Chapter 10 - I Hugged the Beautiful Girl Next to Me
When I entered the classroom, Tsukishiro-san was already seated, and next to her, Takase was chatting cheerfully.
…Yeah, when those two sit together, the atmosphere is just something else.
That spot alone feels like a sunlit patch, and when I approach, it’s like my shadow deepens. I hesitate for a moment, wondering if I’m even allowed to cut in.
But—go. Remember last night’s message. One step at a time.
First, a greeting. Greetings are the foundation of communication! Oh god of muscles, grant me strength—!
“G-Good morning.”
I mustered all my courage and spoke—and Tsukishiro-san flinched, her shoulders trembling.
“…!”
Her face turned bright red as she looked back at me. But her eyes still seemed to glare at me.
As an awkward silence settled in, Takase… was grinning at Tsukishiro-san. Hey, she’s totally enjoying this, isn’t she?
“…Good morning.”
Though her expression was stiff, Tsukishiro-san responded.
Like a stone dropped into a still pond, a ripple of emotion spread through my chest… Thank goodness… I wasn’t ignored.
“Morning, Tsubasa!”
Takase followed up with a burst of energy.
But… she casually called me by name…! My heart can’t take this! Tsukishiro-san looked utterly shocked upon hearing Takase’s greeting.
Then Takase approached, her blonde ponytail swaying. Wait, what!? Gals are scary…!
“You greeted Rei properly—good job!”
“Huh!? N-No, that’s just normal, right!?”
“No no~ You hadn’t talked to her at all before, right? You’re growing~”
Saying that, she leaned in close and whispered in my ear.
Whoa, too close! My eyes naturally… drifted to her chest… No, I didn’t look! I didn’t! That’s just a lump of fat sitting on top of her pectorals! Fat is the enemy!
“Hey, Tsubasa. Do your best. I’m rooting for you.”
“E-Eh!? Rooting… for what exactly!?”
“Don’t make me spell it out~ Come on! You want to talk to Rei, right? Go on!”
An unexpected assist. Flustered, I met Tsukishiro-san’s eyes.
…Uh, topic… I didn’t think of one! Natural conversation… natural…
“Um, so… nice weather today, huh!”
“…Yeah.”
So short!?
My heart started beating in a weird rhythm. The silence… it’s heavy. Too heavy…
“U-Um…”
“…”
Aaaaaaaah! I can’t keep the conversation going!!
Sweat began to bead unpleasantly on my forehead.
“…Haa~”
Takase looked back and forth between me and Tsukishiro-san, then let out a big sigh.
“W-Why the sigh!? Am I that hopeless!?”
“…No, just… you’re even more awkward than I imagined.”
“Gwah!”
A critical hit to my heart. Yeah, I’m such a mess it makes me want to cry.
But then, Takase threw me another lifeline.
“Rei~ Tsubasa-kyun says he wants to talk to you. Give him some attention.”
She winked and gave a big thumbs-up. She handed the reins of the conversation to Tsukishiro-san… Sorry for calling you scary, Takase! You’re my savior!
But Tsukishiro-san—her eyes widened, glaring at me. Her mouth opened and closed, trying desperately to say something.
“…It is.”
“Huh?”
Her voice was too soft to hear.
I hurriedly asked again.
“Eh!? Tsukishiro-san, what did you say…?”
Tsukishiro-san flinched again.
Her cheeks flushed red, her gaze darting around—
“Th-The… blue sky… is beautiful…”
“…Ah, ahh… yeah, it is…”
Now!? That topic already ended earlier!
I forced a stiff smile, waiting for her next words.
The silence dragged on. Tsukishiro-san looked down, clutching the hem of her skirt tightly.
Crap, the conversation stalled again.
What do I do!? What should I say next—? I desperately tried to pull some light novel wisdom from my brain, but no miracle line came to mind.
“T-Today… the weather’s nice!”
Suddenly, Tsukishiro-san raised her head and shouted.
“Eh…!? You said the same thing!?”
My cry echoed through the classroom.
Realizing she’d repeated exactly what I said, Tsukishiro-san turned beet red, trembling, eyes brimming with tears.
“Pffft!”
Takase couldn’t hold it in anymore and burst out laughing. Her shoulders shook as she laughed with tears in her eyes.
“You two saying the same thing… You’re way too perfect together!”
Tsukishiro-san and I both reacted instinctively.
““N-No! It’s not like that…!””
Our lines overlapped again, and we had no energy left to argue with Takase.
Unable to bear it, Tsukishiro-san and I collapsed onto our desks. In the back of my ears, Takase’s teasing laughter echoed.
…I just want to escape this place. Seeing Tsukishiro-san get teased alongside someone like me made me feel guilty and awkward.
“N-No…!”
Tsukishiro-san covered her face with both hands and suddenly stood up.
“I… I can’t take this anymore!”
She shouted in a tearful voice and rushed toward the door—only to catch her toe on the corner of a desk—
“Tsukishiro-san!”
My body moved before I could think. I reached out to support her—
“Kyaa…!”
…and found myself hugging her.
Soft sensation. A gentle whiff of shampoo. …Oh no. This is bad in so many ways!
“U-Um! S-Sorry!”
I quickly helped her stand upright and stepped back.
Tsukishiro-san turned bright red and glared at me silently.
“…Ugh…”
“Um… Tsukishiro-san?”
The classroom buzzed with noise.
From behind, I heard shouts like “So precious…” and “Kanzaki, go explode!” but I didn’t care about any of that.
Unable to bear it, Tsukishiro-san ran out of the classroom—
“W-Wait!”
The door slammed shut with a decisive thud, as if telling me not to follow. I couldn’t chase after her.
“Ahh, she’s gone.”
Even Takase, who had been laughing uncontrollably, scratched her cheek awkwardly.
The soft sensation of Tsukishiro-san’s arms lingered on mine, sending waves of confusion through my heart.