The Most Beautiful Girl in School Has Become a Mother - Chapter 39: The Feeling That Has Started to Become Self-Aware

Three weeks have passed since Miori started accompanying me to school in the mornings. April is now nearing its end, and before I knew it, I had been living my school life with three friends—Miori, Shinya, and Sumomo.

Besides the brief chit-chat during breaks, during lunch, or in classes where we could freely form groups, we naturally started gathering together. It wasn’t that anyone started it; everyone just naturally began to gather at my seat.

I think the reason people gather at my seat is probably because they don’t go to anyone else’s seat instead of mine… but somehow, this situation felt a bit uncomfortable in its own way.

The reason is that this gathering includes the Iron Maiden, Imiya Miori. Since entering school, she has hardly associated with boys, maintaining the image of a gentle and modest beautiful girl, a paragon of virginity that boys dream of. But now, she is breaking that image. She has been attracting strange attention, and many have seen her walking to and from school with me—though we are joined by two others along the way. There are even rumors circulating that Imiya Miori has a boyfriend.

However, Miori herself doesn’t seem to care about it. According to Sumomo, she occasionally gets asked by other girls, “Are you dating Sanada-kun or something?” but she just brushes it off saying, “It’s not like that.”

Well, since the fact is that we are not actually dating, that answer is not wrong. It’s not wrong, but it makes me feel a bit lonely.

Moreover──

“Here you go. Today’s bento.”

Right after lunch break begins, a bento wrapped in secret by Miori at the bottom of the stairs.

“T-thank you.”

“If you could return the lunchbox when you come back, that would be great.”

After saying that with a smile, she went up the stairs first and headed to the rooftop.

Speaking of unusual daily life, there’s this too. Yes, Miori has started making me bento. It seems she’s concerned about me eating nothing but store-bought bread every day.

It seems she said, “What if Isaki-kun gets sick?” Indeed, while I am generally healthy, if I were to fall ill, who would take Shuri to and from daycare? Thinking about it this way, I can see why she tells me to get proper rest and sleep.

Of course, Shinya and Sumomo know that I’m the one making the bento. Although they questioned it on the first day, Miori managed to cover for me by saying, “It’s just a side effect of making Shuri-chan’s bento.” By the way, the kindergarten Shuri attends has a school lunch system, not a bento system. This was a lie she came up with on the spot.

“…Isn’t it fine if you’re already dating?”

“Whoa!?”

After Miori disappeared from sight, it was Shinya who suddenly appeared from the side.

It seems that he went to the store today, and on his way back, he happened to witness the scene where the bento was being picked up.

“Well… it’s not like we’re actually dating. This is just a bonus for Shuri.”

“That daycare over there, I used to go there too, but they have a meal plan, right?”

“Ugh?!”

This is the worst. I can’t believe an OB was so close to me.

Miori’s lie had been exposed from the very beginning.

“I ignored it because it was a lie that Imiya blurted out on the spot, but come on, there’s no way she doesn’t have feelings for you.”

“No, that can’t be right. It’s all for Shuri.”

“Really? Well, let’s hurry up and go to the rooftop. We’ll lose our spot.”

Shinya showed an exasperated face and went up the stairs. I sulked a bit and followed him.

I actually think there are no feelings. For a moment, I might be misled into thinking so, but I desperately suppressed that hope myself.

The reason is that, even when I think about it calmly, her standards of behavior always include Shuri’s presence.

The reason she makes bento for me is that if I eat something strange and get sick, Shuri would be worried, and she enjoys accompanying me in the morning and evening. She also comes over a few times a week to make dinner for me—of course, I haven’t told Shinya or Sumomo about this—but it’s for Shuri’s health. There’s no consideration for me as a person in that.

Even though I think so──

“Don’t sacrifice yourself. Let’s make memories together.”

The words that Miori said to me come back to my mind.

This was what she said when I talked about why I don’t make friends.

“Spending time with Isaki-kun and Shuri-chan, playing together… then it will surely become a memory just for us.”

When I felt tired of taking care of Shuri, she said this to me.

“It might be a bit different from the usual high school memories… but don’t you think it will be a really wonderful memory in its own way?”

Just as she said, since that day, little by little, different memories have been forming.

Even just talking about school life, I’ve started getting homemade bento from a girl and walking to and from school together. The other day, when I suggested treating her to crepes after a long time, she said it was okay and suggested going somewhere on the way back, so we stopped by a café together.

There was always Miori’s presence when dropping off and picking up Shuri, and she had started having meals at our place several times a week.

For the past few weeks, having Miori around has become completely normal for me; in fact, she is almost a part of my entire life now. I spend so much time with her that it feels like we are living together.

The most mundane daily routines were shaping my memories with her, and my life had become completely different between last month and this month.

“Isn’t it fine if you’re already dating?”

Regarding what Shinya said earlier, I can’t say I haven’t thought about it. Even I think this is like we’re dating.

However, she denies it by saying, “It’s not like that,” and if that’s the case, it must be different for her.

If asked whether I want to date, I would say yes. Surely, with Miori, Shuri, and I together, we could create even more enjoyable memories. However, at the same time, I wonder if we are already achieving that now.

Rather, if I desired that relationship, there was even a possibility that the lives of the three of them would fall apart.

Because of those things, I try not to think about it as much as possible.

Even if we are just classmates, we can still be “dad” and “mom,” and there’s no problem spending time together as a trio with Shuri.

I can watch the scene of Miori playing with Shuri from the side, and she has a smile on her face that she doesn’t show to anyone else. Since I’m spending time with her like this, my life must be fulfilled. No, thinking that I’m not fulfilled with this is selfish.

However, the fact that I keep going around in circles thinking about this has made one thing clear.

That meant that I had completely fallen for her. And at the same time, it also meant that I had to hide my true feelings and pretend to be in a “mom and dad” relationship.

When I went up to the rooftop, it seemed that Miori and Sumomo had already claimed a spot, and they waved at me.

Miori’s smile is dazzling, and just seeing that smile makes my cheeks relax.

──What am I supposed to do?

While being aware of my own relaxed cheeks, I muttered to myself in my mind.