Source
https://kakuyomu.jp/works/16818093093152263860/episodes/16818622170980774791
Chapter 1 Epilogue: Part II
…I was just lying around, and before I knew it, it was noon.
There weren’t even any dishes left at Toka’s house, so I bought a bento box at the supermarket today.
“It’s delicious, Ryo-kun.”
“Yeah, it’s delicious.”
“Everything tastes delicious when I eat it with Ryo-kun.”
“Then let’s try eating green peppers together next time.”
“I’m sorry, I lied.”
Toka laughed innocently and happily ate the supermarket bento. Even in such a bleak room, just eating together made her look so happy. It warmed my heart too.
“By the way, what are you going to do about school, Toka?”
“I’m going.”
“Oh, what happened to your declaration of being a shut-in?”
“I’m going because I want to be with Ryo kun.”
“That’s great, but are you sure? I’m sure a lot of people will want to talk to you.”
“I don’t want to, but I guess I have no choice. Staying cooped up all the time is boring anyway.”
That lazy girl is becoming more outgoing. This is amazing!
“But if anything happens, please help me.”
“Of course!”
I’m so happy. I have a feeling school life is going to be a lot more fun from now on.
But still, I’m worried. We can be together at school, but that’s not the case in our personal lives. We can’t eat together every day like this, and I have things to do at home, so I can’t be with her all the time. I don’t want to leave Toka alone in this room…
“Ah—”
I just thought of something.
“Toka, listen…”
“Hmm?”
“If you’d like, why don’t you come over to my place next time?”
“Eeeeeehhhh?!”
That’s right, why didn’t I think of that sooner? If I introduce Toka to my family, we can be together openly. If we can eat meals together, it’ll also reduce my workload significantly. Yeah, I think it’s a great idea.
But introducing Toka to my family is pretty embarrassing… If I bring Asahina Toka home, my mother might flip out.
“I-is that a proposal?”
“No!”
I denied it immediately, but Toka covered her face with both hands and started rolling around. But, now that you mention it, inviting her out of the blue would probably lead to that!
“WWW-What should I do?! I don’t have anything to wear!”
“I’ve heard that line before.”
Well, I’d be in trouble if my family reacted like that. On the contrary, I’d want to make her dress up.
“You don’t need to worry about that.”
“But I want to make a good impression at first!”
“Honestly!”
Toka didn’t know it, but she dealt me a big blow! I had the worst first meeting with Toka’s mother… Damn it, even thinking about it now makes me feel bad.
“If I tell my parents properly, we might be able to spend more time together.”
“You thought that far ahead!?”
“Of course. I’m Asahina’s guardian.”
“Ryo-kun!”
Toka leaned even closer to me. No, her actions are like a dog’s! She’s so happy that she immediately tries to stick to me, like she’s not Asahina but Asa-inu!
“So, Ryo-kun, what will you introduce me to your family as?”
“…”
“Ryo-kun!”
Toka just hit the most awkward spot.
“G-Girlfriend….?”
“What did you say~?”
“You heard me!”
And Toka laughs again. This is nice, you know? Just a regular smile on a regular day.
…Actually, I think I like any of Toka’s smiles.
“Ryo-kun, you need to practice your pronunciation.”
“…So, how will you introduce me from now on?”
“Feh!?”
“I’ve been asked about my relationship with Toka a lot before, but what should I say from now on?”
“From now on… please say ‘boyfriend’…”
I tried to deliver a big counterpunch, but my face ended up getting hot too. Toka’s cheeks were also red.
“Ah, I was thinking of confessing my feelings once Toka’s re-education was successful…”
“What do you mean?”
“Because if the guy who said he’d raise her ends up liking her, there’s nothing I can do about it.”
“Hhmmm.”
Toka let out a genuinely puzzled sound. Her face clearly said, “Ryo kun, what are you talking about?” Her slightly condescending expression was a bit annoying.
“Did you really care about that?”
“I did care!”
“It’s working.”
“Huh?”
“It’s working very well.”
Toka shyly looked away from me. Her cheeks were slightly red, and she had a small smile on her lips—the girl who looked so lonely that day was no longer there.
Perhaps Toka’s SSR light had been restored. But that wasn’t enough. It wasn’t nearly enough.
Because I want Toka’s future—our future—to be even brighter.
“It’s all because of you, Ryo kun, that my ‘love’ has grown so successfully.”
Toka said this with a hint of pride.
Chapter 1: The Girl Who Was Said to Be a Failure
End
Continue in Chapter 2
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