Chapter 9

After somehow making it home, Akito entered his room and collapsed onto his bed in a daze.

(Whaaaa—!?)

He clutched his head and squirmed around on his bed, his face flushed red.

(What was that, what was that, what was that!?)

All he could see in his mind was Emily’s face—her flushed cheeks, her slightly heavy breaths, her teary, upturned gaze. 

Without a doubt, Akito’s heart was racing. He couldn’t deny it.

To put it plainly, he had been completely captivated by Emily.

(W-wait! Emily’s always so touchy-feely with me! That had to be just her usual skinship, right…? But there’s no way I can convince myself of that this time!)

Akito groaned, almost like a zombie, and rolled around until he finally fell off the bed with a loud thud.

“Ow!”

The sharp pain helped cool down his flushed face a bit. He sat up slowly, rubbing his sore backside.

(‘I… I love… Akito…’)

“…If I keep insisting it’s just skinship after hearing that, I’d look like a total fool…”

He glanced in the direction of the wall that separated his room from Emily’s.

Meanwhile, on the other side of that wall, Emily jumped at the sound of the loud thump. She considered getting up to check on him but stopped herself, remembering what had happened after school.

As she sat on the floor, her phone buzzed beside her. Nervously, she turned it on to find a message from her “Confession Encouragement Squad,” urging her to hurry up.

The memory of her earlier attempt made her blush all over again.

(…This is the first time I’ve felt this way…)

She held her hands to her cheeks and shook her head. She loved Akito—so much that she wanted to marry him one day. She had repeated “I love him” in her heart countless times.

(I never imagined saying it out loud would be so embarrassing…)

Knock, knock, knock.

“!!”

A knock on her door startled her out of her thoughts. Her parents were still at work, so the only person it could be was… Akito.

“…I’m coming in.”

“W-wait, uh!”

Before she could fully prepare herself, Akito stepped inside. As soon as their eyes met, her face grew even redder.

“Emily.”

“A-Akito…”

Akito slowly approached her, and instinctively, Emily stepped back—only to stumble onto her bed.

With nowhere else to go, she found herself lying on the bed, and Akito leaning over her.

The situation looked unmistakably like he had her pinned down.

(W-wait, what’s going to happen to me…!)