Source
https://kakuyomu.jp/works/2912051597934651646/episodes/2912051599661012654
Still half-asleep, Seika, enveloped in a gentle warmth, slowly lifted her heavy eyelids.
Through her blurry vision, she saw the familiar ceiling of her bedroom and the faint glow of the TV screen.
“Huh??”
She let out a dazed, sleepy voice and sat up.
The sensation of the blanket slipping off her shoulders made her realize she had fallen fast asleep on the sofa.
“You awake?”
“Achi kun!?”
Startled by the sudden voice from her side, Seika’s shoulders jerked.
When she turned her gaze, she saw Houtarou sitting on the floor right next to the sofa, leaning his back against the wall and looking up at her.
She glanced at the clock on the wall and saw that it was already quite late, just moments before midnight.
That meant he had stayed in this room the entire time since she’d fallen asleep.
A teenage boy had simply waited by the side of a defenseless sleeping girl, doing nothing but waiting for her to wake up.
“Y-you could’ve gone home!”
Her face flushing bright red with embarrassment and guilt, Seika blurted out in a panic.
Houtarou stood up, rolled his shoulders lightly, and replied matter-of-factly.
“The key. There’s no way I could leave without locking up, right?”
At those words, Seika’s heart gave a huge thump.
True, just because the owner of the house had fallen asleep didn’t mean he could leave the place unlocked.
But even so, for him to wait by her side for hours on end was far too kind.
(This is bad. My heart’s racing so fast I can’t stop it!)
Touched by his clumsy yet sincere kindness, the overwhelming love deep within Seika’s chest swelled even larger.
Her invisible tail was wagging back and forth so hard it felt like it might snap off.
“Well then.”
Houtarou said briefly, turning his back to head for the front door.
Watching his back, Seika reflexively reached out and gently grabbed the sleeve of his blazer.
Houtarou turned around, looking puzzled.
“…It’s already late. W-will you stay over?”
It was her best attempt at an invitation, her face flushed bright red as she looked up at him.
She just wanted to be with him for as long as possible. Driven by that single desire, a bold proposal—unlike anything a pure-hearted gal would normally say—spurted from her mouth.
However, Houtarou looked completely bewildered, and after a few seconds of silence, he spoke.
“No, Hirugami-san. I live right next door.”
“Aaaaaaaah!”
In an instant, Seika’s face burned with a lethal heat.
That was right. His room was right next door—just a single step from her front door.
The excuse that it was late and he should stay over was completely off the mark for a neighbor and made absolutely no sense.
(What have I done?! I’m going to be so embarrassed again! Gyaaaaaaaah!)
Overwhelmed by her own stupidity, Seika covered her face with both hands and writhed in agony on the sofa.
If only there were a hole I could crawl into. No, better yet, I wish I could just be sucked into the gap in the sofa and disappear.
“Hehe.”
Suddenly, a soft chuckle drifted down from above her.
Timidly peeking through the gaps between her fingers, she saw Houtarou—usually so expressionless—covering his mouth and laughing cheerfully.
She had never once seen him laugh out loud before.
“Thanks for looking out for me.”
Houtarou gently narrowed his eyes and said in a calm voice.
(I wasn’t being considerate at all! I just wanted to be closer to you, that’s all!)
I retorted in my mind with all my might, but to cover up this embarrassing situation, I had no choice but to go along with it.
“Y-yeah! That’s exactly it! Don’t worry about it!”
As Seika nodded frantically, Houtarou gave a small chuckle once more and finally headed toward the front door.
He placed his hand on the doorknob and turned back.
“Bye. See you tomorrow.”
“Yeah! See you tomorrow!”
Seika flashed her brightest smile and waved back enthusiastically.
The door closed with a soft click.
Basking in the warm afterglow he left behind, Seika clasped her hands tightly in front of her chest.
Today was connected to that “See you tomorrow” with him.
That fact made her unbearably happy and content.
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