Source
https://kakuyomu.jp/works/2912051597934651646/episodes/2912051600647018013
The literature club room was filled with the delicious aroma of lunch.
Houtarou looked at the bento Seika had made and was secretly impressed.
(To make something this elaborate first thing in the morning…)
A colorful assortment of side dishes. The rice wasn’t frozen or from a packet; it must have been cooked early this morning.
The rice balls, made from fluffy, freshly cooked rice, were wrapped in plastic wrap.
“Oh, right, Achi-kun. Here, take this!”
Seika, sitting across from him, handed him a crisp sheet of nori for hand rolls.
“What’s this?”
“It’s Japanese nori!”
…Miyuki, who had been watching from a distance, let out a deep sigh.
“What is it, Miyuki?”
“Japanese, huh.”
“Huh? Oh, oh, oh, oh no… Uuuuugh…”
Seika, realizing her mistake, turned bright red.
“And you’re a high school student…”
“Shut up!”
When I took the nori from Seika, our eyes met by chance. She gave a soft smile and laughed at Houtarou.
“Did something fun happen?”
“It’s because Achi-kun is smiling.”
“Eh…?”
He realized it for the first time. He touched his own cheek. Sure enough, the corners of his mouth were turned up. It seemed he had been smiling naturally.
(Why…?)
Houtarou was confused. This time, Seika also took on a worried expression.
“Did something happen…?”
It was like a mirror.
Houtarou looked at Seika and honestly thought that.
A mirror reflecting his own heart. But the strange thing was, if she weren’t there, he wouldn’t have smiled or felt confused.
Seika brings out the emotions within him. She reflects them back to him.
“Nothing. Thanks for the seaweed.”
“Muuu…”
It seems Seika is still suspicious about what had him so confused earlier.
“I was just wondering… are you really a high school student, Hirugami-san?”
“Aah! You actually said that! Come on, Achi-kun, that’s mean!”
She smiled as if a flower had bloomed. Her smile was soothing. Houtarou had realized that himself.
“If you say things like that, Achi-kun, I won’t make you lunch anymore, you know.”
“Huh? Didn’t you say you were sharing some because you made too much?”
“Oh no…”
Her expressions changed in an instant.
Her very presence brought some excitement to his otherwise dull emotions.
She was reshaping him. Yet, he felt no discomfort at all.
He even found himself wishing she would keep him on his toes even more. Why was that?
It would be easy to voice the answer. It would be a very simple answer.
But he couldn’t say it. Even if it was a simple matter.
No one truly understands another person’s heart. You can’t know their true feelings.
“Hirugami-san.”
I like you.
He couldn’t say those words straight from his heart.
“That’s funny.”
He finds himself saying that without thinking, just to hide his embarrassment. It’s a way of running away, so to speak. But.
“Hehe♡”
Seeing her smile makes him feel satisfied.
It’s a sense of satisfaction strong enough to overshadow his own pathetic inability to muster the courage.
That’s why he can’t confess his true feelings right now.
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