Chapter 156A Morning of Agony
"...What the heck is that?"
"Hmm? Oh..."
In the morning. As I was following my gaze, I found Big Sis sipping a smoothie, and I noticed that there was a loose tie hanging down, looped over my collar. What am I, Dad who just got back from work? ...I can't even remember if I ever tied my tie.
"Leave it to me."
"Oh, wait..."
Guh, Big Sis pulled my tie and told me to stand in front of her. With her almost empty plastic glass smoothie still in her mouth, she untied my tie and then tied it back up.
"Look."
"Thank you, Big Sis. As expected from the Student Council Vice President."
"You can say that again."
Big Sis let go of my excitement while staring at the ceiling with the drink in her mouth and poured the rest of the contents into her mouth. Where did she hone her skills on this one...?
"Hey, Kaede! Don't throw the container over the sink!"
"I'm sorry!"
Big Sis threw her empty smoothie container over the sink. She was scolded by Mom and she walked out of the living room with an attitude that I didn't know if she was sincerely apologizing or not.
Normally I would have ignored the morning conversation. I should have turned away and munched on a piece of bread to avoid getting involved in this conversation, but right now, it was a bit painful to just focus on myself.
"...Fuah..."
On my way home yesterday, I fooled myself into thinking that there was nothing to worry about. I must have almost forgotten about it after I got home, but it turns out that I have a habit of recalling my days in my bed before going to sleep. Without a doubt, the thing that must have had the most impact on me yesterday was what happened on my way home.
My back was hugged by her. Since Natsukawa herself told me that she was "tripped", so, it must have been true. However, the impact was too strong for me to immediately consider it a waste of time to worry about it.
—It'll take me a long time to get over it...
I was so worried that I could barely sleep. There are natural problems that other high school boys also experience, like the awkwardness of the relationship between me and Natsukawa, and how I look since I have to meet her today. It's been a long time since I went through puberty, how are you?
No... ...Eh, what? I've been through it, though... ...I've started to forget about that time, but her warmth and touch are still imprinted in my brain... ...And we were wearing summer uniforms... ...Maybe it was because she tripped, so she hugged me tightly... ...What the heck? And also my past was so strong that I had to shut down all my worldly desires as a boy. I was able to understand it last night before going to bed... but not anymore this morning...
I took a bite of the hard, crunchy piece of bread and shook my head.
♦
Just because the encounter between me and Natsukawa yesterday was an accident, I can't say that I can meet Natsukawa like usual with a flat face. However, at times like this, me and Natsukawa sitting back and forth with each other, I'm not sure if I'm happy or not — No, I am indeed happy, though. My heart skipped a beat as I recalled the event. The fact that Natsukawa could stare at the back of my head behind me made me unable to stand it. That's why I haven't been able to keep up with my studies lately. I finally understood.
"—Oh!"
When I arrived at school and entered the classroom, Natsukawa was already sitting there. On her desk was a handout for a Classical Japanese writing assignment. She must have been late to do it yesterday too, and she probably didn't have much time because she had to take care of Airi-chan. Classical Japanese is in the fifth period, and if I do it in the morning during my free time, I should be able to complete it. Yeah, I should do that assignment too.
This was the important part. It's impossible to ignore it — It's impossible for people sitting back and forth each other not to greet each other. It must be awkward for both of us... ...I'll lead the way here, as a boy, and start greeting her as usual...
"Oh, good morning. Wataru."
How come you... ...just like usual?
Eh, seriously? How can she act like a normal person after something like that happened yesterday? Did she feel that she didn't notice anything there? On the contrary, even I was surprised. She was able to smile more gently than usual. Eh? What exactly do you mean? Is it possible that yesterday was just a dream? Then what, am I the only one who feels awkward right now?
Or even if that's not the case, why doesn't Natsukawa seem to feel awkward? It's not like the relationship between us has been awkward since we met Haru, who is from the same middle school as us, before, right? In fact, since then, Natsukawa and I have been doing work together in preparation for the Cultural Festival, eating lunch together, and going home together, but we haven't talked much — Right? Hmm? That's awkward, isn't it?
I mean, haven't we been spending a lot of time together? More than the days where I'm still stalking her, if that's what I mean — Who's stalking her anyway? I only did that because I liked her too much to get along with her. How do I say that in English? That's the answer. That's bad.
"Wait a moment."
"Eh—?"
Just as I was feeling so awkward that I couldn't do anything, I found that Natsukawa was already in front of me. No, I had indeed been sitting right in front of her since earlier, but more than that, Natsukawa was currently standing right in front of me. Wait a minute, I'm not ready for that yet.
"The back of your tie is a bit visible."
"Oh, seriously—...? —Hmm...?"
"Wh-What's wrong...?"
"Oh, no, it's nothing, though."
Natsukawa immediately extended her hand to grab my tie and fix it. I was a little vague before leaving my house, and I was nervous to hand it over to her, but then I realized that something was wrong.
—Isn't it Big Sis who fixed it for me?
I think I checked it again myself, but it's still not neat. Or could it be because of the wind that hit me on the way to school and my tie got messed up...? ...It's the change of season and it's windy. Whatever it was, I couldn't help but fight myself as I felt an occasional warmth in my chest and the same scent as back then wafted through the air.
"Y-Your hair too..."
"Eh? No need to that, no need."
It seems that coupled with my lack of sleep, this makes my hair look disheveled. It's not like I'm wearing sticky hair wax like before, I can comb it myself. Besides the fact that the distance between us was too close to each other, I sensed a danger in Natsukawa directly touching the body of the opposite sex even with just a slight gesture. I could understand why she was so strict with Airi-chan, but it wasn't good for me.
"I've done this myself many times—"
"Y-You can't see your hair, can you...?!"
"Eh...!?"
W-Was she about to bite me...!?
Why? Eh? Is it possible that my hair is that bad? When I touch my hair, I don't feel any fluffiness anywhere. ...Or is it something else? Do I feel so much sadness running down my back that I can't help but feel irritated? It's not that I'm worried that I'm in pain. It's just that if I say something, the area under the bridge of my nose will enlarge and I won't be able to get it back to normal. Maybe it's just that the bottom of my nose is rubbery.
"—Hello, guys. What's up with you two? You're flirting, aren't you?"
"...!"
Just as I was avoiding Natsukawa, who was reaching for me, an interrupting voice came from behind me. At the same time, Natsukawa quickly moved away from me. When I turned around, I found Ashida, who had just finished her morning club activity practice, there.
"W-We're not making out or anything, though...!"
"No—, I've been hot since this morning. I'm just glad that I still haven't changed out of my summer uniform."
"Gosh...! What the heck are you talking about?!"
That's right! What did you say just now, Ashida!? You're going to make the atmosphere even more awkward!
I don't even have time to reply to you... ...I was too overwhelmed by the pounding that came before me. No, my heart is pounding, my heart is pounding. I was just holding my heart. I may be a teenager, but my blood pressure could kill me. It was the perfect crime. Truly a Goddess.
"Nihihi. Hmm, you seemed busy and tired a little while ago, Aichi. I'm relieved."
"Oh...!"
Ashida smiled while showing her teeth. I think she was very happy to see Natsukawa so excited. It's true, until not long ago, Natsukawa seemed very busy and there were times when she didn't react much to Ashida's advances. Despite her appearance, Ashida was sensitive to the subtleties of others' feelings, so she must have noticed Natsukawa's behavior as well.
"One hug, once a day!"
"Kya...!? Hey...!"
Hey, Ashida, gosh!? One hug!? Once a day!? You guys have already done that!? How dare you show off such an enviable thing so boldly and shamelessly...!? Even on Saturdays and Sundays!? You can meet her on Saturdays and Sundays and do that too, right!? I've reached my limit with this since yesterday — Whoa, I can feel it too!!!
"Gosh... ...Kei!"
"Hey, Ashi — Oh?"
No matter how much Ashida-sama can be tolerated because she's not a boy, she's not someone I can forgive — As I thought so and was about to fire a light bullet at her, but Ashida, whose face appeared from Natsukawa's shoulder, looked at me. Instead of giving me an innocent smile, she gave me a wide smile with a bit of meaning implied in it. Maybe she just wanted to show it off to me, but somehow it seemed like she was trying to tell me something.
I'm not sure how many letters there were, or what words were synchronized with that happy expression on her lips.
Author's Note:
[Kei?]: Not bad, Sajocchi.
TL: Reeze27
ED: Reeze27
PR: Reeze27
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