Volume 6 - CH 6

Now, after school…

“U-uh, um… Arisa.”

After homeroom, Yuzuru spoke to Arisa after a short pause.

“…yes”

Arisa replied shortly and looked up at Yuzuru’s face.

Yuzuru was a little flustered when he sensed that he was being urged to continue.

…It was because he hadn’t thought about what was going to happen next.

“Um… Shall we go home together?　…I can’t talk about it here.”

As expected, Yuzuru did not have the courage to apologize or explain himself in a classroom where people were still present.

“…”

After a moment of silence…

“I understand.”

Arisa nodded.

Yuzuru and Arisa started walking side by side.

First, they went out of the school gate, and then they walked a little along their usual route out of school…

(W-what should we do after this…?)

Yuzuru was thinking desperately.

He felt that the public footpath was not an appropriate place to apologize while leaving school.

Perhaps Soichiro, Ayaka, and the others would have told him to apologize without being picky.

In short, Yuzuru was not yet ready.

“…”

Yuzuru glanced at Arisa’s expression.

However, Arisa had been keeping her head down since a few minutes ago, so he couldn’t confirm her expression.

Next, Yuzuru checked the surrounding sights.

Then he found a coffee shop nearby.

“…Arisa.”

“Yes?”

When Yuzuru called out, she looked up.

Yuzuru pointed to the coffee shop and said to Arisa, whose face was tense and her expression nervous.

“Why don’t we go in there?”

(…we finished eating.)

Yuzuru muttered this inwardly as he finished the cake and drank his after-meal coffee.

From the time they entered the restaurant until they finished eating, there was no conversation at all between the two of them.

(I can’t keep running away from this forever, can I…?)

Yuzuru thought so, put down his cup, and turned to Arisa.

Just then, his eyes met Arisa’s. 

Yuzuru’s heart skipped a beat.

However, he swallowed his nervousness and opened his mouth.

” “Ah, um…” “

And at the same time, Arisa also opened her mouth.

The two of them hurriedly shut their mouths.

Then, after a short pause…

“What…?”

“What is it…?”

They said so again at the same time.

“A-Arisa can go first…”

“No… Yuzuru-san can go first… It was you who called out, right?”

“…That’s right.”

Yuzuru nodded.

Once he looked up to the heavens and then turned again to Arisa and…

“I’m sorry, I didn’t properly attend to your feelings.”

He apologized.

“Well… I really wasn’t trying to force you to do anything, and I really don’t think you have to do anything if you’re afraid… Well, it’s just that I wanted to make a little recommendation…”

The words of apology, which should have been prepared in many different ways, had already fallen out of Yuzuru’s mind.

He just kept making excuses to explain himself, and his thoughts…

Yuzuru thus tried to express his desire to make up with Arisa.

Arisa, on the other hand…

“No, I too …am sorry.”

She bowed her head.

“You know, I was thinking how embarrassing it is… to be afraid of injections even in high school… How should I say it, I felt like I was being made fun of… I’m really sorry. I sulked for a troublesome reason… it’s like I’m a child, right?”

Arisa said shyly.

Yuzuru shook his head in response.

“Nothing like that”

“…you really think so?”

“Er, uh, no, not that I don’t think so, but…”

Yuzuru’s eyes swam slightly.

“But I thought you were cute in that way too…”

“…Are you making fun of me after all?”

“No, no …that’s not what I meant…”

“Fu fu…”

When Yuzuru looked impatient and tried to make excuses, Arisa put her hand over her mouth and laughed happily.

Realizing that he had been teased, Yuzuru was a little miffed.

“…but well, I wonder if it’s fair to say that you’re afraid of injections even though you’re in high school?”

“I don’t want to be told by someone who can’t clean up his own house even though he’s in high school.”

“N-no… Lately, I’ve been doing it right, haven’t I?”

“You’re full of lies. I’m sure you threw everything in the closet right before I came over.” 

“T-that’s not…”

He would force the clutter into the closet, and then vacuum it up as needed to cover it up.

This is Yuzuru’s cleaning method.

He thought he was able to deceive since it was so clean in appearance…

it seemed that she saw right through him.

“It seems Yuzuru-san can’t do without me.”

“W-well, I don’t deny it… but, even I think I’m making more progress than before….”

“Well, let’s go check it out now, shall we?”

“Eh? N-now?”

“Can’t we?”

“Not that we can’t… um, it’s just enough…”

“….by the way you say that it is messy after all.”

“N-no, it’s nothing like that….”

Thus, the two made up.