I Was Falsely Confessed to and Exposed in Front of Everyone, so I Jumped off the Roof - Chapter 2

I got a girlfriend. But I have no idea what I’m supposed to do. So, for now.

“Let’s go home together.”

“Yeah. Sure.”

Shibuki-san nodded. Turns out we take the same train, at least part of the way. Does this count as a train date? Still, I’m not used to talking with girls.

“Do you have any hobbies, Shibuki-san?”

“Not really.”

The conversation stopped there. But then, she spoke up again.

“What about Amaha?”

“U-um, programming, I guess.”

“Oh, like the stuff we do in computer class?”

“Yeah, kind of like that.”

And silence again. The truth is, I make games and phone apps sometimes. But I doubt she’d find that interesting.

“There’s an ice cream shop inside the station. Do you want to go?”

While our talk was dying out, Shibuki-san suggested that. I nodded.

“Which one should I get?”

She looked genuinely happy as she thought about it. I remembered reading somewhere that the guy should pay in times like this.

“Hey, which do you think is better? Strawberry or raspberry?”

Ah, the classic which one’s better trap. If I pick the wrong one, I lose points, or so I’ve heard. But then I looked at the menu and had an idea.

“Why not get a double scoop?”

“Huh? But that’ll cost more.”

She pouted a little, lips sticking out. Crap. Did I mess up!?

“Then I guess it’s not that expensive anyway.”

Then she ordered, and I did too. I reached for my wallet. Wait. My wallet has that loud velcro rip sound?! No, wait! I have my debit card! It’s one of those fancy cards with perks most high schoolers don’t have!

“Eh? You’re paying, Amaha?”

“Huh? Yeah.”

“You don’t have to force yourself. Let’s just pay separately.”

She was an angel. So, I decided to take her up on her offer.

We got our ice cream and sat down at a table.

“You said programming earlier. What do you usually make with it?”

She brought up the topic I’d avoided before. But this time, I felt like I could talk about it.

“Games, data analysis tools, useful apps for daily life… and, well…”

“And?”

“Uh, I’ve been kind of stuck lately, so… let’s skip that one.”

I usually upload what I make to github. It makes me happy to see people actually using the libraries I built.

“You make games? I’m not really good at games. I don’t like staring at a screen for too long.”

Wait, was that a minus point for me?! I panicked a little inside.

“But it’s really cool that you can make them.”

She praised me. I smiled without thinking. I’ve always worked alone, so even though I’d gotten online comments saying my stuff was fun, hearing someone praise me face-to-face felt completely different.

“So you can smile. You looked so serious before, and it was kind of scary. But you’ve got a nice face, Amaha. You should smile more.”

Something in my chest ached a little. But I kept smiling. My face has always been one of my insecurities.

“Huh? Did I say something bad?”

“No, not at all.”

“But you look gloomy now. Did I upset you somehow?”

“No, it’s not that. It’s just my own issue…”

I didn’t want her to notice my complex. But I realized something then that people can actually see through someone more easily than we think.

“I’d like to know, though. I don’t wanna step on any landmines. If we’re gonna be together, I’d rather make you smile.”

Her eyes were serious, but they didn’t have that heavy or uncomfortable feeling others used to give me. That alone made me feel… different.

“My mom’s a foreigner. That’s why I look a bit different from everyone else. My real eye color is different, too.”

I took out one of my colored contacts.

“Green…”

She looked a little surprised. I was about to put it back in, but then she grabbed my hand.

“That color’s beautiful. So don’t hide it.”

No one had ever called it beautiful before. My chest tightened, my hand went weak.

“The other eye’s the same, right? Take that one off, too.”

“But…”

“I don’t know what Amaha is thinking. But it’s really beautiful.”

Her words reached me. So I took out the other lens too.

“Yeah. That looks much better.”

She smiled softly. And in that moment, I realized that I had truly fallen in love with her.

♢ ♢ ♢

After our chat at the ice cream shop, we went our separate ways. When I got home, I went straight into the bath.

“He’s really different from the boys I know.”

Quiet, calm, but incredibly beautiful. That strange and mismatched balance he had left a deep impression on me.

“But this isn’t a real relationship.”

I still don’t really know him. He’s not a bad guy and not creepy either. He actually seems like a good person. But those eyes.

“Those eyes were really beautiful.”

Maybe he’s a special kind of boy. But this is just a fake relationship. I’m not planning to get too involved. Still, I couldn’t get the color of those eyes out of my head.