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 33-34

Chapter 33

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“—Alright! This looks good!”

“I’m in~”

“Same here.”

“I’ve joined as well.”

“I’m in too.”

“Me too, me too! Yay~!”

While the other groups were still putting together their amusement park plans, Sorato’s group finished all their items ahead of time and, thanks to an offhand suggestion from Saki, created a group LINE chat called ‘Enjoy the Amusement Park!’.

Once all six members appeared in the group list, the one who had proposed it—Saki—stared happily at her smartphone screen. She also quickly added Sorato’s and Tenma’s contact information individually, since they hadn’t been registered in her contact information yet.

“Alright! I’ve added both you, Sorato-kun and Tenma-kun, personally too, so please add me back!”

“Okay. I added you on my end too.”

“I’ve added you as well. Thanks.”

When the two of them added Saki’s contact info, an energetic dog sticker saying “Nice to meet you!” was sent in reply. Seeing a sticker that perfectly embodied Saki’s cheerfulness, Sorato let out a faint smile.

Vrr!

…Huh?

As he had Saki’s chat open, the screen vibrated. When he checked, it was a message from Kaede, who had also just added him as a friend.

Kaede-san…? What is it?

Opening the notification, he saw that two messages had been sent.

Kaede: “Sorry for adding you without asking.”

Kaede: “I have one request.”

Sorato: “You don’t need to apologize. What’s up?”

Since her very first message was an apology, he reassured her before asking what she needed. Even though she was sitting right there in front of him, the fact that she chose to message quietly suggested there was something she didn’t want the others to know.

Kaede: “Actually, I wanted to talk to you about Kaon.”

Sorato: “Natsuki-san? Why Natsuki-san?”

Kaede: “Well… She says she wants to exchange contact info with you, Suzuya-kun…”

“…Huh?”

After finishing the exchange, Sorato took his eyes off his phone, completely caught off guard by Kaede’s unexpected request. When he glanced over at Kaon—whose name had come up—he noticed her subtly stealing looks at him, then quickly averting her gaze whenever their eyes met. Yet within that gaze, he could sense a quiet anger, plunging Sorato back into confusion.

Sorato: “Why is she angry though…?”

Kaede: “She says… That Suzuya-kun won’t exchange contact info with her.”

Sorato: “Isn’t that way too unreasonable??”

Apparently, the root of Kaon’s puffed-up anger toward Sorato was that he wouldn’t exchange contact info with her. He didn’t know why she hadn’t approached him directly, but it seemed that him exchanging contacts with Saki had been the trigger.

“Um… Natsuki-san. Would you exchange contact info with me…?”

“Eh!?”

“Huh? Sorato’s actually asking on his own for once…?”

Time was of the essence. To avoid worsening her mood any further, Sorato quickly went over and spoke to Kaon himself. Thanks to his experiences over the past two days, he was able to do this relatively easily. But to onlookers, it appeared as though he was boldly approaching her despite them having only just met. Tenma and Kohaku both looked bewildered, reasonably so.

“Mm! Sure♪ (My win~!)”

“Th-thank you very much. (You’re being too loud.)”

“Haa~!?”

Maintaining her usual school persona on the surface while keeping her expression hidden from everyone else, Kaon aimed her teasing at the overly polite Sorato with a smug grin. Watching this, Kohaku let out a low, dissatisfied groan.

Even as he wondered why she kept involving herself with him so much, Sorato decided to give in this time. Leaving her alone any longer might lead to regular physical contact like during P.E., and he wanted to avoid that at all costs.

But why has she started getting this involved with me…?

While Sorato brooded over the question, Kohaku, seated beside him, wore an expression as though something was stuck in his throat.

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Chapter 34

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♢♢♢

“Um! Excuse me, did you drop your wallet?”

“…Huh!?—Whoa! You’re right! Thank you so much!”

The first time I, Kohaku Natani, ever spoke with Natsuki-san was on a clear day near the end of our first year, when the warmth of early spring was starting to creep in. I had been walking to school absentmindedly by myself when I heard a slender, beautiful voice behind me. 

Her voice was like a melody of music. Drawn by that lovely sound, I turned around without thinking. There stood a mysterious, angelic beauty, her beautiful silver hair swaying gently in the wind. Her smiling expression, the way she looked up at me slightly because of our height difference… Just looking at her made me feel like I was being pulled in deeper and deeper.

“Seriously, thank you so much~!? You’re Natsuki-san… Right?”

“Huh? You know me?”

When I tried calling her name on a whim, her eyes widened in surprise as she stared intently at my face. I knew her well. Since the beginning of the school year, she had been the subject of rumors, mainly among the boys. She was the most beautiful girl in the entire academy, Kaon Natsuki.

She was so famous that not knowing her would have been stranger, but she herself seemed completely unaware of it. Her innocent smile and friendly personality, the charm she showered on everyone without discrimination, effortlessly captivated all who saw her.

“Ah, no. I just know you on my own. You don’t need to worry about it.”

“Oh! I see. I thought maybe I’d forgotten someone I knew!”

She let out a soft “ehehe,” wearing a melted smile and every bit of that moment burned vividly into my memory. I worried, irrationally, that it might seem creepy to know her one-sidedly, so I pretended not to be completely sure of her name. At that moment, I fell for her.

I suddenly understood—ironically—why so many guys were captivated by her. There was nothing particularly special about it, but I didn’t want anyone else to see that smile. I could clearly feel a gross, boyfriend-like sense of possessiveness seeping into me.

♢♢♢

One year passed.

I wanted to talk to Natsuki-san from another class somehow, but I didn’t have the courage to send her a message nor the nerve to visit another class just to talk to her. I kept my immature, lingering feelings of love quietly caged inside my heart. Then, a turning point came.

When I advanced to second year and looked at the class roster, her name immediately caught my eye. Sitting directly behind me was the girl I had longed for, Kaon Natsuki. Because “Natani” and “Natsuki” naturally lined up close alphabetically, our seats ended up close too. In my heart, I threw a fist pump. This year would be my first and last chance to close the distance between us.

This year, I’m going to go all out and approach Natsuki-san!!

With that firm resolve, I stepped into the classroom, only to be met with a bizarre sight. As I tried to find my seat, I saw an overwhelming crowd of students gathered around the seat one row behind mine, Kaon Natsuki’s. Avoiding the dense cluster of people regardless of gender, I waited quietly for an opening.

…Huh? What’s with this guy?

That was when I noticed a student near the edge of the classroom who wasn’t being swept along by the crowd, someone completely absorbed in a book at their desk from the very first day of the new year.

A girl…? No, a guy? His hair’s really long.

Extremely long bangs, a slightly hunched back. I didn’t like making assumptions about people, but I figured he was probably what you’d call an introverted loner.

“…Haa.”

I let out a deep sigh and slowly moved forward, cutting through the wave of students gathered around the lone beauty and approaching the long-haired student.

“Hey. I guess we’re pretty lucky, huh? To be in the same class as Natsuki-san…”

“Huh? Natsuki-san… Oh, the person being surrounded over there?”

“Yeah, that’s her. Wait, don’t tell me you don’t know her!? Natsuki-san’s insanely famous, you know!?”

“No, not really. I’m kinda clueless about that stuff. What’s your name?”

“Oh. My name’s Kohaku Natani. Nice to meet you.”

I was a little taken aback. I was surprised that someone in our grade didn’t know Natsuki-san, but even more so, his responses were clearer and more composed than I’d expected from his appearance. Maybe it was just my prejudice running wild, but I’d expected him to be way more flustered by me talking to him.

The name of the guy I’d spoken to was Sorato Suzuya. Funny, kind, and with a good sense of humor. Later, I also got to know Tenma Kudou, an annoyingly handsome yet kind guy. It had only been a few weeks since the school year started, but both of them had already become important friends to me.

But….

“Um… Natsuki-san. Would you exchange contact info with me…?”

“Eh!?”

“Huh? Sorato’s actually asking on his own for once…?”

That friend had gone and spoken to the girl I liked, all on his own. I knew I was being sensitive. I knew he didn’t mean anything by it. I understood all of that.

…Or at least, I thought I did.

“Mm! Sure♪ (My win~!)”

“Th-thank you very much. (You’re being too loud.)”

Throb.

Seeing that smile—the same one I had wanted all to myself—so easily directed at Sorato felt like my heart was being stabbed with something sharp.

No… That’s not right. Even if he doesn’t mean it that way, anyone who tries to take the girl I like is a rival.

Smack!

“OW!? What the heck!? Why’d you suddenly smack my butt!?”

“Huh? Shut up. Idiooooot. A flirty guy like you deserves that much!”

“…Huh?”

So, for today, I’ll let it slide with just that one hit. I’m not going to lose though.

A new flame—burning hot and fueled by jealousy—was lit inside my heart.

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