Source
https://kakuyomu.jp/works/822139838626691253/episodes/822139839595551397
Ding-dong-ding-dong…
Lunch break ended.
“Well then, Kurose-kun. See you later?”
“Yeah, see ya…”
“Nanase-san. Next time, teach me how to make a delicious bento, okay?”
“…Sure.”
“Alright then.”
Hoshikawa flashed her idol smile and walked back with her entourage of girls.
The other boys who’d visited our class just to see Hoshikawa also shuffled back to their own classrooms.
“…Huh!?”
The classroom floor suddenly bulged upward, and I couldn’t believe my eyes.
Thinking it might be an illusion, I rubbed my eyes, but the ground bulged even more.
Looking closer, I realized it was the torso of a grim reaper.
The Shinigami, rising steadily from the ground, finally revealed its entire form and scanned the surroundings with hollow eyes.
Then, spotting Hoshikawa just as she was about to leave the classroom, it stuck right to her back and walked away.
“W-wait, Hoshikawa!”
“K-Kurose-kun!?”
I hurried after Hoshikawa.
“Kurose-kun…?”
Hoshikawa turned around and tilted her head.
Feeling the stares of the girls surrounding her and other onlookers, I asked Hoshikawa.
“L-Lately… are you okay?”
“Huh…?”
“W-Well… how are things going with your activities…?”
“Activities? You mean my idol activities…? Yeah. Thanks to you, they’re going smoothly?”
“I-I see… Well, nothing like before…? Like, being stalked or anything…”
“Not really. Kurose-kun helping… No, um, there’s nothing for Kurose-kun to worry about, I guess.”
Hoshikawa nearly said something outrageous, then frantically corrected herself.
“I-I see… Then, any other stress or anything?”
“Stress…?”
“Like… any worries that are really weighing on you?”
“Worries…? Hmm…”
Hoshikawa pressed her fingertips to her cheek and tilted her head.
It was a deliberately cute gesture, but when Hoshikawa did it, it somehow looked perfectly natural.
“Well, I guess I do have worries…? I am a teenage girl, after all…?”
“You have worries…!!”
“…Huh!?”
Before I knew it, I had my arm around Hoshikawa’s shoulder.
Hoshikawa let out a startled squeak.
“Hey, hey!”
“Kurose-kun?”
“Isn’t that kind of thing… not really okay?”
“Ah… sorry…”
Scolded by the girls surrounding us, I let go of Hoshikawa.
“So, about that worry… would you mind talking to me about it?”
“Eh, ehh… I, I don’t think I can do that…”
Hoshikawa looked troubled.
“Wh-why not…?”
“I, I find it kinda hard to talk to Kurose-kun about it…”
“I, I see…”
Yeah, that makes sense.
Our relationship isn’t deep enough for her to confide her worries to me.
Just because I saved her life once doesn’t mean Hoshikawa trusts me—that’s just me being conceited.
But as long as the Grim Reaper is following Hoshikawa, it’s certain that death awaits her.
I wanted any information I could get to figure out the cause of death.
“Sorry… Yeah, you’re right. It must be tough to be asked something like this out of the blue.”
“Eh, um…? It’s not that I don’t trust you, Kurose-kun, or anything like that…”
“Hoshikawa. I don’t know what your worries are.”
“Y-yeah.”
“But promise me this one thing… Promise me you won’t give up on yourself.”
“G-give up…?
“It means don’t act rashly… Time might solve things, you know?”
“Huh…? Huh…? W-what… what does that mean…? Kurose-kun, did you maybe notice how I feel…?”
“I’m worried about you!!”
“Hyaa!”
I grabbed Hoshikawa’s shoulder again without thinking.
Hoshikawa’s face turned bright red as she looked away from me.
“Okay, okay, that’s enough~”
“That’s not okay, Kurose-kun.”
“That kind of forced approach isn’t good~”
“Come on, we need to get to class now.”
I was forcibly pulled away by the girls surrounding us, and Hoshikawa and the others walked off.
The Grim Reaper clung tightly to Hoshikawa and vanished into the next classroom.
All I could do was watch that scene fade away.
“…Kurose-kun?”
“…Huh!?”
When I returned to the classroom, Nanase came over to me.
She stared at me with those eyes—even emptier than the Grim Reaper’s.
“What… were you talking about with Hoshikawa-san…?”
“Ah, no… it’s not like that, Nanase.”
“…Why are you looking away? I just asked what you were talking about with Hoshikawa-san.”
“Um, well…”
I scratched my head as I spoke.
“I, I was actually asking her for advice about something…”
“Advice…?”
“Yeah. I’m kind of worried about something right now, and I was talking to Hoshikawa about it…”
“What kind of worry…? Why not me…? Why talk to Hoshikawa-san…?”
“Th-there’s a reason I can’t talk to Nanase…”
“Why…? I’m your girlfriend, Kurose-kun…? No secrets, right…?”
“O-okay… I’ll tell you…”
I swallowed hard before speaking.
“Th-Actually… I was thinking about a present for Nanase…”
“Huh…?”
I looked Nanase in the eyes as I said it.
“You know, it’ll be our one-month anniversary soon, right…? So I wanted to get Nanase something. But I’ve never given a girl a present before… That’s why I was asking Hoshikawa for advice…”
“Oh… I see…”
Suddenly, the pressure emanating from Nanase’s body vanished.
Her cheeks flushed red, and she started fidgeting.
“I… I misunderstood… It was for me…”
“Yeah, that’s right. I wanted to surprise you with it, so I just couldn’t tell you, Nanase.”
“I’m… I’m so happy… Kurose-kun giving me a present…”
“Hahaha… Well, since you already know, the surprise’s ruined… But I’ll pick something out carefully, so look forward to it, okay?”
“Okay. I’ll be waiting excitedly.”
Her expression changed completely, blooming into a radiant smile.
Seeing Nanase’s expression like that, I let out a sigh of relief.
I’m quite the actor, even by my own standards.
While relieved that I’d overcome the crisis with a spur-of-the-moment idea, I also made a mental note that I’d have to go buy some kind of present later to make everything add up.
–
–
If you enjoy our content, feel free to donate, Thank you in advance !