Chapter 340: Doubts

Because of that comment, our classmates that were still in the classroom all turned their attention to us.

Some even whistled as if they were waiting for Satsuki to flare up at me.

A month after the start of the school year, it's already established that we're in the same group.

However, when it comes to Satsuki, even if we're often seen together, our closeness wasn't that noticeable because of how she previously acted. Always looking as if she's annoyed at everyone with that cold glare of hers. Most importantly, they were already used to how this girl treated Sakuma.

Judging from how she instantly covered her mouth, that girl who commented probably blurted it out after hearing what Satsuki said.

Well, it's not in her character to just say 'Carry me.'. That's why after that, the girl surnamed Misumi was probably wondering if she heard Satsuki right.

She then took a step back in fear that Satsuki would glare at her because of her comment.

What should I do? After the three left without interacting with me to dampen the rumors surrounding us, this girl suddenly did this.

Ah. There's no point circling around this now when all their attention was on us.

I glanced at Misumi first and wryly smiled.

"Should I? What do you think?"

Without any change in my expression, I deflected the question to the grinning girl in front of me.

Upon hearing that, her grin retracted as she slowly raised her body.

"Who will date a pervert like you? They must be out of their minds." Satsuki clicked her tongue, sent a glare to Misumi and went out of the room.

That girl. That kind of answer neither confirmed nor denied our relationship.

Nonetheless, she's low-key directing that last sentence to themselves. To enter a relationship with me, they're out of their minds to accept this kind of situation.

"It's alright, Onoda-kun. Sakuma-kun also suffered the same. You'll get used to it." The girl next to Misumi sent a word of consolation to me.

And after her, some of the guys from the back also consoled me as if I got rejected by Satsuki.

If only they knew…

After a while, I also left the classroom when they went back to their business.

Like I thought, Satsuki was waiting for me just outside of the School Building.

When I saw her, she's leaning against the wall and had her arms crossed. One of her knees was bent as the heel of her foot rested on the wall.

Even from afar, I could somehow feel the chilling aura that she was exuding.

Anyone that would be brave enough to approach her would surely feel weak on their knees from the intensely glaring eyes.

"Your highness, how long have you been waiting? Shall I carry you now?"

Using the same way I called her from back then, I jokingly asked when I approached her.

And unlike what she showed in the classroom, Satsuki stood upright and clunkily opened her arms as her grumpy expression relaxed to a slight smile.

"What are you waiting for?" Contrary to her cool aura, Satsuki titled her head cutely as she beckoned towards me to pick her up and carry her like a princess.

"Alright. It's my loss today."

As much as I want to do it and pamper this girl, we would truly be out of our minds to attract attention by doing that in public.

"Heh. I finally won against this pervert." While having a smug expression, Satsuki stepped forward and hooked her arm on mine before dragging me along with her towards the Gymnasium.

Because she was slightly taller than me, it looked like I was being dragged by a senior. Nonetheless, I could certainly feel this girl's happiness when she started humming through our walk towards that special side door of the Gymnasium.

Obviously, because of our interlinked arms, we gathered some attention from the students who were walking alongside us.

If there was any from our class, I failed to check.

Either way, those present with us earlier still hadn't gone out when we started this walk.

"You're aggressive today, did something happen between you and Shizu?" After a while, I opened a conversation which instantly garnered a reaction from her.

Satsuki unconsciously tightened her grip on my arm and averted her gaze.

For her to suddenly become this aggressive at how she interacted with me, that's the only possibility I could think of.

This girl told me that she would talk to Shizu today because of how she noticed that I was downhearted yesterday.

Did she get overwhelmed by how much Shizu wanted to monopolize me?

For now, I just hope that it didn't get to the point that the two would start having a strained relationship.

"This idiot. Stop guessing correctly… Yes, something happened."

"As I thought… Can you tell me about it?"

"It's nothing… or not. Asakura-senpai is… She's a lot stronger than me. Strong enough that I started becoming envious of her."

Stronger than her? I guess it's about how that girl was adamant about what she wanted.

"She clearly loves you. Loves you enough to open her hidden side to you."

Satsuki continued as she started retelling what happened between them today. Their time with the Mentor Program was used for that conversation.

Satsuki tried to convince Shizu in my place. To have her accept that I can't be with her alone.

Although I didn't ask this girl for that, her desire to help me probably won over her reason.

And when she came face to face with Shizu's unyielding determination that I experienced yesterday, Satsuki started to look at her in a new light.

In turn, she became envious that Shizu could be that strong despite the possibility of losing the man she fell in love with.

Satsuki honestly told me that because of that talk with Shizu, she began looking back to her past decisions. Her affection for Sakuma that she threw away in favor of going all-in with me as well as her decision to accept that she's not my only one.

She began thinking about what would happen if she ended our relationship when I told her about my past and the truth about me.

After that, she lamented about what would happen if she also became stubborn with her love for Sakuma.

And that led to her being slumped at her desk after returning to the classroom.

All those times, various thoughts were running in her mind. And they're mostly negative.

Perhaps she was thinking that if she held onto her love for Sakuma, our group would still be the same. And instead of me, that Sakuma would one day confess to her and they would start dating.

However, when she heard my voice whispering in her ear, according to her, all of the good things that happened between the two of us surfaced from her memories and shattered all those possibilities she was thinking.

That's the reason why she unconsciously blurted those two words out while smiling beautifully upon seeing me.

Well, she didn't know that even if she held onto that affection, I would continue trying to steal her. Even if she refused to kiss me in their locker room, I would find a way to make her change her mind. Back then, I was still the same desire-driven guy. I wouldn't stop with just one rejection.

When she finished her story, we had already arrived at the side door. And without letting me open my mouth to put in words about what she told me, Satsuki hugged me tight and dropped her lips on mine.

"I'm envious. But… that's not enough to make me throw everything I feel about you. Ruki. I'm sorry if I can't change Asakura-senpai's mind. And I'm sorry if I started thinking about the what-ifs if I changed my decision to enter this relationship with you."

When our lips separated, Satsuki seemed as if she was about to cry. However, to stop her from doing that, I put my hand on her face and caressed it gently before planting another kiss on her lips.

Carried along with that kiss was my undisguised affection for her. The love that I'm currently feeling for this troubled girl.

She was feeling guilty for thinking back to her decision. And well, there's no way I would blame her for that. I basically forced her to be in a relationship with me. Our exchange of messages, the first kiss at the locker room, that trip at the infirmary where I took advantage of her while Sakuma was at the next bed and finally the trip to her house.

True, she accepted all those but without me being that pushy, she wouldn't be betraying her love for that guy.

Some would say that it was also Sakuma's fault but in the end, I'm the culprit why she fell in my grasp.

I appreciated her attempt to talk to Shizu for me but I was wrong. I should've stopped her.

"Satsuki, there's no need to say sorry. You were trying to help me with Shizu. I should've stopped you when you told me that. And about the thoughts you had. It's fine, look at me, who is with you at this moment?"

"… You."

"And who am I to you?"

"You're my… You're my Ruki."

"That's right. Cheer up now. You still have your basketball practice to go to. Let's talk more when we have the time."

"You're not mad at me?"

"Hmm? Where's that aggressive Satsuki from earlier? No, of course, I won't be mad. Like you said, my voice when I whispered earlier, and the memories we shared together already shattered the little doubts that were forming in your head. You're still my Satsuki." I continued caressing her face to comfort her and with every few words that came out from my mouth, Satsuki would sniff to stop her tears from bursting out of her eyes.

From being aggressive to becoming this troubled with her thoughts, this girl… she's now more honest than when I first interacted with her. And I honestly appreciated this.