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 57

Chapter 57

ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー

“Good morning—huh? …Hey, Kohaku, where’s Sorato today?”

“Huh? Looks like he came down with a fever. I sent him a message earlier, and he sent back a photo of a thermometer reading 38°C.”

It was just another ordinary school morning. Tenma, who came into the classroom a little later than usual, looked confused when he noticed that the other presence that should have been sitting next to Kohaku was nowhere to be seen. Kohaku, who seemed to understand the situation, briefly explained it to Tenma as he set down his bag and started unpacking, then rested his cheek on his hand with a bored look.

“Oh dear. In that case, should we go visit him after school today?”

“…Yeah. Idiots aren’t supposed to catch colds, though.”

“Coming from you, calling someone an idiot doesn’t mean much.”

“Shut up. I’ll make you eat your words on the next test.”

Diiing~ Dooong~ Diing~ Doong~

And so, with a one-person-sized gap left between them, their usual daily routine began. And meanwhile, there was one more person who kept staring intently at the empty space left by Sorato…

“——Hey! Huh? Heeey. Kaon-chan! Are you listening?”

“Eh!? Ah, sorry. I was spacing out!”

Kaon had been vaguely watching Tenma and Kohaku chatting noisily, and she hadn’t heard a single word of her friends’ conversation until Saki’s hand started waving right in front of her face. She had been like this the whole time since earlier. Ever since morning, every time someone opened the classroom door, she turned around, but the moment she realized it wasn’t the person she was hoping for, she immediately lost interest.

Then she looked back toward Kohaku and the others again, repeating the same cycle. Seeing her friend so clearly absent-minded, Saki grinned.

“…Hmmm? Don’t tell me… You’re worried about Sorato-kun~?”

“-!? N-no, that’s not it!?”

“Hehe, Kaon. Your face is bright red.”

As if she had been hit right on the mark, Kaon’s face turned apple-red as she fumbled to string words together. Her agitation was obvious to anyone, and the classroom quickly filled with excited murmurs.

“Natsuki-san is blushing…!”

“She’s way too cute…!?”

“Hey, hey! Wasn’t she just looking over here!?”

“No way!? Was it us!?”

“I wanna join in toooo…”

“Like you’d have a chance. You need to be handsome like me.”

“Says the guy who got dumped the other day.”

As speculation flew around everywhere, Kaon’s friends pressed her even harder while she was flustered.

“Kaon-chan, you’re so easy to read~. Haven’t you been strangely fixated on Sorato-kun ever since the amusement park~? Right, Kaede-chan?”

(Kaede…!)

Saki shot a look at Kaede as if seeking her agreement. Following that, Kaon also sent her a heated, hopeful gaze almost at the same time. And naturally, Kaede answered that expectation…

“That’s true. Lately, she does seem unusually concerned about Suzuya-kun.”

“Kaedeeee…!”

(Hehe, sorry about that.)

She did not let her off the hook. Kaede, loosening her cheeks in amusement, wore a gentle smile that was hard to imagine from her usual sharp demeanor. For once, it seemed her mischievous side had been ignited. Because she knew the situation, Kaede had been the target of those expectant, pleading looks and she savored firsthand the pleasure of betraying them and turning it into teasing.

And just as the three girls’ conversation reached its peak…

Rattle rattle!

“-!!”

“Oh?”

While the classmates were completely absorbed in the topic of the beautiful girl’s agitation, the classroom door was thrown open with force, even though the bell had already finished ringing long ago. Kaon, who had been desperately trying to cool her flushed cheeks, also reacted to the sound and turned around in surprise. Standing there was…

“Alright, we’re starting the homeroom. Everyone, sit down.”

“Oh, never mind. It’s just Tana-sensei.”

“Sorry to disappoint you, Hiiragi.”

It was their homeroom teacher, Tanaka. As Hiiragi openly voiced his disappointment, Kaon, too, quietly held a sense of letdown in her chest. In the end, the person she had been hoping to see never appeared that morning.

~・~・~・~・~・~・~・~

“Hm? Sorato? He’s out today with a fever. See?”

“What!? Really!? If that’s the case, he should’ve told us in the amusement park group chat!”

It was lunchtime. While Tenma and Kohaku were eating together in Sorato’s absence, Kaon and the others came over to their seats. They seemed curious about where Sorato was, but during the conversation, everyone except Saki felt a different sense of unease.

“You’re still using that group…?”

“I thought it was only until the field trip was over.”

“No way! Since we’ve become friends through this wonderful opportunity, let’s talk more!”

“…Well, that might not be so bad.”

“Yes. I’d like to talk with everyone more too.”

“Oh! It’s rare for you two, who usually disagree with everything, to be on board!”

“By ‘disagree,’ I mean… It’s not like Mizotani-san and I criticize things because we enjoy it, you know?”

With that final push—seeing the two who were usually more opposed (from Saki’s point of view) taking a positive stance—the message group that had been created for the field trip ended up continuing on as a shared chat space for everyone.

“Oh, by the way, should Kaede and the others come with us to visit Sorato too?”

“Huh!? Is that okay!?”

“He’d probably be happier with a bigger group.”

“Is that how visiting someone who’s sick is supposed to be..? By bringing a bigger group…?”

“Who cares! It’s a good chance, so let’s all go together!”

With the girls eagerly latching onto Tenma’s unexpected suggestion, the five of them ended up going to visit Sorato at his house. And as for Kaon, who had been longing to see him…

(Eeeeeh!? S-Suzuya-kun’s house…!?!?)

She agreed with what looked like a calm expression, but inside her heart was pounding wildly as she completely panicked.

ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー