I'll Take Nanase-san, Who Is Small And Adorable, Away From Her Cheating And Clueless Ex And Make Her Happy. - Chapter 9: Conversation With Hiyori On The Way To School.

Conversation With Hiyori On The Way To School.

“Yuusuke-kun! Good morning!!”

“Good morning, Hiyori-san. You’re full of energy today.”

“Of course! You’ve got to start the day off with some energy, right?”

The next morning, on my way to school, Hiyori-san called out to me from behind, and I greeted her in return. As she jogged over, I slowed my pace to match her steps, and she began talking with a bright smile.

“Thanks for yesterday. The curry was delicious!”

“I’m glad you liked it. Did you get home okay?”

“Yep! I made it just fine, and I’m here at school full of energy! Thanks for walking me partway home!”

“I didn’t do anything special. I just couldn’t let a girl walk alone at night.”

“Aww, you’re so kind! Your little brothers were great, too. It’s obvious Marie-san is a wonderful mom.”

Hearing her talk about my family, even though we hadn’t known each other long, gave me a strange, ticklish feeling. But seeing Hiyori-san smile so happily as she complimented them made me doubly happy, and I couldn’t help but smile as well.

“Ahh… but today we have the fitness test… and I’m really not looking forward to it!”

“Yeah, I get that. If it was an actual sport, that’d be one thing, but just running and jumping around feels tedious.”

“Exactly! I’m not that good at sports, so it’s kind of a drag…”

“Really? I didn’t get the impression you weren’t good at sports, Hiyori-san.”

“Hmm… well, I think I’m pretty fast. But, you know… with how short I am, plus, these have grown a bit too big here and here…”

“Pfft…!?”

As she spoke, Hiyori-san playfully patted her backside over her skirt, then lifted her chest with both hands. I couldn’t help but feel a different kind of embarrassment from when she had complimented my family. It was overwhelming, and I ended up sputtering in response, which only made her grin mischievously.

“Yuusuke-kun, you’re so innocent—almost like you’re not used to these kinds of conversations. The way you get flustered so easily is adorable!”

“Don’t tease me… Like my little brother said yesterday, I’ve never had a girlfriend before. I seriously don’t know how I’m supposed to react to this kind of stuff.”

“I think it’s fine the way you are, Yuusuke-kun! Honestly, I can’t even picture you joining in on dirty jokes. If you were the kind of guy who ogled girls’ chests or butts, I’d be really uncomfortable!”

“…Now I’m freaked out. Just imagining that makes me cringe.”

Laughing along with Hiyori-san, who seemed to enjoy teasing me, I pushed away the thought of a more perverted version of myself from my mind. I had to admit, though, I never expected our conversation to take this turn, especially with Hiyori-san steering it there.

When I pointed that out to her, she gave a wry smile before answering.

“Well, you’ve already seen me at my most embarrassing, so I guess I feel like I can be open with you. Plus, our first conversation was already about something awkward… And well, it’s just simple trust and curiosity, too!”

I could tell from her response that while everything she said was true, her initial reason was probably the biggest one. After all, when you’ve witnessed someone confronting their cheating boyfriend, and that same guy shamelessly asked to touch her chest in front of you, there probably isn’t much left to hide after that.

Whether that’s a good thing or a bad thing, I don’t know… But hearing that I’d become someone Hiyori-san could easily talk to made me happy.

“And now… I see, Yuusuke-kun, you never had a girlfriend, huh?”

“It’s not that unusual, right? I’m only a first-year in high school.”

“S-sorry! I didn’t mean to make fun of you. I just think it’s fun getting to know each other little by little like this…”

Hiyori-san gave a soft laugh, a bit embarrassed. Her words made me smile, and I shared my own thoughts in response.

“I feel the same. It’s fun getting to know more about you, Hiyori-san, little by little.”

“…Really? I’m glad you feel that way too.”

Hiyori looked at me with a surprised expression for a moment before her cheeks flushed, and she responded.

I regretted saying something that was a bit out of character, but she seemed to find it amusing as she spoke with a cheerful tone.

“But you know, there’s still a lot you don’t know about me, Yusuke-kun! I haven’t even told you my favorite things or my special skills yet!”

“That’s true. I don’t even know your birthday, or how tall you are.”

“Oh? Is that a jab, you fiend!? Just because you’re tall, you’re getting cocky now…! Ahh, with that comment, your approval rating just dropped! You’re one step further from completing my profile!”

“Wha—? Isn’t that a bit harsh? Cut me some slack, won’t you?”

We laughed and joked as I matched my pace to hers, walking slowly towards school.

Bit by bit… I thought, enjoying this time together and looking forward to getting to know more about her. I continued chatting with Hiyori, relishing the fun as we walked down the road to school.