CH 41

“Here is fine”

“What are you talking about? We’ve come this far, I’ll take you home. It would be a disaster if you collapsed on the way.”

I tried to say goodbye to Sakino san before reaching home, but Sakino san would not allow me to do so.

“Who’s home?”

“No, I live alone.”

“Eh? Is it ?”

[I didn’t know] Sakino san mutters.

I am not a person with that wide a circle of friends, and I don’t have to tell everyone that I live alone, so not many people know about it.

Ichikawa san and Naka are probably the only ones who know about it.

……..Ah, Suzu too.

But after I said it, regret came over me.

At this rate, Sakino san is likely to come into the house.

I would like to avoid making her come to my house at all costs.

And eventually, Sakino san followed me to my house.

Somehow, I feel like a lot of people know where I live these days.

“Hee, so you live here”

“It’s just a regular apartment, right? Well, then, I’ll be fine here, thank you.”

I was about to go up the stairs of my apartment when I thanked her.

“H-Hey ! I can cook dinner for you tonight if you want.”

Again, Sakino san suggests to me.

“Ah, no, I was going to eat yesterday’s leftovers today. I’m fine!”

This is not a lie or anything. I have frozen the hamburger ingredients that Ichikawa san made for me yesterday.

So all I have to do is grill it, make a salad and miso soup and eat it, and my dinner is complete.

I can’t stop thinking about Ichikawa san, who took such care of me because I live alone.

“I see….”

“Sorry”

“Okay, I understand ! then, bye bye”

Sakino san waved her hand toward me with a disappointed look on her face.

She made that face. It pains me to say this, but it is unavoidable.

I opened the door to my home and dawdled like a zombie across the hallway, tossed my belongings in their proper place, and collapsed into bed.

“Aah….bed is so nice….”

As it was, I closed my eyes and instantly fell into a dream world.

How long have I slept?

At times like this, when I wake up, the sun has gone down and it is pitch black in the room.

I feel that it is already nine or ten o’clock, one step before midnight.

But the brightness is visible even when shutting the eyelids.

This is because of the electricity in the room.

…… Huh? Did I sleep with the lights on?

I think about what it will be like when I return with sleepy eyes and a brain that has yet to awaken.

I remember that after I left Sakino-san, I went into your room and collapsed on my bed as if I were going to die, right?

…… Obviously I didn’t turn on the lights.

Then why is the room so bright?

And my body is still too lazy to feel like I’ve slept at all. I felt like I had been asleep for about two hours.

…… What’s that? When I think about it, I can hear something talking?

Tss. Speaking of which, I went straight into the room and didn’t lock the door!!

Damn ! I forgot to close it yesterday and I’m sure I forgot to close it today too……I mean, isn’t this bad?

It’s definitely a thief, right? Maybe I’m in a pretty tight spot right now?

When my head finally sensed the danger, I jumped up.

And what I saw in front of me was…

“Hmph, This food I cook is definitely the best!”

“Have you ever cooked before? It doesn’t look like much.”

“I’m a pretty good cook, I won’t lose!”

“…..What are you guys doing”

“”Ah””

There were three people there, an unfamiliar combination, Sakino san, Suzu and Aki.

◆

Time goes back to the time when Shizuka left Youta.

After Youta refused her proposal to cook dinner, Shizuka was walking back the way she came with a sinking feeling.

“Ha~I knew I shouldn’t have suddenly asked him if I could come over to his house. It would have been tiring and annoying.

Reflecting on her remarks, Shizuka told herself that the timing was not right this time.

In the midst of all this, Shizuka saw a back figure she had seen somewhere before.

“That’s Shinozuka san, isn’t it? What is she doing here? Does Shinozuka san live around here too?”

Shizuka saw the back of a blonde girl who had recently transferred to her new school.

She remembered that she was momentarily admiring her fine, silky blonde hair.

As She was curious to see what she was going to do, Suzu approached a specific apartment while keeping a wary eye on her surroundings.

The apartment was the one where Youta, whom Shizuka had just sent, was living.

Then Suzu went up the stairs to a certain room.

“S-Shinozuka san. What are you doing?”

“Ugh !? A, Eh ? Et-to…”

“It’s Sakino Shizuka. That’s Komiya kun’s room there. ……?”

Shizuka, who had been watching Suzu, realized that the room she was about to ask for belonged to Youta, so she chased after her and approached her from behind.

At this time, Suzu was lost.

What an excuse to make.

In the first place, she wondered why a classmate, and friend of Ichikawa Aoi, was near Youta’s house.

Fortunately, today was her break, so the possibility of being alone with him was great.

Hence, she acted immediately.

“What about it!?”

“Eh……..?”

When Suzu was mentioned about it, she reopened it.

“It’s okay for me to go to Youta’s room!”

“Youta…..Shinozuka san, what is your relationship with Komiya kun?”

She is very familiar with him, even though it’s only her third day at the new school and her seat is behind him.

Shizuka was concerned about the relationship between Suzu and Youta.

“T-That’s…..it’s this. Well, A marriage between two parents? It’s like that

“Eh ?! Fiancee?!”

Suzu lied. It is how she almost became engaged to him, but she is not his wife, and they have absolutely nothing to do with each other at the moment.

If she could make him fall in love with her, she would be his fiancée, but …… she was greatly preoccupied with Shizuka, who could not know about it.

The reason was that she felt like she was going to be somewhat of an enemy.

“T-That’s right. So there’s nothing wrong with me going into Youta’s room.”

“B-But I’ve never heard anything like that from Komiya kun?”

“H-Hee~ Maybe it’s because Youta is shy.”

But Shizuka soon realized that Suzu was lying.

Suzu clearly looks away and is not accustomed to lying.

Still, She thought there was some kind of relationship.

“That’s a lie, right?”

“………….Hmph. Then you can find out.”

Saying this, Suzu put her hand on the door of Youta’s room.

“He really fell for me!”

She said confidently.

“That’s not a good thing to hear.”

But soon a dignified voice interrupts it.

Then came Aki, who was running outside for her own training.

After running the appropriate distance, Aki checked the address that had come to her phone and ran a preview of where she would be picked up tomorrow.

What does she think? A female student whom you know is arguing with someone in front of the address written down.

If she eavesdrops on the conversation, it seems to be in front of Youta’s room, and Suzu is saying that Youta fell head over heels in love with her.

It was there that Aki also could not resist and called out to her.

Her forehead is slightly sweaty.

“Hey, you are the handsome girl!”

“Hey, have you recovered from your injuries yet?”

“ ……Thanks to you it still hurts.”

“That. It looks like Yota’s room, can I go in?”

Aki ignores Suzu’s sarcasm and asks if she can get in in the first place.

“Most of these things seem to be locked up tight.”

Hearing this, Suzu pulls on the handle.

“…..hmph, it’s open !!”

Then she grinned and opened the door to show them.

And then, before She has time to stop her, she tries to go inside.

Shizuka and Aki looked at each other.

[Is it okay…..]

[I have a bad feeling….]

Still, Suzu was not bothered and went inside, so the two of them visited the house where the boy they were interested in lived alone, with the great intention of stopping her.

(TL/N : I wonder what will happen if ichikawa knows this…)