I became the boyfriend of the school's madonna, who had turned down numerous confessions, but somehow, without realizing it, I wasn't just playing a role anymore - Chapter 43

Episode 43: Awareness

“Raito-kun…!”

I shook off the man’s hand as he loosened his grip and ran towards Raito-kun.

“Are you okay?”

Raito-kun gently held me. Despite his usual aloofness, I still felt reassured in moments like these. I pressed my face against his chest and hugged him tightly.

“Hey! What are you doing all of a sudden…!”

“That’s my line. What are you doing openly committing a crime?”

Raito-kun’s voice conveyed his anger. He was indeed different. He always came to my rescue.

“I haven’t done anything yet!”

The man who was standing had a hot temper and suddenly threw a punch. However—

“Forcing someone to go with you is also a crime.”

“Ugh!”

Raito-kun threw something he was holding in his left hand at the man’s face, causing him to stop in his tracks.

“Ouch! What did you throw!? My mouth feels all gritty!”

“Well, it’s sand. You should have realized that by now.”

“Ugh—!”

Covering his face with his hands, the man recoiled in pain. Raito-kun followed up by delivering a punch to the man’s stomach. He must have hit the right spot, as the man rolled onto the sandy beach, writhing in agony.

“When did you get sand…”

“I had it ready in advance.”

While answering my question, Raito-kun stood with his back shielding me. Meanwhile, the person who had rolled onto the beach earlier got up.

“You think you can win two against one…!?”

“Enough with the complaints. If you’re coming, come.”

Raito-kun raised his right hand, curled his fingers, and provocatively taunted them. Unusual for his usually lazy demeanor, he displayed a more aggressive attitude.

It’s not like he’s just losing his temper—I think he’s genuinely considering my safety. He had gently pushed my stomach with his left hand, signaling me to step back a bit.

I moved away slightly so as not to get in the way.

“You brat, don’t underestimate us…!”

The man pulled back his right hand and tried to punch me. However—

“Don’t be stupid and charge recklessly.”

Raito-kun sighed in exasperation and kicked up sand with the top of his foot. It directly hit the face of the man about to throw a punch.

Just like before, while the opponent covered his face with his hands, Raito-kun delivered a punch to his stomach.

“Ugh…!”

“Sorry, but I can’t let you stand up again.”

Seems like he’s being careful not to be counterattacked. Raito-kun mercilessly stomped on the feet of the two men on the ground.

“Aaaaah! D-Damn…!”

“Damn you, you devil…!”

The men, holding their feet and teary-eyed, glared at Raito-kun.

“Just to be sure, let’s do it one more time.”

“”Wha—!?””

Raito-kun lifted his leg again, and the expressions of the men changed to ones of grimacing pain. Just as Raito-kun was about to bring his foot down—

“Over here…! Wait, huh…?”

—Hyouka-chan brought three adult men with her.

“Um… I brought the lifeguards, but…?”

Observing the situation with the two men on the ground, Hyouka-chan looked puzzled and glanced at both Raito-kun and me.

“Is he the one trying to forcibly take the woman?”

And unbelievably, suspicion fell on Raito-kun.

“N-No, that’s not it! This person is my boyfriend, and he helped me…! Those guys on the ground were the ones trying to take me by force…!”

I hastily clung to Raito-kun’s arm, pleading our innocence.

This made the tense lifeguards, who had been on guard, heave a sigh of relief. Perhaps they were on edge, thinking Raito-kun had taken down two men on his own.

“I apologize for the misunderstanding… It seems those guys on the ground are the culprits. It looks like there were witnesses, so let’s hand them over to the police.”

“Wait, you’re lying!?”

 “Look, we got injured because of this guy! He even broke our bones…!”

As the lifeguards approached, the panicked men pointed at Raito-kun.

Which mouth is saying it? 

They brought it upon themselves.

“No, it’s because you guys tried to forcibly take her away and I only acted in self-defense.”

Although Raito-kun was the one who made the first move, it was to save me, and I believe others will testify to that. I briefly thought it might have been too much, but facing two opponents, Raito-kun had to thoroughly crush any chance of counterattack to ensure my safety. So, this was for the best.

“You guys, listen to what we have to say.”

The men were restrained, being led away by the lifeguards.

“I’m sorry, but could both of you also share your side of the story?”

It seemed we were also to undergo some kind of questioning. Since they had called the police, we decided to cooperate.

“―Raito-kun…”

“Hm?”

“Thank you…”

Walking behind the lifeguards, I expressed my gratitude to Raito-kun.

“No, it’s because I left you alone… Besides, protecting Misaki is my duty. So, don’t worry about it.”

Even though I had left on my own, Raito-kun gave me a kind smile. It felt unfair that he could be so gentle at times like this, even though he usually seemed indifferent. Thanks to him, my heart was pounding loudly.

I finally understood why my chest aches when I saw Hyouka-chan and Raito-kun getting along.

No, that’s not it. I knew it all along but didn’t want to admit it.

I was afraid of liking someone. I thought I couldn’t even like anyone.

But these feelings…

“You’re strong in fighting…”

“What are you talking about? I’ve hardly ever been in a fight my whole life. I’m not strong at all.”

“Eh, but…”

Even though he easily repelled the two men earlier…?

“Just because I’m not used to fighting, I had to think desperately about how to repel them when I saw you being taken away. It happened to work out well because the other side wasn’t used to fighting either.”

“Why do you know they’re not used to fighting…?”

It was a genuine question because I had no knowledge in that area. Could you really tell just by looking?

“A person used to fighting wouldn’t be so full of openings. I was just lucky this time. To prevent a similar situation from happening again, don’t leave my side.”

Saying so, Raito-kun intertwined his fingers with mine. Being naturally connected like lovers, I couldn’t help but feel even more delighted.

“I’m sorry… I won’t leave anymore…”

Saying that, I clung tightly to Raito-kun’s right hand. Feeling his body tense slightly, I became even happier. He was definitely aware of me.

“Please do that, I’m sorry for the trouble. It was my bad.”

“Huh? What do you mean…?”

I tilted my head in confusion, not understanding why he was apologizing.

“I made her feel bad.”

Referring to ‘her’ instead of using her name, I realized he was talking about Hyouka-chan. She must have been concerned after I ran away so obviously.

“Yeah, I just ran away without talking…”

“Misaki, you tend to run away quickly.”

“Ugh…”

I had thought I would receive gentle words, but instead, he hit a sore spot.

When I looked up, he was smiling at me with a helpless expression.

It seemed like he didn’t say it to be mean.

“I didn’t want to argue with anyone, so I tried to avoid clashes… Somehow, it seems like running away became a habit…”

I admitted that I was aware of avoiding unpleasant things or situations, and Raito-kun gently placed his free hand on my head.

“Raito-kun…?”

“I’m not good at picking up on things, and I need to pay more attention to Kokoa. So, surely, there will be many times when I won’t notice things even if they’re shown through your attitude. To avoid that, please express it in words. If there’s something you don’t like, say it. If there’s something you want me to do, say it without hesitation. Let’s start from there, okay?”

While saying that, Raito-kun affectionately stroked my head.

Honestly, I was quite surprised.

I knew he was telling me this to prevent me from avoiding things. However, I never expected Raito-kun to be so considerate like this.

Our relationship had no apparent benefits for him, and it wouldn’t be strange if he considered me a nuisance.

Moreover, even if I ran away in the sea earlier, he probably wouldn’t have been deeply concerned about it until now.

Perhaps being involved in a criminal act had changed his awareness.

“Is it okay…? Because I am…”

“It’s okay. We’re still boyfriend and girlfriend, so it’s better to face it head-on.”

Even if it’s ‘fake,’ that part doesn’t change.

That must be what he is saying.

―Oh no…

I just realized it a moment ago, but being treated so gently like this makes my feelings swell up…

“Then… I’ll take your words for it.”

“Yeah, that’s fine.”

And thus, we reconciled through his generous understanding.

―Hmm, maybe it’s a bit different?

I feel like the distance between us has drastically shortened compared to before the minor quarrel.

I no longer want to let go of his hand.