I Was Reincarnated as a Mob, and After I Kept Listening to the Losing Childhood-Friend Heroine’s Complaints, I Somehow Maxed Out Her Affection Rating - 35

Chapter 35: Falling Asleep Is Kinda Scary, Isn’t It?

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Kaede’s POV

When I closed the room’s door, I…

“What am I even doing!!”

I didn’t say it out loud, but I screamed internally. My face heated up in an instant. It was probably as red as an apple. No, seriously, that was… That was too much, wasn’t it!? I had never shown that “full mother mode” side of me to anyone except Shouma.

“Uwaaaah…”

I reached the kitchen, set the tray down gently, and held my head in exasperation.

“Well… He drank an energy drink, so…”

The words slipped out on their own. The empty energy drink can I found in the trash. The moment I saw it, something inside my chest went click, and before I knew it, my overprotective switch had flipped on. Drinking that meant he had been pushing himself and honestly, part of it was because sick, weakened Yuuta was cute.

“No no no no, what am I even trying to justify!?”

I threw another retort at myself. When it came to this, my internal brain-committee always unanimously voted for “embarrassing.” Still—

“But… I’m really glad he looked better now.”

That part, at least, was the truth. I kept my hands moving as I cleaned up. I washed the pot from the porridge, wiped down the cutting board, and lightly cleaned the stove area. Maybe out of habit, my body moved on its own. Next, I opened the refrigerator.

“Let’s see…The meal prep containers… Yep, he’s eating properly.”

Seeing that the amount had decreased, I let out a breath of relief.

“Instant noodles… Not touched. Good.”

Why was I checking things like some kind of mother? But I couldn’t stop. Because I was worried. After finishing the cleanup, I sat down in a dining chair.

“Okay… I’ll rest a bit before going home.”

I picked up my phone and casually scrolled through the screen for a moment. I opened SNS and went through random photos and videos. At the back of my mind, Yuuta’s face from earlier kept floating up.

“…He really is cute when he’s weak like that, isn’t he?”

Saying it out loud made my face heat up again.

“No, no, no! That’s motherly affection! Yeah, motherly!”

But somewhere inside, a quiet voice poked at me.

『Then why does your chest feel so restless?』

Well, whatever. For now, I needed to rest. Standing up and worrying so much had worn me out more than I realized. I leaned back in the chair and let out a slow breath.

“…Just a little rest here.”

Before going home. Just a little longer. Just a little longer in this house where that gentle warmth still lingered, I wanted to breathe for a moment.

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Yuuta’s POV

When I opened my eyes, the heaviness in my body had eased quite a bit.

“…Wait, Hiiragi-san did go home, right?”

The girl who had tucked me into bed earlier was no longer in the room. It felt like plenty of time had passed. I raised my upper body from the bed and, with slightly unsteady feet, headed toward the living room. And then I froze.

“…No, she didn’t go home at all…”

On the sofa, there was Kaede, completely powered down. She was sleeping peacefully.

“Uh, why is she asleep here…?”

There was no one there to answer my question. All I saw was Kaede sleeping with a tired expression, breathing softly. And since she had fallen asleep sitting up, her body leaned sideways, her knees had collapsed a little, and through the gap in her skirt, a flash of light blue was visible.

“Whoa—!”

Instantly, I snapped my head away at light speed. Seriously, it was terrible for my heart.

I didn’t see anything. I saw nothing…!

Chanting like a monk, I reached out with a trembling hand and tapped her shoulder.

“Kaede-san, wake up…?”

“…Nn…Nnh…”

She shifted a little and slowly opened her eyes.

“…Huh… Yuuta-kun…? You’re supposed to be sleeping… Wait, I… Did I fell asleep…?”

“You were. Completely.”

Kaede-san jerked upright and immediately checked her phone.

“Wa—wait! The time…!”

Her face changed colors rapidly as she looked at the screen.

“The last train… It’s gone…!”

She was clearly in despair. Honestly, it was rare to see her looking this panicked.

“W-what do I do… Taxi…? No, it’s late…”

She flailed her hands in a panic, like a drowning small animal. I hesitated for a moment, took a slow breath, and then spoke.

“…Um.”

“Huh?”

“Do you… Do you want to stay over?”

“—!”

Kaede-san’s eyes widened in surprise. Her cheeks flushed for a moment before she quickly looked away.

“…I-is that… Okay…?”

“I mean, you can’t go home, right? It’s late and it’s dangerous.”

“…Th-that’s… Yeah…”

“So, um… You can stay the night here.”

“…”

Kaede-san clasped her hands in front of her chest and looked down as if thinking. And then—

“…I guess… I have no choice. T-then… Excuse me for intruding……?”

Her expression was slightly embarrassed, yet somehow relieved, too. And it landed a clean, direct hit on my heart.

So this is the destructive power of the heroine who was called an “angel” in the original story…

I thought to myself while watching Kaede-san get ready to stay over. And then, I realized with absolute certainty that there was no way I would be able to sleep tonight.

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