Source
https://kakuyomu.jp/works/1177354054922823111/episodes/1177354054935443510
[…. Yamamoto.]
[I’ll protect her. I won’t even let those guys mess with me. …It has nothing to do with you anymore, so go quickly.]
Yamamoto finally said that while looking down at Tachibana who didn’t move.
I don’t know what the relationship is between these two people,……, but as Yamamoto said, it’s probably best not to get involved anymore.
From there, no one said anything and we left the classroom.
But before returning to class, there was something I needed to make sure of.
“Kobayashi ……”
I turned to Kobayashi, who was walking behind me, and called out to her.
“….., what is it?”
“There weren’t enough sales in my class. …Don’t you know something? ”
“……!”
When I asked her that, Kobayashi slowly took out a 10,000 yen bill from her skirt pocket as if she had given up on the idea.
“I knew it was you, …….”
“……”
“Akane! You …….”
When I let out a sigh, Kobayashi looked down as if she was scared of what she might say.
Takagi didn’t know that the money was gone, but she must have guessed it when she saw it.
“……I’ll take care of it this time, so don’t do it again.”
“…… Eh?”
When I took the money and said that and started walking again, Kobayashi let out a stupid voice.
Next to me, Sakurae was looking at me with eyes that said, ‘It can’t be helped.’
Back in the classroom, the rest of the committee wanted to call me, but no one had the number, and I was in a panic.
Fortunately, they had not yet explained anything to everyone.
I apologized on my behalf for being late, and my classmates asked me what was going on.
“What’s going on? Kokonoe.”
“You ran out with such look on your face, are you okay?”
“Yeah, it’s all over.”
I answered simply and walked over to the executive committee member and took him out into the hallway.
“…you haven’t told everyone yet, have you?”
“Y-Yeah. Kokonoe said to would wait until everyone was together…! But what should I do…”
“Calm down, look.”
I only asked him to check and handed the money I received from Kobayashi to the executive committee members.
“K-Kokonoe! This is ……!”
“This is the one that fits the bill. The one before …… was a calculation error by you and me, okay? Okay?”
“! I-I’m sorry! Thank you ……. Thank you, ……!”
“Just go back…….”
“Yeah ……!”
…… probably this guy thinks that I paid for it myself, but since the explanation is complicated, I didn’t say anything and just let it be that way.
The class launch was to be held without incident, but those involved in the incident, including me, naturally remained in the classroom, telling them that we would be going later.
Once it was just us, everyone except Kobayashi gathered at my seat.
“Kokonoe-kun, um ……”
“Wait a minute.”
First, Takagi called out to me as if she wanted to know what was going on, but I stopped her.
“….Kobayashi, you come too.”
“…….”
Kobayashi comes up to me, face down, without replying.
Me, Sakurae, Kikuchi, Takagi, and Kobayashi sat down in a circle.
“…First of all, Takagi, thank you for calling Kikuchi and the others. You really helped me out.”
“Eh… no. That’s the only thing I could do…”
Takagi humbles hersleft as if she is panicking as I lower my head.
“If it wasn’t for that, me, Sakurae, and Kobayashi would have been in danger. That’s enough”
“I-I see. ……. I’m glad it was useful.”
Takagi looked relieved that she had received the second one.
I nodded at that and looked at Kikuchi this time.
“And Kikuchi.”
“…… I was just there. I didn’t do anything.”
“……, I see. But thank you.”
“Yeah.”
I was helped a lot by the fact that he was there, but I felt that there was no need to say more to Kikuchi, so I cut off the conversation there.
There will come a time when I can be of some help rather than just returning the favor with words.
Next ……
“Kobayashi ……”
“……”
Seeing Kobayashi not looking up, Sakurae says to me.
“…… Shota-kun, Akane seems to have been deceived. So, that …… in case you were wondering, she also covered for me.”
“I see,…….”
I bowed to Kobayashi after hearing Sakurae’s words.
“Thank you Kobayashi”
“Eh ……?”
Kobayashi’s face was again blank.
“W-Why? Sana was almost in danger because of me you know. ……?”
“….. that’s true. Well then, you know what Kobayashi has to do to Sakurae, don’t you?”
“……”
Kobayashi looked at Sakurae with a mischievous smile, and Sakurae met Kobayashi’s gaze straight on.
Kobayashi looked lost, repeatedly meeting and averting her eyes, then said to Sakurae.
“…… Sana! I’m sorry!!!!”
Sakurae said in response to Kobayashi’s apology.
‘”…. Akane still can’t accept Shota-kun?”
Kobayashi answered that question with her head bowed.
“I don’t know,……. I don’t know what to believe …… anymore.”
Kobayashi’s head was gently stroked by Sakurae.
“I believe in …… the feeling that Akane cares about me. So, Akane, will you also believe in Shota-kun, whom I believe in?”
“.. ugh, Sanaaaa!”
Kobayashi’s sobs begin to echo as she is unable to raise her head.
Takagi also sees this with tears in her eyes, as if relieved.
I hoped this would be the start of Kobayashi getting back together with the two of them again.
“…… and then Sakurae.”
“Yeah…….”
After Kobayashi stopped crying, I called Sakurae, and she seemed to know how thoughtless she had been, and replied with a dark look on her face.
“…. you understand, don’t you?”
“Yes. ……. Shota-kun, and everyone else too, I’m sorry for putting you in danger because of me.”
“Sana, it’s not your fault!”
Sakurae’s apology was heard, and Kobayashi defended her as if in a panic, but Sakurae stopped her by shaking her head.
“In the first place, if I hadn’t gone along with you, things like this wouldn’t have happened.”
“That’s ……!”
Kobayashi tried to defend Sakurae again, but this time I blocked her.
“If you can forgive Sakurae, would you mind going first?…I’d like to talk with each other for a moment.”
“Yeah. Sakurae, I don’t mind.”
“Me too. The other thing you need to do is to be scolded a lot by Kokonoe-kun.”
As I say this, Kikuchi and Takagi both say a few words to Sakurae and immediately leave their seats.
“Sana……”
“It’s okay, Akane go ahead too, okay?”
“…… yeah, okay.”
Kobayashi also called for Sakurae with a face like she was about to cry, but she was escorted out of the classroom by Takagi.
“Well, ……”
“…….”
I was left alone with Sakurae, and she turned her face down and waited for me to say something.
—Towards Sakurae, I hugged her with all my might.
“……S-Shota-kun?”
“……”
Sakurae makes a sound of confusion, but I ignore her and press harder.
“P-painful. Shota-kun…”
“…… ah.”
Hearing that, I finally weakened a little bit.
“….. Idiot”
“…..I’m sorry.”
“Do you know how worried I was?”
“I’m sorry, …….”
“Don’t ever, ever do anything to me again.”
“……, I’m sorry.”
Sakurae’s voice begins to tremble.
I didn’t know whether it was from a sense of relief that she was freed from fear or from happiness.
“…I’m sorry I took my eyes off you, too.”
“Noo! Shota-kun is not …….”
I stopped Sakurae’s words with a kiss on the mouth.
When I slowly removed my mouth, Sakurae froze in shock, so I laughed.
“I won’t let you go anymore. I’ve been looking at Sakurae all the time…”
“….!”
The tears gradually pooled in Sakurae’s eyes.
Just as it was about to overflow, Sakurae said, ‘Yeah… yeah…!’
When I hugged Sakurae again and patted her head, Sakurae tightened her arms around me.
“I love you, Shota-kun, I love ……. I love ……!”
“Yeah……. I love you, too,…….”
“Shota-kun,……! Shota-kun……!”
Sakurae buries her face in my chest and calls me over and over again.
I knew that each time she called me, I felt my heart warm up.
“..Hey, Sakurae
When that calmed down, I called out to Sakurae.
“What? Shota-kun …….”
Sakurae’s voice is trembling, but I can feel the joy in it.
“I’m not used to calling other people by their names,…… but I want to get to know Sakurae better, so can I call you by your….. name?”
Sakurae pulled away and looked up at me.
I was embarrassed and looked away.
“…… Fufu. Okay, can you call me?”
It’s hard for me to call her when she waits for me with such anticipation. ……
I blurted out, as I said I wasn’t used to it.
“…… Sana.”
“Yeah, what is it? Shota-kun.”
Sana looks at me even more expectantly.
I said, feeling the weakness of falling in love with her, and resisting the feeling of embarrassment that made my face feel like it was going to explode.
“I love you, …… Sana.”
(TL/N : this one got me real good)
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Needs a spin off about Kikuchi!