Source
https://kakuyomu.jp/works/2912051597934651646/episodes/2912051600350887603
The classroom door swung open with a loud clatter.
“G-good morning!”
Just as the bell was about to ring for homeroom, Seika Hirugami slid into the classroom, out of breath.
From running, her milky-blonde hair was slightly tousled, and the rise and fall of her ample chest beneath her uniform blouse moved violently in time with her ragged breathing.
In that instant, the entire class’s gaze turned to Seika.
The boys all licked their lips, their lecherous stares lingering on her sweaty skin and cleavage.
Meanwhile, the girls’ gazes were as cold as ice.
“Dressing so flashy just to attract guys again. It’s disgusting how she’s already playing the seductress first thing in the morning.”
Even without saying a word, their sneers and whispered gossip pierced Seika’s body like sharp thorns.
Her invisible dog ears drooped sadly.
A stinging pain gripped her chest, and her breathing grew shallow.
But Seika never let anyone see the hurt in her expression.
If she were to show weakness or a gloomy face here, it would only make the atmosphere worse.
Above all, she didn’t want to cause any more worry or trouble for the boy sitting next to her, who was always there to help her.
After all, for someone like her, surrounded by nothing but bad rumors, her only redeeming quality was being “incredibly cheerful.”
Seika forced a smile, put on her usual carefree “gal” mask, and headed toward her seat.
Thud.
She plopped down onto the metal chair with a slightly rough sound.
“G-g-good morning… Achi-kun…”
Catching her breath, she spoke to Achi Houtarou, who was quietly reading a paperback next to her.
Because she’d been running at full speed, a thin sheen of sweat was beading on the back of her neck.
(Oh no. I’m sweating. I hope I don’t smell. What if he thinks I smell like sweat? Ugh…)
Seika suddenly became self-conscious about her body odor and secretly pinched the collar of her blazer, sniffing it.
If the person she loved thought she was unclean, she wouldn’t be able to go on living.
Right now, his reaction—sitting right next to her—was a hundred times more terrifying than the cold stares in the classroom, and Seika curled up into a tight ball.
Seeing Seika’s suspicious behavior, Houtarou snapped his paperback shut and looked up.
“Good morning, Hirugami-san.”
There was no disgust, no ulterior motives, and no pity whatsoever.
His eyes were as calm as ever, and his voice was as flat and even as always.
That was the best proof that he wasn’t looking at Seika through tinted glasses, but treating her straightforwardly as simply her classmate, “Seika Hirugami.”
“Phew… I ended up talking to Achi-kun first thing this morning. Phew…”
With just that single greeting, the anxiety and pain that had been weighing on Seika’s heart vanished in an instant, as if they’d never been there.
Her ears, which had been flattened against her head, perked up, and her invisible tail wagged so vigorously it seemed it might snap off.
The cold stares from the whole class, her worries about the smell of sweat—none of it mattered anymore.
Seika buried her face in her desk with a huge, goofy grin, her cheeks relaxing in pure happiness.
Her overflowing love meter, with just those few seconds of interaction this morning, was once again effortlessly breaking through its limits.
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