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 79

Chapter 78

ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー

“Kaon are you maybe…I don’t know, angry?”

“…Not really.”

When Sorato lowered his posture and asked carefully so as not to worsen her mood any further, what came back was a low voice that cut sharply into him.

“Kaon?”

“……….”

Kaon sharpened her glare to a level that made him think she was angrier than he had ever seen her before, and no matter how many times he called her name, she showed no sign of turning around.

No, yeah… This one’s definitely my fault today.

Looking back on it, even while he was surrounded by the girls from his class, he could feel her gaze on him. And yet, because it felt awkward to refuse “given the atmosphere,” he ended up talking with them for far too long. I was the same guy who burned with jealousy enough to charge straight at an upperclassman just because Kaon was being crudely hit on so asking her, “Are you mad?” was basically like leaping feet-first onto a landmine I’d set myself.

“I’m sorry. I guess you really didn’t like it, huh. Since elementary school, Kaon’s basically the first girl I’ve ever interacted with like this… I was scared to turn them down.”

“…Huh. And yet, your grin was practically drooling.”

“Guh… no, it wasn’t drooping like that..! I was just honestly happy to be complimented. It’s not like I had any ulterior motives or anything…”

“That’s what I’m here for. I’ll compliment you. Don’t pay so much attention to other girls.”

Kaon grabbed the hem of Sorato’s uniform with a sharp tug. At that moment, Sorato finally understood. Kaon wasn’t really angry. She just wanted attention. Sure, she might have felt some anger at seeing him talk so familiarly with other girls. But the majority of it was probably just her craving affection after being stuck at school for so long. Still, because she couldn’t fully forgive what happened today, those complicated feelings likely made her sulk like this.

“I’m sorry. I won’t talk to the girls in my class anymore. I’ll only look at you, Kaon.”

“…! Th—that’s not…! I’m not trying to tie you down, Sora-kun—!”

“You finally looked this way.”

As Kaon hurriedly turned around, flustered by hearing an answer she hadn’t wanted from his apology, she found Sorato standing there with a smile that seemed to see straight through her. Instinctively, Kaon muttered to herself that she’d been played.

“So you lied… Just to trick me like this…”

Pouting sharply as she complained about being deceived, Kaon saw Sorato chuckle lightly with a hand to his mouth.

“That’s not it. If it’s something you want, Kaon, I’ll do anything. I’ve got Kohaku and Tenma among the guys, and you, Kaede-san, and Hiiragi-san among the girls so honestly, I could get by without talking to the girls in my class at all…But that’s not what you want from me, right?”

“…Yeah.”

“Then you’ll have to tell me what you really want, or I’ll be at a loss.”

Prefacing it with the fact that he knew possessiveness wasn’t her true intention, Sorato skillfully backed her into a situation where she had no choice but to be honest. Because surely, all she wanted was to be pampered.

“…Then… Since you made me feel lonely at school, I want you to spoil me…”

“Of course. How do you want me to spoil you?”

Relieved that Kaon had finally been honest, Sorato gently ran his hand through her beautiful hair and subtly closed the distance that had separated them. When he asked how she wanted to be pampered, she spread her arms wide, still not quite having switched gears emotionally.

“You can do whatever you want to me, so spoil me lots.”

“Eh—uh… Understood…?”

“…But no naughty stuff yet, okay?”

“I wasn’t going to!?”

Kaon suddenly said something like that while giving him a flat, suspicious look, causing Sorato to panic as he tried to clear up the misunderstanding. Still, knowing she felt comfortable enough to joke like that made him happy all over again as her boyfriend. That aside, he couldn’t keep making her wait while she closed her eyes expectantly, so he started by wrapping an arm around her back and gently burying his face near her neck. As he enjoyed her sweet scent softly brushing his nose, Kaon also wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned her weight into him.

“Sniff, sniff.”

Her ticklish breathing brushed against his neck, sending a shiver straight down his spine.

“…I’ve been thinking lately Kaon, are you maybe a scent fetishist?”

“If anything, isn’t that you, Sora-kun? You’re always sniffing whenever you’re near me.”

“That’s because you smell so good it makes me want to sniff… In my case, my preferences just got warped because of you.”

The citrus-like scent that greeted him every time they touched was mature and seductive enough to wear down a man’s self-control. Combined with her beauty, it became hopelessly addictive. Then, as if following up on that, Kaon began speaking shyly, fidgeting a little.

“I… um… actually, even before we started dating, I liked your smell, Sora-kun, and… I sniffed you a lot… It really calms me down.”

Kaon’s face softened cutely as she rested her head against Sorato’s chest.

“Hey, hey, Sora-kun?”

“Yes, yes. What is it, Kaon-san?”

Clinging to him like a koala hugging a tree from the front, Kaon placed her free hand on his head and gently stroked it. Looking down at her as she patted his head and spoke to him, she possessed an indescribable blend of delicacy and allure, like a night-blooming flower.

“…You said you could do whatever you want to me. Are you really satisfied with just this?”

Her question made his heart leap. Seeing her face—both coaxing him forward and seeking affection at the same time—made it feel like his head and rationality were about to short-circuit.

“…Honestly, I’ve been struggling with my self-control while figuring out how far I’m allowed to go.”

“As long as it’s not anything naughty, I’m fine with anything, you know?”

“That’s why I said I’m not doing that!? Why do you keep emphasizing the naughty part!?”

“Ah, I said ‘not yet,’ okay? If you really can’t hold back anymore someday, Sora-kun, then I’ll also—”

“Stoooooop!! It’s not naughty! I’m not doing anything naughty!”

“…So does that mean I’m not attractive to you?”

“That’s not it!? You’re insanely attractive, Kaon!”

“See? You’re trying to do naughty things after all.”

“Please stop setting middle-school-level traps!?”

Kaon suddenly spiraled into talk about naughty things, and Sorato desperately tried to insist that wasn’t his intention only for her to switch tactics and pretend to be hurt, asking if she lacked charm. When he responded by telling her how attractive she was, she hugged herself and started repeating the word “naughty” again.

While frantically parrying her verbal assault, Sorato found himself thinking, “Maybe she’s a closet pervert…” but watching her refuse to leave his lap, wrapping her arms around his back and absentmindedly stroking his cheek, made her so adorable that it stopped mattering.

“Ah—then… Kaon. Want to watch a movie?”

“A movie? Is there something you want to watch, Sora-kun?”

“Yeah. I saw a trailer the other day and thought I’d like to watch it with you.”

She had told him he could do whatever he wanted, but for now, physical contact had already been more than fulfilled with their hugging. So instead of their usual horror movie, he suggested watching something he wanted to see with her. Kaon looked puzzled for a moment, but quickly accepted his suggestion and cheerfully picked up the remote from his lap to operate the TV.

“Ah—am I heavy…? Should I get off?”

“No, no. I won’t feel settled if you move, so please stay right here and let me hold you.”

As he gazed at her cheerful profile, Kaon noticed his stare and, thinking he might be tired, lifted herself slightly from his lap. But Sorato didn’t feel her weight at all, and the way she fit perfectly in his arms had already become addictive, so he wrapped his arms around her stomach from behind to keep her from pulling away.

For Sorato, holding her below the neck like this was a first. He’d avoided it out of consideration before, but since she’d said he could do whatever he wanted, he decided to be honest with himself just for today.

“Fufu♪ Sora-kun, you’re such a clingy baby, huh~?”

“Of course I am… I was lonely too, you know.”

Kaon wasn’t the only one who felt lonely at school. Sorato’s love for her ran deep enough that even against someone terrifying enough to make his legs freeze, jealousy at the thought of losing Kaon was enough to push him forward.

ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー