The Story of A Beautiful Girl I Rescued From An Attacker Who Became My Seatmate. - Chapter 18

After Golden Week, I quietly took my seat in order to avoid the bustling atmosphere of the class.

“Good morning~”

“Ah, good morning.”

The only difference today was that the beautiful girl next to me greeted me. She was usually seen chatting and laughing with the other girls, but today she sat quietly at her desk, studying.

“Hey~”

As I was preparing for class at my desk, Hoshino approached me.

“Good morning. Sorry for canceling the programme.”

“No problem. You had something urgent, right? Well, in return, treat me to something someday.”

“I’ll consider it. By the way, there was so much homework.”

Upon hearing that, Hoshino’s face turned pale. Ah, this guy. He hasn’t finished his homework.

“Oh, right. So, did you finish yours?”

“Yeah, of course.”

“What?! Out of everyone you!?”

“Hey.”

Truth be told, it was thanks to Kirishima, but I decided not to reveal that. It would be troublesome if everything came to light.

“Um, could you show me your homework?”

“Huh? ‘Out of everyone you?!'”

“I’m sorry!”

“I guess I have no choice. Be grateful for my kindness.”

“Thanks!”

I took some notes out of my bag and handed them to Hoshino. He hurriedly ran back to his seat.

Afterwards, I glanced at Kirishima, who was smiling happily. Well, thanks to her. To express my gratitude, I clasped my hands together, and she responded with an OK sign. Oh well, I’m grateful.

After school.

As usual, I stayed behind to ask questions about things I didn’t understand in class. Thanks to Kirishima, the number of questions had decreased significantly, but I still couldn’t solve every problem.

“Thank you very much.”

“Yeah, functions are often asked in exams. Make sure to master them.”

After a proper farewell, I left the faculty room. I checked my watch and it was already 4:30. I decided to call it a day around this time.

Returning to the sparsely populated classroom, I packed up my materials and quickly left.

“Hmm?”

I changed into my leather shoes and as I was about to leave through the entrance, I noticed a familiar figure standing next to the school gate.

“Ah!”

For some reason, she was waving her hand. Since there were hardly any people around, she was probably waving at me.

“Kurata-kun, you’re late~”

“Oh, I thought you might have left already.”

“Oh, that’s right, you know. I don’t have the key…”

Ah, I completely forgot. Without giving her a spare key, she wouldn’t be able to enter the house. Since Kirishima’s home is now my house, I should have considered this as well.

“I’m sorry for making you wait.”

“It’s okay. Shall we go home together?”

I walked with Kirishima along the commuting route. Then, out of nowhere, Kirishima made a bombshell statement.

“Us walking home like this, it feels like we’re a couple, doesn’t it?”

“Huh? That’s… um…”

“…Ah.”

Kirishima’s face turned red and she looked just like a ripe apple. I wonder if she has a playful side to her, considering she’s about to self-destruct like this.

“…But, I do like you, Kurata-kun.”

She muttered something under her breath, but her voice was too quiet for me to catch what she said.

“Hmm? Did you say something?”

“No, nothing. Forget what I said earlier!”

She emphasized it while still blushing. Well, it’s not like I think of us as a couple or anything. Don’t worry.

***

“So, about what happened on the way home from school.”

After finishing dinner, I brought up this topic while idly scrolling through my phone on the sofa.

“Oh, sorry for saying ‘couple’ earlier.”

“No, it’s not about that.”

For some reason, Kirishima’s face slightly puffed up. Did I say something wrong?

“Anyway, I’ll give you a spare key. I don’t think tou would do anything sketchy, Kirishima.”

“No, it’s not right. I’ll be fine. I stay late at school too.”

“It’s okay. I trust Kirishima.”

I stood up from the sofa, retrieved the spare key from the shelf where I keep valuables, and returned to the sofa to hand it to Kirishima.

“No, I’ll be fine, really. I can’t take responsibility for it.”

Since Kirishima kept refusing, I realized that persuasion was futile and held her hand.

“Huh? Wh-what?”

“Just take it. Trust me.”

I forcefully placed the spare key in Kirishima’s hand. Once again, her face turned red.

In the end, albeit reluctantly, she agreed to take the spare key. It would be embarrassing as a man to leave a girl waiting outside, after all.

“If you’re that persistent, I can’t refuse…”

Kirishima’s murmuring didn’t reach Kurata.