I Confessed My Sexual Preferences to My Online Game Best Friend, and the Person Who Showed Up at the Offline Meetup Was the Cute Girl from My Class - 34

Chapter 34: Through Our Touching Shoulders

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“All right! Kaito, you’ve got all the formulas up to this point down perfectly!”

Ichinose-san’s bright voice echoed through my room, which was thick with heat. The clock hands had passed five in the afternoon. Several hours had gone by since we started, and thanks to Ichinose-san’s Spartan (maybe?) teaching, Kaito had somehow managed to reach the point where he could probably avoid being sent to remedial classes.

“I’m dying… Kazuma, your room doesn’t have enough oxygen…”

“…That’s just because you’re making too much noise.”

When I, Kazuma Sato, answered with an exasperated look, Shinonome-san, who was sitting beside me, let out a soft laugh, her shoulders shaking.

“But it’s rare to see Kaito-kun this focused. …Sato-kun, you too. Good job. Do you think you’ll be okay now?”

“…Yeah. That’s because your way of teaching was good, Shinonome-san. …Thanks.”

When I thanked her honestly, Shinonome-san averted her gaze slightly, looking a little embarrassed. Ichinose-san didn’t miss the atmosphere between us. She gave us a sly grin. It was the smile of a strategist who saw through everything.

“Oh, right! We’re out of drinks and cookies! Kaito, wanna run down to the convenience store with me?”

“Huh? If it’s drinks, we can just ask your mom, and cookies too—”

“Nope, nope! Saki wants to try the new ice cream! Come on, Kaito, you’re carrying the bags! Up, on your feet!”

“Whoa—hey, Ichinose-san!? Don’t pull me!!”

Ichinose-san forcibly grabbed Kaito’s arm, then winked sharply at Shinonome-san and me.

“You two can review what you did today while we’re gone! Take your time! …Okay, we’re off!”

Like a storm, the two of them rushed out of the room, followed by the sound of them clattering down the stairs. Soon after, we heard the front door downstairs open and close… And then, a deep silence suddenly settled over my room.

“…They’re gone, both of them.”

Shinonome-san(Haru) murmured quietly. Her voice wasn’t the crisp, energetic tone of “Shinonome-san from school” anymore, but something closer to Haru’s natural voice. It was slightly warm, and intimate.

“…Yeah. …She definitely did that on purpose.”

“…Nihihi. …We got caught then? Maybe that was Saki’s way of being considerate.”

As she said that, Haru rested her elbow on the desk and cupped her cheek in her palm. Between the open collar of her uniform, her slender collarbones peeked out. The western sunlight streaming through the window dyed her pale skin a soft orange.

“…Hey, Kazu.”

“…What?”

“…Earlier, when you said stuff like ‘mob character’ and ‘no benefit.’ …You didn’t really mean that, right?”

She looked up at me, staring intently. Those self-deprecating words I’d said during the study session to dodge Ichinose-san’s interrogation.

“…Of course not. …I know better than anyone how ‘special’ my relationship with you is.”

“………………”

Shinonome-san’s face turned bright red, and she let the mechanical pencil she was holding roll across the desk.

“…Idiot. …You say things like that so casually. …Hey, can you come over here for a second?”

“…Huh?”

She patted the spot beside her. Not the chair I’d been sitting on, but the edge of the bed.

“Just do it. …One minute is fine.”

Feeling my heartbeat pounding all the way up to my ears, I sat down beside her. From downstairs came the faint sound of our mom watching TV, and from Futaba’s room upstairs, what sounded like low bass from music she was listening to. My family was in the same house. And yet, this six-tatami room felt like a secret sanctuary, like this space was completely cut off from the rest of the world.

“…Phew.”

Shinonome-san let out a deep breath and then, unbelievably, gently rested her head against my shoulder.

“…!! H-Hey… Haru!?”

“It’s fine. …Today, I’ve been pretending to be ‘Rin Shinonome’ and ‘Sato-kun’ all day long, and I’m really tired. …If I don’t do this, I feel like I won’t be able to take the mask off again.”

From her black hair drifted the scent of the May breeze, mixed with her own sweet fragrance. The weight of her head felt like it traveled straight through my shoulder and into my heart.

“…Good work. …You really did your best. Your acting was perfect.”

“…Thanks, Kazu. …Hey, can I be selfish one more time?”

“…What is it? I’ll listen to anything except poetry readings.”

“Nihihi. …Do your best on the tests, okay? …If Sato-kun ends up failing and getting knocked out by default… I’d be lonely.”

As she deliberately called me “Sato-kun,” she tightened her grip on the sleeve of my shirt with her fingertips.

“…I know. …The right to call me ‘knocked out (lol)’ is your exclusive front-row seat. …I’m not losing it.”

“…Yeah. …I’m counting on you, partner.”

Without either of us saying so, we chose silence. The western sunlight deepened, and the shadows in the room stretched longer. I’d already forgotten that Mom was downstairs and Futaba was in her room upstairs. The only reality left to me was the weight on my shoulder and the warmth of the fingers gripping my sleeve.

Three years ago, we were saved by each other’s voices through a screen. Now we were sitting side by side, feeling each other’s body heat. Whether this was friendship, or something else entirely… This nameless emotion…. We still hadn’t found the answer to that question yet. Maybe we were still enjoying this “secret” just a little too much.

“Hey—! Sorry to keep you waiting, Kazucchi-kun!!”

The sound of the front door opening echoed, and Ichinose-san’s energetic voice came rushing up the stairs.

“—!?”

Shinonome-san pulled away from my shoulder at lightning speed and spread her notebook open as if nothing had happened. Her face was so red it looked like steam might rise from it.

“Sorry we’re back! Let’s eat the ice cream before it melts!”

The door burst open, and Ichinose-san returned with Kaito, who was holding shopping bags in both hands. Seeing how unnaturally straight Shinonome-san and I were sitting, Ichinose-san gave us a sly grin. That was the most knowing smile she’d worn all day.

“Rin-rin, Sato-kun. …Did your studying go well?”

“…Yes, very much so. …Right, Sato-kun?”

“…Yeah. …I got the best kind of ‘buff.’”

When I answered that way, Shinonome-san hurriedly started moving her eraser on a completely blank part of the page.

At the mercy of Ichinose Saki, the strategist,  the test week of “more than best friends, less than lovers” for me and her continued to deepen, growing hotter, sweeter, and richer just like the evening sky.

…I absolutely have to avoid failing grades.

As if confirming the lingering sensation of her grip on my sleeve, I threw myself back into studying physics once more.

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