When Two Wounded Hearts Find Solace In Each Other, Snow White (The School's Beauty) And I Were Mistakenly Labeled As A Silly Couple. - Chapter 15: Childhood Friends Are Quite Perceptive.

Childhood Friends Are Quite Perceptive.

“Something smells like a girl other than me, and it’s a beautiful girl’s scent.”

Those were Marika’s first words when she came home from school.

Usually, she’d go home first before visiting, but today, she seemed to have come directly, perhaps concerned about my illness, wearing her school uniform.

She must have been quite worried about my health.

However, as soon as she arrived at my house, Marika sensed something was off. She started sniffing the air.

“Are you a dog?”

“No, I’m not.”

Finding my words rude, Marika pouted and said, “Mmm…”

Given her ability to detect the scent of a beautiful girl, it’s not out of the question for her to have a dog-like sense of smell.

No, I know she’s not actually like a dog, but considering her ability to sense Himeno’s scent from earlier, it’s hard not to think that way.

“Hey, you’re keeping something from me, aren’t you?”

“W-what are you talking about?”

Marika’s usual probing has me avoiding eye contact, a feeble attempt to conceal whatever secret I’m holding. It’s clear she sees through it.

Avoiding her gaze might not have been the smartest move, but there’s something about her persistent questioning that makes me squirm.

“You can’t hide things from your big sister, you know? Now, spill the beans.”

“Come on… stop it.”

Marika, usually content with just holding hands, has now pressed herself against me, her chest making contact. It’s an unusual level of proximity, as if she’s determined to extract information using any means necessary.

“Honestly, this mouth is the only way to get an answer.”

With a sly smile, she lightly presses her index finger against my lips. Being this close to someone I like is mentally challenging, especially when it’s done so unconsciously. It’s awkward, to say the least.

“Now, give me a proper answer.”

“Answer what?” I feign ignorance, hoping to buy some time.

Feeling thoroughly irritated, I decided to gently remove Marika’s hand from my lips. Having her finger against my lips constantly was making it impossible to talk sensibly.

“What are you hiding from your sister? Why do you smell like such a beautiful girl?”

“Ah, fine, I get it. I’ll talk.”

Since I’ll be spending time with Himeno at school anyway, it shouldn’t be an issue if Marika hears about it sooner or later. Marika has a sisterly vibe that seems to make her quite popular with the girls, and if possible, I’d like to enlist her help.

“Come on, spill it already.”

“Okay, so, you know Snow White, right?”

“Yeah, she’s incredibly popular among the guys.”

For most students, especially newcomers, Himeno is a well-known figure.

“On the day you rejected me, she was crying on the rooftop.”

“Yeah. I guess you don’t need to mention the part about me rejecting you, do you?”

That might be true, but it happened on the same day, so there’s no avoiding it.

“She’s getting hate from girls because she’s too popular. It seems she was told some really awful things.”

Marika may be popular too, but probably nowhere near as much as Himeno. After all, her overwhelming brother complex prevents guys from confessing to her.

However, Himeno’s humble personality on top of her beauty makes her irresistibly attractive to guys, resulting in an overwhelming number of confessions. Getting confessed to by over fifty people in a year is not normal.

“She got hurt by the mean things they said.”

“Yeah. And I was hurt that day too.”

“Don’t say it like that. It makes it sound like it’s my fault.”

Rejecting someone’s confession isn’t wrong, but it’s a fact that it can be hurtful.

“We were both hurt, so we comforted each other.”

“W-wait, comforted each other? D-d-does that mean something… naughty?”

I don’t know why she’s getting so flustered, and I really wish she’d stop assuming that comforting each other equals something explicit.

“No, it doesn’t. We just hugged.”

“Just hugging is already naughty!”

“Coming from the one who holds my hand all the time.”

“I’m your big sister, so it’s different. I don’t do that with anyone else.”

Sure, I’ve never seen her do it with anyone else, but despite being childhood friends who grew up like siblings, Takashi and Marika aren’t actually related. So emphasizing the “big sister” part is a bit misleading.

“So, in summary, you both comforted each other because you were hurt?”

“Yeah. There’s more to it. Yesterday, she got water thrown at her by some girls.”

“Threw water at her? That’s so cruel…”

I can sense Marika’s anger radiating from her.

Considering her cheerful and kind nature, it’s clear she won’t tolerate bullying. Moreover, if it’s just because Himeno is too popular, Marika undoubtedly harbors anger towards the girls who bullied her.

“Huh? Could it be that you caught a cold because…”

“Yes. I hugged her while she was wet.”

I decided to be honest, even if I had to hide the fact that she was in her underwear, because it was unlikely that a lie would get through.

“So, Snow White, feeling responsible, came to your house, right?”

“Yeah. She came today and took care of me.”

“I see, I see. But why does Snow White know where you live?”

“We exchanged contact information.”

I decided to keep yesterday’s visit a secret while sharing the truth about exchanging contact information.

It’s strange why she didn’t realize Snow White was here yesterday, but it’s probably because she stayed only in the living room. Additionally, the fact that she was wet and didn’t smell as usual might be another contributing factor.

“Huh? Wait a minute. So, if she comforted you on the day I rejected you, does that mean you spent the night at Snow White’s place?”

I can’t believe it. The bombshell has dropped, and the secret I desperately wanted to keep hidden may be out in the open. The realization hits me like a cold wave, and beads of sweat start forming on my forehead.

Staying overnight at a girl’s place, keeping it a secret, and returning home in the morning—a series of actions that would undoubtedly be frowned upon, especially by someone playing the role of an older sister like Marika.

“N-no, that’s not it…”

“Even if you deny it with a flat tone, it’s not convincing at all,” I stammered in response to Marika’s questioning.

This might be the first time I’ve seen Marika disapprove of me like this.

“But, if she came to your house today, it means you didn’t do anything inappropriate, right?”

“Yeah, that’s right. Because the person I like is you, Marika.”

“Ugh… Ta-kun, you’re like my little brother, so we can’t be together.”

“I know.”

It feels like any hope of a romantic relationship with Marika is slipping away. The situation has become so complicated, and I’ll have to navigate it carefully if I want any chance of salvaging our connection.