Source
https://kakuyomu.jp/works/2912051597934651646/episodes/2912051598089251126
Morning.
Before classes began, the second-year Class C classroom was filled with the buzz and energy of the students.
Just then, the sound of the front door swinging open with a loud clatter echoed through the room.
“Good morning, everyone!”
With a bright, bubbly voice, Hirugami Seika stepped into the classroom.
Her loosely curled milky-blonde hair swayed, and the sweet scent of coconut perfume wafted through the air.
The moment she appeared in her flamboyantly rumpled school uniform, the atmosphere in the classroom was clearly split in two.
“Oh, Hirugami! Good morning!”
“You’re seriously cute today! Where’d you go over the weekend?”
The boys wore drooling, lecherous expressions as they eagerly swarmed around Seika.
On the other hand, the girls’ reactions were the exact opposite.
“Ugh, sucking up to guys first thing in the morning again. Gross.”
“I bet you were sleeping with some guy over the weekend, too.”
Whispers laced with blatant disgust flew at her like needles, accompanied by icy stares.
Seika understood better than anyone that she was being completely shunned by the girls.
But, as if she didn’t care about such malice, Seika put on a flawless smile and responded to the boys.
“Eh, I just went shopping like normal this weekend! It was a sale day, after all!”
“A sale day? Hirugami, you’re surprisingly domestic, aren’t you?”
While offering a casual response, Seika shifted her gaze to the back of the classroom.
There, sitting by the window and listlessly reading a paperback, was a boy named Achi Hotarou.
The moment she spotted him, Seika’s heart began pounding wildly.
A flashback of yesterday’s events played in her mind.
She’d gone up to his room, and they’d made ginger pork together using the pork they’d bought at the supermarket.
She couldn’t forget the profile of his face as he happily devoured the meal she’d cooked for him in that cramped, bare room.
Weaving her way through the circle of boys, Seika made her way toward her seat—the one right next to Hotarou.
Even though she was just going to say good morning, her legs felt like jelly, and she could feel her throat going dry.
“O-o-o-oh, g-g-g-good… morning, Achi-kun!”
Her voice, a mangled, stuttering mess, echoed through the corner of the classroom.
Seika’s face was bright red, as if it were boiling all the way to the backs of her ears.
Houtarou slowly lifted his gaze from his paperback book and looked up at Seika with calm eyes.
“…Good morning.”
It was his usual, perfectly deadpan response, delivered without a hint of inflection.
But to Seika right now, even that cold indifference felt like the ultimate reward.
(Aaaaaah! He’s so consistent, even first thing in the morning! I love that cool side of him toooo!)
She writhed with excitement inside, and behind her back, her invisible tail was wagging so hard it felt like it might snap.
While she could easily smile and be friendly with other boys, the moment she was in front of her true love, Houtarou, she instantly turned into a clumsy, innocent girl.
There was no way those around her could fail to notice Seika’s blatant change in attitude.
One of the boys who had been talking to Seika just moments ago approached her with a smug, mischievous grin.
“What’s up, Hirugami? You’re acting totally different around Achi.”
“Huh?”
“Could it be… Hirugami, do you like Achi?”
At those blunt words, the air in the classroom froze solid.
Even the girls who had been openly showing their disgust now turned their curious gazes toward them.
Caught red-handed, Seika’s face flushed bright red, and she froze completely.
Her mind went blank; she couldn’t even think of an excuse.
If she admitted it, it would cause trouble for him.
She would be dragging him into that malicious rumor that she’d sleep with anyone.
But her feelings for Houtarou were far too strong to lie and deny it.
“Ah, uh…”
In a state of panic, she could only manage pitiful sounds—a truly desperate situation.
As if to cut through the silence, a chillingly cold voice echoed through the classroom.
“That’s ridiculous. What a load of nonsense.”
The voice belonged to Houtarou, who was leaning on his hand, squinting boredly.
Without even glancing at the boy who had been teasing her, he spoke with a blank expression.
“We’re just classmates. There’s no way she’d be interested in a boring guy like me.”
“Oh, right. I guess so. She wouldn’t be a good match for a deadbeat like Achi, after all.”
Deflated by Houtarou’s icy, dismissive response, the boy shrugged his shoulders in boredom and walked away.
The attention of those around them faded, and the classroom returned to its usual bustle.
Seika let out a small sigh of relief.
At first glance, Houtarou’s words seemed cold and dismissive toward Seika.
But Seika understood his true intentions all too well.
He was clumsy and had a detached view of the world.
Sensing that Seika was at a loss for words, he had deliberately put himself down to take the blame, so as not to cause any friction.
(Achi-kun… he said it like that on purpose… to protect me.)
Touched by that painfully clumsy kindness, Seika clenched her fists tightly under the desk.
An overwhelming wave of tenderness for him welled up inside her.
The second period ended, and it was time to head to the science lab.
As soon as the bell rang, Houtarou tucked his textbook under his arm and hurried out of the classroom.
Seika panicked and chased after him, jogging down the crowded hallway.
“Ah, Achi-kun! Wait!”
Her indoor shoes clattered as she ran up to him and called out to his slightly hunched back.
Houtarou didn’t stop, but he did slow his pace just a little.
Walking side by side, Seika spoke, her gaze cast downward.
“About earlier… uh, thank you… It’s my fault things got awkward.”
“Don’t worry about it. It’s the spirit of mutual aid.”
Keeping his gaze forward, Houtarou spoke those unfamiliar words matter-of-factly.
“Mutual… what’s that?”
“Helping each other. It means we’re all in this together when times get tough.”
“We’re all in this together…”
“We’re neighbors, after all. It’s only natural.”
With a detached look in his eyes, Houtarou stated it matter-of-factly.
His words were very warm, but at the same time, they made Seika feel a slight pang of guilt.
She’d been helped on a rainy day, nursed back to health, and today, once again, he’d protected her.
“But I’m sorry… I’m the only one getting helped…”
Seika flattened her invisible ears against her head and slumped her shoulders, looking dejected.
This wasn’t mutual support. Wasn’t she just causing him trouble?
Just as she was overcome by that anxiety, Houtarou’s footsteps suddenly came to a halt.
He turned around and gave Seika a slightly exasperated look.
“That’s not true. The meals.”
“Ah…”
“Thanks to the meals you make for me, my diet has become much healthier. To me, that’s what I’m most grateful for.”
It was a straightforward statement.
As Houtarou started walking again, he muttered his true feelings.
“It feels weird to just keep taking without giving anything back. This is just right.”
“-…”
He had treated her pushy home-cooked meals as a favor, counting them as an equal exchange.
Confronted with that reality, Seika’s heart burst its limits.
The blood in her entire body boiled over all at once, and it felt like her face was about to burst into flames.
(Waaah… No, this is bad, this is too much, I like him way too much…!)
Her rationality completely burned out, and Seika felt like she was about to melt into a gooey mess and collapse right there.
Desperately holding back from collapsing to her knees, she glared at Houtarou’s back with a bright red face.
“M-Mouu! Calling it weird is so mean!”
“I’m just stating the facts. Don’t make a fuss.”
“Ahaha, you idiot, Achi-kun!”
Puffing out her cheeks dramatically, Seika skipped over to stand beside him.
Armed with the ultimate excuse—mutual support—Seika’s plan to win over his stomach gained even more momentum.
To win over the world’s clumsiest yet most sincere boy, the innocent gal’s sweet, relentless assault would never stop.
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