Lonely Me And The Lonely Caring Goddess - Chapter 258: A Rumor Slowly Spreading.

A Rumor Slowly Spreading.

Beep beep… beep beep…

…………

“…san.”

…………

“…san, it’s time to wake up.”

…………

“…Kazunari-san… are you truly not going to wake up?”

It’s not that I’m ignoring her.
It’s not that I’m being difficult.
And it’s certainly not that I would ever do something so rude to my beloved Sara-san.

If you asked why I wasn’t getting up, the only answer would be:
I know I should, but my body refuses to move. More accurately—I am unable to get up.

Last night… a lot happened. And because of that, sleep was extremely hard to come by.

Especially the kisses. Those “rapid-fire” kisses right before bed jolted me awake so thoroughly that I couldn’t fall asleep afterward.

Sara-san didn’t mean anything bad by it, of course.
She was simply overflowing with affection.
And I—being weak to her tenderness—leaned into it willingly.

The result: my entire sleep schedule was obliterated.
I drifted in and out all night, never fully sleeping.

So yes. I’m still very, very sleepy…

But even so, it’s clearly time to get up. I have to muster some determination, rally my half-asleep willpower—

Just as I thought that, something soft and warm lightly settled on top of me.

A weight—just enough to know she was leaning forward. Sara-san was trying something.

Maybe she decided that since I wasn’t waking up, she needed to use a more “direct” method?

For the record, she never uses force.
She won’t yank the blanket away or shake me roughly.
Her methods are always gentle… but effective.

“You know… my dear…”

Her whisper grazed my cheek. Warm breath. Close—far too close.

Was she going for… last night’s continuation?

“…O-ki-te♪ (Wake… up♪)”

—!!!!????

“Fuaaaaaa!?”

A soft, breathy whisper right in my ear.
My weak point.
With that level of sweetness, warmth, and tingling overstimulation—

There was no universe in which I stayed asleep.

I rocketed upward like I’d been struck by lightning.

“Hehehe… good morning, Kazunari-san.”

“G-Good… morning…”

“Is something the matter?”

“W-What was… that just now…”

She smiled triumphantly—clearly satisfied with her surprise attack.

It wasn’t the first time, but still… this level of playfulness from her was rare.

“…That was punishment for being a naughty Kazunari-san.”

“N-Naughty?”

“You were already awake, weren’t you?”

“Uwaah…”

So she’d seen right through me. But honestly, deceit has never worked on her, so this was expected.

“Hehe… calling it punishment was just a joke. You just seemed unable to get up, so I used a method that has proven… extremely effective. And during your ear cleaning the other day, when I blew softly on your ear… you seemed very pleased.”

Ah.
That move.

One of her “special techniques” reserved only for me. A critical hit every time.

And the ear-blowing incident…
Just remembering it sends a shiver down my spine.
I genuinely thought I might ascend to another plane of existence.

“I-I mean, that was just—”

“You like it, don’t you?”

“…I love it.”

“Yes. Good boy… and thank you for being honest♪”

Chuu…

A soft kiss pressed against my cheek.

It was barely morning, yet I already felt flustered enough to combust.

Her reasons were innocent—purely because she knows I enjoy it. There’s no ulterior motive.

Which, honestly, makes it even harder to deal with. It’s a luxury of a problem, but still a problem.

“Hehe… we still have a little time. Come here.”

Fuwa…

She pulled me gently into her arms.

Even though she’d held me all night and spoiled me endlessly…
Here she was, doing it again without hesitation.

“…Kazunari-san. Please stop hiding how much you like this. If you enjoy it, you should say so.”

Once she held me and stroked my head, any flimsy sense of resistance fell apart instantly.

She truly wanted to hold me. Not out of obligation or habit—out of genuine affection.

If that’s the case… then shouldn’t I respond honestly?

Maybe it’s fine to depend on her when I want to— and work hard when I need to.

Maybe that’s what it means to balance myself properly for the life we’re building.

“Hehe… next time I clean your ears, I’ll blow lots and lots of warm air on them again, okay?♪”

……Will I survive the next ear-cleaning?

***

“Morning!”

“Good morning…”

We met up with Natsumi-senpai—lively as always—and the cool, collected Hanako at the convenience store, then headed to school like any other day.

Because of Saturday… I couldn’t help scanning the surroundings, half-anxious, half-curious. But nothing seemed particularly different yet.

Well, only a day or two had passed.
It would be strange if something had changed already.
I’m not a celebrity—letting myself get self-conscious would be ridiculous.

“Takanashi-kun, you’ve been acting strange since earlier.”

“No, not really…”

“It’s fine. Nothing will happen yet. …Though it’s only a matter of time.”

As expected of Hanako—her insight is sharp enough to slice steel.

“Hmm? Oh—this is about Saturday, right!”

Natsumi-senpai clapped her hands like she’d discovered fire.

Cute.

Anyway—

“You knew, senpai?”

“Not the details. Daichi told me some things. And honestly, with how Sara suddenly ran out of the classroom, it was pretty obvious something was going on.”

Ah—right.

I’d forgotten her link to the former student council president. They probably had a whole side meeting on Saturday that we weren’t part of.

“Well… they misunderstood Kazunari-san and Hanako-san’s relationship, so…”

“They were told repeatedly that it wasn’t like that… honestly. Kids these days never listen.”

Kids.
Meaning our classmates.

When even I sometimes feel like that, there’s no room to argue.

“Ah—so they thought Hanako-chan was your girlfriend?”

“Yeah. They invented weird scenarios and insisted we were dating.”

Including… the tragic “sibling roleplay couple” theory.

I still don’t understand how they reached such a bizarre conclusion.

“Hm… (Well, I get why they thought so. Hanako clearly treats him special… and the two are close.)”

“At least now your class should understand the truth. They know I’m the fiancée.”

“I see… so you dumped everything on them.”

“Wonder how today will go.”

Honestly… I’d been worrying about that all morning.

After everything on Saturday, no one would still doubt us—surely. But what would our school life look like now…?

I already accepted that revealing our relationship meant school would change. But I’d been hoping that if everything went well—maybe after the Miss Contest—it might all settle down…

***

Natsumi’s POV.

At some point, it became normal to see people gathering around Sara during breaks.

Ever since she started dating Takanashi-kun, her attitude softened and she became easier to approach. Plus, after the field trip, Yuuri and the others started talking to her more.

As for the boys—well, they’re still hopeless.
Seeing her friendlier manner only made more idiots think they had a “chance.”

“Satsukawa-san, knitting again today?”

“Yes. I don’t have much free time, so I work on it whenever I can.”

She’d been knitting a scarf during short breaks. Knitting at school was unusual, but it was a surprise gift for Takanashi-kun, so it made sense.

And since they live together, she can’t exactly knit it at home.

“…How are you even knitting that fast?”

“It’s just practice. My mother and grandmother trained me thoroughly.”

Even while talking, her hands never slowed.
Her skill in crafting and sewing truly was frightening.

Given that her mother and grandmother are both known to be multitalented, it’s no wonder Sara was raised with such training.

Her “female power”—no, “wife power”—is already high enough to run a household flawlessly.

Honestly, she could get married tomorrow and be a perfect homemaker.

But her knitting at school caused quite the reaction. Not because she was knitting—but because everyone wondered who the scarf was for.

Most think it’s for a family member… or a female friend.

“Seriously… you’re like the embodiment of feminine skill.”

“Hehe… what does that even mean?”

“Natsumi said that about you before. ‘A ball of feminine talent.’”

“She does ace every home ec class.”

With her softer demeanor, more girls approached her than before.

Seeing Sara surrounded by friends, smiling softly while knitting… It really had become normal.

“Being taught since childhood must have helped.”

“So the reason you’re perfect at home ec is because of that, huh?”

“Yes.”

“Wow… whoever marries you will be lucky.”

Yuuri said it with a knowing grin—obviously hinting at Takanashi.

The boys in the class suddenly showed visible envy.

“Hehe… I will be the one making my husband happy.”

Sara smiled—a radiant smile so beautiful that the boys froze like statues. That expression alone could end careers.

“Ahhh… truly a goddess’ smile…”

“‘Husband’… oh god, please call me that…”

“That smile… I can’t give up…”

“I’m going long-term. At least I’ll try talking to her.”

“You too!? Well… yeah, with how she’s been lately, maybe there’s hope…”

“She seems softer recently… maybe I can become a friend…”

“Man… I wish she’d date me…”

“I heard the scarf’s for her boyfriend LOL”

“No way. Not possible.”

“Yeah, she hates men. Impossible.”

Honestly, I understood their reactions.

From their perspective, Sara seemed like a completely different person lately.

But boys are simple creatures—show them a bit of softness, and they think the walls lowered for them.

What they don’t know is that she’s soft only toward one person.

Bang!!

Without warning, the classroom door slammed open, hitting the wall.

The entire room flinched and turned.

“Haa… haa…”

Two boys—Kayama and Ikegami—burst in, out of breath. They scanned the room, spotted Sara, and sprinted toward her with desperate faces.

The entire class froze in confusion.

Except Sara, who was still focused on her knitting.

“S-Satsukawa-san!!”

She finally looked up—and instantly her expression turned ice-cold. The temperature in the room visibly dropped.

Normally, any boy hit with that glare would step back.

But not these two. Not today.

“We—We heard from a junior that you have a boyfriend at this school!!??”

“A-And that you’re getting married—tell me it’s a lie!! You said you didn’t want men near you!!??”

Ah. So the news finally reached them.

Here it comes.

Classmates began whispering, disbelieving, confused, laughing it off.

Of course they would.

We—the ones who know Sara best—could barely believe it at first.

“Hey Natsumi… this means they found out about Takanashi-kun, right? But marriage!?”

Even Yuuri was whispering frantically.

I didn’t answer.

I just watched quietly— waiting for Sara’s response.