Volume 1(ep 12) : āMe and the Punishment Game Girlfriendā
Episode 12: āNanami-san in a Dazeā
āGoodnight, Nanami-san.ā
The words of Youshin, whom I had been talking to until just now, lingered pleasantly in my ears, and I kept replaying them in my mind.
Itās not like itās the first time Iāve talked to a guy, but talking with him makes my heart flutter endlessly.
Itās like heās right there next to my ear. Telephones are such an amazing invention, and Iām grateful to the person who invented them, even though I donāt know their face or name.
ā¦Come to think of it, this might be the first time Iāve had a private conversation with a guy. And on top of that, itās late at nightā¦
āWhat is this? Iām so nervousā¦ Ya-ba-iā¦ā
I lay on the bed, face down, and fluttered my legs. It doesnāt really serve any purpose, but I canāt calm down if I donāt move something.
Iām done for. I canāt seem to control my feelings anymore. Iām really unsettled. I feel light and fluffy.
āIf thatās the case, I wonāt be able to refute Hatsumi or Ayumiā¦ ā
Today has been a series of unbelievable events.
In the morning, when I arrived too early and was thinking about how to kill time, he came to me right away.
He noticed my changed hairstyle and shyly called it cute. I thought he was the cute one.
He even suggested holding hands first, and I was surprised at myself for such a thing. I hope my hands werenāt sweaty or anything.
He also poked my cheek, and we ate lunch togetherā¦ Why did I even say āAhhā and do that?
Come to think of it, that wasnāt an indirect kiss!?
Oh no, I just realised it nowā¦ Now Iām getting embarrassedā¦ I cover my burning cheeks and become round on the bed.
Say it, Youshinā¦ that it was an indirect kissā¦
No, that wonāt do. If he says something like that, Iām sure Iāll die of embarrassment. Youshin would never say something like thatā¦
And then, the last thing todayā¦ even after school, we went on a shopping dateā¦
Everything, every single thing, is my first time.
Even though he became my boyfriend through a punishment gameā¦ being with Youshin is incredibly fun. I want to be with him even moreā¦ thatās how I feel.
I canāt shake off the feeling of guilt about that. Butā¦
I sneak a peek at the lunchbox I secretly placed in the room, the one specifically for Youshin.
He bought it for meā¦ itās my treasure.
Well, maybe saying he bought it for me is a bit offā¦ When I think about it, itās natural for him to buy it himselfā¦ I was just too carried away and didnāt realize it until he told me.
But, it feels like I received a present, and even now, instead of hiding it in the kitchen, I secretly placed it in my room.
From now on, every day, I will fill this lunchbox with my homemade cooking and give it to him.
That thought makes me irresistibly happy.
āLove-filled lunch, huh?ā
Instantly, the grinning faces of Hatsumi and Ayumi come to mind.
āIām not an āadored wifeā yet!ā
I sat up abruptly on the bed and made excuses to the non-existent pair.
Ughā¦ They say weird thingsā¦
Cooking does involve love, so itās true that I put love into it, butā¦ itās the same amount of love as mothers put into itā¦ it should be loveā¦ I thinkā¦
The more I think about it, the hotter my cheeks get, and once again, I wriggle on the bed.
āHey, what happened? Nanami, who said she was a little scared of boys, holding hands and going to schoolā¦ā
āIām so jealous~. I want to go to school holding hands with my boyfriend too~ā¦ but itās impossibleā¦ā
This morning, when I was interrogated by Hatsumi and Ayumi about the situation, they said those wordsā¦ Hatsumi, I want to hear that from you.
Ayumi seemed envious of the fact that Youshin and I were holding hands and going to school.
Certainly, it was just going to schoolā¦ but it was incredibly fun.
No, going to school with friends is fun too, but this was a different kind of fun. Ayumi envies it because she canāt do it herselfā¦ thatās trueā¦
For now, I explained everything that happened yesterday. Including the fact that Youshin helped meā¦ everythingā¦
āWellā¦ youāre doing great, Misumai . So you fell head over heels for Nanami, huh? I seeā¦ Our worries were spot on, werenāt they? We were seriously worried that you were too easygoing and might give up on going to college because of Nanamiā¦ā
āNanami is such a scatterbrain, isnāt she~? Really, reallyā¦ But, choosing Misumai was the right choice. he seems reliable when it counts, and he suits you, Nanami.ā
Itās rude to call me a scatterbrain.
But I was happy to receive compliments about Youshinā¦ I kept talking about him to the two of themā¦ even though weāve only been dating for two daysā¦
I talked too much and then snapped back to reality, and the two of them grinnedā¦ but they seemed relieved.
That wasnāt so much a report on the punishment game asā¦
āIt was justā¦ normal love talk, rightā¦? The first time Iāve had thatā¦ love talk with the three of usā¦ it was funā¦ā
We were talking even before I contacted Youshin.
Love talk with the three of usā¦ mainly me talking too much, I thinkā¦ but the two of them listened attentively to my words.
And then, I received irresponsible advice like I could push things further. But I canāt go beyond that, not with how I am now!
In the end, they told me, āEnough with the lovey-dovey talk, contact Misumai alreadyā¦ā
Did I talk that much about lovey-dovey thingsā¦? Itās a little embarrassing.
After that, I talked to Youshinā¦ and he asked me out on a dateā¦ When I mentioned I had a prior commitment on Saturday, he suddenly started using honorific language and invited me on a date.
Honestly, I was planning to ask him out for a date on Sundayā¦ but I ended up being beaten to the punch. Itās a bit frustrating.
But being asked out on a date by Youshinā¦ itās irresistibly delightful.
Iām so happy.
Why am I this happy?
A dateā¦ our first dateā¦ on Sundayā¦ I canāt contain my excitement.
āFor tomorrowās bentoā¦ I need to put in some effortā¦ Ah, but I have to make sure my parents donāt find outā¦ā
They donāt need to worry about thanking me for the bento. I do it because I enjoy itā¦
Enjoy it? Who enjoys it? Well, I enjoy cooking, and Iām just using it as practice, thatās all.
ā¦I realize thatās a bit of an unreasonable excuse, even for myself.
Anyway, to regulate my overly excited heart, I start thinking about tomorrowās bento.
Youshin said he likes hamburgers. Iāll make a really big one. I wonder if it will fit in the lunchbox?
I wonder if he likes tamagoyaki (rolled omelette) too? Come to think of it, I didnāt ask whether he prefers sweet or savoryā¦ I should have asked about his preferences today.
Should I make onigiri (rice balls)ā¦ orā¦ heart-shaped onigiri with cherry blossom furikake (rice seasoning)?
ā¦Yeah, I canāt bring myself to make heart-shaped ones. It would be a little embarrassing, and if they were discovered, I donāt know what would be saidā¦ Iāll stick with regular onigiri.
He said he can eat anything except herbsā¦ but I couldnāt find the time to ask about his preferencesā¦
Tomorrow, I want to talk about more things.
I want to know more about Youshinā¦ and I want him to know more about meā¦
But if that happensā¦
āOne monthā¦ feels short.ā
I inadvertently muttered to myself.
āYou donāt have to force yourselves to continue dating, but itās okay if you end up continuing just like that, you know?ā
Those were the words I was told when this punishment game was proposed.
At first, I felt gloomy about having to date for a whole month.
I felt bad for the guy tooā¦ and I didnāt know what to do during that time.
But now itās different. I feel like one month is incredibly short.
In just one day, my feelings have changed so much, and Iām surprised by it myself.
I want to try drinking tapioca with Youshin. Iām sure heās never had it before, so I want to teach him about it.
I want him to taste more of my cooking. Not just the bento, but dishes made freshā¦ thatās what I want.
ā¦In that caseā¦ Can Iā¦ go to his house? Just thinking about it makes me nervous.
If we continue dating, there will be plenty of events to attend.
Going to festivals together seems fun, and thereās Halloween, Christmas, and Valentineās Day tooā¦
Things I want to do, things I want to do for him, things I want him to doā¦ When I think about all that, one month really feels short.
āAre we going to kiss tomorrow?ā
āIām not ready yet! I canāt do it!ā
I argue back in my mind against Hatsumi and Ayumi.
I started shouting and thrashing about on the bed, and my mom scolded me.
Thatās not goodā¦ I need to calm downā¦
Youshin is different from me, he was calmā¦ I thought he was quiet at school, but maybe heās actually mature?
He probably doesnāt know that Iām secretly getting nervous and excited even during our phone calls.
Oh, but waitā¦ Did I hear him sound flustered too? And why did he use honorific language when he asked me out again?
If he was nervous like meā¦ would it make me happy if we were both the same?
What do I want after one monthā¦?
Iām really scared at the thought of him finding out and drifting away from meā¦ Just thinking about it makes me want to cry.
āā¦Am Iā¦ too easy going?ā
The question without anyone to answer dissipates within me.
Thereās probably no wayā¦ Iām not easygoingā¦ I think to myselfā¦ but even now, I canāt stop thinking about Youshin. Thatās the only thing Iām aware of, that I canāt argue against their words.
So I made a decision. As advisedā¦ Iāll be proactive and go for it.
āIāll make Youshin fall madly in love with me! Through his stomach! Weāll have lots of fun! ā¦But Iām still too embarrassed for a kiss! If I do that, he wonāt drift away from me!ā
I canāt help but feel like Iām the worst.
Even though I know this started as a punishment game, Iāll try my best to fully capture Youshinās heart before he forgives me.
Because Youshin will fall head over heels for me.
ā¦Itās my best effort since I still canāt gather the courage to confess.
āIf thatās decided, tomorrow will be another day of making bento! Yeah, Iāll put all my effort into it!ā
I stood up on the bed and made a commotion, and once again, my mom scolded me.
But Iāve set my course, and I no longer have any doubts!
And then, I slip back into bed and fall asleep. I hope I have sweet dreamsā¦ dreams about Youshin.
ā¦No, wait, meā¦ even in my dreamsā¦ Am I really so easygoing?
Interlude: Youshin at that time
āAll right!! I managed to ask her out on a date! Baron-san! I did it!! I showed my manliness!ā
āOh, yeah. You seem quite high-spiritedā¦ Did you just ask her out on impulse?ā
āWhat are you talking about?! Iām calm and rational! Now, Iāll do my best for the Sunday date!ā
āAhā¦ Yeah, just keep it in moderation, okay?ā