she didn’t want me to know, so she just looked down and stayed quiet.

Then,

“Yeah… that’s right.”

Shinozaki nodded.

“…I’m living here.”

“I thought so…”

I felt a sinking kind of sadness. Not for Shinozaki, but for the parents who had put her in this situation.

“…Since when have you been living here?”

“Since around May, I guess…”

So it’s been over two months…

I let out a heavy sigh as my sadness deepened.

“What’s going on with your family…”

I asked.

“Why do you have to live in a place like this?”

“It’s not a complicated story… I just couldn’t stay at home anymore…”

“…You couldn’t stay at home?”

“My father, he’s hopeless… Remember the middle-aged man who bothered me earlier? That was him.”

…Her father?

“Pachinko, horse racing, boat racing, cycling… he doesn’t work, just wastes his time on gambling… Earlier, he came to get money from me.”

“Your parents… came to get money from you? That can’t be real.”

“It’s hard to believe, right? But it’s true. Because of him, my family’s life became a mess… even paying the apartment rent was almost impossible. My mother couldn’t take it anymore and left me behind in the spring… that’s why I started running away too. I work part-time and live in an internet café…”

So that’s… the rough picture of Shinozaki’s family situation.

“…I know living in an internet café is crazy… but I have no choice. I can’t rely on my friends, and I don’t want to show anyone my weakness… I have to earn my own money and live on my own. That’s the right way.”

After hearing that, I couldn’t help but think how small my own problems were. Compared to Shinozaki’s life, my father’s pressure to get good grades and behave properly is nothing.

My stress was trivial. Shinozaki had it much worse. And I felt frustrated with myself for not realizing it sooner.

“Go home now…”

At that moment, Shinozaki spoke weakly.

“You… understand me now, right? It feels miserable having so much of myself exposed… So—”

“That’s exactly why… I can’t let you go back like this.”

I couldn’t just find out her situation and leave it at that. I didn’t want to know her story just out of curiosity. I came knowing it and was ready to help.

“Come to my room.”

Before I knew it, the words had left my mouth. Shinozaki froze, and she then looked down.

“No… I’d just be a burden.”

“That doesn’t matter. As long as my dad doesn’t find out, it’s fine.”

“But…”

“Come on. Anywhere is better than this place, right?”

“…Why does Hashiguchi-kun try to help me… You don’t get anything out of it…”

“I’m not thinking about gain or loss. I just can’t leave you alone.”

I can’t ignore Shinozaki struggling because of her family, especially when I’ve had my own family troubles. Now that I see she’s in a worse situation, I can’t turn away.

“No one should have their youth ruined because of their family. That’s why I want to help you.”

“Hashiguchi-kun…”

“Now, pack your stuff. Don’t worry about being a burden. Let’s go to my room.”

I pushed into her private room and started packing her things into a large backpack she probably brought with her when she ran away.

When I looked back, Shinozaki’s eyes were wet as she watched me.

“Is… this really okay?”

“Yeah. Last night you slept in that tiny hut during the thunderstorm. You couldn’t rest properly. You need a real bed first, Shinozaki.”

“…Thank you… really…”

She covered her face with her hands and started to sob quietly. I took her hand and left the internet café with her.

I believed this was the right thing to do.