Source
https://kakuyomu.jp/works/16818093093152263860/episodes/16818622176203867755
I got up from the bed. Toka watched me from where she lay, looking up at me.
“Toka…”
To be honest, I want to do it too! She’s so cute, I want to do whatever she says!
But is this really the right time? If I do what she wants right now, I might be able to give her a temporary sense of security. But would that really be good for Toka in the long run?
“Ei.”
“Whoa, whoa!”
I decided to ruffle Toka’s hair. Toka laughed as if she was tickled and squirmed. Her reaction was so cute that I couldn’t help but laugh too.
“You’re messing up my hair!”
“I’ll fix it for you.”
“Eh?”
“I’ll fix it as many times as you want, so don’t worry about it.”
Toka looked blankly at me when I said that.
I think Asahina Toka is a more amazing person than she thinks she is. Yet, I feel like Toka is trying to keep me tied to her by easily using her body.
As her partner and the man who said he would “re-educate” her, I can’t let that happen. If I kiss her here, I feel like her already low self-esteem will become even more distorted.
“Ryo-kun…?”
Her voice was shy, but also happy. Toka got up and leaned gently on my shoulder.
“Toka, there’s something I want to tell you.”
“What is it?”
“I want to be the one to give you your first kiss.”
“Fueh!?”
“But I don’t think kissing is something you should rush into. So I’ll do it when I feel the time is right. I want you to let me do it.”
When I said that, Toka’s face turned bright red in an instant, as if steam were about to rise from it. Her ears were bright red, and she seemed to want to say something, but no words came out.
“W-w-what is that… That’s not fair… Suddenly, like that…”
Toka looked around, looking troubled. I expressed my feelings honestly. I didn’t want to always let Toka do all the talking, I wanted to say it myself as a man—maybe I had a little bit of that kind of petty pride.
“I want to do things properly with Toka, not just rush into things. So, let’s cherish our time together as lovers, okay? That’s our ‘plan for nurturing Toka and Ryo’s love,’ right?”
“Um, yeah…”
“So, when the time comes…”
“Yes… I’ll wait…”
Her voice was small, but it was very powerful. Her moist eyes stared at me blankly. I’m sure I made the right choice. Because Toka’s face is shining so brightly. It looks like there are even heart marks floating in the back of her eyes!
“I might die of love…”
“What does that mean?”
“It means exactly what it says…”
Toka was mysteriously using honorific language. Today, Toka’s mood had been like a roller coaster since morning.
“I feel like I’m being treated very preciously…”
“I’ve always treated you preciously.”
“I know! I know that!”
Toka suddenly collapsed onto the bed as if all her strength had left her, and buried her face in the pillow.
“Aaaah! I love you!”
A sudden scream! Toka has broken down. That’s strange, I was thinking of fixing her!
“I love you so much I’m about to explode! I never thought I could love someone this much! I used to hate everything in the world!”
“Please stop saying things like you’re the final boss.”
For now, Toka seems to be okay. I feel like I’ve raised the bar for myself, but if Toka is happy, then that’s fine. Besides, I’ve made another promise with Toka for the future.
“Ryo kun, you always help me when I’m in a mess…”
“Please be more organized sometimes. I’m counting on you.”
“I want to do something for you too, Ryo kun… I want to do something that will make you happy.”
“You don’t have to worry about that. I’m just happy that Toka is here with me. It’s embarrassing, but everyone already knows, right? Toka was the girl I admired…”
“~~~~!”
Toka kicked her feet at my words. Stop it! My bed isn’t that durable!
…But even so, if I stay with Toka, will there be many more stories like today’s online article? Maybe I, who am next to her, will also be exposed to prejudice and bias. But I will never give up! If I don’t protect Toka, who will?
Clatter
As I was thinking about this, I heard a noise coming from the front door. It seemed that something had been put in the mailbox.
“Toka, I’m going to get the mail.”
“I love you, I love you, I love you.”
“Are you still doing that?”
Leaving Toka, who was out of order, I headed downstairs. When I looked at the mailbox at the front door, I immediately noticed something strange.
“What… there’s an incredible amount of letters…”
What is this… The mailbox is overflowing with letters. In fact, they’re spilling out onto the ground.
“What’s going on…?”
I picked up a letter that had fallen on the ground and checked the sender.
“A local newspaper company?”
With a bad feeling, I took out another letter from the mailbox.
“This one is from a TV station!”
Looking at the other letters, I saw the names of various media outlets and the names of freelance reporters I didn’t recognize! I’ve seen something similar at Toka’s apartment! Could it be that they are all requests for interviews or something?
I hurriedly went upstairs and looked out the window to check the road in front of our house.
There was a black car parked there… Local people don’t usually park their cars on the side of the road like that. Without thinking, I closed all the curtains.
“Ryo kun, why are you darkening the room? Could it be…”
“Toka! Something terrible might be happening!”
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