Author's Notes: 'Wouldn't it be like this if such developments as romcom happened in real life?', I was going to write this chapter with that in mind.
Chapter 3Realistically Thinking
This class ended without any problems, and it was time to go home.
For some reason, I feel that today has been really long. Since this morning's incident, my condition has been getting weirder, I thought that if I had finished lunch, my condition would have gotten better, but... ...For some reason, I still feel that something is strange...
And, is it just my imagination? However, I felt that the atmosphere in the classroom was a bit quieter than usual. I think it was noisier yesterday...
"Huft... ...So sleepy..."
"What's wrong, Yamazaki? Sleep deprived?"
"Well no, that's not it, though..."
Yamazaki, who was sitting on the right next to me, had her upper body pressed against the table and was not moving at all as if he had passed away, so when I suddenly spoke to him, he gave me a strange reaction.
What was wrong with him, though? Doesn't he usually go straight home after class? Oh, right, I forgot that this boy was in the Basketball Club.
After school, in the corridor, it was very noisy with students going home and students who were going to join club activities.
Let's stop by somewhere on the way home. Oh, right, there's a manga I read when I was in middle school that I used to buy and collect, but I wonder if it's still in publication...
Anyway, let's go to the toilet before leaving school... ...I've been avoiding it since I got up from my seat...
"...Hmm?"
To the right of the men's toilet, there was a large mirror. And I was surprised to see what was reflected in it.
"...What have I done?"
What was reflected in the mirror was a boy trimming his long brown hair. Of course, it was me, but that wasn't what surprised me.
The hairstyle I had specially prepared for my high school debut certainly didn't match my ordinary face. I wasn't tall either. Furthermore, I wasn't good at sports, and I wasn't good at studying either.
A boring boy... ...I don't mean to be too down on myself, but am I an average boy? Are there other boys who don't have anything worth mentioning like me?
The question I've been thinking about since this afternoon. I wondered why I felt as if the burning fire had cooled down even though my feelings for Aika hadn't changed... ...and I think I know why.
That's right, Natsukawa Aika is out of my league.
Some people fall for celebrities who are cute and gracefully styled. But, there are no fools who are reckless and actually try to get close to them. That's right, for me right now, 'Natsukawa Aika' is like a popular idol that's influencing my mind, and I just seem like a fan who's fallen in love with his idol.
You see, what if I suddenly see a member of an idol I'm excited about filming a television show in front of me? The answer is to keep a certain distance and cheer from there so as not to disturb her. This is what a good fan would do.
Maybe that's why I suddenly felt that I had returned to my old self. Come to think of it, Aika is a hardworking and talented girl, and if she's paired with a boy like me, it would seem like something unbalanced... ...Why am I only realizing it now!?
"Please go out with me, huh... ...Really?"
There was no one but me in the men's toilet. And I was muttering to myself in front of the mirror. I felt that blood was starting to heat up my face.
Perhaps, from the perspective of the people around me, I looked exactly like a clown who kept trying desperately.
Think about it, think about it realistically... ...for a girl, if a boy she doesn't like keeps bothering her, she would feel very uncomfortable, right?
"...I guess I'm stupid, right...?"
My face, which was starting to calm down, was reflected in the mirror. I began to think.
...The long time was full of smooth and shiny scenery... ...blinded by that, I had spent too much time. Not time for others, but my own time. This is... ...Isn't this very dangerous...?
"..."
Surprisingly, I started sweating. Then I opened the toilet window, I could feel the cold wind blowing, and I wiped off the sweat with a hand towel that I happened to have with me. And strangely no one else came to the toilet until I stopped sweating.
♦
I'm curious why the live-action movies seem so different from the original stories. When I was in middle school, there was a manga series that I resisted following because I was close to exams at the time, but I never thought that I would know the continuation of the manga from the live-action movie version. On top of that, when I watched it, I kept thinking, 'No, not this one, this one is different. This one is a big mistake.'
And after that, I had to overwrite my memories with the original version.
Just as I was thinking that, my home intercom rang. Unfortunately, I was the only person in this house at the moment. As I opened the front entrance door, a real figure stood there.
"...Aika? Why did she come to my house, especially at this time? What's going on?"
The current time was 7:30 p.m. And our idol, Natsukawa Aika, was here. Her red-brown hair looks moist, like she just finished taking a shower. And the sexiness that overflowed through the white skin of her arms made my heart flutter. Yeah, I was always confused around her from the beginning.
"I-I'm sorry for visiting you at this time of day..."
"It's fine, though, but why...?"
"A-A boy who's still in a club activity told me your home address!"
It's too dangerous for a pretty girl like her to walk alone at night. I love her so much that I want to lecture her. However, right now, I was the one who might be doing something harmful to her.
Why did she find out my home address, though...? It was easy to imagine what Aika was thinking about me. At least it's not the time for her to be getting close to me like this. Could it be, her love for me is actually very high...? Impossible, you know. If I were Aika, I would have pushed a boy like me away with my hand.
"Wh-What? You have something to say?"
"Yeah, yeah, that's right."
"..."
...I see.
Maybe, 'it' will come. Maybe she'll say, 'You're disgusting, so please don't come near me anymore.' Or, 'I have someone I like, so please don't involve yourself with me anymore.', but this time she would say something like that in a serious tone. Yeah, that's right, Aika came all the way here to say something like that. Otherwise, it didn't make sense that she would spend her time and energy to come here.
"...You want to come in? Right now, there's no one else beside me at home."
"N-No one else beside you is home!?"
"Oh, let me add one thing, I don't know when they'll be home."
It would be dangerous if my family came home while I was doing something after I invited them in, right? No, oh, from the start, I had neither the intention nor the courage to do that kind of thing.
I let Aika, who had decided to enter timidly, sit at the dining room.
She'll probably feel more at ease if she's near the living room, right?
Right now, it's still not the beginning of summer. If she walks after she takes a bath at night, she'll catch a cold. I understand that she wants to prioritize her clothes over the cold wind, but isn't wearing a dress too much? Why does she need to look so sexy just to meet me... ...Doesn't she hate me?
I placed the packaged instant onion soup, which Mom kept a lot of, in front of Aika and gave her the blanket hanging on the chair. Unusually, she didn't complain and put it on. You see, taking care of my idol's physical condition is a priority for me.
When I felt an awkward atmosphere, it was Aika who broke it first.
"Hey, you... ...What happened to you?"
"What do you mean...? Is there anything strange about me?"
"Is there anything strange about you...? ...No, there's nothing strange about you! But, that's what makes you strange!"
"C-Calm down."
For some reason, I understood what she was trying to say. I was the one who usually talked and acted weird to Aika. So, as expected, Aika realized that I was being weird today. But, Aika came here just to ask me that? Should I tell her about that strange realization I had when I was in the toilet this afternoon? No, that's too embarrassing to say, I can't say that.
"You, didn't you just move away even though I pushed you? In fact, you came even closer to me, so I guess you're an 'M...'*. H-However, you're usually disgusting." (TL Note: M = Masochist.)
"I agree."
"S-So why are you so obedient today!? What are you planning to do this time? Answer me!"
"..."
I'm usually just a boy who likes to attach to her and not listen to what she says. Yeah, even though I look back at myself, I guess that's true. So, what if she thinks that I'm also planning something this time, because I've approached her in various ways, always. So if she says that she hates me even if I just approach her normally... ...It would shock me a little... ...No, not a little at all... ...Then, what should I do?
"Hmm... ...Aika..."
"Wh-What?"
Then... ...If that's the case, rather than saying it, I just need to prove it with the results. The fact that the strange realization I felt today, and the relationship I had severed between me and Aika at this time, were not wrong.
And for that...
"I like you. Please go out with me."
No longer, I'm no longer afraid of changing this relationship.
Author's Notes: A serious confession in the early chapters.
TL: Reeze27
ED: Reeze27
PR: Reeze27
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