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 - 58

Chapter 58: A Stormy Night

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While soaking in the bathtub, I stared up at the ceiling.

“…I never thought it’d come to this, me staying over at Hiiragi-san’s house…”

No, given the situation, “being made to stay” was probably more accurate. And on top of that, Kaede’s mother’s forcefulness was stronger than the final boss of any game.

And then….

“Yuuta-kun~ I’ll leave your change of clothes in front of the dressing room, okay~”

“H-hie!? Ah—ah, thank you very much!!”

I jolted so hard it felt like the steam in the bathroom itself vanished. Even through the dressing room door, her voice had a strangely destructive power. And then came the follow-up attack.

“I’ve already laid out the futon in Kaede’s room~ Tonight is, fufu… It’s going to be a lovely night, isn’t it~”

“Wha—!!??”

I fell completely silent.

What does “a lovely night” even mean? What kind of “lovely night” is that!?

Without giving me a chance to respond, her mother left the dressing room. I remained frozen in the bathtub, utterly dumbfounded. But then, the image of Kaede’s lonely-looking face replayed in my mind. With a sigh, I got out of the bath, dried my hair, and slipped into the clothes I’d been given. And then, I stood in front of Kaede’s room.

“…Alright. I’m going in.”

When I knocked, I heard Kaede say “Come in,” and I opened the door. The moment our eyes met, my heart jumped. Kaede was leaning against her bed in her sleepwear. Her face still looked a little feverish, but when she saw me, she smiled softly.

“Welcome back, Yuuta-kun.”

“…I’m back.”

My voice nearly cracked in a strange way. Then I looked toward the corner of the room— My futon was laid out right next to Kaede’s bed.

“…Isn’t this a bit close?”

“Yeah, it’s close.”

She smiled without a shred of guilt. If anything, she looked like this distance was completely reasonable, which somehow made me even more flustered.

“Um, Kaede-san? The futon’s really close, though…?”

“Well, Mom laid it out, so it can’t be helped, right? Okay?”

Okay? Even if you say that… It felt like she was telling me, “This distance is the correct one.” As I lay down on the futon beside her bed and took a deep breath to calm myself, Kaede quietly leaned over to peek at me.

“…Hey, Yuuta-kun.”

“Hm?”

“About my mom… I’m really sorry. She said all sorts of things, didn’t she?”

“Ah… Yeah, she did. But I really don’t mind.”

That was honestly how I felt.

Or rather, if you let yourself mind things with a mother like that, your mental health won’t survive.

Hearing that, Kaede placed a hand to her chest in relief.

“I’m so glad… My mom, even though she looks like that… She really gets carried away when she’s excited…”

“Well, she definitely looked exactly like someone who was carried away.”

“Ugh… Yeah. I can’t even deny that…”

After giving a soft, awkward smile, Kaede’s expression tightened just a little.

“…So, you know?”

“Hm?”

“Today… Thank you for listening to my selfish request.”

As she said that, Kaede knelt at the edge of the futon and leaned over until she was right above me.

“Selfish or not… Well, if I can help even a little, it’s no trouble at all.”

The words came out a bit cooler than intended. At that moment…. Kaede’s eyes quickly filled with moisture.

“…What’s that supposed to mean? If you say something like that… Of course I’d be happy.”

“Eh—ah, hey, wait, you’re too clo—”

Before I could stop her, Kaede suddenly hugged me tightly.

“Wah!? H-hey, Kaede!? Don’t just hug me out of nowhere!”

“No. I don’t want to. Not right now.”

Maybe because of the fever, her voice sounded oddly sweet. Her body was slender, but the strength in her arms was firm. There was no sign I could break free.

…Or rather…I was losing the will to escape in the first place.

“…Yuuta-kun.”

“W-what is it?”

“Today, I felt really lonely. Really.”

Her voice was genuinely weak. A glimpse of the side Kaede usually kept hidden slipped through.

“So I wanted to… Hold you tight like this.”

“I… I see.”

“Yuuta-kun… Uum…”

W-what is that look…? 

She suddenly gazed at me with those half-lidded, dreamy eyes.

What’s about to start!?

“Uh, um… Wh-what?”

Just as I managed to respond, a different kind of chill ran down my spine.

“…?”

I felt a gaze. I had nothing but a bad feeling about it. Slowly—very slowly—I turned my eyes toward the door and through the gap in the door, Kaede’s mother was peeking in. Furthermore, she was wearing a bright, knowing smile.

“…”

I froze on the spot. Kaede noticed the presence too and turned around.

“Ah—Mom!? You caught us!?”

Caught us or not, she saw everything. Kaede’s mother gave us a thumbs-up like she was saying “Do your best,” then hurried away. There was no escape left. Every possible retreat route had already been cut off.

“Geez~~!! We were just getting to a good part, and Mom had to ruin it!!”

…Well, yeah. I guess she’d be mad. Kaede puffed out her cheeks, her face flushing so hard it looked like it might reach her ears. She sat seiza-style on the bed, scrunching up the towel blanket while muttering to herself.

“Uuugh… Seriously…!!”

She smacked the futon over and over. Despite having a fever, her anger energy seemed fully intact. If anything, it felt like the fever had just removed her usual restraint.

After a while, Kaede stopped hitting the futon and slowly snuggled closer to me. Still hugging her pillow, she lay down beside me and gently reached out her hand to me.

“…Can I lean on you just a little more?”

“That’s fine, but…”

When I squeezed her hand back, Kaede narrowed her eyes happily. With a face that mixed anger and embarrassment together, she murmured softly,

“…I hope no one comes to interrupt us anymore tonight…”

“Yeah.”

It was a night like a storm, but Kaede’s warmth at its center was unbearably comforting.

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