“So, why did it have to come to that?”
Hearing the exchange between Ryuzaki and I, however, she did not seem to grasp the whole situation.
That’s understandable. I don’t think she could have grasped the whole situation just by listening to what we just talked about.
“Oh, Kotaro-kun, if you don’t want to tell me, that’s fine. It’s not that I want to force you to tell me or anything, I’m not trying to … pry, okay? But, um,… if you’re troubled, I’d like to be troubled with you.”
She said this as we sat in the park together sheltering from the rain.
“Well,… hey, is this kind of thing too heavy? I heard on TV that it is not good for a woman to want to know everything about her partner. Am I a bother to you, Kotaro-kun? If so, I want to fix it, so please be honest with me.”
No, no. Is there such a thing – or is there not such a thing?
Well, maybe some men, in general, don’t like being stalked or anything.
But I never once thought anything bad about Shiho’s behavior.
So I shook my head firmly.
“It’s okay. I can tell you really care about me, and I think you’re cute, even when you’re a … bother.”
This is my honest opinion.
I understand that Shiho has an act for me.
That’s why I know that Shiho does things that are often thought of as bothersome.
This is one of Shiho’s charms.
“…How cool! Kotaro-kun, when did you become such a great-looking guy? I’m so nervous, please don’t do that. I want a normal, reassuring Kotaro-kun!”
Did I look cool myself? I thought.
Shiho prefers me as I usually am rather than the heightened version of me.
“If you suddenly said that to me, my heart would beat too fast and I’d get exhausted, okay? I wonder if Kotaro-kun likes to make me suffer in agony.”
Was she caught by surprise? Shiho, her face redder than usual, was scolding me as if she were giving me a lecture.
“I’m sorry. I’ll be careful next time, so calm down.”
“Ah, it’s fine if you apologize. I forgive you.”
Shiho easily forgave me when I broke down.
The part where she gets angry in embarrassment and loses her retreat because of it is … well, generally speaking, it is quite troublesome.
But when I apologize, she easily forgives me, and I don’t feel uncomfortable.
I have become completely accustomed to that kind of personality.
So-called, this part might be Shiho’s “bad side”.
However, I have come to find even this side of Shiho attractive, which is a strange thing.
I think my relationship with Shiho has grown that much deeper.
So, I think it’s time to … tell her about my past, too.
Come to think of it, I have never been very proactive about talking to Shiho about it.
I think I had a strong feeling that I didn’t want her to know.
Rather than not wanting her to know, I didn’t want her to hate me.
I didn’t want to talk about my past with Shiho, who was single-minded and possessive.
But I felt sorry to Shiho to keep it hidden … forever.
This time, Ryuzaki’s case and my past are closely related, and it is just the right opportunity.
“So, can you tell me about your story with Ryuzaki-kun…?”
Shiho also wants to know.
“Yeah, okay. I want you to hear it, too.”
So I decided to tell her.
I told the story of those foolish days when I thought I could make other girls … happy, before I fell in love with Shiho.
I told the story of my middle school days, when I thought I was the protagonist…