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 64

Chapter 64

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『I want to talk to you after school, so come to my house. I’ll be waiting.』

“……….”

For no particular reason, he had stepped into a private restroom. When the phone in his hand chimed with a ping, and he saw the text message displayed on the screen, Sorato lost his words. At the same time, dark clouds surged through his heart like rough waves. The message was clearly missing her usual brightness, and there weren’t any emojis either.

『Don’t get involved with me anymore.』

An image replayed itself in his mind without permission. Her gentle, bell-like beautiful voice throwing words that pierced straight into his heart. Her darkened expression, and the disappointed gaze she directed at him. Over and over, he told himself, “Natsuki-san isn’t that kind of person,” but he couldn’t escape the negative loop.

It’s probably because of what happened yesterday… Because I said something that made it sound like I was seeing Natsuki-san as a ‘woman’… Damn it. Just because we were alone, I got carried away…

Wanting to live up to her trust, Sorato had never once looked at Natsuki that way during all the time they had spent together. If she saw him as an older brother, then he believed the right thing to do was to treat her like a younger sister in return. And yet, he had let slip the words he had kept locked away in his heart. Without knowing his place, he had said “you’re cute” straight to her face. But Sorato understood. What he needed to do now wasn’t to regret his actions, nor to drown in lingering guilt.

“I need to apologize. Properly.”

Even if she refused to talk to him anymore, he had to apologize to her face. And there was one more thing Sorato needed to do.

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“I sent it…”

Her fingertip hovering over the send button trembled slightly. Her heart pounded unpleasantly fast, refusing to calm down no matter how tightly she pressed her chest. Normally, this chat screen with him would make her heart dance with excitement, but now it looked as if a filter had been placed over it. Everything appeared monochrome.

Back then, there hadn’t been even a millimeter of falsehood in the words Sorato-kun had given her. Flustered and shy, he had shown her a side of himself he rarely ever revealed, and it had made her so happy she nearly jumped on the spot.

Or at least, it should have. Something inside her had slammed on the brakes when it came time to be honest. Every time she tried to move forward, that something dragged her further and further down. Buried beneath the snow of anxiety that had piled up that way, she had been swallowed with alarming ease.

『I want to talk to you after school, so come to my house. I’ll be waiting.』

She reread the message she had sent again and again, but all she could do was let out a listless sigh. She checked to see if the wording felt strange, noticing how awkward and emotionally restrained it sounded. It was so unlike herself. At the very least, she hoped her seriousness would come through to him.

Would he come? Maybe… Maybe he wouldn’t talk to her anymore.

But if he was still willing to talk to her, she wanted to apologize face to face. And then…

“I want to hear… The rest of what you were saying back then.”

Even though she shouldn’t have had the luxury to think something like that, she found herself wishing for that. 

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“Kohaku. Do you have club activities today?”

It was after school. Weaving through the noisy crowd of students celebrating their release from a long day of classes, Sorato reached Kohaku’s desk and leaned forward as he asked.

“Hm? Nah, no club today. Why?”

“There’s something I want to talk about. I won’t take much of your time.”

“……Fine. Sorry, Tenma. Go on ahead without me.”

“Got it. I’ll see you both later, then.”

““See you tomorrow.””

Sensing that something was different about Sorato today, Kohaku agreed with a serious expression and let Tenma head home alone. After seeing Tenma off with a refreshing smile, Sorato said, “Let’s change locations,” and, unusually, took the lead.

“……….”

“……….”

Kohaku followed in silence as well. There was none of their usual idle chatter, and the sound of footsteps echoing down the hallway gradually faded. It wasn’t hostile, but the uncomfortable tension hanging between them felt like a reflection of both their nerves.

“Uh… This place should be fine.”

Sorato stopped in a passage behind the old school building, an area no longer used except for elective classrooms. The sky drifting overhead had already shed its pale twilight hues and was beginning to dye itself in night colors.

“This place is seriously deserted. Is this really some kind of serious talk?”

“Yeah. I thought I needed to talk to you properly at least once, Kohaku. I like Natsuki-san.”

“…Haaah. I figured it was something like that.”

“Huh?”

Sorato clenched his fist tightly and told him the truth. Kohaku immediately let out a long sigh with narrowed eyes, as if to say, “Took you long enough…” Then, as though easing the tension, he began speaking in a relaxed tone.

“You stare at Natsuki-san way too much. Anyone nearby could tell. You’re basically burning holes in her with your eyes.”

“…What? No way…”

“It’s true. The ones who don’t realize it themselves are the worst kind. And… Natsuki-san was watching you just as much.”

“…!”

“Just like you were watching her, I was watching Natsuki-san. But not once did our eyes meet. Every single time… Always… She was always looking at you.”

“Kohaku… I—”

“Ah, don’t say it. Getting all gloomy doesn’t suit us. …If this was a declaration of war, I never had a chance from the start anyway—”

“That’s not it. I told you because I hated keeping it from you. It wasn’t to one-up you, and it wasn’t a challenge. As a rival, I wanted to talk honestly like this.”

Kohaku gave a soft, gentle smile tinged with sadness, and Sorato raised his voice slightly. He hadn’t come here to declare war. He knew better than anyone how strongly Kohaku had been drawn to her, how desperately he cared. That was exactly why Sorato couldn’t bear to stay silent.

“…Yeah. That’s right. You really are that kind of guy. Serious to the core, and kind.”

Kohaku let out a short laugh.

“So how far did you get?”

“Huh?”

“You and her. You’ve gone out somewhere together, right?”

“Well… It’s kind of complicated right now—”

Sorato explained everything that had happened, in detail.

“…Hah?! You’re telling me you two are close enough to watch movies alone at her house, and that’s what you’re agonizing over?!”

“But her reaction was clearly her pulling away. I’m sure she hates me now because of it—”

“You idiot, that’s…! No, never mind. Saying this would just be tactless of me.”

Kohaku almost blurted something out, but swallowed it back and changed his expression before leaving Sorato with one sharp remark.

“If you told her she was cute straight to her face, then as a man, there’s a ‘next step’ you’re supposed to say, isn’t there? She hates you? She pulled away? Why are you chickening out over something like that? Are your feelings for her really that shallow? …If you already went that far, then seeing it through is what a man does. That’s what I was going to do at least.”

“…!”

“Stop worrying about me every little second. If you’re going to apologize to me while keeping the girl you like waiting, you should’ve done that after you started dating her. So go already. Don’t make that gloomy face. That kind of serious look doesn’t suit you…”

“Koha—”

“Ah, don’t say anything. Just go. Hurry up. If you’re going to steal the girl I like, at least do that much. And if you make her cry… I won’t forgive you… Got it…?!”

Kohaku said that with his eyes lowered. His voice trembled, and with his head bowed, his expression couldn’t be seen. Sorato simply said “Thank you,” and then hurried away, his footsteps far quicker than when he had arrived.

“Damn it… I told myself I wouldn’t cry… Damn it…”

Kohaku had known all along. He had realized it. And because of that, the tears wouldn’t stop. The wave of emotions overflowed no matter how much he tried to hold them back. While watching the person he loved, he had eventually noticed her gaze drifting toward someone else. And that gaze was the same one he himself held.

Crushed by inferiority and jealousy, there had been countless times he nearly said something to the person involved. But because the one Natsuki loved was an unbelievably stupid, kind guy—someone Kohaku himself cared deeply for—he could never bring himself to do it.

And so, the boy who kept polishing an arrow whose direction might never be noticed finally decided to push his friend forward.

“You better make her happy or I’ll punch you…”

Sending one last cheer to the friend running toward a single love now out of sight, Kohaku firmly wiped the tears streaming down his cheeks.

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