Chapter 13 - Walking Home with the Beautiful Girl Next to me
The entrance hall was bustling with the lively energy of after school. Some students changed into the school-designated loafers and headed straight home. Others switched into their club jerseys and dashed off. Groups of friends laughed and shouted things like, “Let’s hit karaoke!” as they went off to hang out.
Each student’s after-school life intersected, creating a noisy mix of laughter and footsteps.
As I was changing my shoes, a small voice called out from behind.
“…Um, Kanzaki-kun.”
I turned around to find Tsukishiro-san standing there, clutching her bag tightly.
Her eyes, which usually glared at me, were the same as ever—but her cheeks were flushed red, as if she were trying to hide her embarrassment.
“Tsukishiro-san… Wh-what’s wrong?”
For a moment, my mind went completely blank. Ever since the hugging incident, things had been awkward, and she wouldn’t even look me in the eye. I never imagined she’d actually speak to me.
“Yesterday… you helped me, but I didn’t even thank you… I-I’m sorry.”
She apologized, her gaze darting around nervously. In that instant, Takase’s lecture from yesterday flashed through my mind.
—Believe in yourself!
No more dithering. She went out of her way to talk to me. I need to have confidence. I am Kanzaki Tsubasa, the (temporary) popular guy!
I desperately encouraged myself as I chose my words.
“No, I should be the one apologizing. You didn’t get hurt, did you?”
“I’m fine. Thanks to you, I’m totally okay. Um… really, thank you.”
A brief pause. But it wasn’t awkward—just a quiet moment filled with the genuine joy of having helped her.
“I see. That’s good.”
The old me would’ve let the conversation end here and let the awkwardness settle in. But the new me is a popular guy. I’m different now.
“Heading home now?”
“Yeah.”
“…If you’d like, want to walk home together?”
The moment I said it, the sound of my heartbeat exploded in my ears. —This was my full-powered courage.
I was so nervous I could barely stand, terrified she might say no.
Tsukishiro-san widened her eyes slightly, then shot me a sharp look and nodded, “...Okay.”
We walked side by side toward the school gate.
On the way there, I couldn’t help but notice the stares from other students. I’m tall, so I stand out. And next to me was a ‘beautiful girl’ so stunning it felt mismatched.
The attention was a little embarrassing… but I also felt a tiny bit proud.
“We’re kind of being stared at, huh?”
Tsukishiro-san seemed to notice too, so I tried to act cool, like a popular guy.
“Sorry. If it bothers you, should we walk apart?”
No! I don’t want to walk apart. I want to stay by Tsukishiro-san’s side. Please, reject my suggestion—
“Eh!?”
Tsukishiro-san stopped in her tracks, eyes wide as if she’d seen something unbelievable. I stopped too and looked at her profile—
“N-no! I don’t want to walk apart!”
She said it in a flustered tone, her face turning bright red.
I understood. Of course—she agreed to walk home together, so walking apart would be weird. This must be Tsukishiro-san’s kindness, a polite gesture!
“…R-right. Sorry, I made you worry.”
Trying to smooth over the awkwardness, I stepped forward. The sound of my leather shoes echoed loudly, almost masking the thumping of my heart.
“W-wait…!”
Breathing lightly, Tsukishiro-san hurried to walk beside me again.
We left the school gate and headed toward the shopping street near the station. I vaguely remembered where her house was from something I heard back in middle school. It’s actually pretty close to mine. Not that I’ve ever been there…
The beautiful girl walking beside me kept her head down, muttering something under her breath.
“…say something”
“…need to talk”
“Gotta say something…”
Her behavior was a little… intimidating, but was she trying to say something?
Ah! She must’ve sensed the awkward air and was desperately searching for words! For someone like me… what a kind person.
I should say something.
—Become a good listener!
Takase’s words echoed in my head.
“Tsukishiro-san, do you still read light novels?”
Immediately, Tsukishiro-san looked up at me, her face lighting up with joy. I recognized that expression. It was the same one she made when I asked her about Kumami-san in the cafeteria.
H-here it comes! Tsukishiro-san in full otaku mode!
“Yeah! But since I started high school, I’ve been so busy with studying that I don’t have as much time to read, though I still read for about thirty minutes before bed every day. Just the other day, I went to the bookstore and saw three books that looked really good, but I couldn’t decide even after an hour, so I begged my dad who came with me and he bought all of them for me. They’re all different genres, and one of them is getting an anime adaptation soon, so I thought I’d check out the original first! I binge anime on weekends through my subscription service, but last time I hogged the TV and my mom got mad at me. And then—”
With sparkling eyes, she spoke rapidly, barely pausing for breath. That look… was ridiculously cute. Honestly, even when she glares at me, I think she’s cute, but when she looks at me with those pure, innocent eyes, she’s like an adorable little kid.
Maybe a few minutes passed? After nodding along for a while, Tsukishiro-san suddenly turned bright red.
“S-sorry. I did it again…”
Looks like otaku mode has ended. She’s back to looking down and fidgeting.
“It’s totally fine. Don’t worry about it.”
When I said that, Tsukishiro-san looked a little surprised, then gave a small nod of relief. That gesture was so endearing, I couldn’t help but smile.
Just then, we passed by a bookstore in the shopping street. I saw her eyes sparkle as she stopped in front of the shelves.
“Wanna stop by?”
The words came out naturally, and Tsukishiro-san gave me a beaming smile.
“Yeah! Let’s go, let’s go!”
Today’s walk home felt like a tiny little adventure—at least, that’s how it felt to me.