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 45

Chapter 45

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“Wow! This is amazing! Even though it’s daytime, the view is so beautiful!”

“Ohhh! You’re right. This really is spectacular. That lake in the middle really adds to it.”

Inside the gondola as it steadily climbed toward the top, Kohaku and Saki were completely captivated by the rising scenery. The once-noisy crowd had shrunk into tiny black dots far below, and all that surrounded them now was the faint sound of wind slicing through the air. There were no park announcements, no background music—only silence.

“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 totally don’t get it. You’re supposed to enjoy it along the way, too!”

“Yeah, yeah… Alright, I’m taking it.”

The scenery was still drifting upward at a leisurely pace. In the middle of it all, pestered by Saki to take photos, Kohaku reluctantly lifted himself from the gondola seat. It seemed she wanted a natural shot of herself looking outside, so she didn’t turn her gaze or pose for the camera. She simply followed a bird flying nearby with her eyes, or watched the roller coaster they had ridden earlier slowly climb toward its peak.

Man, this girl really does have nothing but looks going for her. Wasn’t she half, or something? She’s stupid beyond belief, though.

Seeing her slight side profile, Kohaku muttered under his breath, keeping his mouth barely closed. With parents born in Northern Europe, Saki’s appearance was far from typical Japanese. She had blonde hair and emerald-green eyes, with naturally well-defined features. She tended to be overshadowed by Kaon, but Saki’s looks were more than sufficiently striking in their own right.

“Huh…? What’s wrong, Kohaku-kun? Do I look weird or something?”

She shot him a brief glance, noticed he wasn’t holding up the camera, and turned her body back from the window to face Kohaku—who, at some point, had already sat back down on the seat. For some reason, however, Kohaku was staring intently at Saki’s face with a serious, contemplative expression. Noticing his gaze, Saki voiced her confusion bluntly.

“Huh? I was just thinking that you’re actually pretty cute too. You kind of get overshadowed by Natsuki-san, though.”

“Wha—!? Huh!? What are you even saying!?”

“What’s with the noise? I complimented you. What’s the problem?”

“No! That’s not it! You just—just said I was cute…!?”

Up until now, Saki had been desperately trying to maintain a firm attitude and figure out how to spend this precious alone time with the person she liked. But Kohaku’s single remark instantly threw her thoughts into chaos. Because he rarely ever said lines like that, the unexpected compliment caught her completely off guard. Watching her flustered reaction, Kohaku tilted his head in confusion.

“I was just stating an objective fact. You were insanely popular in middle school. Even now, guys still confess to you, don’t they?”

“Well, yeah, they do, but… It matters who says it, or rather… When someone who never says stuff like that does, it really throws you off, you know…”

“What are you even talking about? I’m a guy who knows how to compliment someone when it counts, you know?”

“You never say it to me, though.”

“I’ve already gotten used to seeing you.”

“What is that supposed to mean!? Isn’t that rude to someone who works hard on skincare every day!?”

“You’re really busy emotionally… Blushing, getting mad, all of it… Well, whatever. You’re always cute, basically.”

“Don’t think you can brush me off with something that half-hearted! As punishment, Kohaku-kun, list ten cute things about me and praise them!”

“Huh? Only ten?”

“Eh…?”

“Gotcha! You totally fell for it! Like hell there are only ten cute things about you!”

“What!? You tricked me!! You deceived a maiden’s heart!! You’re the worst! Pervert! Human trash!”

“What the hell, you bastard!? I did compliment you, and this is the thanks I get!?”

“You’re the one who tricked me! You’re bad at giving compliments, and you always add unnecessary comments! Give back my maiden heart that skipped a beat for you, even if it was just for a second!”

“How would I know!? Don’t go getting all flustered on your own!”

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“Hehe. Those two actually look pretty good together, don’t they?”

“They really do. I guess the plan worked?”

“It might not be the way Saki hoped, though. From the looks of it, she’s getting teased by Natani-kun again.”

“Ahaha. We can hear their lovers’ quarrel all the way over here.”

In the gondola ahead of Kohaku and Saki, the one carrying Tenma and Kaede was calm, like still water. Because they were childhood friends, there were no special conversations. No unnecessary overthinking or forced consideration.

More than anything, they were naturally seated side by side rather than facing each other. Even at a distance close enough for their shoulders to touch, there was not the slightest hint of awkward tension.

What they watched while sitting side by side was the gondola drifting behind them. Having grasped the situation to some extent, the two quietly observed the pair without being noticed, paying little attention to the scenery itself.

“Somehow, because Kohaku keeps teasing her, all of Saki-san’s efforts are getting completely washed away.”

“That’s true. She’s probably trying in her own way, but it’s backfiring. …Hehe, how cute.”

“Should we take some pictures too?”

“Yes. Since we’re here, let’s take some.”

Meanwhile, the childhood-friend pair was also spending a leisurely, peaceful time together.

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