Chapter 44Pure Temptation
Visiting a girl's house... ...it's like a dream come true for every high school boy out there, and definitely not something that happens often. However, this happened to me, that's how it was. It made me think that maybe I was in heaven all along.
I'm happy to be where I am right now, but that's because I haven't realized how tiring it is to play with little girl.
"─Go forwardー! Sajouー!"
"Huft... huft..."
"Horse! Faster!"
"Y-Yeeheeheehee..."
Out of breath, I couldn't even give a proper reply. However, the 5-year-old girl sitting on my back, as I crawled, raised her arm and patted my back vigorously. Since we were in a little girl's room, it wasn't too big. However, running around in circles like I had been doing all this time, it felt like I had just finished traveling around the world.
"H-Hey, are you okay...?"
"I-It's fine..."
"You don't have to push yourself like that..."
"Y-Yeeheeheehee..."
At first, I was happy that she was so friendly to me. That's why I wanted her to rely on me, while asking Natsukawa for advice, and trying my best to respond to her requests with all my strength even if it was just a small request, I thought she would eventually get tired of playing with me, but...
"Sajouー!!!"
"Hmm? Oh, you can't run around like that, it's dangerous..."
Little children's moods are very unstable. Just on a whim, they'll attack you. At first, I was just joking with 'Oh, you're so strong', but by saying that, she assumed that being rude like jumping on me was okay.
"I-I give up..."
"Kyahahaha!"
The horse fell to the floor. Perhaps Natsukawa's dear little sis felt like she was going down in an elevator and thought this was fun, she burst out laughing. Some say that little children have unlimited endurance, but I felt like I was using all my stamina.
"Sorry... ...Do you always play this hard...?"
"No, usually we just play with playhouses..."
"Um, hey, Airi-san?"
"What?"
"Why?"
"Disgusting!"
"Natsukawa-san..."
"I-I didn't teach her that!"
For the first time, a little girl called me disgusting.
It was much more painful than hearing it from any girl my age... ...It was really shocking. So, being told like that by an innocent little girl like her, it's really this hard, huh? This is indeed the first time I've felt this hopeless.
"I'm tiredー."
"I'm the one who's tired, you know."
"Noー!"
"Come on..."
"Come onー!"
Urgh... ...She herself is really enjoying it. Oh, hey, don't grab my hair! Oh, don't squat on my back, ouch, ouch, that place, nice, keep going...!
"Hey, you really don't need to insist..."
"I don't think that's a problem right now..."
"Oh, gosh..."
Airi-chan let go of my hair, but she was still riding my back. I could feel her body pressed against me, perhaps she was imitating me. From an outsider's perspective, this kind of distance might be completely different.
I did see Natsukawa panicking while saying something, but I really don't care about that right now... ...You get it, right? The feeling of suddenly exercising after months of doing nothing.
Suddenly, my back felt lighter. It seems that Natsukawa picked up Airi-chan. I never would've imagined I could lie on the floor of a girl's house.
"Gosh."
"Oh."
Her dear little sis was lifted off my back and ended up being carried by Natsukawa. Compared to her energetic demeanor from before, she was now completely calm, and just looked at me with a relaxed expression.
Yeah, yeah, she must think that she did nothing wrong..., ...right?
I caught my breath, while still lying on the floor, I looked to the side and observed the two sisters.
"..."
"Wh-What's wrong?"
"...Nothing, it's just cool to look at you with that expression."
"Mmm...! D-Don't look!"
Since I didn't have much contact with Natsukawa's family, I always felt that she was an only child. That's why, seeing Natsukawa make a face like a big sis like that, I couldn't help but admire her... ...and at the same time, I felt something new awakening inside me.
"─Are you satisfied at this point?"
"Eh?"
"You're worrying about something, aren't you? I can tell clearly, you know."
"Oh..."
In the end, I couldn't hear the actual words that came out of her mouth, but it was probably in line with what Ashida said.
Yeah, as long as Natsukawa felt better, that was all that mattered...
"...N-Not yet."
"Eh...?"
Not yet? I feel like I've used up most of my stamina... ...So, despite introducing me to Airi-chan, she's still not feeling better? I'm pretty sure Airi-chan will remember me even after today.
"─N-Not yet. There are still some things I want to ask you..."
"...Huh? Something you want to ask me?"
Huh? Is there something she wants to ask me? Isn't the purpose of today just for Airi-chan to remember me? So, it's not just that?
"Hmm, for example?"
"..."
While hugging Airi-chan from behind, Natsukawa began to think. Airi-chan herself was looking at Natsukawa with a 'You're not going to let go?'.
She's really energetic, huh? Even though she said that she was tired not long ago. Yeah, it's true that she barely used her stamina, though.
After waiting for a while, Natsukawa seemed to have made up her mind, and asked me the first question.
"─I-If it's noon! Where do you usually go for lunch break?!"
"Eh...? Hmm, I eat at a bench in the schoolyard, or if there's an empty bench in the cafeteria, I'll eat there."
"W-With whom?!"
"SNIFF ...Alone."
As I replied with a snorting voice with a fake cry, Natsukawa muttered 'I see...' in a very low voice.
Maybe she didn't hear about this from Ashida...? I'm sure Ashida told her...
Just as I was wondering why Natsukawa suddenly asked me that, she gave me an expression of 'There's more, prepare yourself!' ...Alright, go ahead!
"Wh-Why are you eating alone? You can eat together with others, right?"
"Hmm...? Oh, that's true."
This might sound like a complicated topic, but there's no pathetic reason for it. Why did I also start eating alone...? Not necessarily because I didn't have any friends. Yeah, in the first place... ...I just wanted to distance myself from Natsukawa, think about things, be alone. I was basically searching for inspiration to find my real self. Even right now, I'm eating lunch by myself. Before, I always (forcefully) ate together with Natsukawa. Eating together with someone now however is probably too much to ask for.
"You see, when Aizawa got back together with her ex-boyfriend, I don't know why I ended up like that. Oh, but, today I had lunch with the people from the Disciplinary Committee. I ate with Shinomiya-senpai, Inatomi-senpai, and... ...hmm, another one, what's her name again..."
"Eh...? Sh-Shinomiya-senpai? Did you guys eat together?"
"Oh, well, yeah?"
She looked at me in disbelief.
Wait, she saw me being called by Shinomiya-senpai, didn't she...? And also, is there anything strange about that...? M-Maybe, she's thinking, 'An ordinary boy like you has nothing to do with them', or something?!
"Wh-Why? What kind of relationship do you two have?"
"Eh? We just happened to meet at the cafeteria ─Hmm? Relationship? My relationship with her is, hmm... ...I'm sure we're just a senpai and a kouhai. Oh, she's also a friend of Big Sis."
"I-I see..."
"Yeah..."
"..."
"..."
H-Hello? What's with this awkward atmosphere? Why are you suddenly silent, Natsukawa-san! Question! Next question, please! I don't have the soul to deal with this silence!
While I was thinking about what to do, Natsukawa looked up with an expression like she was about to say something. Just as she opened her mouth, I focused on my sense of hearing.
"Wh-What about us...?"
"Eh...?"
"Can't you... ...have lunch with us, like 'before'?"
"That's, like I said before─ ─Yeah, you know."
I felt like I already said this before when she visited my house, but─ ─I gave up trying to continue this. The words that I said at that time... ...were quite often said in a romantic sense. But, I don't think this is what Natsukawa wants to hear.
It's not about boys and girls in the 'romantic' sense, or in the 'friendship' sense. It's about us─ ─We are a 'group'. Including Ashida, Natsukawa might want to ask, 'Aren't we a group, who are always together, talking and having fun?'.
At least, I belong to the group. Yeah, I was very happy to have a pretty girl like Natsukawa in my group, and an energetic and chatty girl like Ashida wasn't bad either. But from a boy's point of view, it might be hard to completely get rid of that romance aspect. I was sure that being with them would guarantee a fun and exciting high school life. At least for me, who has 'decided everything', ever since I gave up and stopped hoping for anything, it should be possible. I think it's like that. Maybe. Maybe. That's for sure. Maybe not.
When I kept my distance, something changed. In fact, by losing the disturber named 'Sajou Wataru', Natsukawa gained new friends. Once I'm with her, others will stay away. With me around, there's a possibility that she won't be able to spend the youth she deserves.
With that in mind, although it was very difficult for me to accept this, it might not be bad to support Sasaki's feelings for Natsukawa alone. After all, that boy is quite handsome.
Yeah, although I don't like that, though.
TL: Reeze27
ED: Reeze27
PR: Reeze27
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