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 38

Chapter 38

ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー

“Today, we’re gonna have sooo much funnnn!”

“Portable charger—check. Handkerchief—check. Phone—check. Pamphlet and wallet—good. Sanitizer too…”

“Kohaku is louder than usual, and Sorato, how many times are you going to check your bag?”

Kohaku was shouting excitedly, while beside him Sorato fussed over his bag. Watching the two of them with an almost older-brotherly smile was Tenma. The three of them were currently on a bus. Tenma and Sorato were sitting side by side, with Kohaku sitting alone across the aisle. The time was just past seven in the morning. Even as the sun was beginning to rise, they had already gathered.

That said, the official school meeting time was still an hour away. Aside from the three of them, the bus was empty. Today was finally the long-awaited day of the field trip. Wearing a mountain parka, tucked wide pants, and a loose-fit shirt, Kohaku had gone all out as promised—styling his usually unstyled hair into a spiky look.

“Your hairstyle looks good too, Sorato.”

“Thanks. Guess it was worth letting my sister do it.”

Tenma glanced over at Sorato and complimented his hairstyle, which was parted down the middle, different from Kohaku’s look. Ever since that morning, Sorato had been pestered nonstop by Kanau saying, “You finally cut it short, so at least style it for once,” and had reluctantly let her aggressively remodel his hair.

The heavy impression from his long hair was completely gone. Wearing a navy-black cardigan over a white inner shirt with black denim pants, his short hair was center-parted, giving him a fresh, clean look.

“So you’re the type who doesn’t try to dress up for stuff like this, Tenma?”

“Haha… It’s not that I don’t want to. I actually almost overslept today.”

“Honestly, who would expect we would be sitting on a bus at six-thirty in the morning? Early enough that even the teachers aren’t here yet?”

“Hey, who suggested it in the first place?”

““Kohaku, obviously.””

Because Kohaku had suddenly messaged the night before saying, ‘Let’s meet at 6:30 and grab seats on the bus,’ they ended up waking up nearly an hour earlier than usual. Tenma, who had always said he was bad with mornings, had apparently nearly overslept.

“I’m honestly super sleepy right now…”

“It’s almost seven-thirty. People will start showing up soon, why don’t you just sleep?”

“I’m kinda sleepy too, but I can’t sleep until I see Natsuki-san in her casual clothes…!”

As time slowly passed, students began to appear sporadically outside the bus windows. Eventually, the creeping drowsiness overwhelmed Tenma, and he leaned against the window frame, breathing softly as he fell asleep.

Ping♪

“Hm? I got a message.”

“Same.”

“Group chat.”

Apparently, a group message had been sent—Sorato’s, Tenma’s, and Kohaku’s phones all chimed at once.

Kaon: “Good morning, everyone! We’re getting on the bus a bit early!”

Saki: “We’re sitting in the very back~!”

Kohaku: “Plot twist, we’re already on the bus.”

Sorato: “We’re waiting for you guys~”

Saki: “What!? Isn’t that way too early!?”

Kaede: “I’m impressed you managed to wake up that early. Especially Tenma.”

Sorato: “He woke up, but his battery already died. He’s asleep next to me now.”

Kaon: “Is the back seat still open?”

Sorato: “It is. There’s literally no one here except us.”

Kohaku: “But people are starting to come, so our classmates might show up any moment.”

Saki: “We’re sprinting over!!”

Sorato: “Be careful~”

After finishing the chat, Sorato looked out the window. The sun was fully up now, and more students were passing by the bus. Even though they still couldn’t see their classmates yet, watching familiar faces dressed in casual clothes naturally made his heart lift.

“—If we’re talking about my type, I’d say personality matters most. People always say looks don’t mean much if their personality’s bad.”

Before they knew it, the bus had filled with students. Even though it was still before the official meeting time, the bus was now enveloped in lively chatter, a far cry from its earlier emptiness. Among that noise, Sorato and the others were discussing their views on romance.

“Yeah… I’m the same. Personality over looks. But then you’ve got angels like Natsuki-san who somehow have both… By the way, my hair isn’t messed up, right?”

“Hm? It’s fine. Still spiky.”

“Good. Also, Tenma’s completely out.”

“I’m more of a night person, so I’m fine, but a healthy guy with a consistent sleep schedule like Tenma can’t handle this.”

Despite the noise, Tenma showed no signs of waking up. He had originally been sleeping against the window, but now his head rested against Sorato’s shoulder. Even when Sorato shifted slightly, Tenma didn’t even open his eyes. It was obvious he was sleeping deeply.

“By the way, aren’t Saki and the others late?”

“Yeah. The back seat’s still open, but who knows how long that’ll last.”

Staring at the still-empty back row, Sorato chatted with Kohaku while waiting for the girls to arrive as promised. But even as more students boarded, Natsuki and the others still hadn’t appeared. Not knowing when the back five-seat row might be taken made the boys increasingly anxious.

“Hey, Sorato. Let’s secure the back seats for Natsuki-san and the others.”

“Huh? Wait—hey!?”

Unable to wait any longer, Kohaku stood up, dragged Sorato out of his seat, and awkwardly plopped down in the back row.

“Two guys hogging the back seats looks super suspicious.”

“It’s fine. Just humor me.”

“Ugh… I hate standing out…”

They exchanged trivial banter as Sorato resigned himself to waiting in the slightly uncomfortable back seats. Then—

“Good morning, gentlemen!”

“Morning, everyone~!”

“Oh, speak of the devil.”

The classroom buzzed all at once. The first to confidently board the bus was Saki, her wolf-cut hair swept to the side, wearing a knit sweater and pleated skirt. Immediately behind her was Kaede, dressed in a striped shirt and slacks. And then—

“““““!?!!?!”””””

“Ha—!?”

“Ohhh.”

Boarding just after them, radiating overwhelming presence as if it were only natural, was the girl Kohaku had been waiting for all along, Kaon Natsuki. Wearing a ribboned cropped cami dress, she didn’t bother with an elaborate hairstyle, instead letting her natural charm shine through, enhanced only by simple accessories that captivated her classmates.

Kohaku’s eyes instantly locked onto Natsuki, and seeing that, Sorato could only shake his head in exasperation. Still, even Sorato—who wasn’t particularly interested in girls—had to admit that today’s Natsuki-san was dangerously charming. Without meaning to, a quiet “She’s cute…” slipped from his lips.

“Oh! The back seat’s open!”

“It’s not ‘open.’ We saved it for you. Be grateful.”

“Alright, well done~ Sorato-kun too, thanks.”

“I’m just here as his escort, so don’t worry about it.”

“I see… Tenma’s still asleep.”

Following behind Kohaku and Saki—who had started bickering in the aisle—Kaede glanced at Tenma sleeping alone and muttered that.

“Aren’t you used to that, Kaede-san? You’re childhood friends.”

“…Yeah. Ever since we were little, he’d get sleepy whenever his routine was even slightly off.”

“Anyway! How about today’s outfit!? I picked it just for today!”

“It suits youuu~”

“It looks great.”

Spinning around once, Saki puffed out her chest proudly, flashing a smug smile at Kohaku and Sorato.

“Hey! Don’t praise me so half-heartedly!”

“Huh!? I’m being serious!”

“No waaay! That was totally a fake compliment!!”

“You two could at least get along at times like this—huh?”

The argument sparked by Kohaku’s monotone praise continued right up until departure time. Meanwhile, Sorato felt a gentle tap on his shoulder.

“So… Um, what do you think? Does it suit me…?”

Turning around, he saw Kaon, unusually shy, her gaze wavering. The mischievous grin she’d worn nonstop lately was gone, revealing a rare vulnerability—one Sorato didn’t miss.

“I think it suits you. Keeping your hairstyle the same on purpose feels familiar and cute, and since it’s the first time I’ve seen you in casual clothes, it feels kind of refreshing.”

“Huh!?”

It was a blatant lie that it was the first time (there had been pajamas), but everything else was completely honest. Honestly, with this outfit, she looked like an absurdly beautiful girl no matter who saw her. If he tried to dodge it, she’d just tease him again—so he decided to praise her head-on.

“Why are you blushing? You’re the one who asked.”

“…Geez! Shut up!”

“What? That’s unfair~”

Teasing her as she blushed after asking for his opinion, her confident smile instantly crumbled into a frustrated expression he’d seen before and that contrast was so amusing he couldn’t help but grin.

“Alright, everyone! We’ve got the full headcount! Take your seats!”

“““““Okay~!”””””

While Sorato and the others chatted away, it seemed everyone had finally arrived, and roll call began before departure.

“Everyone! Let’s have fun today!”

“I’m riding the roller coaster with my hands up!”

“I’m looking forward to the teacups.”

“I want the Ferris wheel!”

“Roller coasters… Ugh, will I be able to survive…?”

With Saki’s shout, everyone held their own hopes close to their hearts. And so… It was time to go to the amusement park. 

ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー