I’m a Telepath, but It’s Tough Because the Cool Beautiful Girl Next to Me Is Having Pink Thoughts - Chapter 21

“Good morning, Itsumi-san.”

“Yeah, good morning.”

It was the day of the test.

On time, with a stamp that somehow reflected her odd sense of style, Tatsuki sent a message on LINE. I met her on the station platform and exchanged our usual, ordinary greetings.

Her station was farther than mine, so she had gone out of her way to get off here just to meet me. Thinking about that made me feel a little guilty, but it was her idea in the first place, so maybe it was fine.

“The weather’s nice today, isn’t it?”

“Yeah, if yesterday had been the same, there would have been no way we could focus on the test.”

The sky was completely clear, as if last night’s rain had never happened.

I had tucked a folding umbrella into my bag just in case, but it seemed it wouldn’t be needed today. Since the rainy season was just around the corner, maybe it would come in handy later.

“How are you feeling, Tatsuki? You know, everything.”

“No problem at all. I went straight to sleep as soon as I got home yesterday.”

She answered my question with great enthusiasm.

Her usual poker face seemed to relax a little.

“That’s good to hear.”

“And Itsumi-san, you didn’t catch a cold from yesterday’s rain, right?”

She narrowed her eyes teasingly.

If I had gone home without an umbrella, I probably wouldn’t have been able to focus on the test.

My bag would have been soaked, and my body probably wouldn’t have been in good shape. 

She had really saved me in that sense.

“Yeah, I’m fine. It’s all thanks to Tatsuki.”

“W-well, you’re welcome.”

She was a little shy while averting her eyes.

Somehow, my heart felt a little lighter, though my thoughts had gone and wandered somewhere weird.

“Ugh, that feeling like my whole body is on fire is back… or wait, the way I’m thinking is way too erotic, isn’t it!? It’s like… like we spent the night together, warming each other in the rain…”

Just hearing it made my head spin a little, but…. well, that was just like her usual self.

“Making me feel like this….”

“Itsumi-san, you can be mean sometimes.”

I almost said, “It’s just your brain being pink,” but instead, I gave a silly, weak smile and let it slide.

While we talked, we waited for the train. The electronic board and announcements soon signaled its arrival. Before long, the train glided into the station.

“Sh-should we go?”

“….Yeah.”

Tatsuki led the way as she was still a bit flustered, and we got on the train, which hadn’t yet reached the peak of the morning rush.

—

Even though we got on the train fairly early, it still took a while to get from that station to the one near school.

During the ride, the train gradually filled up with the morning rush of commuters and students, and we got caught up in the crowd.

I managed to position myself near the door, but there wasn’t much space to move. Of course, this meant I ended up practically pressed against Tatsuki.

And, of course, we were facing each other.

We had ridden the train together before, after study sessions, but it had never been this crowded. Maybe that was why Tatsuki seemed a little unsettled by being this close.

“Itsumi-san’s face is so close!? I can feel his body heat and his scent right here~~~”

Just like yesterday when we shared an umbrella, she didn’t seem very used to being so physically close to a guy.

Well, if she were too used to it at her age, that would be a problem too, I guess.

Still, she seemed especially sensitive. Her inner thoughts were noisy and flustered, but I just had to stay calm.

“S-some…  something hard is pressing against me… could it be…”

“I-I’m sorry. My bag’s probably in the way; it might be bumping into you a lot.”

“N-no, it’s fine.”

I jumped in before her imagination could go somewhere ridiculous. That could have been very bad for my pride.

Once I explained, Tatsuki seemed to calm down, as if accepting it.

I could practically hear her inner voice thinking, “Oh… it’s just the bag…,” so I knew I’d done the right thing.

I might have imagined that she sounded a tiny bit disappointed, but that was probably just my imagination.

Huh? Did I actually notice a reaction?

There’s no way I could say that.

But one thing was certain.

I wasn’t the only one a little flustered by this situation.