CH 33

The small apartment was getting even more cramped.

Fuji-san, whose eyes were slightly red, joined us. Right now, my apartment was filled with the people standing at the top of the school caste and a person tagging along with them.

Naturally, the person tagging along was me…

By the way, Fuji was sticking right next to Kenichi, being lovey-dovey right in front of me. Looking at them made me feel slightly awkward. I couldn’t bear to see them directly.

I kept switching between looking at the ceiling and at Wakamiya, who stood next to me for some reason. To be exact, I was restless.

I definitely looked like a suspicious man now.

The situation didn’t change during lunch. I wanted them to at least consider my feelings.

This is why I can’t stand a couple between socially-active people…

I could only sigh.

“Since we’re already full, let’s make plans for summer at once! Right, Towa!”

“Hm? Why?”

I was confused with Kenichi’s proposal that came out of nowhere.

“...You haven’t heard about it from Rin?”

“I already told him.”

I pressed my temple and looked over my memory. That means...

“...Are you talking about the summer festival?”

“Yes, yes! So you remember it, Towa! I thought you had forgotten it~”

“I will at least remember my promise. But I still think that you guys are pranking me or joking with me.”

“You’re so servile~”

Kenichi looked at me warmly like I was a pitiful person. To add that, Fuji sighed.

Ugh. I feel like they’re making fun of me…

“Then, where is the summer festival Kenichi and everyone planned to go? I come to match the number of people, but I’ll go since I have promised.”

“Match the number of people? I’m just——”

“...Kenichi.”

Fuji pulled Kenichi’s sleeve and complained to Kenichi with dissatisfied eyes. Then Kenichi looked like he realized something and scratched his cheek, awkward.

“Ah~ Sorry, Towa. We made you accompany us.”

“...Sorry, Tokiwagi-kun.”

“Um… I don’t mind.”

I was confused at their weird panicked attitude. I glanced at Wakamiya, but she only smiled back.

Just what is happening here?

“Anyway, the summer festival is held at the beginning of August. Make sure not to take a shift in your part-time job, okay?”

“I know.”

“I’ll remind you first. You can’t say that you can’t come because your manager asks you to work or anything like that, okay?”

“......I won’t do that kind of thing.”

“Tokiwagi-san? There’s a strange pause, though?”

I turned away from Wakamiya, who looked at me with suspicious eyes. They kept guessing my thoughts like it was nothing…

I sighed and wholeheartedly promised. “I won’t do that. I swear.”

“Well, if Towa breaks the promise… I’ll leave the rest to Wakamiya.”

“...I’m fine with that.”

“Seriously? Then I’ll have to go… I don’t know what she’ll ask after all.”

“Tokiwagi-san, what do you think of me…?”

Wakamiya puffed her cheeks and turned away from me in a huff. That gesture shook my heart, and the urge to touch those soft cheeks swelled up to me.

Immediately after that, I felt a gaze at me. I hastily withdrew my hand.

The couple who were sitting across the desk was watching us.

“...No. I thought there’s something there, so…”

““Hmm...””

I quickly made excuses, but their expression clearly showed that they didn’t believe me at all. I sighed.

I made a mistake…

I had shown them something I didn’t want to show.

“What’s wrong, Tokiwagi-san?”

“Nothing… Huh? What are you doing, Wakamiya-san?”

When I realized it, Wakamiya approached me. If she got any closer than this, she might hear my pounding heart.

I could smell a sweet smell different from perfume from Wakamiya, causing me to throb even more.

“You’re stretching your hand to my cheeks because you want to touch them, right? Um… Then… If you want, then sure.”

With her cheeks flushed, Wakamiya said so in embarrassment. I gulped. Then she brought her cheeks closer to me so that I could easily touch them.

“Er… Seriously?”

“Yes… It’s not like it’ll shrink…”

“But… Um, I can’t just…”

“If you refuse me, I’ll feel hurt, you know?”

“Then… I’ll do as you say.”

I touched her cheek with my index finger.

Soft and elastic skin. I poked it several times to check the feel. Occasionally, Wakamiya whimpered amorously. And my heart skipped a beat every time she did that.

No good… This is addictive…”

“How was it?”

“...It’s quite amazing.”

I didn’t even understand what I said to her. I fanned my face with my hand and gulped the cold tea at once. Still, the heat of my body didn’t disappear at al.

“My~ Just what have you shown to us?”

“...I’m embarrassed just by looking at this.”

“Shut up…”

I cursed with a small voice.

◇◇◇

——Around the evening

Kenichi and Fuji went home, and the small room finally felt wider. Usually, I would be happier having more space, but… I wasn’t quite satisfied with this for some reason.

In the end, we hadn’t decided on our schedule for the summer. Other than the summer festival, Kenichi only said, “Let’s go eat something later.”

In other words, it was postponed. To be precise, it’s the same as ‘We have no plans.’

Well, I could do my part-time job if they had no plans, so I’m okay with that. But with such a strange enthusiasm, I would become a working student at this point…

“It’s quiet.”

“...They’re annoying. I’m glad they’re gone, at least.”

“Fufu. But your face looks lonely.”

“...No. I’m just appreciating the quietness of this room… There’s nothing else.”

“Is that so?” Wakamiya muttered with a smile. Her clear eyes that seemed to be able to see through everything gently stare at me. If I kept looking at those eyes, she might read my heart.

I looked up at the ceiling and sighed.

“They already go home… Wakamiya-san, how about you?”

“I have to prepare dinner soon, so I’m not going to go home before that.”

“Your service is so good that I feel apologetic…”

“Please don’t worry about it. I’m just nosy.”

“I see…”

‘Just being nosy.’ Every time I asked about this matter to Wakamiya, she would always answer that.

It all started with me, but this had reached the level where I could no longer repay her.

She had been helping me from morning until night. Was there anything I could do to her?

However, I could see that my debt, or ‘favor’ to her, would swell before I could repay her.

It accumulated at a swift pace.

Let’s ask Kenichi again later…

“Right. I have something I want to do with Tokiwagi-san today.”

“Something you want to do?”

“Yes. So can I have a little of your time after dinner?”

“Well… I don’t mind.”

“Thank you very much. Then I’ll tell you at that time. By the way, we’re also going to study. Please prepare yourself.”

“Are you serious…?”

My body showed rejection to study, but when I looked at Wakamiya, she was cooking in a good mood. My mouth naturally curved up.

“I guess it won’t hurt.”

I rest my chin on my hand and absentmindedly gazed at her until the food was ready.

Sorry for disappearing for a few months. I finally have time to continue translating as usual now. I noticed someone has picked this up but since I already translated a lot chapters... I decided to just post everything for the time being. I'm not sure if I'm allowed to do this...

The schedule will resume as usual, Tuesday - Friday - Sunday; chapter 43 will be up on Friday.