CH 18

“At what time will you be home today?”

“Uh, 8:00 p.m.?

“Understood!”

After saying this, I watched curiously from the doorway as Kaede returned to the living room with a smile on her face.

I wondered why she had asked me that, but it wasn’t something that bothered me that much, so I let it pass and headed to my part-time job.

“Ren-chan, you can go now.”

“Oh, okay. Well then, I’ll be leaving first.”

After bidding farewell to my seniors and the manager, I looked at my watch and saw that it was past 9:00 p.m., even though I had told Kaede in the morning that I would be back by 8:00 pm.

Thinking of what excuse to make, I opened the front door.

“I’m home. …”

Then I heard nothing from Kaede, who always said, “Welcome home.”

I went to the living room to see if she was angry, and found rice on the table.

It was for two people. Kaede had been waiting for a long time and had not eaten.

“You said you’d be home at 8pm. ….”

“Sorry, I got the time wrong, it’s 9 p.m. …”

While embracing the cushion, she showed a sullen expression.

However, I unexpectedly thought that the Angel with such a sullen look was also cute.

“Then let’s eat.”

“Ah, even though you took a bath, why didn’t you eat?”

Hearing this, Kaede’s mood worsened even more.

“Because… It’s sad to eat alone.”

(T/N: Hug her)

“I-I see…”

I felt a little sorry that I had done something really bad. But Kaede, too, knew it was unavoidable, and said nothing more.

◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ 

“Hey, Kaede… she’s sleeping.”

When I looked at Kaede, I saw that she was sleeping on the sofa, hugging the cushion.

Just the sight of her sleeping soundly was picturesque and beautiful.

(If the guys in my class saw this, I think some of them would faint.)

And I laughed to myself thinking that.

But she had such beautiful, clean skin and hair.

I lightly touched Kaede’s white marshmallow-like cheeks so that she wouldn’t get angry.

(Ooo, soft….)

While I was thinking that, she put the cushion she was holding under my knee.

I was a little startled, thinking she had woken up, but she seemed to still be sleeping.

However, the next problem arose. It was that the two mountains, hidden by the cushion, were asserting their presence.

Normally, I wouldn’t pay that much attention, but this time I was staring at Kaede so intently that even if I tried not to pay attention, I could still see them.

(As a man, I want to….touch them.)

I was curious how soft they would be, if her cheeks were that soft.

But I knew that if I did that, I would be crushed with guilt later and would not be able to look Kaede in the eye.

However, …. After about five minutes of debating between angels and demons in my head, I came to the conclusion that it would not be discovered if I just poked with my finger.

I fearfully placed my finger on Kaede’s chest. At that moment, a soft sensation was transmitted to my fingertips.

“Nngh…”

“Hiyae~!”

That was surprising…. I thought she had woken up. I knew I sounded funny.

(I…. maybe I am not a misogynist?…. No, it’s not that. I still get nauseous at times when I think about my ex-girlfriend.)

However, these days I spent far more time thinking about Kaede than my ex-girlfriend.

Because of how close we were, we sometimes played pranks. However, this felt more like a crime than a prank, so I decided not to do it after that.

(I’ll just put a blanket on her. ….)

I thought so, and when I moved away from Kaede, I couldn’t hear her, but sure enough, she was saying something.

When I approached her with the blanket, she said something again.

“Hayasaka-kun…”

“Hm? What is it?”

I wonder if she was talking in his sleep, her voice was quiet and muffled.

“…..I like.”

I thought she was dreaming about food or animals, but apparently not because Kaede called my name.

“Hayasaka-kun,… I like you”

“…Eh?”

I reacted to the word “like” even though she was talking in her sleep.

It was the first time a girl had told me she liked me since my ex-girlfriend.

However, for some reason, I thought neither I nor Kaede had any romantic feelings…

“No, no, when she came to this room, she said it was just as a friend,…, so it’s not romantic”

I said to myself and felt a prickling pain in my chest.

I didn’t think I had any romantic feelings…..

“Surprises aren’t fair…”

I could feel the heat concentrating on my face. I then touched Kaede’s cheek again, saying, “You idiot,” to get a little payback.