The Story of Making a Popular Girl Dependent on Me - Chapter 10

That day, I was filled with happiness from the morning.

After all, today is the day I get to go home with Rokka. We haven’t been able to go home together recently, so it’s only natural that I’m excited.

I want to hold hands on the way home, maybe stop by a shop or two, and be with Rokka for as long as possible.

Thinking about that, I finished my morning routine and left the house.

When I entered the classroom, Rokka was already there. She didn’t come to greet me today either, so I headed to my seat.

After sitting for a while, Shizuku and the others, who always talk to me, arrived and gathered around me.

But today, I was so happy about being able to go home with Rokka after a long time that I couldn’t focus on the conversation and just gave vague responses.

Even during breaks, I found myself fidgeting and glancing at Rokka without realizing it.

At lunchtime, Shizuku and the others, who were eating with me, seemed to notice my excitement and asked me various questions, but I answered vaguely to dodge them.

Finally, the afternoon classes ended, and it was time to go home. I hurriedly packed my things and went to Rokka.

“Rokka, let’s go home.”

When I called out to her, Rokka, who was getting ready to leave, stopped and looked at me.

“Wait a bit. I’m not ready to go home yet.”

Since Rokka said that, I took out my phone and checked my appearance while waiting for her to finish. It’s only natural to want to look cute when you’re going home with Rokka.

Then, when Rokka finished getting ready, she called out to me.

“Setsune, sorry to keep you waiting. I’m done.”

“Got it. Let’s go home then.”

I was so happy to finally go home with Rokka. Just as I was about to start walking, Rokka spoke to Katsushika-san.

“Riho, see you on Sunday.”

“Sure thing. Send me the time later.”

“Got it.”

(Sunday? Are they going out together?)

The moment I realized that Rokka and Katsushika-san were going out together on Sunday, I felt a pang of jealousy. When I passed by Katsushika-san, I unintentionally glared at her.

But I quickly remembered that it wasn’t Katsushika-san’s fault, and before she noticed, I looked away and left the classroom with Rokka.

After leaving the school, Rokka and I walked hand in hand.

We don’t usually hold hands when we go home together, but today I was so happy to be with Rokka after a long time that I naturally took her hand.

Then I asked Rokka what we should do next.

“Rokka, what should we do today? It’s been a while since we went home together. Do you want to stop by somewhere?”

“Hmm, how about the cafe near your house?”

“But if we do that, you’ll have to get off at a different station. Is that okay?”

Rokka’s house is a few stations away from the one I usually use, so getting off at my station would be a bit inconvenient for her.

“It’s fine. Besides, I’m worried about you getting home safely.”

Even though it’s a familiar route, I was happy that she was concerned about me, and my steps felt a bit lighter.

***

When we arrived at the cafe, we looked at the menu and talked about what to order.

“I’ll have the strawberry pancakes and coffee.”

“It’s rare for you to have coffee, Rokka. Then I’ll have the matcha latte and fondant chocolate.”

Once we decided on our orders, Rokka called the waiter and placed the order for both of us.

Rokka usually orders something a bit sweet, so it was the first time I saw her order coffee.

While waiting for our order, I talked to Rokka about the fun and interesting things that happened recently, the times we couldn’t talk on the phone, and when we couldn’t go home together.

She looked at me and listened with a smile.

After a while, the waiter brought our orders and placed them in front of us.

Then I asked Rokka about her past few days.

“By the way, Rokka, have you been busy lately? You haven’t been able to go home with me or talk on the phone, right?”

“Yeah, on Tuesday, I went out with Riho after school, and I had to help out at home yesterday and the day before. I was too tired to call.”

When she mentioned Katsushika-san, I felt a pang of jealousy and my body reacted a bit.

(Come to think of it, they made plans to meet on Sunday before we left.)

Curious about Sunday, I decided to ask Rokka.

“Are you going out with Katsushika-san on Sunday?”

“Yeah, I thought it would be nice to hang out with Riho on a weekend, so I invited her.”

Hearing that Rokka invited her filled me with jealousy. Recently, Rokka has been distancing herself from me, and now she’s hanging out with Katsushika-san on both Tuesday and Sunday. I didn’t like it.

And since Rokka was the one who invited her, it made me feel even worse.

Without realizing it, I responded in a slightly sulky tone.

“Oh, so you invited her.”

I was filled with excitement earlier, but now I felt uneasy and jealous about their relationship.

So, I subtly let Rokka know that I was free on Saturday, hoping she’d ask me out on a date.

“Hey, Rokka. I’m free tomorrow.”

“Really? Aren’t you going out with your friends?”

“They all have plans, so I have the whole day free.”

“Well, maybe it’s a good chance to relax at home. I was thinking of resting at home and planning for Sunday.”

Even though I told her I was free, she just suggested that I take it easy. After that, I lost interest in talking about tomorrow, and once we finished eating, we paid and left the cafe.

As we walked out, I couldn’t stop thinking about our conversation. Unlike before, I was now filled with unease.

(Sigh. I was so happy just a little while ago.)

We walked in silence for a while, and as we neared my house, Rokka suddenly pulled me into a back alley.

After walking a bit further, we reached a dead end where she turned me to face her with my back against the wall.

Surprised by her sudden actions, I watched as Rokka’s face slowly approached mine, and our lips met.

I was so shocked by the unexpected kiss that I couldn’t react. Her tongue slipped between my lips, entwining with mine.

She licked my gums, the inside of my cheeks, and nibbled gently on my lower lip. Sensations I had never felt before coursed through my body, but it wasn’t unpleasant. In fact, it felt so good that I wanted more.

However, when Rokka pulled away, that pleasant feeling disappeared.

“…Ah.”

I couldn’t help but let out a small sound, feeling a bit lonely that our lips had parted. Still in a daze, Rokka said goodbye to me.

“Setsune, be careful on your way home. See you on Monday.”

With that, she walked towards the station as if nothing had happened.

I don’t remember much after that. When I came to, I was at home in my room.

Called for dinner by my mom, I went to the dining room and ate absentmindedly.

Back in my room, the kiss was all I could think about, and I wanted to call Rokka.

However, when I tried, she told me she was too busy to talk.

Later, after my bath, I saw a message from Rokka saying she couldn’t call before bed either, so I went to sleep.

***

The next morning, I still couldn’t get the kiss out of my head. I sent Rokka messages from the morning, asking if we could talk or if I could visit her, but she didn’t reply.

It wasn’t until the afternoon that she replied, saying she had been sleeping and that’s why she didn’t respond sooner.

After confirming her message, I replied immediately, but she didn’t respond again.

That whole day, I couldn’t focus on anything and kept thinking about the kiss.

(Does Rokka want to do things like that with me? I don’t dislike the idea, and I thought it might happen eventually, but…)

I spent the day researching about relationships between girls on my phone, losing track of time until it got dark and my mom called me for dinner.

I went to the dining room, ate, and then took a bath. While in the bath, I kept researching on my phone until I suddenly received a video from Rokka.

Watching the video, I saw Rokka with wet hair, filming from just above her chest.

“Setsune, sorry I can’t talk much. I’m looking forward to seeing you on Monday.”

The video ended, but I couldn’t stop thinking about how Rokka looked.

(Her collarbone… Rokka’s collarbone! And her wet hair looked so sexy. I can’t… my head is… feeling light…)

That’s when I lost consciousness.

***

When I woke up, I found myself lying on the living room sofa.

My mom, noticing that I had woken up, explained what had happened.

Apparently, I had fainted in the bath and she had carried me to the sofa. After explaining, she started scolding me.

“This happened because you were using your phone in the bath. I’m confiscating it until Monday.”

With that, she left the living room.

I thought back to Rokka’s video, wanting to reply but unable to because my phone was taken.

Sunday passed without me feeling like doing anything. I tried to distract myself with manga, but I just wanted to see Rokka.

Finally, Monday arrived.