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 47-48

Chapter 47

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“Waa—! Look, look! The light is reflecting off the surface of the lake!”

“H-hey!? Natsuki-san! The gondola! The gondola is shaking!”

“Huhhh~? Could it be that Suzuya-kun is scared of high places after all~? Here we go, here we go~”

Just as the gondola was about to reach its peak, Kaon—who had been sitting across from Sorato—sprang energetically to her feet and leaned toward the scenery outside. At that moment, the gondola swayed ever so slightly, and Sorato’s grip on the nearby handrail tightened reflexively.

He desperately called out to Kaon, but she only grinned mischievously and deliberately shifted her body side to side, trying to make it sway even more. It wasn’t as bad as the roller coaster, but his stomach still lurched, and though he tried to force himself to stand and stop her, his body refused to cooperate.

“Gyaaaaaah!? H-hey!? Natsuki-san! Stooop!! Calm down!!”

“Hehe~! Playing with Suzuya-kun like this really is the most fun~!”

“What do you mean, playing with me!? Don’t treat me like some kind of daily mission! There’s nothing good that comes from playing with me!”

“Lately, Suzuya-kun has been really expressive. It’s entertaining, you know~?”

It was the “Kaon Natsuki Mischief Mode” that somehow felt nostalgic. With both hands planted on her hips, leaning forward and tilting her head, she looked—just as everyone said—like an angel, and at the same time, like a little devil known only to Sorato.

The scenery reflected in the glass behind her, the faint glimmer of light shimmering on the lake’s surface, everything was nothing more than a backdrop meant to accentuate Kaon’s glossy beauty. He nearly found himself drawn into that teasing smile.

“Hey, Suzuya-kun.”

“Yes. What is it?”

“Are you having fun today?”

“Thanks to you. I didn’t even have time to linger in the aftereffects of the fear from that roller coaster I’m bad with.”

A halo of light seemed to surround Kaon as the gondola finally reached its highest point. The scenery shone even more brilliantly, and the people walking below looked like tiny little beans. The Ferris wheel turned like a clock. It embodied the flow of time itself, as if they had become the hands marking its passage. From Sorato’s perspective, the time he spent with her felt both frighteningly slow and unbelievably fast.

The way she stood there just seconds ago already felt like something from long ago. It was a strange sensation, really. Even when they first met not long ago, she had tried too hard in a clumsy way. She stubbornly put on a front only to then show her vulnerable side and lean on him. She had even said he was like an older brother she could rely on when she felt lonely.

Even today, the lingering thrill after riding the roller coaster should have lasted much longer, yet being dragged along by her, he realized that the murky heaviness that had been stuck deep inside him had cleared away. Surely, mixed in with all that, were many small considerations of her own that he hadn’t even noticed.

Acting spoiled like a child. Teasing people. Feeling lonely and anxious, yet choosing to suffer on her own rather than asking for help. Whenever she showed that fragile beauty—like a thin, fraying thread—he found himself wanting to reach out his hand to her.

“Yeah, yeah! I’m glad you’re having fun, Suzuya-kun! I wanted to repay you for what you did the other day!”

“I told you before… I didn’t do it to earn a favor, so I’ll accept your gratitude with just words.”

“You’re stubborn too… Fine, then. I’ll make sure you have as much fun as possible for the rest of our time at this amusement park!”

“Oh? If you can entertain me, then by all means, go ahead.”

“Haha! I’ll make you say ‘I give up,’ just you wait~!?”

With what little time remained of their amusement park visit, she promised—as a small repayment—to make Sorato enjoy himself. Kaon happily sat back down in the seat across from him, pleased that he had accepted her provocative offer. But within a place in his heart she couldn’t see, the outcome of this contest had already been decided.

Because…

I don’t know why, but just talking with Natsuki-san like this is unbelievably fun. That’s why… This contest is already my loss…. But…

“I’m definitely not telling you~!”

“Huh!? What… What do you mean!? Hey! What are you keeping quiet about!?”

It was easy to predict that he would once again become perfect fuel for that little devilish smile. So Sorato said nothing. He was simply being driven forward by something stirring within himself.

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Chapter 48

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Thump. Thump. Thump.

My heart was noisy. Was I able to talk properly with him, the boy right in front of me? Was I joking around and laughing like I always did? Was I able to be the usual “Saki Hiiragi”? My facial expression felt wrong, like one of those fukuwarai faces made by a broken controller that moved on its own. Nothing but discomfort remained. Why did I end up like this whenever I was in front of him? My heart rate went up, my cheeks turned apple-red for no reason, and just like that, my usual composure completely fell apart.

“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.”

Unable to withstand my reason being shaken by my strange feelings, I pretended to be absorbed in the scenery outside. Even though he responded to my clumsy excuse with a languid air, he stood up from his seat and held his smartphone sideways, readying the camera.

“Alright, here we go~. Say cheese.”

“Yay!”

Whenever I caught a glimpse of his eyes through the gap of the camera and thought they were directed at me, my heart started racing. Thinking that even if it was just me alone, I would be captured in the album of someone who made my heart race—of the person I liked—made my chest feel warm.

…Isn’t that a bit too heavy?

If it were him, he would probably give me a suspicious look and say something like, “That’s gross…,” but that merciless sense of distance of his made me feel like he trusted me, and it made me indescribably happy. The person I liked was just a little dry only toward me. He was sharp-tongued  and indifferent, but… He was also unbelievably kind and softhearted.

♢♢♢

My parents were from Iceland. I was born and raised in Japan, and my first language was Japanese. The only things different from everyone else were my naturally golden hair and my emerald-green eyes.

Because of my appearance, I had been bullied since I was little. That childish cruelty, carried out secretly where adults wouldn’t notice, was more than enough to make me lose faith in other people. After that, I drew my own line between myself and others and avoided getting involved with people.

“Hey, hey! Hiiragi-SAN!”

“…What.”

“Uh… um, that hair color! It’s pretty, isn’t it?”

“Yeah. If that’s all you want to say, go away.”

“Ah… Sorry! I won’t talk to you anymore…”

Now, I didn’t even know why I avoided people so intensely back then. Even people who weren’t bullies looked the same to me, and pushing them away coldly felt like the only way to protect myself.

But I kept thinking things like, “why wasn’t my hair black,” or “why couldn’t I be a little shorter and cuter like everyone else.” I drove myself into a corner and pushed away people who tried to reach out to me. As a result, I became isolated, and by middle school, no one came near me anymore. My only friends were the novels in my hands and the world inside my smartphone.

As long as I could immerse myself in my favorite games and beloved books, that was enough. Even without friends, school only needed to give me the knowledge necessary for my future. It was around the midpoint of my middle school life, filled with impatience and resignation, when a major change came to my school days.

“Hey, hey. You, um… Hiiragi-san, right? You’re always reading books… Don’t you get tired of it?”

A boy who had recently been moved to the seat in front of mine turned around and spoke to me during break time.

“…I don’t get tired of it. Don’t bother me.”

“Ehh~ you’re no fun… Then hey, can you lend it to me when you’re done reading? I’m curious, but I don’t have enough allowance to buy it.”

“…Haah. Borrow it from the library.”

“I lost my library card a long time ago!”

From then on, he started talking to me every chance he got. At first, I figured he was just talking to me out of curiosity and dealt with him accordingly, but no matter how much time passed—even after another seat change put us apart—he kept coming back to me again and again.

“Hey, why do you keep bothering me? Honestly, you’re annoying and creepy.”

“Huh? I talk to you ’cause I want to. That verbal abuse of yours was pretty harsh at first, but once you get used to it, it’s kinda cute!”

He puffed out his chest confidently and kept coming over no matter how much I pushed him away. To me back then, he was irritating and troublesome. But before I knew it, I had grown used to it and even found comfort in it. Then one day…

“Hiiragi-san, you know~? You act all aloof ’cause you think you’re special and pretty. It’s creepy.”

“Yeah, yeah! It’s like you’re leaking this vibe of ‘I’m different from you ugly people,’ right~?”

“Seriously, I can’t stand her~!”

I heard the sound of my peaceful life collapsing in an instant. Even though I hadn’t done anything, around the end of my second year of middle school, the girls in my class started glaring at me constantly, and before long, they were openly badmouthing me. I hadn’t done anything wrong. I was just protecting myself first because I was afraid of people like them. Even if, in doing so, I ended up hurting people who had nothing to do with it.

Ah… But this might really be too much…

No matter how much I tried to act tough, I couldn’t lie to myself. Sharp, unjust truths dug painfully into my heart. All I wanted was to protect myself, yet I earned unnecessary resentment from others and got hurt more than anyone.

Just as I thought, maybe there really is no place for me…

“Ahh! If it were me, I’d be way better at getting along with people th—”

“Here.”

Just as I finally reached my limit and quietly stood up from my chair to leave the classroom, the world abruptly went silent. The noisy chatter of my classmates, the birds whispering outside the window, the scraping sound of the chalkboard cleaner… Instead, what I heard was classical music, ringing like high-pitched bells.

“—?———!”

“…Heh, ahaha. You can’t hear it, can you? These have insanely good soundproofing.”

The tight pressure covering my ears was from noise-canceling earphones. He stood in front of me as usual, confidently saying something, but all sounds—everything—had been cut off. Even so, the way he leaned in with a look like he wanted praise was so amusing that I laughed out loud at school for the first time in a long while. When I slowly removed the earphones, his loud voice burst into my ears, cutting through the surrounding noise.

“See!? If you do it like this, you don’t have to hear the crappy voices! I’m a genius, right!?”

“What? I couldn’t hear you.”

“Huh!? You didn’t hear that trash talk? Your ears busted or something?”

“I heard that much. Don’t yell so loud like an idiot… And besides, I don’t really mind.”

“That’s a lie.”

“…Huh?”

“That’s a lie. That.”

“No, it’s not a lie.”

His eyes didn’t suit him. Those serious, clear, and straight gaze didn’t suit him at all. His confidence and his flat, honest words made it feel like he was peering straight into my heart, and I caught my breath. No matter how desperately I tried to cover it up, he saw through it easily and let out an exasperated sigh.

“Don’t tell such crappy lies until you get better at controlling your facial expressions.”

“I told you… It’s not a lie…!”

“Yeah, yeah, sure. Well, I just did it ’cause it annoyed me and grossed me out listening to it. Just take it as my usual annoying meddling or something… If something’s unpleasant, just put a lid on it like that.”

“…!”

As I watched his back disappear in a carefree manner, I clenched the earphones he had handed me tightly.

Why… Does he bother with me… Seriously, what a total idiot…

♢♢♢

Was that when I started talking to all kinds of people…?

To anyone who had known Saki since middle school, her change could be described as practically becoming a different person. She had always had a cheerful nature, but she had tightly shut it away.

After that incident with him, she gradually deepened their connection and took steps toward others on her own. Looking back, she had lived closed off, inflating her own biases and prejudiced delusions.

About four years had passed, more than enough time for a person to change drastically. Thanks to Kohaku, Saki had resolved herself to accept a change she never could have imagined. But just because she had made that decision didn’t mean those around her would accept it. By middle school, making new friends had become difficult, and eventually, everyone avoided Saki.

But in my new high school life, the new me has lots of friends and is happy. And even being able to go to the same school as Kohaku-kun—something that seems ordinary—is like a miracle to me.

At some point, the feelings she had for him shifted from annoyance and frustration into affection and she had fallen in love. But his heart was now turned toward someone else. At that moment, Saki noticed Kohaku staring at her intently.

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

“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…!?”

Because he says things so casually that are bad for my heart, I can’t be honest either. But even if his feelings are directed toward someone else… Someday, I’ll make him turn around and look at me.

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