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

Morning had come before I knew it.

I woke up in bed and remembered that I had fallen asleep right after last night. Even though I had just woken up, I felt a sudden shock and panic. I sat up and looked around the bedroom, but Shinozaki, who should have been sleeping next to me, was nowhere to be seen. I went to the living room, but she wasn’t there either.

Then, I noticed a note on the table.

[Thank you for last night. It hurt a little, but I’m relieved we did it properly. I’ll try to make it even better next time. Oh, and please keep this between us.]

It was written neatly. I realized that last night hadn’t been a dream. Shinozaki really had been here, and we had shared the first night of our s○x partner agreement. I felt a small sense of relief.

I could remember bits and pieces, but last night was honestly a blur. I had been nervous and excited, and some parts felt almost dreamlike.

It was a bit disappointing not to remember everything. But if I could trust what the note said, there would be a next time, and that made me happy.

After the first night, I felt better than usual when waking up. Normally, I would wake up feeling stressed while thinking about studying and all the things I had to do. But today felt bright and refreshing, and I knew that being with Shinozaki had been worth it.

I didn’t know when the next time would be, but I decided to use last night as motivation and make the most of today.

※

By the time I got to school, Shinozaki was already in the classroom. She was chatting happily with her friends like usual, which made me feel relieved. I had worried that staying out late last night might cause her some trouble, but she seemed fine.

I didn’t speak to her and went straight to my own seat. Normally, we weren’t really close. We’re just classmates and not even friends. If we had the chance, we’d talk, but otherwise we wouldn’t. If I greeted her out of nowhere, people might notice something was off. It felt a little cold, but that was how it had to be.

The day went by, and after school, I ended up changing my shoes at the entrance without saying a word to Shinozaki. Sometimes our eyes met, and when she gave me a small smile, it actually made me pretty happy.

Yesterday, I had just eaten cup noodles, but on my second day living alone, I decided I’d try to cook a proper dinner. On my way home, I stopped by the supermarket.

Earlier, my mom had sent me a LINE message asking, [What did you have for dinner yesterday?]. I replied, [Cup noodles] and she scolded me, saying, [If you don’t eat something nutritious, come home.] She even said I had to take a picture of my dinner and send it to her. It was a hassle, but if I ignored it, she might take away my room. For my own health, I had no choice but to cook.

“Oh, what a coincidence.”

While choosing ingredients at the store, I ran into Shinozaki. She was carrying rice balls and some ready-made dishes.

“Did you stop by because you were a little hungry?”

I looked at what she had.

“This is dinner. It’s cheap, so I usually buy it here.”

“That’s your usual dinner? …You don’t eat proper meals at home?”

“Is that your usual dinner? You don’t eat a proper meal at home?”

Shinozaki looked down and said, “Yeah… It’s complicated.” She seemed a little embarrassed to say it out loud, so maybe she didn’t want people to know her dinners were all ready-made.

…I guess I should just pretend I didn’t see or hear anything.

But then again, I already knew from last night that her parents didn’t mind her being out late. Adding that to this, it seems like things at Shinozaki’s house are… a bit strange. I can only guess, but maybe it’s a kind of neglect. If so, it’s the opposite of my own carefully managed home.

“Hey… if it’s not a bother, why don’t you come eat dinner at my place tonight? Not the ready-made stuff, I mean something proper. I’m just shopping for ingredients now.”

I found myself saying. I didn’t want to leave her alone, that’s all. It might be overstepping, given our casual arrangement, but I thought a little care was okay.

Then Shinozaki,

“…Really?”

She looked at me with eyes that seemed to cling to me and not with refusal. Looks like I managed not to step on any landmines.

“Yeah… I have to cook for myself now, so if you’re good at cooking, I could use your help.”

“…You’re forced to cook?”

“Yeah… my mom asked what I ate last night. When I said cup noodles, she got mad.”

“Cup noodles… even if I were your mom, I might get mad too.”

So she sided with my mom.

Well, that’s reasonable.

“Then… I can at least cook basic meals, so I’ll help you.”

Looks like tonight, I’d get to spend time with Shinozaki again. I couldn’t deny that the thought made me quietly happy inside.