I’m an Introvert, but After Taking Care of the School’s Most Beautiful Girl Who Lives in an Apartment When She Was Sick, She Became Attached to Me and Started Inviting Me Over to Her Place! - Chapter 2

Chapter 2

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I first saw her on the day of the entrance ceremony. I remembered how the front gate of this private Kaisei Academy had been overflowing with people when I entered the school. You’d think, “Well yeah, it’s the entrance ceremony, of course it’d be crowded with new students,” right? But that wasn’t it.

The ones crowding the gate were all current students already dressed in their uniforms—

upperclassmen waiting at the entrance to recruit us into their clubs. At first, it looked like the upperclassmen were surrounding the new students because the club recruitment had gotten heated. But I didn’t intend to join any club, and honestly, I wasn’t good with that kind of vibe. So I decided to slip through a narrow path between the people, doing my best to avoid the crowd.

However, I clearly remembered the scenery that I saw through the gaps in that crowd.

Skin white as snow. A posture as dignified and striking as a single flower blooming in a snowy landscape. Beautiful, refined features and an overwhelmingly model-like figure far too perfect for a high schooler. Her silver hair and shining light-blue eyes captured anyone who looked at her, pulling them into the whirlpool of love. Her appearance, captivating everyone’s eyes, was so alluring she looked like a spirit.

Well, she’s someone who has nothing to do with me.

No matter how much attention her looks drew, she had nothing to do with me. I was the definition of “cripplingly shy”—a gloomy introvert. My long bangs reached down to my nose, and unlike my current classmates, I couldn’t say anything funny at all.

My entire first year of high school had been a miserable year spent watching the popular kids from the corner. And in my second year, I finally started interacting with them a little, got carried away thinking I’d been accepted, and felt even more pathetic.

“Hey, Sorato~ We haven’t seen Natsuki-san lately, have we?”

“Morning, Kohaku. I heard she caught a cold.”

“I know, right? I’m so worried…”

Even someone as pathetic as me had a handful of weirdos who talked to me. One of them was this guy, Kohaku Natani. The fact that someone like me managed to establish a much better network of friendships after entering my second year was largely thanks to Kohaku, who spoke to me the moment our seats ended up next to each other.

Kohaku, a shaved-head baseball club member, initially looked intimidating to Sorato, but once he talked, he turned out to be unbelievably stupid in a good way. He was bright, cheerful, and endlessly energetic. In just the short time since the second year began, I had come to trust him quite a bit.

“It’s been like three days since I’ve seen her. I’m losing my will to live…”

“When I catch a cold it lasts about that long too. You just have to wait it out.”

“Yeah, but like… When the person you like doesn’t show up, it seriously kills you, you know…?”

Kohaku currently had feelings for Kaon Natsuki, the most beautiful girl in our entire grade, who’d ended up in the same class. He’d been actively approaching her—messaging her, trying to talk to her directly—but lately, nothing had been progressing, and it seemed to be affecting his mood.

My first conversation with Kohaku had been sparked by:

“We’re lucky to be in the same class as Natsuki-san, aren’t we?”

I, who had absolutely zero interest back then, simply responded with, “Yeah, I guess so.”

From then on, Kohaku seemed to recognize me as a convenient person to talk to, and for some reason, he started coming to me—who had zero romantic experience—for romantic advice.

“Tenma~ What do you think? Is it okay to message her while she has a cold?”

“Ah… Yeah, I think it’s fine? Nobody would feel bad about being worried over when they’re sick.

Actually, times like these are when you should be proactive.”

“Right?! I’ll do it. I’ll try. Man, I hope Natsuki-san is okay…”

As Kohaku said, the most beautiful girl in school had been absent for about three days due to a cold. Thanks to that, Kohaku had been sulking and looking like a dried fish lately. He’d been overthinking whether it was okay to send her a message or not, so he asked our nearby friend Tenma Kudou for advice.

Tenma was tall and handsome, and if you overlooked his stupidity and occasional bizarre behavior, he could’ve easily competed with Natsuki-san’s popularity among the girls. He was also one of my few friends. After hearing Tenma’s advice, Kohaku seemed to gather his courage, deciding to send her a message after school, and quickly returned to his seat to prepare for first period.

“Man, lovestruck guys have it rough.”

“Yeah. The odds might be low, but we can at least hope things go well.”

Watching Kohaku’s back—now full of energy again despite just minutes ago being deflated—Tenma and I exchanged a little smile.

・〜・〜・

The school bell rang.

“Ahhh… Another day is finally over…!”

Once homeroom ended, the students grabbed their bags and left the classroom one after another. Since Sorato was in the go-home club, unlike the others, he didn’t need to hurry. He stretched hard, leaning back against the chair.

“Well, I guess I’ll head out slowly.”

“…Hm? Sorato, do you have plans today?”

Just as he finally lifted his heavy hips and started moving toward his destination, Tenma, who had been nearby, reacted after hearing Sorato’s muttering. Normally Sorato went straight home, so hearing he had plans today was strange enough to make Tenma genuinely puzzled.

“Yup. …Well, “plans” just means I’m going to hit up some convenience stores to draw my oshi Vtuber’s Ichiban Kuji tickets。”

“Ohh, I see. Here I thought you finally got yourself a girlfriend.”

“There’s no way that would ever happen to me. With hair like this, no girl would come near me.”

Responding to Tenma’s joke with a wry laugh, Sorato self-deprecatingly ran his hand through the unnecessarily long bangs covering his face.

“Hmm… I don’t think your looks are something you need to put yourself down over, you know?

Though yeah, I do think you should cut those bangs.”

“I’ll think about it. Anyway, I should go before they sell out.”

“Honestly, you only move fast at times like this, don’t you?”

“Sorry for being slow the rest of the time.”

Yes. The plan Sorato had packed his day with was the release of the first-ever Ichiban Kuji lottery. Ichiban Kuji was his favorite Vtuber. Since it launched today at convenience stores nationwide, he intended to visit all the stores around the school he had checked beforehand.

After finishing his light chat with Tenma, he quickened his pace a little and descended the stairs.

The light tatatatata of his footsteps echoed in the landing before being swallowed by the other students’ departing sounds.

“Please let it be at the first store… I really don’t wanna have to go hopping all over…!”

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Three hours later…

“…Hah! Hah…! Please… Let it be here…”

Sorato was breathing heavily, hands on his knees. Sweat dotted his forehead, and he had rolled up his sleeves. Of the six convenience stores he had marked, three were sold out and two didn’t carry the product. The only one left was a small convenience store in a residential area a little farther from school, overshadowed by a tall building.

He steadied his breath and finally entered. The typical convenience-store cold air instantly eased the heat built up inside his body.

Please! Let it be here…

Right after entering, he darted his eyes left and right. This was his last hope. If they didn’t have it here—

“…No waaay… Seriously…?”

They didn’t. A huge “SOLD OUT” sign slapped itself into his vision. After running around so desperately, finding it sold out here too made him freeze in place. He no longer had the energy to visit any more stores. He hadn’t imagined it would be this popular. A complete miscalculation on his part indeed.

“Guess I’m going home…”

Shoulders slumped in defeat, he turned to leave the store—

“Suzuya-kun?”

A voice called his name from behind.

“Eh?”

He reflexively turned around and saw a clerk standing at the register. But he immediately recognized her face.

A glossy black hime-cut. Sharp fox-like eyes. A refined beauty with perfect posture — someone who held beauty rivaling Natsuki-san.

“…Uh, Kaede-san, right? You’re always with Natsuki-san.”

“I’m surprised you remembered me. What are you doing here?”

Her name was Kaede Mizotani. A beauty who was always with Natsuki-san, popular among the boys just like her, and also Tenma’s childhood friend. For some reason, she was wearing a convenience-store uniform and working the register. Caught off-guard by her sudden approach, Sorato answered honestly, still a little flustered by the rare sight of her in workwear.

“Today’s the release day for my oshi’s Ichiban Kuji. I just finished hitting six stores.”

“Ahh, the one we stocked today. It’s true. A lot of customers came after school and bought them.”

“I didn’t think it’d sell out this fast… Wait. Mizotani-san, you work here?”

“That’s right. I don’t have much to do after school, and it’s easier to do what I want here.”

“Do what you want? Huhhh~! Still, it’s impressive that you’re working already.”

“…It’s nothing special. I’m just standing at the register.”

“No no no, customer service is super hard. I get tired just talking to my classmates. There’s no way I could talk to adults all day. I’d definitely mess it up.”

Since Sorato was socially awkward to begin with, he genuinely admired Kaede. There was no way he could handle customer service if he were in her place.

“Haah… Praising me won’t get you anything.”

“I wasn’t trying to get anything from you. Well, anyway, I shouldn’t keep you from work, so I’ll head home.”

Now that his disappointment had eased a little, he snapped back to reality, deciding he shouldn’t bother her while she was working. He wrapped up the conversation quickly and turned to leave. But Kaede called out again before he could step away.

“—Hey.”

“Hm? Did you say something?”

“Do you know where Kaon lives?”

“Natsuki-san? No, I don’t.”

The unexpected name made Sorato tilt his head in confusion. In a calm, matter-of-fact voice, she continued.

“Actually, Kaon’s house is right in front of this convenience store. That big building over there, that’s her apartment.”

“Ah, so that is an apartment building. …Wait, sorry, but why are you talking about Natsuki-san?”

“She’s been absent from school, right? She’s been sickly since she was little and gets bedridden easily.”

“So that’s why. She really hasn’t been coming lately.”

Why? Seriously, why now?

Kaede had suddenly switched the topic to Natsuki, who had been absent for days. Sorato, bewildered by the abruptness, tried asking a question, but her answer dodged it completely. And without giving him time to catch up, she continued.

“Right. I’ve been bringing her jelly and other things to cheer her up every day, but as you can see, I can’t go today. …So, here. Can you bring these to her?”

“Hah?”

Kaede rummaged under the register and pulled out a white plastic bag containing a 2-liter bottle of sports drink and two rice balls. Her expression was dead serious as she pushed the bag toward him, practically saying “Hurry up and take it.” The intensity made him flinch.

“Her apartment is room 2301. Use the intercom at the entrance and tell her I sent you.”

“Wait wait wait! Hold on! I have so many questions right now! This is way too sudden!”

Why me? I’m a guy, you know!? You go yourself!

A flood of objections rose in his head, but everything was happening too fast for him to put any of them into words. No matter how fierce her tone was, the situation made so little sense that he asked her to explain. When he did, the light instantly returned to the eyes that had lost their highlights moments before, and she stepped back as if regaining her calm.

“…You’re right. I panicked too much. …Actually, I just got a message from her. She said, ‘I ran out of all the drinks at home, so can you bring me some when you finish your shift?’”

“Huh? Then couldn’t she just ask you? Even after your shift—”

“She would absolutely say that. But I’m sure she wants something to drink right now. Otherwise she wouldn’t message me at this hour. And she’d only say that because she’s trying to be considerate of me. Plus, the fact that she told me means she doesn’t even have the energy to go buy anything herself, right? So obviously someone has to bring it to her immediately.”

“Ah, yes… I understood…?”

Listening to her explanation, he understood. This woman was the same kind as him. Her passion for that girl was the same as his devotion toward his oshi Vtuber. He could feel the smoldering heat of passion.

You could never stop someone like this when it comes to the person they cared about. Her eyes are too serious.

When he decided to quietly obey, Kaede-san immediately brightened and smiled.

“Alright~♪ Then I’m counting on you. As thanks, I’ll tell you the moment the new lottery merch arrives.”

“Seriously?! Thank you!”

Sorato, being Sorato, fell perfectly into Kaede’s bait.

・〜・〜・〜・

“Uh—so the 23rd floor of this building. I’ll just hand over the get-well stuff and go home… But damn, it’s huge…!”

As soon as he stepped out of the convenience store and saw the towering apartment building rising before him, Sorato let out a voice of surprise. The apartment building was a black-coated, clearly luxurious structure. When he stepped into the entrance and the automatic door opened, the flooring changed from hard concrete to polished white marble, and even the scent in the air changed entirely.

“Um… Calling room 2301… I guess this is right?”

He pressed the button for Natsuki-san’s room number, which Kaede had told him beforehand. As the call tone rang, the tension suddenly intensified. However, even after the intercom rang, it took quite a while for the resident to answer. The longer he stayed there, the more he felt like he looked suspicious, and his restless discomfort only grew.

Perhaps she had gone to the hospital with her parents, he thought, and Sorato, who was starting to lose patience while feeling guilty toward Kaede, began turning around to head back when it happened just before he took a step.

『Cough, cough. Yes.』

“! Ah, um… Th-this is Natsuki-san’s room, right…?”

Yeah, I messed that up horribly…

『Cough, this is Natsuki.』

The intercom voice, mixed with coughing, was most likely Kaon-san herself, but she sounded worse than Sorato or any of their classmates had imagined. She was coughing heavily, and her voice was far more hoarse and weak than the one they heard at school.

“I-I’m Sorato Suzuya, a classmate of Kaon Natsuki-san. Kaede Mizotani-san asked me to bring you some drinks… As a get-well gift…”

『Ah, Suzuya-kun? Cough, ack—I’m sorry. I’ll open the door now.』

“O-okay. Thank you。”

Am I… Actually managing to talk properly?–

He had expected to lose his composure even more and fail to hold any kind of conversation, but the first challenge—the intercom—was completed successfully, aside from some minor clumsiness. The real test started from here. He had to deliver the items to her directly.

A strange cold sweat from nerves ran down his clothes. When the entrance door unlocked, he stepped in and pressed 23 on the elevator panel lined with wool carpet. Leaving the empty elevator hall behind, he gave in to the rising sensation as it ascended, waiting quietly for the moment he reached the intended floor.

Ding. Two-three, arriving. The elevator didn’t stop on any other floor and smoothly reached the 23rd. Sorato stepped out, momentarily captivated by the high view beyond the railing, then walked to room 2301.

Ding-dong♪ Ding-dong♪

He shifted the convenience bag to his other hand and pressed the room’s intercom again. A cheerful melody played, and this time, without much delay, the door with the nameplate “Natsuki” slowly opened.

“Sorry, Suzuya-kun… My cold is really bad right now… cough, cough, um…”

The school’s number-one beauty who peeked out from the slightly opened door wore loose-fitting pajamas with a pale blue and white water-pattern design. She looked so different from her perfectly worn school uniform. Kaon-san looked incredibly casual.

“Uh—are you okay…? I only came to drop this off, so I’ll leave right awa—”

Her beautifully maintained silver hair, the gemstone-like blue eyes that still shone even after losing some energy, her posture leaning slightly against the door as she looked up at him. It all pushed his nervousness to its peak. He froze completely. Just as he tried to force out his next words—

“…Ah”

“!? Whoa—!?!”

She swayed, her body slipping away from the door she had been leaning on, and she collapsed forward weakly. Instinctively, he caught her with all his strength, carefully supporting her by the shoulders so he wouldn’t touch anywhere inappropriate, but before he could ask about her condition, Natsuki apologized first.

“I-I’m sorry… I’ve always been weak since I was little… cough, you’ll catch it, so just let me take the things you brought… cough”

“No, there’s no way you’re okay with legs that shaky?! Look, you can’t even walk properly…!”

Trying not to give Sorato her cold, Natsuki gently pulled herself away, but after a few steps her legs faltered and she stumbled into the wall, leaning against it. At this rate, there was no way he could explain anything or even hand the items over properly. This was far too risky. Anything could happen if he left her like this.

But—

“Sorry, Natsuki-san. At least let me take you to your bed.”

“Cough, hack, k-kyah!?”

He slipped an arm beneath her unsteady legs and another behind her back, lifting her carefully like a cradle so he wouldn’t hurt her. If a guy did this for someone who wasn’t even a friend—and someone he had never spoken to before—his school life would surely be over. Girls might call him a “pervert” or say it was “sexual harassment.” She could even hit him right now and tell him to get out. At this point, the get-well items didn’t matter anymore.

Right now, all that mattered was that she had come all the way to the entrance despite being this sick. He felt an unpleasant sense of obligation, something he hated about himself. He was determined to at least get her safely to her bed. 

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