Ahー, I was so nervous, or rather, it was super embarrassing.
What was that, I studied a lot online and tried to recreate it, but who can do that with a straight face?
Do people who do it have absolute confidence that they’re cute or something?
It was a housekeeping day a little after summer vacation started.
I decided to use a secret technique I had been warming up for quite some time.
Since then, the necessity of housekeeping between Takumi and me has often come up.
At first, I spent painful days feeling confused and suffocated, but after taking some time to think slowly, I gathered my thoughts.
I definitely don’t want him to stop.
After all, this is something important that connects me and Takumi.
I don’t want to lose this time together.
Once my feelings were settled, I started thinking about how to make Takumi continue with the housekeeping.
However, every time we meet, Takumi subtly questions the necessity of housekeeping.
He’s probably feeling guilty about receiving money for doing nothing, knowing him.
I considered the possibility that he might have come to dislike me and wanted to quit housekeeping, but I decided not to think about that.
Surely, probably, maybe that’s not it…
If it were true, I’d be so shocked I’d cry myself to sleep for days, so I’ve concluded it’s not true and self-contained the issue.
To get back to the point, I was scheming to prevent Takumi from quitting.
First, I thought of becoming lazy again.
But I dismissed that idea instantly.
Welcome him into a completely dirty room like when we first met?
Leave a pile of laundry mixed with underwear?
Impossible. If I did that now, I’d be too embarrassed to face Takumi.
Eh? What about today?
Today was just a bit dirtier compared to usual, but it’s much better than at the beginning.
W-Well… keeping it a bit messy and having him say, “Haa… can’t be helped… let’s clean up together?” is somewhat attractive, so it’s worth considering, but exposing myself like at the start is a definite no-go.
Next, I thought of the spoiled child strategy.
It’s unthinkable for the old me, but I can’t afford to be picky now.
Whether to execute it or not depends on the mood and my mental state at the time.
But it’s not bad to have the knowledge, so I’ve studied it.
Lastly, the seductive approach… yeah, let’s not.
It probably won’t work on Takumi, and if it doesn’t, I’d want to die.
Today, I actually tried the spoiled child strategy, and the initial reaction didn’t seem bad.
Takumi… probably, but you were flustered, right?
If I’m not mistaken, he seemed less composed than usual.
He tried to cover it up, but I could tell.
At first, his voice was slightly higher-pitched.
Maybe Takumi is weak to the spoiled child strategy?
It was a new discovery, but it’s also damaging to me.
──Light Novels──
──Read Here──
It’s truly a double-edged sword.
Yeah, I’d like to try it again and see Takumi’s reaction, but that’s it for today.
Because my heart has been pounding and won’t stop.
I curl up on my futon, kicking my legs as I recall what happened earlier.
He was cool again today.
The way he smiles casually in conversation, the little things he does to be considerate.
Since I became aware of my feelings, they’ve been growing bigger with each passing day.
Haa… I wish I were more assertive.
If I were, I would have conveyed these feelings by now.
Quite some time has passed since I became aware of my feelings.
If I were a strong-willed girl, I would have confessed long ago…
Compared to that, I’m just… doing all these roundabout things.
I hate how cowardly I am.
At times like this, I wonder what Eri-san, whom I met the other day, would do.
Would she make a move? Or would she wait like me?
Maybe I should call her and ask.
I can’t ask my friends about this because it’s embarrassing, but with Eri-san…
Eri-san’s number is registered in my smartphone’s LI〇E.
I didn’t intend to call her now, but I unconsciously tapped on her profile, and there was a photo of an empty sea.
Is this the photo from that time Eri-san mentioned?
If she likes it enough to make it her profile picture…
Could it be that Eri-san is also about Takumo…
I don’t know her that well.
An older sister figure who meets Takumi in the same club and chats lightly when they meet.
That’s who she is to me. Of course, I don’t know about her love life.
But if that were the case.
What should I do?
As I was pondering this unexpected dilemma, the intercom rang.
Who could it be? Onee-chan?
But she should have a spare key, so maybe a delivery?
As I tried to get off the bed, there was a knock on my room door.
「There’s some unknown old man there?」
An unknown old man?
A delivery? But if it was a delivery, Takumi would know…
Could it be…
I hurriedly opened the door to check the person on the intercom.
「W-What should I do… Otou-san.」
There stood my father, who was unaware of the housekeeping service.