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 68-69

Chapter 68 Mutual Love Explosion

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“Hey, Natsuki-san.”

“Hm? What is it?”

The wind danced as green and yellow leaves scattered like a passing shower. Beneath the trees, the sweet citrus scent drifted softly from her. Kaon’s slender body—so delicate it seemed like it might snap if squeezed too hard—was wrapped in Sorato’s large arms. Having finally fulfilled their long-held wish and shared their feelings, the two had officially become lovers. Still floating in a dreamlike sense of reality, they now embraced openly, no longer caring about the eyes around them.

“Natsuki-san… What part of me did you come to like?”

“Geez… Of all things to say… Are you trying to embarrass me to death…!? And how long are you planning to keep clinging to me already?”

Kaon puffed out her cheeks and scolded him cutely, but contrary to her words, she made no attempt to escape Sorato’s hug either. Instead, she smiled with her eyebrows bent softly, wrapped her arms around his slightly bony, firm back like soothing a baby, and gently stroked him.

“Well… I really thought you were going to reject me, Natsuki-san. So while I was hearing that heartfelt answer, I just wanted to jump on you already…”

“…Could it be that Suzuya-kun is actually more aggressive than I thought?”

Kaon replied with a hint of surprise at how eagerly Sorato pressed close, but honestly, she found that side of him unbearably dear. The sensation of being held like this also seemed to wrap up and melt away the unease lingering inside her.

(I’m hopeless… I think I like Suzuya-kun way more than I realized myself…)

She sighed at her own unexpectedly lovestruck state whenever she was in front of him. Then…

“Ah.”

“…Hm? What’s wrong?”

Releasing her fully melted, blissful smile, Kaon slipped free from Sorato’s hold as if she had remembered something. Sorato let her go quietly, chewing slightly on his reluctance. Kaon then smiled gently, clasped her hands behind her back, leaned forward, and looked up at him.

“Suzuya-kun, try calling my name.”

The setting sun overlapped with her smile, and the silver snow adorning the vermilion world shone with divine brilliance.

(…Huh? Isn’t she way too cute???)

Seeing this, Sorato was struck speechless, in a good way. She had always looked more than attractive to him, but now that they had openly confessed their feelings, it felt like a filter had been added, layering an even more bewitching charm on top.

“N-Natsuki-san?”

“Boo!”

Overwhelmed by her beauty, Sorato faltered slightly and called her name as usual. She puffed out her cheeks and raised her index finger in front of her face.

“Uh…? Natsuki-san?”

“Boo~”

“Natsuki-san.”

“Boo boo boo boo~~!!”

“I love you.”

“Bo—! I love you too… wait, Suzuya-kun, you’re totally messing with me, aren’t you!!”

Suppressing the urge to poke her adorably puffed cheeks with his finger, Sorato asked.

“I did call you by your name properly, didn’t I?”

Only then did she deflate her swollen cheeks and mutter quietly,

“I want you to call me by my first name… Kaon. I’m your girlfriend, after all.”

“K-Kaon-san. Is that okay…?”

“One more time.”

She still wasn’t satisfied and asked again.

“Kaon-san?”

“Call me without honorifics.”

“Huh? What did you say?”

“I want you to call me ‘Kaon,’ just like that. Normally, I don’t like being called without honorifics, but… Just for you… It’s special if it’s you.”

Completely different from before, Kaon made this small request like a child wanting a toy. She wanted him to call her by her first name without honorifics. Since Sorato had always defaulted to using “-san,” she had apparently felt just a tiny bit of distance in the way he addressed her. Delighted by her clear step closer, Sorato took his time to savor it before forming his next words.

“…Alright. I’ll do my best to call you that as much as I can, so… K-Kaon, I have a request too.”

“Hm? Say anything you want, Sorato-kun~♪”

“—That’s it! I can’t hold back anymore! Oraaah!!”

“Wah!? What, what!? Is this your request!?”

The tiny tremors of desire wriggling inside Sorato finally reached their limit. Faced with the unbearably adorable, small-animal-type, overwhelmingly beautiful girl before him (with heavy boyfriend filter applied), he completely lost his restraint. Without caring how it looked, he hugged her tightly from the front again. He hugged her firmly, yet gently, without putting in force.

“S-Sorato-kun…? Um, I was running around looking for you earlier, so I’m kind of sweaty… It’s embarrassing, or rather…”

“Sniff—…No, I don’t mind at all. You actually smell really nice.”

“Hey, you sniffed me!? You totally just took a deep sniff of me, didn’t you!?”

Kaon had meant to warn him gently, since a light sheen of sweat had formed on her forehead and back, but for some reason, not only did he completely ignore her concern… He was seriously sniffing around the nape of her neck.

(Na—Kaon… I’ve always thought this, but you smell insanely good… I know this is way too creepy…But please… Just this once… Let me enjoy it…!)

Sniffing deeply and filling his nose with the air around her, Sorato silently apologized to whatever god resided in his heart while savoring her sweet citrus scent. The combination of embarrassment and the shallow breaths tracing along her neck sent a shiver through Kaon, making her rise slightly onto her toes.

(Hehe… I was worried at first that I’d be too clingy and scare him off, but Sorato-kun is way more hopelessly soft on me than I imagined… So cute♡ I want him to hug me a lot more…)

Kaon had assumed she’d be the only one turning into a lovestruck mess and maybe even burdening him a little, but seeing how openly affectionate Sorato was let her relax and indulge freely as well. As they realized just how deeply they loved each other—and how much they had been thinking about nothing else—they felt embarrassed, yet oddly proud.

(As your boyfriend, I want you to rely on me more than should ever be possible…!)

(Just like Sorato-kun said, I won’t hold back anymore either.)

Having finally confessed their feelings, the two had become lovers at last. The measuring tape of distance they had both been carefully maintaining finally dropped to zero. There was no need to hold back anymore. This gentle, sweet, and slightly bitter story of faint love surrounding the two ended here. From here on was the deep, sweet love story of the couple.

(From now on, always.)

(Forever from now on.)

^[1]I want to keep looking at only you, reflected in my eyes.

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Chapter 69 Ode to Lost Love

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“……So I really did get my heart broken, huh.”

He was in the old school building. Leaning his body against the fence of the tennis court, Kohaku muttered those words with an almost carefree air. It sounded both like a quiet release of emotion and like the result of suppressing an urge to cry out loudly in grief. The words were swallowed by the cries of crows flying slightly overhead and faded away like mist.

“—You’ve got a pretty awful look on your face, you know?”

“-! …What the—oh, it’s you.”

Kohaku, who had been completely convinced there was no one else around, jumped when his shoulder was suddenly tapped from behind. He reflexively turned around to see Tenma standing there, the very person he was sure he had just parted ways with moments earlier.

“Oh? Was I not good enough for the role?”

Unaware of Kohaku’s mood, Tenma smiled with a light, easy grin.

“Like hell ‘not good enough.’ You knew everything, didn’t you?”

“…Knowing everything, I wanted to be on your side, but I couldn’t choose between either of you. In the end, that just makes me half-hearted.”

“Man, you’re way too laid-back. …So? What happened with those two?”

At Kohaku’s question, Tenma twisted one eyebrow and made an uneasy expression.

“Probably, they’re dating now. I wanted to see Sorato’s confession through to the end, but more than that, I didn’t want to interfere.”

“So you were on Sorato’s side after all.”

Kohaku said that with a sulky tone in response to Tenma’s vague answer. Talking with his perpetually easygoing friend made his heart feel just a little lighter.

“What’s that? Were you hoping I’d be on your side?”

“You idiot…! I just got rejected, my mental state’s already in shambles! Ugh. Somehow, talking to you makes me feel more tired than heartbroken…”

“Well, that’s good to hear. You being all dejected is kind of creepy.”

“Could you choose your words a little better…? I just got dumped, you know…? I mean, I was really trying my best…”

“If anything, you’re the type who hates being treated too carefully, right?”

“Haha, so trying to fish for sympathy to make you be nice was a failure, huh… Well, thanks. I feel a bit better now.”

Amid the meaningless chatter, the emotions that had been stuck inside him were slowly being shaved away. The memories that had weighed on him like indigestion gradually grew lighter.

“I’m glad I could be of service. So? Kohaku, do you have any plans after this?”

“Huh? My mom’s working late today, so I was thinking of grabbing food somewhere before heading home.”

“I see. …Then maybe I’ll tag along?”

“Huh? You should just go home and eat. That earlier stuff was just a joke, and I don’t need your pity.”

Mistaking Tenma’s offer as him going out of his way to accommodate him, Kohaku deliberately said it in an irritated tone.

“No, that’s not it. My mom’s working late today too. It’s just a coincidence, okay?”

“Seriously…? Haah. Well, whatever. I figured if I was alone, I’d probably end up crying anyway. You can be my brake.”

Faced with his friend’s refusal to back down, Kohaku finally relented. Though he looked a bit sluggish, he smiled and allowed Tenma to come along. He understood it himself. If he were alone again after a short while, these endless, curse-like emotions would surely come spilling out.

“Leave it to me. Then, in honor of you doing your best today, how about I treat you to dinner?”

“Woo, big spender! Let’s go for yakiniku!”

“I’ll be taking lots of bathroom breaks along the way.”

“You’re totally going to dine and dash somewhere.”

Finally pulling away from the fence, Kohaku hurried after Tenma’s back as he led the way. The body that felt like it would collapse if it didn’t cling to something seemed to have recovered before he even realized it, thanks to one easygoing friend.

〜〜〜♪♪

Just then, the 5:00 p.m. chime began echoing throughout the neighborhood.

(You did well, Kohaku.)

 Keeping the boy walking behind him in his peripheral vision, Tenma murmured quietly. He unlocked the phone he pulled from his pocket, bringing up his family’s group chat.

『Tenma: I’ll be having dinner out with a friend today.』

『Got it. Be careful.』

『Make sure you eat something good.』

That exchange took place at 4:45 p.m. At that time, Tenma should still have been talking with Sorato at the school gate. But Tenma already knew the complicated fate of Kohaku, Sorato, and Kaon’s love triangle.

One friend who had been doing his best for so long, and another friend who couldn’t realize he was being obsessed over by her. Unable to side with either of them, Tenma had ended up as nothing more than an observer. It was his form of atonement of sorts. This was the greatest and best praise Tenma, who had cruelly seen the outcome through to the end, could give as a friend to Kohaku, who had struggled desperately along his path of love.

“Heartbreak, huh? Tough luck.”

“If I ever fall for someone again, I won’t chicken out. Ever.”

“Yeah, yeah. That’s the spirit.”

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