I entered the house and sat down on the sofa in the living room.
I rested my elbow on the armrest and stared at the tv screen for a while.
The screen in front of me remains black, but various scenes are being projected in my head.
The faces of Hina, Kaede and Natsuhi-senpai appeared in order.
I found myself sighing deeply.
It’s tiring.
I’m happy that many people like me.
But why is it so painful?
It’s probably because I feel sorry for them.
The more I thought about it, the more I couldn’t repay the feelings they gave me.
Every single one of them.
It seems like it was still too early for me.
There wasn’t anyone to whom I could say ‘I like you’ to.
In terms of age, I might be interested in romance. Even if I can’t say “I love you,” to them, it could be possible to have a relationship with someone who I feel comfortable with—but I can’t do that.
And even if I started dating with such a mindset, I think it would be rude to the other person.
That’s why I have no choice but to reject them.
It was painful and depressing.
But they took the courage to convey their feelings, so I had to do my best as well in replying to them.
“Alright.”
I slapped my cheeks and felt energised again.
At a later date, I told each of them my honest feelings and rejected them, but it was extremely difficult to handle.
I don’t know if they were convinced, but I was able to clearly convey my intentions.
It might not be possible to have the same relationship with Hina, Kaede and Natsuhi-senpai as before, but I think this was good as it was.
※※※[Part 2]
It was the day when I started to feel that Kaede and I didn’t go out together as much as we did before.
After classes, I left school by myself while watching the waves of students dressed in their sports attire for the club activities.
“Akira-san!”
“?”
It felt like I was being called from somewhere.
My name was being called, but who was it?
When I looked around……There!
The person who was peeking from the shadow of the telephone pole was ‘that kid whom I wasn’t allowed to meet’.
“Miyuki-kun!”
“Akira-sannn!”
When our eyes met, the person leapt towards me from behind the telephone pole.
I opened my arms wide and accepted it.
It was a touching reunion.
“I missed you!”
While saying that, Shirousa Prince still looked ephemeral, beautiful and cute.
He was so adorable that the arm hugging him tightened.
I knew it, I want to take this child home!
“My younger brother! I missed you too! You doing good?”
“Yes! I’m fine! Uhh, big brother? Ah, can I call you……’Aki-nii’?”
He said this shyly after I let go of him, and I was about to explode.
What is this, I’ll be killed from this moe!
“It’s obvious that you can!”
I subconsciously caught the body and hugged him again.
I want to rub his cheeks.
I felt like a father who met my beloved daughter for the first time in a while.
My eyes won’t hurt even if I stare at him!
“Eheheh,” Miyuki-kun giggled bashfully. Then he seemed to recall something since he hurriedly grabbed my arm and started walking.
“We might be found if we stay here, let’s change our location!”
While I wasn’t sure what he was talking about, I still had time and wanted to talk to him, so I decided to follow quietly.
Miyuki-kun stopped at the small area where there was only a swing and a slide.
While muttering that it was okay here, he sat down on one of the two swings.
“I’m sorry, I made you come to such a place. My sister might pass by near the school……I was waiting to meet Aki-nii, but my sister might get angry if she finds out.”
“That’s……because you were told not to meet me?”
“……Yes. I don’t know why though……”
“Haha……”
I didn’t know why either.
But when it came to harming Miyuki-kun, it was certain that she thought I was bacteria.
Ah, I feel like crying.
“My sister says I’ll have to meet you for a proper reason, but I just really wanted to meet you……!”
“Miyuki-kun!”
What a good kid, I wanted to meet you too!
I applied for meetings many times, but all of them were returned with a prepaid “rejection”.
My wish finally came true.
“I want to talk and play with you……Above all, I wanted to thank you!”
“Thank me?”
“Yes! My sister is no longer training!”
Speaking of which, Miyuki-kun asked me to convince her to not train anymore.
I see, we haven’t met since then.
“Mom was crying, ‘Aimi is drinking regular strawberry milk!’”
‘Mom’……
If a cute girl grew up like a warrior who looked like she had barely survived the battlefield, she would have a lot to think about.
I’m sorry for the inconvenience.
I’m glad that I could help!
I’m really glad!
“Thank you very much!”
“It wasn’t anything much……but I’m glad!”
The swings were wrapped in a blissful aura as if the Demon King had been defeated and peace had finally arrived.
“Aki-nii is amazing.”
Miyuki-kun muttered while soaking in the emotional afterglow.
“I didn’t do anything. It’s Shirousa-san who’s doing her best.”
“My sister is doing her best, but this is different. I think Aki-nii, who can move people’s hearts, is really amazing.”
His sparkling eyes looked at me as if to tell me he genuinely thought so, making my eyes blinded by it.
“I-is that so.”
However, I used a sly trick to persuade Shirousa-san.
I honestly couldn’t feel happy about that, and I felt apologetic.
“I want to be like Aki-nii.”
“I won’t recommend that. It’s better to stay as you are.”
Miyuki-kun is cute, kind and a good kid……It’s definitely better to stay as he is.
And if that happened to reach Shirousa-san’s ears, I would be erased from this world.
“How will I be able to be like you?”
Miyuki-kun seemed to be seriously thinking about what to do,
“You don’t have to.”
I was happy but Shirousa-san would hate it.
I laughed bitterly.
“First of all, I have to be strong. I’ll train. I’ll do it for sister’s sake since she stopped doing that……”
“You definitely can’t!”
I cut him off.
I don’t want to see the beauty of the captive prince wrapped in an armor called muscles.
I want you to stay ephemeral and delicate like glass work!
It was good to be strong, but it didn’t suit Miyuki-kun.
“But……”
“Rather than suddenly getting muscles, let’s start by getting stronger. How about jogging?”
“……If I run, I’ll get an asthma attack.”
“Then, walking?”
“In that case……”
It seems like I managed to prevent Miyuki-kun from becoming a muscle man.
Walking probably wouldn’t make him sick.
“Then, I’ll meet you once in a while.”
“Really?”
“Mn. It would be boring to walk alone.”
“Yayy!”
The happily frolicking figure looked cute. It was healing.
It’s nice to be able to meet once in a while by walking together……Wait, that’s no good.
“Sorry, I can’t. I’ll be killed by Shirousa-san.”
There was no way to receive permission to meet him.
What kind of scolding would I receive if she found out that we met today?
Maybe I would be told to never meet him again.
Besides, Shirousa-wan would start training again.
Her parents were so happy they shed tears. It was too pitiful.
Miyuki-kun seemed to have thought of the same thing, and suddenly his bright face dimmed.
“……I wonder why sister doesn’t allow us to meet.”
“I don’t know why, but I think it’s for Miyuki-kun……I feel lonely though.”
What’s wrong with meeting up with me?
Because I call her Shirousa-san?
Is it because I was the reason the pink pigtail girl harassed Shirousa-san?
There were so many reasons I could think of, but I think there was a more fundamental reason.
Was it simply because she didn’t accept me?
It was possible; it was very possible.
No matter how hard I tried, it was unlikely that she would like me anyway.
It’s painful. I have no choice but to cry tonight.
“Aki-nii……”
While I was busy thinking, Miyuki-kun looked at me with a worried look.
That’s not good, don’t look at me like that.
“I’m sorry, I was just dozing off a little. I’ll discuss with Shirousa-san the next time we meet.”
I’m sure I’ll be cut off with one word: ‘Rejected’.
However, it wasn’t impossible.
I might be forgiven even though there were conditions.
I was thinking of asking her immediately tomorrow morning when Miyuki-kun, who was swinging beside me, stood up.
“……Let’s keep it a secret from sister!”
As if it was decided, he declared with a dignified look towards me.
His eyes were serious.
I’m sure he said that because he was concerned about me, but……
“I don’t think that’s a good idea?”
“It’s good! Because I don’t think there’s anything wrong with meeting Aki-nii……Yeah, there definitely isn’t! My sister is surely misunderstanding something. Once I become stronger, she’ll realise it was a mistake! So……you still can’t?”
He looked at me with puppy eyes and drooping ears.
No, it was a white rabbit.
Aah……if you look at me with those eyes…I…I…!
“It……It’s totally fine!”
……I’m sorry, Shirousa-san.
I can’t say no if the captive prince is begging me with such eyes!
I can’t reject him!
I don’t understand why I’m being treated as a bacteria, but if it’s just accompanying him to walk……
Although I felt guilty about breaking the promise, I lost to the temptation of getting along with Miyuki-kun.