The Day After I Told My Shut-In Genius Childhood Friend, Who’s Highly Dependent on Me, “I Got Confessed To,” She Showed Me a Hypnosis App

◆ “Kirisaka Shino”

I have a cute junior.

He’s my junior in both the student council and the literature club, two places at the same time.

His name is Mizumura Honami-kun.

Whenever he sees me in the student council room or the clubroom, he smiles happily.

(I guess you could even say he’s making a move on me.)

No one corrects me on that.

So, that’s just how it is in my mind.

(Well, he’s the kind of kid who wears his feelings on his face, so he probably doesn’t mean anything by it…)

Honami-kun has been a really good kid ever since we first met.

◆

It was this spring.

At the time, I happened to be in the literature club, helping new students who came to observe.

But all the new students who came… were just curious onlookers who had heard about me.

(…I can’t believe no proper members are showing up.)

I’m kind of famous in this school.

People have always said I look boyish.

So I started acting a bit like a male role in a play, trying to meet those expectations.

Before I knew it, a fan club had formed around me, and I was being treated like an idol.

(It’s not like I mind that…)

But being noticed also brings small troubles.

The new student who came to the club today was one of those.

It seemed like word had gotten around that I was there, and he came just to see me or maybe get close.

I had already dealt with the other curious students and sent them on their way.

Taking photos together or giving autographs made them happy.

I waved goodbye with a smile… and sighed.

(…It’s not like I dislike it.)

I’ve gotten used to this kind of attention.

I think it suits me.

I’m tall, my features are sharp, and my hair looks nice when cut short. My stylist says so. I don’t mind being relied on when someone’s in trouble. It feels good. In fact, that reputation helped me become student council president.

But… sometimes.

I feel a little distant from everyone.

(They call me Shino-sama after all.)

To them, I seem perfect and untouchable.

Even I have weaknesses, but no one notices or if they do, they act like they don’t.

They prefer the idea of a “perfect student council president” over the real me.

(Everyone’s looking at their ideal student council president, not me.)

That can feel a bit lonely sometimes.

(It wouldn’t hurt if they treated me like a normal girl once in a while.)

Just then, the door opened again.

“Um, I want to join the club… are you Kirisaka Shino-senpai?”

I looked up while thinking, here we go again.

The new student who wanted to join was a boy.

…Since he knew my name, he must be one of those curious onlookers from before.

A boy who had some kind of interest in me.

I made a sorry expression and tried to show him gently.

“…I’m sorry, but did you come here just to see me? If that’s the case, I have to say no. The club president already agreed to it.”

“Huh?”

“I can take photos with you or give you my autograph, but that’s about it.”

Most new students are happy with a photo or an autograph and leave.

But the boy looking to join the club just tilted his head and looked confused.

“Autograph…? Um, not a membership form? Wait? Aren’t you recruiting new members here…?”

“Hm…?”

Something felt off.

“No, we are recruiting… but you’re not my fan?”

“…Fan? No, it’s true, Senpai is very pretty but…”

“Then… how did you know my name?”

By that point, I already had a feeling he was just a normal new student. I asked why he knew my name because I was curious.

Why would a student who came here normally know my name?

I wondered if he had seen me somewhere, but he pointed at a notebook on the desk.

“…Um, your name is written in this notebook.”

Sure enough, my full name was written in the notebook lying on the desk.

So it turns out this year’s new students really have good eyesight.

◆

The new club member, Mizumura Honami-kun, was a really good kid.

He was cheerful and polite, and his emotions showed clearly on his face, which made him cute.

Even Akimoto, who mostly sleeps through everything, seemed to like him and recommended some of her favorite books.

One day, Honami-kun and I started talking about novels.

“What kind of books do you like, senpai?”

At that moment, I slipped up.

I would normally just mention some classic literature or popular works, but my honest answer just came out.

“Something like ‘The Perfect JK and the Clumsy Inumiya-kun’…?”

“Huh?”

“…Ah.”

‘The Perfect JK and the Clumsy Inumiya-kun’ was a little-known romance manga I had posted online. It had caught the attention of a publisher and been turned into a book.

It was about a girl who aims to be perfect and a friendly, clumsy junior boy named Inumiya-kun. She gets attached to him, and though he’s a bit clueless, he’s sometimes cool, and she gradually falls for him.

The work itself is great. It was really great.

But it’s not exactly the kind of book I usually read in my day-to-day life.

“Ah, I know that. Senpai… you read stuff like this?”

And somehow, Honami-kun knew about this minor work.

(…I hope I didn’t disappoint him.)

I thought of the “ideal student council president” people expect, someone like a princess.

Someone like that reading a shoujo manga… it doesn’t quite match the image.

I felt a little worried about it, but then he shyly said.

“…I’m kind of happy.”

“…Huh?”

“I didn’t think you’d read romance manga, so I’m glad to know you do… and also, um.”

“…What is it?”

He trailed off, so I prompted him to continue.

Please don’t get my hopes up.

If you have something hard to say, just say it quickly and get it over with.

But then he said, with a shy face.

“No… I just thought it was kind of cute… I-I’m sorry! That’s weird, right?! I won’t say it again!”

…Huh?

That wasn’t what I expected at all.

◆

Another time, on a cold day, I was rubbing my arm in the clubroom when he said,

“…Ah, senpai, are you cold? If you want, you can wear my jacket.”

◆

Another time.

“Ah, Senpai, did you change your hairstyle? It really suits you!”

◆

Another time.

“Senpai, I’ll carry your heavy stuff. I’m a guy, after all!”

◆

(—Am I being treated like a girl!?)

I didn’t realize it right away because I didn’t think that could happen.

Honami-kun, my junior, didn’t see me as a perfect prince who could do everything. He treated me simply as a woman.

Even in the student council, it was the same. He often took on tasks and did them well. He understood things quickly and seemed used to handling problems. He was really capable of solving issues.

(What a cute junior.)

He was the perfect junior. And he reminded me a little of Inumiya-kun from “The Perfect JK and the Clumsy Inumiya-kun”, which hit me right in the heart.

(But I can’t do anything about a junior…)

I was wrestling with these thoughts one day…

—When suddenly, he hugged me in the clubroom.

(E-eeeeeeeh!?)

I didn’t show it on my face, but my heart was pounding.

(W-w-w-what is happening!?)

But my calm side picked up on his words and formed a hypothesis.

“To hug you until we’re satisfied whenever we’re alone.”

It seemed like he was acting according to a set condition for some reason.

(I don’t know who arranged this, though.)

Being hugged by Honami-kun in an empty clubroom was perfect.

I wanted to thank whoever set this up, because I enjoyed the hug so much.