Chapter 65

“Ara, what’s with that big sigh? Did something happen?”

Hearing that sigh, Reika came over to Satoru.

“Reika…”

“H-Hello, Hatsune-san…!”

“Fufu, sorry for hiding it even though we’re close. I’ll apologize too.”

“Weren’t you just talking with your friends?”

“I was, but they told me, ‘We can’t stand seeing Amamiya-san getting her way!’ and pushed me to come see you.”

“I see.”

“So, what did you think? About her?”

“I thought I understood her, but my impression is… she was more than I imagined.”

Since Seiya was right next to him, Satoru didn’t want to say anything bad about Ruri and kept his response vague.

“Fufu, must be tough being a popular guy.”

“I don’t have the mental energy to come up with a witty comeback.”

“Oh? Since when did you ever have mental energy to spare?”

“Shut up.”

“……”

To Satoru and Reika, this was just a typical conversation they’d usually have, only now they were having it at school.

But Seiya, watching from the side, was dumbfounded, while the girls around them squealed in excitement.

“Listening to you two talk like this, it really feels like you’re a couple. I’m surprised you managed to keep it hidden this whole time.”

“W-Well, yeah…”

“Earlier, you said ‘there’s no need to show it off,’ but don’t you wanna flirt during school events and stuff? If you’re keeping it a secret, that means you’d have to hold back even during special moments, right?”

“Well, that’s true, but…”

“I get that you don’t need to broadcast it to the world, but if it were me, I’d want to be with the person I care about during important times, no matter what others say.”

“……”

Satoru fell silent after unexpectedly being hit with a solid argument from Seiya.

It was true—he’d been thinking only about hiding their relationship.

He thought as long as they kept quiet, their school life would go smoothly.

But that also meant missing out on creating memories together during events.

Even though there weren’t many school events in their first year, they still had things like the sports festival and the cultural festival.

Did Reika want to do something with him during those times?

He hadn’t thought about it at all.

“Fufu, don’t be too hard on him, okay? He was just trying to be considerate in his own way.”

“What do you mean? Hatsune-san, didn’t you want to make your relationship public?”

“Yes, that’s true.”

“But then why say Satoru was being considerate, even though he acted against your wishes?”

“Well, it’s better if you hear that from Satoru when he’s ready. I think it’ll mean more coming from him.”

“O-Okay…”

“And besides, if being together during public moments was so important to me, we wouldn’t have lasted this long.”

“I see, that makes sense.”

“Also… we’re very close where no one can see, so no need to worry, okay?”

Saying that, Reika gently pulled Satoru—who was now deep in thought with a troubled expression—into a hug.

“S-So you two do that kind of stuff naturally…!?”

“I’ll leave that to your imagination.”

“Gah! …I’m going to the bathroom!”

Unable to withstand Reika’s affectionate display, Seiya quickly hurried off toward the restroom.

“Reika, I’m sorry. I was so focused on hiding our relationship that I might have neglected the things couples usually do…”

“Fufu, why are you saying this now? Did you really think I’d be bothered by something like that?”

“But…”

“You’re always full of kindness. No matter what, I know you act with my best interests in mind. No matter what decision you make, I know it comes from 

thinking of me, so I have no complaints.”

As she said that, she gently stroked his head while holding him.

It was something she did naturally when they were alone, but now was different.

There was the embarrassment of being seen, and an indescribable feeling.

But he had such a loving girlfriend who understood him like this.

In that moment, he felt like he finally understood why people want to make their relationships public when they’re in love.

“And if you feel that way, then you can just start doing those things from now on. There are still events like the sports festival, school trip, and cultural festival.”

“You’re right.”

“Besides, wasn’t it you who said, ‘We’re not like a typical couple’? Even if we don’t act like it, we’re in love. I think that’s special in its own way.”

“Yeah, I remember saying that. Guess I was just overthinking.”

“Oh no, not at all. It’s by working through things like this and updating our relationship little by little that we grow even closer. Got it?”

“Yeah.”

“Alright, then let’s reset our mood and do our best today, okay? You’ve still got to face off with Amamiya-san after school.”

“I’ll be fine. You gave me the energy I needed.”

As they spoke, the bell signaling the end of break time rang through the air.

And so, the day Satoru and Reika made their relationship public slowly came to an end.