Chapter 13

side Michika

Something has been off about me these past few days.

It’s not that I feel strange all the time, but at certain moments.

Only then, I feel kind of lightheaded, and when that person is around, I feel like I’m not myself.

That person is Yamanaga Takumi, who became my classmate this year.

My first impression was that he didn’t seem to have any outstanding qualities, and to be honest, I thought he was just another face in the crowd.

On the day of the opening ceremony.

He rushed into the classroom five minutes before homeroom started.

He must have hurried to get there. His hair was messy, his uniform wasn’t properly worn, and he gave off a somewhat careless vibe. That was my impression.

We had to sit down soon.

I hesitated whether to approach them later, but wanting to get the greetings over with quickly, I headed towards where they were.

「N-Nice to meet you!」

Honestly, I don’t remember the exact words because it wasn’t that memorable.

But I was thinking, who are these background characters?

I make the same generic greeting to all my classmates, which could be called a mere formality, to build some form of relationship.

So that nothing gets broken again.

However, my classmates, unaware of my intentions, seemed overjoyed to be spoken to.

They had been addressed by the healing Hoshino-san.

Just by maintaining this tone and always smiling, for some reason, I had been given a nickname I didn’t quite understand.

It’s not that I find it troublesome.

I don’t have any bad feelings about it.

I went home, having memorized everyone’s faces, names, and nicknames on the first day, and was just starting to relax when an incident happened.

The arrival of my sister Aina and my classmate Yamanaga Takumi, whom I had just spoken to that day.

I knew Onee-chan was coming to my house after school.

She had said on the phone yesterday that she had something she absolutely wanted to show me.

Something Onee-chan wants to show me so badly that she comes to my house…?

I was curious, but Onee-chan’s personality made it seem suspicious.

I tried to subtly decline, but it seemed that showing me this thing was a done deal in her mind, and she wouldn’t even listen to me.

I had received what could only be described as a one-way notification, and I was reluctantly waiting for my sister’s visit.

Then, the intercom rang, and when I opened the door, that guy was waiting there.

It was a trick worse than a sales pitch. There was no way to prepare or avoid it.

Facing my classmate, I was completely shaken at that moment.

I didn’t even realize I was speaking in my natural way.

Later, I got into an argument with my sister who was behind him, and it was only when I saw him holding his head, saying, “This isn’t the usual Hoshino-san…” that I realized I had been speaking in my natural way.

W-What should I do… My classmate found out…

Even when I went out with friends, I never let my guard down…

And now, after just one day of talking to him.

And of all people, it was Yamanaga.

My true self had been exposed.

On the outside, I acted like I didn’t care, but inside, I was on the verge of tears, not knowing what to do.

What should I do… I have to cover this up somehow. But how?

In this unexpected situation, the answer I desperately came to was to wait and see.

Well, it might be impossible to cover it up at this point.

So for now, I’ll watch how he acts and decide from there.

If it seems dangerous, I can threaten him. I’ll figure something out.

With that in mind, I invited him into my room.

Inviting him into my room was fine.

Until Onee-chan revealed to Yamanaga Takumi that I was completely different at school.

Onee-chan was scarier than ever at that time.

The clingy sister who always stuck to me wasn’t there.

It was the first time I felt fear towards Onee-chan.

Then, I heard that Yamanaga would be doing housekeeping at my house.

Ha? No, what’re you doing deciding it on your own?

First of all, having a guy is out of the question.

This is what I thought, and I still believe it’s a common opinion.

Sure, I admit I’m a bit sloppy.

I put off washing dishes, let laundry pile up for about three days, leave it even after it’s dry, making a mountain of clothes, eat instant or delivery food, and don’t vacuum every day.

Hmm…? Maybe I should stop thinking about this. Yeah.

Anyway, I admitted to being a bit lazy, but if you ask if I need housekeeping, the answer is no.

However, it seems Onee-chan couldn’t overlook my sloppiness…

I challenged him to a contest to decide whether I needed the housekeeping service.

And I lost.

His skills were undeniably real.

It was frustrating, but the food he made was delicious.

He even saw through my plan to make just one dish, thinking I’d make a lot, and honestly, it was a complete defeat.

Above all, he.

「I like Hoshino’s cooking though.」

He praised my cooking.

I know it was just flattery.

But being praised by someone with such skills.

It simply made me happy.

After that, without thinking about anything, we spent time together, and until he left the room, I completely forgot about my true self being exposed and the worries that came with it.

How could I forget the most important thing…? Am I stupid?

I hated myself.

But,

──Light Novels──

──Read Here──

──It’s him, so he probably won’t tell anyone.

I had no proof.

But somehow, it stopped being a source of anxiety for me.

Why…?

I thought about it as I lay in bed, but my eyelids gradually grew heavy,

Well, tomorrow. I’ll just give him a little warning──that should be enough, I guess…?

And I optimistically closed my eyes.

〇

「Haa… finally home…」

「You’re just coming home, right? Why are you so tired?」

「It’s because I’m carrying someone’s shopping bags. You bought so much…」

「Can’t be helped, right? There was nothing in the fridge.」

「Isn’t that your fault…?」

「S-Shut up! Just carry them quietly!」

「Yeah, yeah.」

We finally returned home after finishing shopping at the nearby supermarket. I wasn’t sure what to do when we ran into Samejima-san, but we managed to cover it up somehow.

I ended up lying to Eri-san, but I can’t afford to have strange rumors spread about me and this guy being together.

I feel sorry and guilty because Eri-san is such a nice person, but I don’t regret it.

「Is there any specific way to put things in the fridge??」

Takumi asked as he plopped the shopping bags onto the kitchen counter.

「Specific way?? Isn’t it fine to just put them anywhere??」

I don’t really care where things go.

As long as they’re easy to reach, it’s okay.

「Haa…」

「Hey! What’s with that sigh!?」

Not everyone does housekeeping like you, so you don’t have to react like that, okay?

「Do you know what a vegetable compartment is?」

「It’s where you put vegetables, right?」

I have at least that much knowledge.

「Of course, you’re putting vegetables in there, right?」

「Uhh…」

「Oi oi…」

「I-It’s not like the vegetable compartment is exclusively for vegetables, right?? So it’s okay to put half-eaten food or condiments there, isn’t it?? Isn’t it??」

「It’s fine to put them there, but wouldn’t it be better to place things where they belong?」

I can’t argue against such a logical point.

「I’ll put them away this time, but watch so you know where everything is later.」

「T-There’s no need to do that!」

「Once you’re alone, you’ll forget where everything is and mess up the fridge. It’s obvious. Just come here and watch.」

Why does he have to see through everything?

It’s annoying.

「Okay, okay, I get it…」

Reluctantly, I move towards Takumi, who is beckoning me.

「I’m here.」

「Then, I’ll start by putting the meat in───」

I checked as Takumi put things in the fridge.