Lonely Me And The Lonely Caring Goddess - Chapter 274: Rumors: Spreading…?

Rumors: Spreading…?

Lunch break.

Another blissful lunch time had arrived.

Sara-san’s bentos were, as always, one of the greatest joys of my day. I basically had a strict “hands-off” policy when it came to their contents. Or rather, by the time I woke up, they were already finished, so I never even got the chance to find out what was inside.

“You always look so happy the moment lunch rolls around, Kazunari.”

“Can you blame me? It’s one of the few genuine pleasures I have in my school life.”

Of course I’d be happy.

For any red-blooded high-school boy, eating a handmade lunch from his girlfriend at school is peak fantasy material.

To be perfectly honest, I never thought something like that would ever happen to me. And the idea that I’d end up with the love of my life (who also happens to be my fiancée) named Sara-san? That was beyond my wildest dreams.

…Well, the me from the beginning of the school year had been too cynical and distrustful of people to even think about romance anyway.

“Shall we get going before we’re late?”

“Yeah. We’re probably the last ones again.”

And there it was… Why were we always the last to arrive?

Did everyone else sprint full-tilt to the flowerbed the instant the bell rang?

No, wait—I genuinely couldn’t picture most of them running like that.

“Takanashi-kun, another love-wife bento from Satsukawa-senpai today~?”

“Ugh, even as a girl I’m jealous of Satsukawa-senpai’s lunches…”

“And it’s not even a joke. A real love-wife bento is just… wow.”

“Because it’s Satsukawa-senpai, after all.”

Ever since people found out about me and Sara-san, the girls had started teasing and envying me nonstop. It wasn’t malicious, though, so I didn’t mind.

“Man… lucky bastard…”

“Seriously, why does Takanashi get all the special treatment?”

“Because he’s her boyfriend?”

“No, I mean before that. Guys were never even on her radar.”

“True. No one could get close to her no matter how hard they tried… so why him…?”

At the very least, the ones drooling over her would never understand in a million years.

Not that I was arrogant enough to say that out loud, of course.

“Kazunari, hurry up or we’ll be late.”

“Ah, sorry.”

Damn, I’d stopped walking while lost in thought.

Sara-san and the others were probably waiting already. I needed to move.

***

Lunch was over, and we were all lounging in that pleasant post-meal haze.

As usual, the conversation drifted to the cooking class that had just ended yesterday.

“So in the end, did everyone manage to cook something edible?”

“Barely… except for me.”

“Huh? Takanashi-kun was the only one who couldn’t? Wait—don’t tell me Sara deliberately kept you from participating because she doesn’t want you learning to cook for her—”

“Summer. Even as a joke, I will not forgive that.”

“Eeeek!!!”

A dangerous glint flashed in Sara-san’s eyes. No, this wasn’t just a glint—she was genuinely furious!

“…H-holy crap. Hanako-san, that—”

“…My wife values Kazunari more than her own life. Saying something like that is the ultimate insult. She’s dead serious right now.”

“B-but instead of calmly explaining, shouldn’t we stop Satsukawa-senpai—”

“…She brought it on herself. And if you think you can stop her, be my guest, pretty boy.”

“…Sorry, impossible.”

“I-I just thought she might say something like ‘Kazunari doesn’t need to learn how to cook~’ or whatever!!!”

Sharp. Almost word-for-word what Sara-san would actually say.

As expected from the person who’s known her the longest.

But that wasn’t the real reason, so Sara-san was being unfairly accused here. I had to clear things up.

“It’s not that, Natsumi-senpai. I just… cut my finger a little with the knife—”

“Don’t say it!! I can’t handle that kind of talk! Ugh, it gives me the shivers…”

Natsumi-senpai grimaced and started trembling the moment she heard the word “cut.”

Ah… yeah, some people really can’t stand gore talk. So Natsumi-senpai was one of them. I felt bad now.

“This me… forcing Kazunari…?”

And Sara-san’s eyes had gone completely dead.

This was bad. Like with Mayumi-san before, the moment it involved me, Sara-san stopped understanding jokes entirely.

And this time, to Sara-san—who always put me first no matter what—those words were utterly unforgivable.

“…H-Hanako-san…”

“…Nope, I can’t do it either. The only one who can calm my wife down is Kazunari.”

“…Yeah, fair.”

Hanako-san was right. It was my job to fix this.

But how? I didn’t want to use cheap tricks on Sara-san. The only thing to do was be completely honest.

“Sara-san, I know better than anyone that you put me above everything else. I know how precious that is to you… because I feel exactly the same way.”

This wasn’t arrogance. Sara-san had always, without fail, cherished me more than anything.

And I felt the same about her.

“Kazunari-san…”

“Not many people could ever understand how deeply we feel for each other! Besides, Natsumi-senpai is hopelessly oblivious about romance. It’ll probably be years before she reaches our level.”

“Hey!”

I was trying to smooth things over, yet for some reason Natsumi-senpai yelled like I’d insulted her. Whatever—priority was conveying my feelings to Sara-san first.

And just like that, the dangerous aura vanished, replaced by Sara-san’s usual gentle smile.

“Fufu… you’re right. Summer really is hopeless when it comes to these things. It’ll be quite some time before she understands how we feel.”

“You damn lovey-dovey couple!! If you’re just gonna ignore me, at least—mmph!”

“Shut it. You reaped what you sowed.”

“Hanako-san, that’s… actually kinda amazing. Nobody else could gag Natsumi-senpai like that…”

“Ahaha… well, at least Satsukawa-senpai’s back to normal. As expected of her fiancé.”

Thank goodness. The kind Sara-san I loved was back.

Seriously, Natsumi-senpai had only been joking, but anyone who knew how intense Sara-san’s feelings were should’ve seen this coming.

“Kazunari-san… if it’s all right, may I give you a lap pillow?”

“Huh?”

I mean… I didn’t mind, but why so suddenly?

It didn’t really follow the conversation.

“Fufu… please don’t look so puzzled. For some reason, I just really want to do something for you right now. Or perhaps a hug instead…”

“Lap pillow, please!”

I answered instantly.

Of course I’d be happy with either, but Sara-san’s hugs came with… options. Dangerous options.

If she did that here, I’d melt so completely that afternoon classes would be impossible.

Plus, the only future I could see was us abandoning everyone again and “messing up” spectacularly.

“Very well♪ Here you go.”

Sara-san cleared a little space around herself and patted her thighs invitingly.

Even a lap pillow carried its own kind of tension. I needed to take a breath—I couldn’t just dive in headfirst.

“Then… excuse me…”

I wasn’t even sure why I said it, but it felt like the polite thing to do before resting your head in someone’s lap.

Something like “pardon the intrusion.”

fwuump…

“…!?”

The moment I lay down and gently placed my head on Sara-san’s thighs, that unbelievable softness welcomed me once again.

People say things like “heavenly,” but Sara-san’s lap pillow truly was heaven.

(For the record, her full-power pampering hugs went far beyond heaven—words failed to describe them.)

“How is it, Kazunari-san?”

“…Blissful.”

“Fufu… I’m happy too. We still have time, so please stay like this a while longer.”

stroke… stroke…

Once I settled in, Sara-san immediately began running her fingers through my hair.

Lap pillows and head pats really were a set, but I needed to brace myself or I’d fall asleep from pure comfort in seconds.

“They really do slip into lovey-dovey mode without missing a beat, huh…”

“Can’t be helped this time. The moment Kazunari smoothed things over, anyone could see the wife was going to want to dote on him. This is all someone’s fault.”

“Grrrrrrrr!!”

“H-Hanako-san, Natsumi-senpai is turning purple—”

“My bad. Forgot.”

“Pwaaah! Were you trying to kill me!?”

“Probably not… probably.”

This slapstick routine playing out in front of me felt awfully familiar.

Well, I knew our antics were partly to blame, but… no, wait!

Hanako-san was right—this was the direct result of me covering for Natsumi-senpai’s slip-up.

So I had zero reason to feel guilty.

Which meant I could shamelessly enjoy Sara-san’s lap pillow without reservation.

***

“I get it. Their flirting really is on another level. Anyone without immunity who suddenly saw this would beg for mercy.”

“No kidding. Yesterday the idiots—er, the morons in class were still drooling over the wife left and right, but this morning they were actively avoiding the topic.”

“Word’s already spreading to my class too. My group hasn’t brought it up yet, but I overheard another circle this morning going ‘no way’ about something.”

Hayato was in the class next door and shared PE with us, so he had plenty of connections. It wasn’t strange that the rumors reached him faster.

“Oh, now that you mention it, some boys in my class were making a fuss this morning too. Maybe that was it…”

…It had only been a few days, and the rumors were spreading this quickly?

Or was this actually normal?

If our classmates were blabbing everywhere, it wasn’t impossible…

“Fufu… getting sleepy?”

stroke… stroke…

Sara-san, naturally, couldn’t care less about the rumors and only had eyes for me.

That was just how she always was.

I’d only closed my eyes to think, but she’d mistaken it for drowsiness.

“No, I’m fine.”

“Are you sure? We still have time—if you fall asleep, that’s perfectly all right.”

“I’d rather not waste a single second of this.”

“Fufu… honestly, Kazunari-san. I’ll give you a lap pillow anytime you like. So starting tomorrow, after lunch every day we could—”

““Stop right there.””

Natsumi-senpai and Hanako-san’s perfect unison retort.

These two actually got along surprisingly well—no real sense of senior/junior hierarchy.

Maybe because Hanako-san’s mental age was so high, Natsumi-senpai didn’t treat her like an underclassman.

“Seriously, save that stuff for when you’re alone. She’d be able to flirt in peace too, right?”

“That’s true, but still.”

“No, think about how we feel watching you two the whole time! We’re trying to talk about the rumors you’re causing!”

…Yeah, I might’ve gotten a little carried away.

It really wasn’t the atmosphere to keep lying here forever. I should get up—

press…

…Guess not.

The moment I tried to sit up, Sara-san gently held my head in place.

“Summer, would those rumors actually cause us any trouble if they spread?”

“…Huh?”

“If they would trouble Kazunari-san, then of course I would take drastic measures. But our engagement and future marriage are facts. I have no problem with people knowing. In fact, if it makes those annoying boys disappear, it’s two birds with one stone. What about you, Kazunari-san?”

“I’m fine with it. Honestly, I welcome it.”

Fewer guys sniffing around Sara-san? I was all for the rumors spreading.

The more who gave up, the better. And if any decided to confront me directly—well, I wasn’t planning on running.

So no issues whatsoever.

“Uh… well, the rumors themselves aren’t really a problem, I guess…”

Yeah, Natsumi-senpai had only pointed it out because of the mood. She didn’t actually think the rumors were bad.

She herself had said that our relationship becoming public would obviously cause gossip.

Since the people directly involved—us—didn’t care, she’d spoken up on reflex.

“…I don’t know why, but this annoys me.”

“Anyway, rumors are whatever. More importantly…”

“Right. After this…”

“Mm.”

Hanako-san, Hayato, and Marina all gave me meaningful looks.

I instantly knew they were thinking about the beauty contest, but since it was still a secret from Sara-san, I pretended not to notice.

I’d already told all three—especially Hayato and Marina—that if the subject came up around them, they didn’t have to get involved.

Considering the chaos in our class, if they confirmed anything, they’d get dragged into the mess.

Without us present, every question would inevitably turn to them.

I’d feel terrible if that happened.

“Is something the matter, everyone?”

Sara-san tilted her head innocently at the group.

Her usual razor-sharp perception only activated where I was concerned. Toward everyone else, she could be adorably airheaded.

But let me just say this:

That side of her is cute too!!!!!

“Nothing. Kazunari’s just thinking unnecessary thoughts again.”

!!!???

Hanako-san, don’t turn Sara-san’s attention back to me right now!

She’d definitely read my mind and deliberately changed the subject…

“Kazunari-san, is something wrong?”

“N-no, it’s just… um…”

I couldn’t exactly admit I’d been internally gushing about how cute she was…

“Fufu… hiding things from me… is no good, you know?”

That playful tone and mischievous smile.

She probably didn’t know exactly what I was thinking, but my reaction had flipped her “I want to hear it clearly” switch.

This was bad… I was still in lap-pillow position, and she was holding my face straight toward her. Sara-san stared directly into my eyes…

I… I might not survive this…

“…Sara-san is…”

“Yes? What about me?”

“…so insanely cute that I was screaming it in my head!!!”

There! I said it! Take that, Hanako-san!!

Everyone gave me that familiar mix of deadpan and warm stares (Marina seemed genuinely touched), and the shame burned through me…

Too embarrassed to look at Sara-san’s face, I squeezed my eyes shut—

chu…

!?

Something soft brushed my lips. I knew instantly it was Sara-san’s kiss.

The moment our lips parted, she turned my face toward her and pressed it gently against something warm and soft.

This sensation…

“Fufu… Kazunari-san is so shy… now your embarrassed face is hidden♪”

I remember now!

Last time she cleaned my ears, she’d done the same thing—pressed my face into her stomach.

So this was Sara-san’s belly!?

“I’m happy you called me cute. But I think you’re the cute one, Kazunari-san.”

Hey, “cute” isn’t exactly a compliment for a guy… so in silent protest, I lightly buried my face a little deeper.

“Nn…! Kazunari-san, you naughty boy… that’s a no-no…”

She squirmed slightly, tickled, and let out a soft scolding.

Whoops, I got a bit bold there…

“…Hey.”

“…What?”

“…What do we do about this? It’s your fault, Hanako-san.”

“…My bad.”

“…I-I think that’s a little too bold… ahaha…”

“…Marina-san, if it’s too embarrassing to watch, you can look away…”

In the end, Sara-san refused to let me go until the very last second of lunch break, when Natsumi-senpai finally snapped in exasperation.