Chapter 77Rolling Heart
How should I react if a girl I liked suddenly appeared in front of me? I was happy, but my head was blank. I couldn't think of anything smart to say, and what I managed to think of in less than a second was something old-fashioned and not cool at all.
"Guh... ...What the hell was that?"
Isn't she so cute?
No, wait a minute. Natsukawa, who rarely smiles at me, is laughing at me... Is this a sign of impending disaster? For some reason, she always had the image of a Goddess who was harsh and rude to me, but now she's smiling at me...? Hey, hey, maybe she shouldn't have approached me... because I've been working too hard.
"No, look, I've brought a lot of stuff today."
...Wait. Could this be the best ending ever? After all my hard work, I'm going to be taken care of by (Goddess) Natsukawa? Is there anything happier than that? It's strange, Patrasche... ...Although I'm about to die, I feel filled with power. I can defeat the Great Enma right now. Wait, why am I in the hell?
"Yeah... ...I know because I've seen you."
"Oh, I see... ...Eh?"
Is this finally happening?
Didn't you have to wait for the right moment? ...Eh, seriously, why is this hard to believe? Is it because she's never made a face like this to me before? I've seen her happy faces, her cheerful faces, her joyful faces, I know them all well, but most of the ones I remember weren't directed at me. This has never happened to me before.
Natsukawa took a step or two closer to me as if we were too far away to talk. No, um... I know you're happy but I'm not, I mean, I'm not ready for this or I'd just show my ugly face. If you get too close to me, my eyes will melt with your grace — Eh?
"I've been working so hard... ...that you can just smell my sweat."
"—!?"
Natsukawa brought her face closer to my chest as if clinging to me. She probably didn't realize, but she placed her hand on my chest a few times, then took a step back and smiled at me. No, wait a minute, even though she took one step back from zero distance, she was still very close to me. Eh, eh, eh. I won't be able to sleep tonight. This is bad. Seriously, I don't know what to do right now.
"N-Natsukawa..."
"What?"
Eh, why do you seem so indifferent? Where's your usual surge of anger at me? Are you not aware? What the heck happened during the first half of this summer vacation?
Natsukawa tilted her head in front of me, but she didn't seem to be angry at me like she usually was... ...but when I took a closer look, her hair seemed disheveled, slightly sweaty, and stuck to her skin, which made her look shiny and glamorous. Her hair bounced and swayed, shining brightly in the sunlight. Natsukawa's breathing was a bit labored, and it hit my face as I stared at her, making me feel as if I was about to lose my mind.
I gasped. I was worried. I cowered.
Behind us was a bench, there was no room to escape, and Natsukawa, whom I hadn't seen in a long time, was providing too much stimulation. It was also just a while ago...? Is it possible that this has happened before too? If so, then it's no wonder that I'm going to hell. I'm sorry, fellow ordinary people around the world. Have you seen this before? This is so amazing, I'm going to die.
"Hey, we're too close."
"Eh? Oh... ...I-I'm sorry."
Finally, after realizing the unusual distance between us, Natsukawa took a step back and smiled at me, without seeming to be bothered by me. I could feel my heart going crazy. Although I was very happy that my life expectancy had been extended, I knew that my blood pressure had become too high and my life expectancy had been shortened again. I don't know, but Natsukawa at the moment looked like she was in high spirits.
"Um... Is there anything that makes you happy?"
"Eh?"
"Yeah, I mean, you seem to be making a gentle expression..., how can I say it, you're making a happy face."
"Eh!?"
Wrong, I shouldn't have said it like that. She might be upset by what I said, but Natsukawa started touching my face. Is she that cute... ...She is a pure woman, right? I want to marry her.
Oh, no! That's bad. That's bad, Natsukawa is so attractive, I almost proposed to her. Though I haven't received three months of my wages so I can't buy a ring. But that's not the point, is it? Am I being stupid? Three months of wages from my part-time job is not enough. I need two more years. For Natsukawa's sake, if I want, I'm willing to borrow money from the bank and pay more- No, again, that's not the point, man...! Ah, that's enough...!
N-Natsukawa-san? Do you know why you're in such a good mood? You are indeed in a good mood today, regardless of meeting me, aren't you? Tell me why Natsukawa is a Goddess. (Philosophy)
"I-I'm just relieved that Wataru is in his usual mood."
What do you want from me?
Eh, are you the type of person who feels relieved when I'm in my usual mood? Coincidentally, I'm the type of person who feels relieved when Natsukawa is the same as usual. That's why I don't feel secure at all. Does Natsukawa want to touch my face or is she just a Goddess? She's a marvelous Goddess. That's all I can report from the scene.
"I-I see... so, what's wrong? I think you came out in a hurry."
"Eh... ...Y-You see, um..."
"...?"
Natsukawa started to get flustered when I asked her questions. She moved her hands without hesitation and often looked up as if to confirm my skin color. It was not my right to urge her to answer immediately, and how could I do such a thing if I did not hear every word the Goddess said? Yeah, this is a prophecy. I, the little one, would do whatever the Goddess asked.
"...I haven't, ...Wataru."
"Eh?"
"I-I haven't talked to Wataru yet!"
Am I still breathing? ※I'm still breathing.
Eh, what kind of cute excuse is that...? Could it be that you rushed out because you were looking for me...? Is that what you mean? Wouldn't it be better to talk to Sasaki...? What's so special about talking to me is that you're in such a hurry. Is there a reason you're pretending not to care about what's going on...?
"Um... ...what else is there?"
"W-Why... on the contrary, why aren't you talking to me?"
Eh, why...? If I don't talk to you, do you think it feels somewhat impolite? In my opinion, I didn't talk to you because of various considerations, but I thought... it would be better for Sasaki and also for Natsukawa's future. Okay, let's put my feelings aside.
"W-We haven't seen each other for a long time... so I'm a bit lonely..."
"You're cute, aren't you?"
"Oh my! Again, come out of the blue!"
Unconsciously, my voice came out. I can't help but say so! Natsukawa is just too cute! So... Don't make faces and puff out your cheeks like that as if it's my fault... ...Eh, "puffing up your cheeks"? Wait a minute, what's with this cute face? Seriously, stop it! I'm seriously going to buy an engagement ring and propose to her!? Eh!? I'll borrow money from the bank and bring you 100,000 yen...!
...C-Calm down, me. It's not the first time Natsukawa is cute. She's also cute today. Think of it like a game. Even if a girl with 99% cuteness gets cuter, 99 is the upper limit, so she can't get any cuter. It's the same thing. In conclusion, Natsukawa has always been cute. Okay, calm down.
"No, I'm sorry, Natsukawa. I don't have much free time."
"I-I already knew that."
"..."
No, wait, I've reached my limit, haven't I?
It's not just a matter of the heart or something like that. Natsukawa's cuteness makes my whole body scream and shout. Are my muscles going to hurt tomorrow? Natsukawa's cuteness will make me feel macho...
When I feel dizzy with a full stomach, something is rolling inside me, and otherwise, I can calm down.
"That's right... Long time no see, huh, Natsukawa."
"Y-Yeah..., ...It's been a long time."
As I said calmly, Natsukawa smiled a little as if to tickle me. It still didn't feel real that she was so happy to see me like that. She likes talking to me, doesn't she? I don't know, though. Is it a girl's heart or is it because she's Natsukawa? All I know is that she's very happy right now. It's funny, huh... ...Because I used to try so hard to make her smile like this. Why is she like this now? I don't want to call this an ideal relationship.
That's probably why. If Natsukawa had intentions to get involved with me without that kind of feeling, then maybe I'll forget my feelings of affection for Natsukawa and someday we'll become close friends. —Eh?
"..."
"..."
Natsukawa suddenly approached me again. Once she came right in front of me, she gently extended her arm and grabbed my sleeve.
Looking at her from a close distance, her look seemed somewhat anxious, but then there was a straightforwardness that seemed to crave something. If I reached out my hand, I could easily touch her hair, and if I brought my face closer, I could easily kiss her.
...It's impossible, isn't it?
"So... ...Natsukawa."
The emergency call that kept ringing in my head was getting louder. Just like the advice Ashida gave me on the way back from the family restaurant that almost held me back when I was almost desperate.
"No matter who she is, she'll be happy if someone likes her."
That's right, it's not just about me. For Natsukawa, it doesn't matter who likes her. Even if it's not me, the same thing might happen. Thinking about it, makes me feel bolder.
She might not like me. She might avoid me. Even with that fear, I slowly put my hand on Natsukawa's shoulder whose sleeve was pulled by her.
There was no resistance.
This distance is indeed unacceptable, I tried slowly to get Natsukawa to pull my hand away. But Natsukawa kept holding onto my sleeve, and it seemed as if she was saying that she would never let go, according to my interpretation. The bad thoughts of a guy made me feel as if Natsukawa was mine at that very moment. I tried to stay calm and let out words to suppress the bad thoughts that were starting to grow.
"Natsukawa... ...Let's talk somewhere else."
"! O-Oke!"
'Pah', Natsukawa changed her expression and let me go. The joy of seeing her dazzling smile and the strong reluctance of regret enveloped me. Although I knew in the back of my mind that it was no good, the desire to touch Natsukawa was still strong within me. It wasn't a matter of which one was stronger than the other, it was all mixed up and entangled in my mind.
"Eh? There's Aichi and Sajocchi too, huh!"
"Oh..."
"Oh...!"
Just as I was starting to lose my mind, a voice interrupted us. There was only one person who called me and Natsukawa that way. We both stopped and looked toward the source of the voice. Looking at that face, for the first time in weeks, I honestly thought I was saved.
That person — Ashida, came walking in a school uniform with a large sports bag on her back, probably after her club activities ended.
"K-Kei...!"
"Whoa, what's wrong with you, Aichi? Hey, I'm sweaty right now!"
Natsukawa hurriedly approached and hugged Ashida as if she was about to jump on Ashida. Ashida's eyes blinked after receiving the sudden hug. Ashida looked worried because she was sweating a lot. However, Natsukawa didn't seem to care about that.
Putting the two of them aside, I touched the sleeve that Natsukawa had just grabbed. Without realizing it, there was still a fragrance wafting in front of my eyes.
As if my brain had melted and my soul had been drained, I had no choice but to sit on the bench.
TL: Reeze27
ED: Reeze27
PR: Reeze27
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