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 43-44

Chapter 43

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“Mmm… I wonder if something really happened after all?”

“There’s like, nobody here at all. We’re lucky?? …I guess?”

“But still, something feels off.”

“Ah… Itsays, ‘Operations are currently suspended due to mechanical trouble.’”

“Huh!? Seriously~?”

“Judging by this, it doesn’t look like it’ll be running again anytime soon…”

When the group arrived at their next destination, the “Coffee Cups,” they were thrown into confusion when they saw none of the crowds that were usually there. After walking a full circle around the safety fence enclosing the coffee cups and approaching the staff-only control booth area, they saw an electronic information board displaying, in orange letters on a black background: “Operations are temporarily suspended due to mechanical trouble.”

“So… What should we do? Should we go to the Ferris wheel now?”

“Mmm? Isn’t that a bit too early though…? Wouldn’t we have too much time left? I mean, I kind of want to ride at least one more thing instead…”

At Tenma’s suggestion, Sorato hesitated, his expression showing that he found it a bit hard to accept. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to ride the Ferris wheel, but if they rode it now, they would end up with an awkward amount of time left over. It seemed he wanted to look for another attraction to replace the coffee cups.

“…In that case, there was an attraction I found on the way here that I wanted to ride…”

“Ah! That one, right! That sounds good! Let’s go with that!”

“Yeah, I think that’s fine. Since we’re here anyway, I want to ride as many as we can. Natsuki-san, is that okay with you?”

“Yeah! That’s fine, that’s fine~! Let’s ride that!”

It seemed Kaede had already found something she wanted to ride before coming here, and since the rest of the group didn’t have any particular preferences, they immediately moved to act. However, there was exactly one person who felt uneasy about that suggestion.

Someone who knew that Kaede had been sparkling with excitement when she saw that attraction on the way here… And who had sworn in his heart that he absolutely did not want to ride that attraction.

“Huh? No, wait a second—could it be that that’s—”

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“Aaaaaaaahhhhhhh!?”

“Yah-hoo!”

“It’s so hiiiiigh!!”

“Uhyoooo!”

“Waaah!!!!!”

Yes. It was their second roller coaster of the day.

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“Ugh… I’m gonna die…”

“I feel like I already saw this scenery earlier.”

“They say things come in threes, you know.”

“Pfft…! Suzuya-kun when he’s all worn out really is funny… Hehe…!”

“Do you think you might conquer your fear today? Wanna go again?”

“Hiiragi-san is naturally sadistic…”

“I’m sorry, Suzuya-kun… Maybe we really shouldn’t have done this…”

“No, don’t worry about it, Kaede-san… Honestly, it’s true that I had a little fun too…”

The scenery they had probably seen just about two hours earlier spread out once again before the group’s eyes. Sitting on a bench, Sorato slumped forward, groaning. And beside him, staying close, was Kaon. This time, though, amusement seemed to outweigh concern, and she couldn’t hold back her smile. Sorato had kind of expected this himself, so he had been mentally prepared. But he never imagined that he would end up riding a roller coaster he hated twice in a single day.

“Oh! More importantly, isn’t it about time? Shouldn’t we head to the Ferris wheel we were aiming for?”

“You’re right! It’s already this late~”

“The second one actually had a longer wait time, too.”

“But Suzuya-kun—”

“Suzuya-kun? Can you stand?”

“I can stand, I can stand… Ugh, but I’m getting pretty used to it now…!”

With a fearless smile on his face, Sorato felt a genuine sense of joy at the fact that he was gradually overcoming his long-held fear toward roller coasters. Right beside him, Kaede was still shrinking in on herself apologetically, but he tried to bring her back to her usual self by telling her, “The one who enjoys it wins.” (Basically means “What matters is enjoying yourself.”)

The six of them had enjoyed their amusement park field trip together, and it was finally approaching its final stage. The number of rides they had been on wasn’t particularly high, but the depth of the memories they made would surely be deeper than anyone else’s.

In the midst of all that, Tenma—who had taken the most photos of today’s memories—quietly muttered to himself in his heart as he noticed Sorato’s growth, now able to talk smoothly with the girls before he even realized it.

(Haha, Sorato. You say you’re bad with girls, but you’re clearly enjoying yourself just fine.)

He might not have dropped his polite speech yet, but the emotional distance between him and everyone else had definitely grown shorter.

“Sorato, you’ve grown. I’m really happy.”

“Huh??? What’s with that all of a sudden? Don’t talk like you’re my mom, okay??”

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Chapter 44

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“Thank you for waiting. Please board two guests at a time.”

“Thank you. Then we’ll go ahead first.”

“We’re heading out now.”

“Oookay. Have fun in there!”

“We’ll be getting on soon too!”

“Have fun with Kaede-san.”

“See you later!”

Following the staff member’s instructions, Tenma and Kaede, the first pair in the prearranged order, boarded the gondola that had just come around. The Ferris wheel wasn’t as crowded as expected, and their turn came without having to wait for hours.

“Those two really do get along, don’t they? Childhood friends of the opposite sex who are still close even at that age… I seriously envy that!”

“And they’ve been together since preschool. That’s pretty amazing.”

“But what do you think they talk about when they’re alone? Do you think Kaede-chan chats as much as she does when she’s with us?”

“True. Come to think of it, I don’t really see Kudou-kun and Kaede together alone that often.”

Because they were rarely seen alone together at school, it was easy to forget, but the two had been childhood friends since kindergarten. Their houses were close, and even now their families still went out to eat together, so they were apparently very close. Precisely because they didn’t usually have obvious “childhood friend–like” conversations, the remaining four seemed curious about what the two talked about when they were alone like that.

“Man, having someone you’ve been close with forever right by your side… That guy’s got it good.”

“Hey now, Kohaku-kun! What about me!? You and I have known each other since middle school, you know!”

“Huh? Oh yeah, I guess there was someone like that.”

“Someone like that!? That does it! I’m mad! I’m totally going to shake the gondola!!”

“…Thank you for waiting. Right this way…?”

“Ah! S-sorry! Thank you!?”

The order the six had decided on was Tenma pair, Kohaku pair, then Sorato pair. While they waited for the next gondola, Kohaku kept making snide remarks, Saki turned bright red from being teased, and a slightly awkward-looking staff member stepped in between them and guided them along.

“Haha… Even here, their lovers’ quarrel kind of makes a nice picture.”

“No matter what they say, those two get along really well too.”

Watching them from behind, the two left waiting for their turn felt an awkward pause and a silence that rarely came until moments like this, when they were alone together. The stillness made them vaguely uncomfortable. They searched their minds for a good topic, but nothing seemed capable of carrying them through the moment.

It was still about an hour before the scheduled meeting time. Time-wise it was still midday, but thin clouds had begun to drift in, softening the sunlight and casting scattered shadows from the buildings.

“The next guests waiting… Thank you for your patience.”

And before they knew it, their turn arrived. Without any conversation forming, as if they had just met for the first time, it was time for the two of them to board.

“Ah, looks like it’s our turn. …Shall we go?”

“Yes… Let’s.”

Kaon’s expression wasn’t her usual sunflower-like smile blooming in the sunlight. Instead, it was adorned with a quietly hidden, delicate beauty—like hydrangeas subtly coloring the scenery in a light rain. Rather than “cute,” the word that suited her now was “beautiful,” and it was impossible to tell what she was thinking.

“Then, please enjoy your ride!”

They smiled and waved back at the attendant who saw them off, and as the gondola gradually rose higher, the view—once filled with steel beams—cleared, letting in soft sunlight. This amusement park was built around a large lake, and from the Ferris wheel, its entire layout could be seen at once. The lake reflected the light beautifully, enhancing the scenery.

Haah…I’m so lame… I wonder how things are going over there right now…

The two sat facing each other. When Sorato glanced at Kaon’s expression, she was just like before—quietly captivated by the scenery outside, like a calm flower in bloom. Sorato, however, was in no mood to admire the view. Wanting desperately to do something about the subtly twisted atmosphere, he averted his eyes in near escapism toward the gondola ahead of them.

There, for just a brief moment, he could see Kohaku and Saki laughing…

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“Hey, hey, Kohaku-kun! Take a picture!”

“Eeh… We’re not even at the top yet. Is it okay to take it now?”

“No, no! You don’t get it at all. You’re supposed to enjoy it along the way, too!”

“Yeah, yeah… Alright then, I’m taking it.”

The gondola the two were riding in was nonstop chaos, never giving them a moment’s rest. Saki kept telling him to take pictures, and Kohaku had completely forgotten to even look at the surrounding scenery.

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