Thus ended my confrontation with Ryuzaki, but it seemed necessary to … ask her properly why she was here.

“Oh my… Hmmm, what should I do?”

After confirming that Ryuzaki had disappeared, Shiho put her hand on her chin as if contemplating something.

“I’ve made up my mind. I want to pretend that I was just a passerby and didn’t hear anything about it, is that OK with you, Kotaro-kun?”

I wondered what she was going to say, but she seemed to be trying to make this situation go away by forceful techniques.

“No, no, it’s unreasonable.”

“Mmm…, won’t you be angry that I was eavesdropping on you? Kotaro-kun, don’t you hate it? If there is even the slightest chance that you might not like me, then beating Kotaro-kun to erase his memory is an option.”

Saying so, Shiho is trying to snap the bones of her fist. But the joints were squishy, or perhaps the sound of popping was not heard at all.

“Shiho doesn’t want people to know she was eavesdropping?”

“Yes. If they knew that, they would know that I was stalking Kotaro-kun. I don’t want you to know that I followed you because I was lonely because you didn’t give me much attention at school.”

…That says it all.

Is it intentional or is she just being goofy?

Either way, it doesn’t matter.

“I won’t get mad at you for that.”

Shiho shook her head with a wry smile and shrugged in relief.

“Ho, really! I’m so glad… I was wondering what I would do if you thought I was a heavy woman.”

“Ah, I’ve already thought about that, so I guess it’s okay.”

“Huh!?!?!?!?”

You don’t think I wouldn’t think that?

Looking back at her behavior up to this point, Shiho is more than a little heavy-handed.

But I like her including that part, so I don’t dislike it.

“Anyway, come here. It’s hard to hear your voice from this distance.”

Maybe she has good hearing, but a few meters away is a bit far for conversation.

I beckoned her to come a little closer to me because of the sound of the rain and wind.

Then she walked up to me excessively slowly, like an alarmed cat.

“Oh, it’s not heavy at all. I’m just a little passionate in my expression of love. If you don’t understand me, can I run away and cry?”

“Wow, I understand…, so for now, let’s talk calmly.”

I talked to her as gently as possible so as not to alarm her.

After I had done that much, she finally came within arm’s reach.

“I’ll talk to you, then. I haven’t been able to get dressed up much lately…, and I’m going to go crazy if I don’t get my spoiling gauge up around here. But I also feel like I need to get away for a while, so you know what?”

Still, she’s saying something.

Perhaps it is because she feels guilty, but her expression is more tense than usual.

It’s a nervous look that doesn’t suit Shiho.

“…I got you.”

That’s why I dared to grab Shiho’s hand.

I held her hand and smiled at her and told her it was all right.

“Don’t run away from me. There’s no way I’m going to ever hate you.”

When I said this to reassure her, Shiho’s big eyes widened.

Then, this time, she squinted her eyes happily.

“I-I got caught… Ehehe.”

A slight reddish color appears on her pure white cheeks.

Is she embarrassed? The expression on her face was so adorable that it made my cheeks relax as well.

It was a feeling I hadn’t had in a long time…