Lonely Me And The Lonely Caring Goddess - Chapter 270: The Predestined Path.

The Predestined Path.

“Kazunari-san, what happened!?”

Sara-san’s voice rang out in alarm as she rushed over the moment Hanako-san called my name.

It really wasn’t a serious injury at all, but knowing it was my own clumsiness that caused it made me feel terribly guilty toward her.

“Kazunari, let me see your hand!!”

Even the usually composed Hanako-san sounded frantic as she reached for my hand.

I didn’t mind showing it to them, but for something this minor…

“Kazunari-san, please show me your hand!”

“No, really, it’s nothing serious…”

“Just hurry and let me see it!!”

“Y-yes!!”

Of course. As if I could ever go against either of them.

When the top-ranked and third-ranked people I absolutely cannot defy (second place being Mayumi-san) close in on me like this, resistance is futile. So I obediently offered my left hand. Sara-san touched it as gently as if it were something fragile, cradling it in both of hers and lifting it to a height where she could examine it closely.

…What if they tell me I’m making a huge fuss over a tiny scratch?

I’d checked it myself earlier, and honestly, it was just a bit of blood—nothing more. Yet Sara-san stared fixedly at the wound, her brows knitting with worry.

That expression on her face… Seeing the person I cherish most looking so anxious because of me made me furious with myself. God, I really am an idiot.

“…I think simple first aid will be more than enough for something like this.”

Hanako-san, peering at the cut from the side, seemed to agree that it was minor. I felt the same way—and if I’m being perfectly honest, I’d have been fine leaving it alone entirely. Frankly, the sort of thing that heals if you just lick it and leave it be.

“The infirmary… no, perhaps the hospital…”

But Sara-san clearly didn’t share that opinion. Her face looked on the verge of tears, and realizing I was the one who put that expression there made me want to punch myself senseless.

“Honey, let’s do basic first aid for now.”

“You’re right… um…”

“You cook all the time, don’t you? You must do this much for yourself too, right?”

“Eh? Well, yes, that’s true, but…”

Logically speaking, it was obvious, yet I couldn’t picture Sara-san ever making a mistake like this. At the very least, I had never once witnessed such a scene.

But if—hypothetically—Sara-san ever cut her finger… I don’t even want to imagine it, but I’d probably make an enormous fuss and—

…Oh.

So this feeling I have right now… might be exactly what Sara-san is feeling at this moment.

Ugh… that just makes me feel even more awful.

“Sara-san, I’m really fine. This is nothing.”

It truly wasn’t a big deal. So I smiled as brightly as I could, hoping to ease even a fraction of her worry.

The pain had started to register a little, but it was still trivial. The bleeding would stop soon enough…

“Kazunari-san, are you absolutely sure you’re all right? If you lie to me… you’ll be in trouble, you know?”

She gazed straight into my eyes as she asked. Sara-san, who can always see right through me, must already know I’m not lying. The fact that she still wouldn’t accept it could only mean one thing: she was that deeply worried.

“C-cute!?”

“That’s unfair! Saying ‘you’ll be in trouble’ in full Satsukawa-senpai mode?!”

“Haa… haa… this rom-com is too powerful…”

“Hey, you guys, Takanashi’s injured right now—”

“…………fuu.”

“Too much moe… I could die happy…”

“Damn iiit! I wanted Satsukawa-senpai to say that to me too!”

“If I got hurt, maybe she’d—nah, no chance…”

“Is Takanashi gonna be okay?”

“Whatever you do, don’t get between them. If you interrupt, Satsukawa-senpai and Hanazaki-san will murder you.”

“Haha, that’s a rare joke coming from Kawamura.”

“You think I’m joking?”

““…………””

What do I do… I can’t exactly yank my arm away, but at this rate the cooking class is going to fall further behind schedule.

Everyone in class is staring, and it’s my fault the whole group’s work has ground to a halt.

“Sara-san, I promise I’m fine. Honestly, just lick it and it’ll heal.”

“Honey, Kazunari says so too, and the injury really does look minor.”

“…Yes… you’re right.”

Thanks to my persuasion and Hanako-san’s support, Sara-san finally nodded. She still hadn’t let go of my hand, but her expression seemed a little calmer.

Thank goodness. I was seconds away from being unable to forgive myself for keeping that heartbroken look on her face any longer… I have to be more careful from now on.

“Still, we shouldn’t leave it completely untreated. Kazunari doesn’t want a big fuss, so why not treat it the way you normally would for yourself?”

“That… sounds reasonable. If Kazunari-san doesn’t mind, then I—”

“I’m fine with whatever puts Sara-san at ease.”

If it would reassure her, I had no objections. “The usual way” probably meant something simple, after all.

“Very well. Then please leave everything to me, Kazunari-san.”

A small smile graced Sara-san’s lips as she guided my left hand to the sink and gently rinsed the wound. Once she was satisfied, she pulled a handkerchief from her apron pocket and lightly dabbed—wait, a handkerchief!?

“Sara-san! It’ll get blood on your handkerchief…”

“Kazunari-san, you promised to leave it to me, remember?”

“Urk…”

I’d heard bloodstains never fully come out no matter how many times you wash them. A tissue or anything disposable would have been fine…

Yet Sara-san, without the slightest hint of displeasure, carefully wiped my index finger. The bleeding still hadn’t completely stopped; fresh red beaded up again the moment she finished.

She tucked the handkerchief away for a moment, then brought my hand closer to her face, studying the wound intently… and then—

“Nh…”

chu

……………………………………………………huh?

“““　!!!!!!!!???????　”””

Eh…?

Wha…?

She… put it in her mouth…?

She really just… put it in her mouth?

E-e-eh?

Wha… what what what… what? What just…?

***

WWHHHAaaatttTTT in tthhaaa wwoorrlllddoooo!!

“Nn…”

chu…

Wh-what what what what—no, no, no, calm down! Calm down, me! Stay calm!!

This is exactly the kind of moment when I have to be rational—rational, rational, rational!!

I told Sara-san the injury was nothing serious. Hanako-san agreed it was just a minor cut. So we don’t need any over-the-top treatment. “Just do it the way you usually do for yourself,” she said, and I agreed because that would put Sara-san at ease.

Oh… right!

I’d thought the same thing myself—if you just lick it, it’ll heal. So it’s not weird at all if that’s how Sara-san normally treats her own cuts.

See? Nothing to overthink.

Hahaha… haha…

…Like hell it’s normal!!!!!

“…E-e-e-e-eeeeeh!?”

“W-what… what is she doing… that!?”

“Uwaa… she’s… she’s really going that far!?”

“…gulp”

“…A-ah… ah…”

“No way… it’s a dream, a dream, just a dream…”

“Haha… no, no, my goddess would never…”

“S-stop… please…”

“Sara-san!?”

“Nnh…”

chu… chu… chu…

Sara-san closed her eyes and took the tip of my finger into her mouth as though she were kissing it. The soft, wet sounds coming from those adorable lips… the sensation…

N-no, this is bad. I don’t want to think about what makes it bad, I absolutely refuse to think about it, and I definitely won’t say it out loud, but if I had to put it into words—IT’S JUST INSANELY BAD!!

That’s all I can say!!

“N-n-n-n-no…”

Beside me, Hanako-san stood frozen in open-mouthed shock. Her gaze was locked on Sara-san’s mouth… Well, of course it was. Anyone would be shocked by—

“…Nnmu.”

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

S-she licked it!!!!!

Just now—Sara-san’s tongue definitely—

“Nnh… nnh…”

chu… chu… chu…

Aaaaahhh…

Her tongue brushed gently over the cut—once, twice, three times—and—no! Don’t think! Don’t think about it!!!!!

Become nothing! Become emptiness!!

My mind is a mirror, clear and still…

chu…

I’m happy but please stop!?

I’m happy but please stop!?

I’m so happy so happy so happy!!!!!

“Nn…”

I have no idea how long it lasted. It felt both instantaneous and eternal.

Then, accompanied by the faintest wet sound, my index finger slowly slipped free from the warm confines of Sara-san’s mouth.

I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. The shock was overwhelming. My heart was pounding like it might explode.

Only now did reality catch up to me. The moment I remembered what had just happened, my face flashed crimson, as if a kettle had boiled over inside my skull.

Uuu… Sara-san… that was way, way too much…

“…Is that better now?”

Even after doing something so outrageous, Sara-san looked perfectly composed. Sure, she says she does this for herself all the time… but she only did it because it was for me, right? There’s no ulterior motive… there really isn’t… probably.

“U-um… S-Sara-san…?”

“Fufu… It’s a little embarrassing when I think about it now.”

Where exactly!?

I almost retorted out loud, but… yeah, her cheeks were faintly pink. Or were they? It was hard to tell.

No one could stay completely unaffected after something like that.

Me? I was at my absolute limit. No way could I stay that calm.

If I let my guard down for even a second, my eyes darted to her lips, then to my finger—my finger!!

“The bleeding seems to have stopped.”

“Eh!? Y-y-yeah, it has!”

I checked the tip when she pointed it out. The blood had indeed stopped.

But more importantly—more importantly!

My finger was still glistening slightly with… with… aaaaahhh!

“Kazunari-san, does it still hurt? The pain might come later once the shock wears off…”

There’s another sensation lingering that completely drowns out any pain!!

Sure, it might ache a bit later, but compared to this feeling, it’s nothing!!

“…W-what… did you just… do…”

Hanako-san, who had been stunned silent until now, finally forced the words out in a strangled voice.

She saw the whole thing, so of course she knows what Sara-san did—but that’s not what she’s asking.

“Eh? I simply did what I always do for myself…”

“That’s not the point!! Who told you to go that far!?”

Hanako-san rounded on Sara-san like a dam had burst. I’d rarely seen her this worked up, but anyone would react that way after witnessing… that. Even I still couldn’t accept it was real.

“When it comes to taking care of Kazunari-san, I do not compromise.”

“I know that! But that was still way too much!!”

“Was it? I only tended to Kazunari-san’s injury. And wasn’t it you, Hanako-san, who said to do it the way I always do for myself?”

“Urk… Well, yes, but… grrr…”

Yeah, Hanako-san’s in the wrong here.

Technically everything she said was true… and the same goes for me.

Plus, Sara-san’s motives are completely pure, so there’s no winning an argument against her. Same pattern as with Natsumi-senpai.

Hanako-san clamped her mouth shut in frustrated defeat… but that wasn’t what mattered right now!

“S-Sara-san, I promise I’m really, truly fine now!”

“I’m glad to hear it. Then let’s rinse it once more and put on a bandage. We’ll disinfect it properly later, all right?”

With that, Sara-san guided my hand back to the sink and gently washed it again.

…Between you and me, part of me felt it was a waste to wash it off… No! Bad thoughts! Stop that, me!!

Once she’d cleaned and thoroughly dried my finger, she pulled out her student handbook for some reason—there was a bandage inside—and carefully pressed it onto the cut.

“Thank you.”

“Ah, wait just a moment. There’s still the final touch…”

“Final touch?”

Sara-san smiled and brought my hand to her face once more.

What now?

The bandage was already on. I thought we were done.

“Pain, pain, go away…”

chu…

……………

She whispered the childish spell with the sweetest smile, then gently kissed the tip of my bandaged finger.

Seeing my face freeze in shock again, she gave me the softest, most radiant smile.

That’s cheating. That’s really cheating… Why does Sara-san have to be so impossibly cute? When she does things like this, when she smiles like that… I love her so much it hurts, love wells up inside me until it overflows… I… I…

“““Gaaah!!”””

“Whoa, what did you guys just spit out!?”

“Uuu… uuu…”

“Uwaaaaaah, no more… no more…”

“Damn it… damn it damn it… Takanaaaasshhi!”

“How long are you gonna keep this up… give us a break alreadyyyyy!”

“Wait… that was really Satsukawa-senpai!?”

“Seriously… I’m so jealous… what even was that…”

“Hey, Hanazaki-san, that thing you said this morning—”

“Exactly as I predicted.”

“That went way beyond predictions…”

“Sara-san…”

“…Kazunari-san?”

Driven by the feelings surging in my chest, I slowly reached out to her. I wanted to touch her, to hold her, to be held by her—those desires spun wildly through my mind.

Sara-san instantly understood what I needed. She met my eyes, smiled brightly, and opened her arms wide.

Like a moth to flame, I fell into her embrace…

gyuu

“Mgu…!”

I’d expected her usual gentle hug, but instead Sara-san wrapped her arms tightly around my back and head, pulling me in hard.

My face ended up half-buried in that familiar soft place.

“…H-Hanafan…?”

“…You idiot, Kazunari-san… Do you have any idea how worried I was…?”

Ah…

Of course she’s angry…

Sara-san put my treatment first because she’s kind, but I hadn’t forgotten the heartbroken look on her face earlier.

She’d been against letting me join the class in the first place, so of course she’d be upset that I got hurt.

“…Sowwy…”

“…No, I’m the one who should apologize for calling you an idiot.”

Perhaps that was enough for her; she loosened the hand pressing my head and let me pull back.

Wanting to apologize properly, I lifted my face from her chest and looked straight at her.

“Sara-san, I’m really sor—”

chu…

!?

“““!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”””

I’d only meant to say sorry, but Sara-san’s lips brushed mine for a single fleeting instant and stole the words away.

A kiss so light it barely counted… yet it silenced me completely.

“…I’m truly relieved your injury wasn’t serious.”

“…”

“If you’d been badly hurt… I would have cried.”

“…I’m sorry.”

Sara-san gently stroked my hair, slow and tender.

Her tone sounded almost playful, but after seeing her expression earlier, I knew she wasn’t joking at all.

And because I knew that, the guilt only grew heavier…

“““Kyaa…”””

“““Kyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!”””

“““Guoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!”””

What the—!?!?!?

The sudden chorus of shrieks startled me so much I jumped away from Sara-san. Looking around—the girls were in absolute pandemonium, the boys looked ready to drop dead from despair.

Hanako-san stared at us with cold, dead eyes, and for some reason Yamakawa and the others were right there with her…

“…”

“…S-sorry.”

Under the silent pressure from Hanako-san, those were the only words that came out.

In the end, just like she predicted this morning… I really did “mess up big time,” didn’t I…?