Lonely Me And The Lonely Caring Goddess - Chapter 227: A Man's Instinct.

A Man’s Instinct.

Natsumi’s POV.

Had I ever felt such overwhelming sympathy before?

When it comes to romance, Sara has always been confidently upfront. She has no sense of guilt whatsoever, so it’s hardly surprising that she makes no effort to hide her relationship with Takanashi-kun.

Their dynamic is simple—Takanashi-kun indulges in Sara’s boundless affection. And the more Sara talks about their time together, the more damage he takes.

Because everything Sara shares essentially exposes how shamelessly he depends on her.

Of course, Sara herself is just happily talking, without any malicious intent or ulterior motive. That’s exactly why Takanashi-kun can’t bring himself to stop her—he simply endures it.

Tachikawa: “S-Satsukawa-senpai, um, how do you usually sleep? Y-You sleep with Takanashi-kun, right!?”

Sara: “Let’s see… I usually lie down first…”

Tachikawa: “L-Lie down…”

Sara: “Then I pull Kazunari close to me… around my chest area…”

Toudou & Tachikawa: “Kyaaaa!!”

Nishikawa: “W-With a man… in your chest…”

…Shamefully, I found myself comparing her chest to mine. And it seems Sara’s still growing… Ugh, even here there’s a gap…

It’s clearly inherited from Mayumi-san—no doubt she’ll develop into the kind of soft, moderate size that boys adore.

Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Hanako-san gently place a hand on her chest before hanging her head in defeat.

No, no—don’t despair! She’s just an outlier!

…And I didn’t miss it.

Though he looked like he wasn’t paying attention, Tachibana-kun very briefly glanced at my chest as Sara spoke.

Why me?

Tachikawa: “Y-You said Takanashi-kun’s really cute when he wakes up, right?”

Toudou: “Oii!! You shouldn’t ask too much!”

Sara: “Kazunari’s very clingy when he wakes. When I try to get up, he won’t let go. It’s so adorable that I end up stroking his head while holding him close…”

Gulp.

Though no one said it aloud, some people clearly held their breath, waiting for what came next.

Sara: “He buries his face against my chest like he’s snuggling…”

Toudou & Tachikawa: “………………”

Nishikawa: “………………”

Toudou-san’s face had gone crimson—she could barely speak anymore. In contrast, Tachikawa-san was leaning in, utterly enthralled. For the record, Eririn was away on a trip.

And poor Takanashi-kun had somehow ended up cornered by Hanako-san, her eyes half-lidded in judgment.

***

Hanako: “Hmm… So you like breasts?”

Him: “Eh… No, I mean…”

Hanako: “You like big breasts?”

Just as he was reeling from Sara’s barrage of affectionate oversharing, this brutal interrogation from Hanako-san pushed him to the brink. Even I had to feel bad for him.

…And perhaps it was time for me to interrogate a certain someone as well.

After all, he did sneak a peek twice.

***

This is hell… The phrase “walking on pins and needles” doesn’t even begin to cover it.

Seeing Sara-san speak so happily makes it hard to ask her to stop. But if I don’t stop her… who knows where this might lead?

And just now, I remembered one particularly dangerous memory.

We’ve… taken a bath together before.

Granted, all she did was help wash my back—but still. That’s probably a huge red flag. All I can do now is pray that conversation doesn’t go there.

Hanako: “Hey. Are you even listening?”

Of course, I know Hanako-san is interrogating me. And for the record, I’m not the kind of guy who’s particular about breast size. But that doesn’t mean I follow the infamous “size doesn’t matter” doctrine of perverts, either.

If I had to be honest… I like Sara-san’s chest.

Me: “Um, I don’t really have a preference.”

Hanako: “…Really?”

Me: “I mean it.”

Even though I didn’t say it aloud, Hanako-san somehow always sees right through me. But this time should be safe. I left out the “Sara-san’s” part, so it’s still the truth.

Hanako: “Hmm… Is that so? Well, whatever.”

She tried to sound indifferent, but I caught a faint smile tugging at her lips. Looks like the crisis had passed.

Natsumi: “Say… just what were you looking at twice earlier?”

Yuuji: “Wha—!? I wasn’t—!”

Natsumi: “If you think I didn’t notice, you’re dead wrong.”

And it seems something had kicked off on Yuuji’s end as well.

But honestly, how did we end up in this kind of… chest-centric chaos?

Toudou: “Come to think of it, you handle all the housework, right? On top of school—how do you manage, Satsukawa-senpai?”

Sara: “As long as I keep up with things regularly, only cooking takes any real time. But I enjoy it, so it never feels like a burden.”

Tachikawa: “School, cooking, groceries, laundry, cleaning, preparing lunches… I could never manage all that…”

Listening again, it really struck me—just how much Sara-san does for me.

She once asked me not to interfere with her responsibilities, and I’ve respected that. But it still weighs on me that I’ve left everything in her hands.

Sara: “If you start counting each task, it might feel overwhelming. But if you know it’ll make someone important to you happy, you want to do your best. I’ve always loved housework, so that helps too.”

Tachikawa: “Wow… I respect you even more now.”

Toudou: “It’s like you’re already Takanashi-kun’s wife!”

Sara: “Fufu… I plan to become his wife someday, after all.”

Toudou, Tachikawa & Nishikawa: “W-Wife…!?”

Without a hint of embarrassment, Sara uses the term “wife” with complete ease. It’s already second nature to her.

And I… being loved by such an amazing woman—there are no words to describe how lucky I am.

Hayato: “If this ever gets out, half the school’s male population will cry blood. But seriously… you’ve got your work cut out for you, Takanashi. By the way, have you tried helping her?”

Me: “She asked me not to.”

Hayato: “That sounds just like her. She asked, not demanded.”

Hanako: “Well… looking after Takanashi-kun is practically her purpose in life. So just let her do it—it probably makes her happier.”

I do try to accept that. If Sara-san is satisfied with things as they are, then I should be too.

Still, I want to show my appreciation somehow. But simply giving gifts feels… shallow.

Me: “If only there were something I could do each day to express how grateful I am…”

Hayato: “Yeah… gifts every time would lose meaning. And just saying thank you wouldn’t feel like enough either.”

Hanako: “Then why not let her do something she wants? Once a day, or even once a week?”

Me: “Something she wants?”

Hanako: “Yeah. Let her decide—whether it’s a place to go or something she wants you to do for her.”

That… makes sense. Rather than a thank-you, it becomes a kind of reward.

Hayato: “For someone like Sara-senpai, that might be perfect. If it’s Takanashi doing it, she’ll be thrilled. That’s a good idea, Hanako.”

Hanako: “Flattery won’t get you anywhere. But… try it.”

It seems Hanako-san is still a bit stern with Hayato. Come to think of it, she’s been rather reserved with Yuuji too. But at least she responds to them normally—which is more than she does with most of our classmates.

Me: “Alright. I’ll try it. Thanks, Hanako-san.”

Hanako: “Not something you need to thank me for.”

Me: “Not just for this—thank you for always watching out for me, guiding me… for everything.”

I looked straight into Hanako-san’s eyes as I spoke, hoping my sincerity would reach her.

Ever since we met, she’s helped me through crucial moments—so I’d been thinking, maybe it was time to do something for her too.

She looked slightly surprised, but then gently smiled back.

Hanako: “I see. Well… thank you. I’ll accept your feelings.”

Hayato: (So she can smile like that… when it’s Takanashi…)

Me: “Actually, Hanako-san, if there’s something I could do for you too—”

Hanako: “Then… I’d like to ask you something.”

A request… from Hanako-san?

It seems she’s giving me a chance to return the favor—framing it as a request to match the earlier conversation. If it’s something I can do, I want to make it happen.

Me: “If I can do it, I’ll do it.”

Hanako: “Then this Sunday, come to my house. There’s something I want to tell you.”

Me: “Your house?”

What should I do…?

I have a hunch it’s about her “older sister.” I doubt there’s any real issue, but still—I have Sara-san, and going alone to another girl’s house…

Hanako: “Don’t worry. I’ll let your ‘wife’ know. If she says no, I’ll find another way.”

Me: “Okay. If Sara-san’s fine with it, then so am I.”

Hanako: “Good.”

Hanako-san understands. As long as Sara-san is okay with it, I have no reason to refuse.

And finally… I’ll get to hear Hanako-san’s story. I’ve been waiting for that.

Sara: “When giving a lap pillow, try cleaning his ears—it makes him happy. I did that for Kazunari the other day, and he really enjoyed it.”

Toudou: “Th-That sounds like something out of a romance anime or novel. So guys really do like that?”

Sara: “At least Kazunari did. Though he was so shy, he ended up burying his face in my belly… fufu.”

Tachikawa: “His… belly…”

Toudou: “Fweh…”

Hanako: “…His belly, huh…”

Sara-san’s voice carried clearly across the room—just as the conversation lulled. I had no idea she was still revealing my secrets.

Hanako-san, notably, was not looking at Sara-san… but glaring at me with squinted eyes.

Sara: “And if you blow softly into his ear at the end, he just melts. Kazunari… fufu…”

I remember that moment clearly. Embarrassing… but also heartwarming.

Still, the more Sara spoke, the more my private moments were laid bare. My pride didn’t survive.

Natsumi: “Sigh… To think Sara’s now giving romance advice. Unbelievable. And Takanashi-kun, you really seem to be a fan of… those. Men really are all the same.”

At some point, Natsumi-senpai had joined the scene after scolding Yuuji. She’d heard it all. All the same—so that includes poor Yuuji, now slumped in defeat. I’ve never seen him like that.

Natsumi: “Eririn’s lucky… Wait, where is she?”

Nishikawa: “P-Please… I can’t take this anymore… Men, sleeping together, breasts… Please stop…”

I’d forgotten all about her—quiet Nishikawa-san had mentally checked out long ago, muttering incantations as if descending into darkness.

Natsumi: “Eririn’s lucky, though. She’s got a big chest.”

Nishikawa: “Wha—!?”

Suddenly, the ghost of Nishikawa-san returned to her body, startled by the comment. Her eyes widened, face flushed, and she clutched at her chest in a panic. I barely avoided danger by turning away just in time.

Nishikawa: “Wh-Wh-What are you talking about, Natsumi!?”

Natsumi: “You’re the only one here who can rival Sara.”

Nishikawa: “Stop it! You know I’m bad at this kind of talk!”

Natsumi: “Nope. I don’t know anything about… big girls.”

Nishikawa: “Wha—!?”

Now that I think about it, Nishikawa-san probably has zero tolerance for these conversations. Which makes that whole earlier exchange even more painful for her.

And Natsumi-senpai, dragging her back into the fire, is a true demon.

Natsumi: “Now then, Tachibana-kun. Come here—again.”

Yuuji: “W-Wait! Natsumi-san!?”

Looks like Yuuji didn’t dodge in time. He was dragged out again by Natsumi-senpai.

Toudou: “…So Yokokawa-kun’s the same too, huh?”

Hayato: “I-I mean… this is…”

From Toudou-san’s tone, it was clear Hayato had messed up too. I barely avoided punishment from Sara-san, but to be honest, some understanding would be appreciated.

Because honestly—this is instinct. A biological reflex. We don’t want to look… our eyes just go there. Please forgive us.

By the way, for surviving that trial, I was rewarded.

Before I knew it, I felt a presence beside me, and then—

Sara-san gently placed her hand on my head, pulling me softly into a warm embrace.

Sara: “…Because you have me, Kazunari-san, okay?”

Me: “Y-Yes.”

Not wanting to say anything that could backfire, I chose the safest route—

—to quietly lean into her, and bask in her affection.

Nishikawa: “Um… Am I not being treated a bit harshly here?”

Hanako: “Who knows… I don’t really care about big girls.”