When an Oblivious Handsome Older Man Went Back in Time and Was Building Harlem - Chapter 25

“Takai-kun, here’s a towel.”

“Thank you.” 

When I received the towel from Miwano-san, I felt something like a faint pink hue spreading inside my chest. 

(I see. So this is what love feels like…?)

I often heard from Midori that just talking makes him happy, but experiencing it myself, it might really be true. My chest feels warm, and a wave of happiness rises up. Just being handed a towel and seeing a gentle smile can make me feel this way. And this is with a minor. As a current police officer, this is an unimaginable act.

I think it will take time to sort out these feelings that have just begun to sprout, but I intend to cherish them. I never experienced this feeling during my previous high school life. After realizing that I might like Miwano-san, I observed her and found her incredibly cute and endearing. She moves around a lot for the sake of the club members and tries her best to fulfill her role as a manager. The sight of her struggling to carry heavy loads that she usually wouldn’t handle is very cute.

“Hey, hey, Aki. Why are you staring at Miwano-san with such intense eyes? You always act so cool and say things like ‘I don’t care about love’ and stuff. Do you want Miwano-san to misunderstand you?”

While gulping down water, Midori asks me, probably not even realizing that I’ve developed feelings for her. That’s why he asks so casually. 

“It’s fine.” 

“It’s fine… Huh?”

It’s fine. In other words, I want to be misunderstood. That’s probably why Midori was frozen. The way his eyes were wide open was really amusing. I flicked his forehead since he didn’t come back even after 30 seconds. 

“Ouch! Wait, what the hell!? What the hell!? No way!!” 

“Yuuki, shut up! If you’re so energetic, go practice shooting!” 

“Captain, I’m sorry!!”

He was shouting too much, and the captain scolded him, but Midori dodged it as if it were nothing. The captain probably didn’t mind too much since it was a usual occurrence. Itou-san and Miwano-san were surprised, perhaps because they weren’t used to Midori’s usual energy.

“Aki-chan. This is something to look forward to tonight, isn’t it?” 

“What the hell is that, creepy?” 

While laughing “hahahaha,” Midori, who was grinning, was truly unsettling.

=========================

For Midori, the long-awaited night had come, while for me, the night I had not been looking forward to had arrived. 

“Alright, Aki. Let’s hear your confession!!” 

“There’s nothing to confess.” 

However, I do want to properly address what I’ve realized as an adult, and I intend to maintain a good friendship with Midori for the next 20 years. I want to report this.

“I just realized that I might like Miwano-san. Thanks to you, Midori.”

“Huh! It’s because of me!! I’m so happy, Midori-chan!!” 

Midori was jumping with joy, almost as if there was a sound effect of “run run” accompanying him. I started to worry that the classmate in the next room would get annoyed and hit the wall. 

“Huh, what do you like about her!?” 

“Even if you ask me what… it’s like that little animal, you know, scurrying around?”

“Oh my,” said Midori, looking happy, as if it were his own matter even though it was about me. I thought again that he was really a good person. I never say it out loud, though. 

“You really like her! Aki seems so mature, I couldn’t feel that you were the same age as me at all, so I’m glad I could ask you this.”

When he said I didn’t look my age, my heart skipped a beat for a moment. It’s true that I’m older, so we’re not the same age. But I thought I was managing to keep it a secret. Since Midori is perceptive, he probably sensed it.

“By the way, are all the girls you’ve liked in the past like that?” 

I try to recall, but I’ve never felt this warm feeling in my chest before. 

“No… it’s the first time I’ve fallen in love in my memory.” 

“First time!? Your first love!? It’s usually in kindergarten or something, right? First love… well, I guess that’s typical of you, Aki.”

Indeed, I’ve heard that most people’s first love is usually in kindergarten.

“Well, now I can talk about love with Aki without any reservations!!” 

“I have no intention of doing that.” 

“Ehh! Let’s do that!” 

While savoring the happiness of experiencing this for the first time, we fell asleep.