When I Brought The Lost Little Girl To Her House, The One Who Came Out Of The Front Door Was The Most Beautiful Girl In The Grade. - Chapter 19

After meeting Ayano, I started going to her place every Friday after finishing my own work, and we would always chat.

I remember it being more enjoyable than talking to other girls. Maybe that’s why, without even realizing it, it became an everyday thing, not just on Fridays.

“Hey, Kuroda.”

“Hmm?”

“You always come to school early, but where do you go?”

“Uh, I have some things to take care of.”

“What kind of things?”

“…Daily routine?”

I tilted my head and said with an uncertain voice. My friends seemed quite curious about what my daily routine was, and they kept asking, but I deflected the questions by saying, “Well, it doesn’t really matter.”

***

The next day, as usual, when I went to the flowerbed, I expected to see Ayano there with her usual smiling face. However, that day, she wasn’t smiling.

There was a somewhat sad atmosphere around her.

“What’s wrong? Why the sad face?”

“Oh, you were here…”

“You were here… It’s you.”

“I was just thinking that it’s ending today…”

“What’s ending?”

“This watering.”

When I heard that, a “huh?” slipped out of my mouth. I think I actually liked this time, too.

“W-Why?”

“Huh? Well… because… the office uncle is coming back, so I won’t have to take care of it anymore.”

“Well, but…”

“Why does Kuroda-kun seem so sad?”

“I’m not really sad or anything…”

“Oh! I get it!”

Ayano suddenly leaned in closer, peering at me from below, and I couldn’t help but feel a slight flutter.

“W-What are you doing?”

“Is this some kind of harassment?”

“Come on, stop it!”

“Haha, sorry.”

She apologized, but I don’t know why I felt the urge to do that, though.

“I… I actually liked this place.”

Saying that, Ayano looked surprised for a moment, then lowered her eyebrows as if thinking.

“I liked it too.”

I faintly heard her whisper those words. It wasn’t like she could never come here again, but she didn’t have to come anymore.

I never expected to feel like this just because of that.

“I liked this time we spent together.”

“This time?”

“Yeah, being here with you, talking or sometimes just watching the flowers, even though it’s early in the morning.”

“…”

Upon hearing that, Ayano fell into a moment of quiet reflection.

We didn’t spend that much time together, and the time we spent wasn’t particularly significant.

“I used to dislike you at first, you know.”

“I thought so.”

“But now it’s different. I’ve come to like you.”

“Huh?!”

“Huh? I mean, as a friend!”

“I-I know!”

Even as she said that, Ayano’s cheeks grew redder and redder.

I probably felt the same way.

From that point on, although not as often as before, we still occasionally checked on the flowers together and had conversations.

When we reached sixth grade, we talked much more frequently and became closer friends.

After that, I went to a different junior high school than Ayano.

She was probably my first and last crush. By the time I realized my feelings, it was already too late.