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Ever since that confession during lunch break, I couldn’t focus on the afternoon classes at all.
Shiori Miyahara was taking notes in the row next to me, just as usual. She sat up straight and answered calmly whenever the teacher called on her. But I was the only one who knew: just a little while ago, on the stair landing, Shiori had told me she liked me, her voice trembling just a little.
It wasn’t because I was convenient. It wasn’t because I wouldn’t turn her down. She had genuinely come to like me as a person.
Those words made me happy. Even though I was happy, I was afraid to believe them right away.
Up until now, I’d gotten my hopes up on my own countless times, and each time, I’d ended up beating myself up over it. When Rino was kind to me, I’d tell myself it was just because we were childhood friends. When Mikoto relied on me, I’d convince myself it was just because I was a convenient friend. When Chitose Senpai praised me, I’d get a little giddy even though I knew it was just a way to get me to do her work. Even when Mei told me she liked me, I knew she’d always add “as a senpai” at the end.
That’s why I’m afraid to take Shiori’s words at face value.
If I misinterpreted this again, I felt like this time, I wouldn’t be able to laugh it off.
After school, I called out to Shiori in the classroom. I could tell Rino was watching us. Mikoto, too, turned her phone face down as if she’d sensed something. The atmosphere in the classroom grew slightly tense, but Shiori picked up her bag and stood up.
“I’d like to talk for a bit. Can we walk along the same route we took yesterday on the way home?”
When I said that, Shiori nodded just once. It was a brief reply, but I could tell she had no intention of running away. We left the classroom, passed through the entrance hall, and headed toward the narrow path along the river beyond the school gate.
The evening breeze was a little chilly. Voices from club activities could be heard in the distance. Shiori walked half a step to my side and didn’t force a conversation. I was grateful for that silence, which made me feel even more guilty.
“I’ve been thinking about what happened at lunch the whole time.”
I rested my hand on the railing along the river. The metal was slightly cold.
“I was happy. But I couldn’t reply right away. It’s not Miyahara’s fault—I think it’s my problem. I’ve gotten bad at believing that someone actually likes me. It’s been too hard for me to get my hopes up only to find out later that I was wrong.”
As I said it, I felt pathetic.
It might be cowardly to talk about past heartbreak to someone who’s just confessed their feelings to me. But there’s no point in trying to put on a brave face here. Shiori told me she likes me as a person, not just as someone convenient. So I felt it wouldn’t be right to hide my vulnerabilities when giving her an answer.
Shiori listened to everything I had to say. She didn’t rush to comfort me, nor did she dismissively deny that it was a big deal. After thinking for a moment, she turned to face me.
“I wasn’t teasing you, Segawa-kun. I wasn’t enjoying leading you on, and I didn’t get close to you just because you wouldn’t turn me down. I think you were probably scared yesterday when you turned down that underclassman, and this morning when you stood up to Asakura-san and the others. Even so, you were trying to speak up. I really noticed that about you.”
Shiori’s voice wasn’t loud. But there was no pretense in the way she chose her words.
“That’s why I like you. It’s not because you don’t have any weaknesses. It’s because, even though you know what you hate, you’ve been bottling it up all this time—and I couldn’t just leave you be. The reason I wanted to be by your side isn’t because you’re convenient.”
A warmth spread deep within my chest.
More than being told she liked me, the fact that she’d been watching me probably hit me harder. The times I laughed it off, the times I stayed silent because I couldn’t come up with a reply—Shiori had seen it all. And even so, she didn’t call me pathetic.
“I don’t know everything about you yet, Miyahara.”
“Yeah.”
“But you’ve been helping me ever since yesterday. It sounds weird to say I’m falling for you because you helped me, but that’s not the only reason. When I talk to you, Miyahara, I feel like it’s okay to say ‘no’ to things I don’t like. I want to spend more time with someone who makes me feel that way.”
Shiori’s fingers tightened slightly around the handle of her bag. The corners of her eyes turned just a little red. Since she always seems so calm, noticing that kind of change made me feel uneasy, too.
I took a breath.
“So, I want to ask you something. I like you, Shiori. Will you go out with me?”
Shiori didn’t answer right away. She lowered her eyes and exhaled deeply just once. She’d probably been nervous since lunchtime. When she looked up, she was smiling faintly.
“Yes. I’m in your care.”
Her tone was strangely polite, and I found myself straightening my back in response. It still didn’t feel real that we were a couple. But I felt as if the heavy weight in my chest was gradually lifting.
On the way home, we walked side by side toward the station. We weren’t holding hands. But we were closer than we had been yesterday.
When we got back near the school gate, Rino was standing there. She wasn’t holding a paper bag. The moment she saw us, her expression clearly clouded over.
“Minato, aren’t you going home late today? I need to talk to you for a bit.”
It was her usual tone. A voice that assumed I’d stop if she called out to me. A face that, even though she was angry, somehow believed I’d give in.
I glanced at Shiori once. Shiori didn’t say anything. She didn’t give me any orders. She was just waiting for me to decide for myself.
“Sorry. I’m going home with Miyahara today.”
Rino’s eyebrows twitched.
“Huh? Why Miyahara?”
I answered without flinching.
“We’re dating now. So today, I’m going home with her.”
Rino was speechless for a moment. Her eyes shifted from me to Shiori, then back to me. The corners of her mouth twitched, as if she’d tried to smile but failed.
“…You’re joking, right? Minato?”
That tone hurt a little. But today, I didn’t laugh.
“I’m not joking.”
The usual defiant look faded from Rino’s face. She wasn’t angry or crying; she just looked as if a place she knew well had suddenly been blocked off.
I moved back to stand next to Shiori.
Rino started to say something, but the words never came out. I walked past her. I felt her gaze piercing my back, but I didn’t look back.
On the way to the station, Shiori said quietly.
“You managed to say it, didn’t you?”
“My heart’s beating like crazy.”
“If you were able to say it anyway, I think that’s fine.”
I let out a small sigh. Starting today, things are going to get complicated. Rino definitely won’t accept it. Mikoto, Chitose Senpai, and Mei will all have something to say, too.
But I chose the girl who told me she really liked me.
I felt that, at least, I hadn’t made a mistake.
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Really nice.
I pray for No Harem.
I pray for Shiori supremacy