CH 31

When I returned to the classroom, I found Tohno san there in her usual state.

Her eyes were a little red, but the tears had completely cleared and she was in good spirits.

She is nibbling on a piece of bread, perhaps hungry from crying.

…… What happened?

“T-Tohno san?”

“Ah, Komiya kun…”

Perhaps embarrassed to be seen with bread in her mouth, Tohno san hurriedly pulled the bread down from her mouth when she noticed me.

Cute. Breadcrumbs are attached to her mouth.

If it were an ordinary girl, it would have ended in mockery, but when Tohno san does it, there is nothing but cuteness.

“Um, about earlier…….”

“S-Sorry ! I was distraught earlier…..”

“N-No, I’m sorry too. I let you show something weird”

[What do you mean weird?] I asked myself in my mind as I looked at Tohno san.

She was in a perfect mood for someone who had been crying.

Okay, I can say it now. Here’s my chance.

“I’m not sure if it was a misunderstanding or not. Suzu said she had injured her leg and couldn’t move, so I decided to give her a piggyback ride, but she lost her balance and…..”

“……..! I knew it. That’s great! Just as Ichikawa san said!”

“…..Eh?”

What does that mean? Did Ichikawa san see through that situation?

“W-What did Ichikawa say?”

“Et-to…… I think it was, “Komiya-kun, you wouldn’t have the guts to do something like that at school.]?”

“Hahaha….”

Can we say that this is trustworthy?

What a sad trusting relationship.

“Well, I’m glad we could clear up the misunderstanding.”

“Ehehe. When I felt relieved, I got hungry.”

Tohno san begins to eat the rest of the jam buns.

She must have been very hungry.

“I’m surprised you cried at that level.”

“Uu…Suzu chan, I’m sorry I misunderstood you.”

“You don’t have to apologize to me.”

And Suzu, who didn’t even help me clear up the misunderstanding, got into the conversation suddenly.

She’s a good guy, even though she had been making a fuss about having a child a while ago.

…..Huh? Come to think of it, why was she crying?

Well, now that the misunderstanding is cleared up.

◆

Lunch break.

As usual, I go to the stairs to the promised place.

According to Tohno san’s story, Ichikawa san was aware that the matter was a misunderstanding.

But that does not mean I can treat her the same way I always do.

The first step is to apologize in advance.

…… Huh? I’ve been apologizing a lot since we started dating, haven’t I?

And it is always at this stairway.

Disgusted at my own incompetence, I climbed the stairs and there, as usual, Ichikawa san was sitting ahead of me.

I was relieved. I wondered if perhaps she had come to me angry again.

I hope you’re not mad at me anymore.

“Oh, Beast kun. You’re late.”

Correction. She still seems angry.

“I-Ichikawa san”

“Don’t apologize. It’s probably about you anyway, It just happened that way, I suppose.”

“…….”

Am I being pushed away?

Am I already hated…..?

Such anxiety passes through my heart.

“Why don’t you sit down instead of standing there?”

Without hesitation, I sit down in my usual position.

When I stole a glance at Ichikawa san’s face, I saw her usual calm expression.

“What’s with the relieved look on your face? You pushed down a woman who wasn’t your girlfriend.”

“Ugh !”

I choked. I knew you minded….

“S-Sorry”

“……[It’s fine]…..is what I would like to say”

“Huh ?!”

Suddenly I’m being hugged and my body goes very stiff.

Smells good. My face is hot. ……

“Let me do this a little bit.”

“….”

I guess I hurt her after all.

I feel that her spirit is somewhat unstable after yesterday.

It was me, of all people, who let it happen.

My mind is filled with apologies to Ichikawa san.

If I can reassure Ichikawa san even a little.

And so, for a while, I continued to receive Ichikawa-san’s embrace without speaking to each other.

“Fifty points.”

“…..Eh?”

And the end was anticlimactic. Ichikawa san, looking as if she had been given a score, was relieved and released me from the embrace.

“If your girlfriend is feeling insecure and hugs you, it’s polite to hug her back and pat her on the head.”

It was a bad idea.

“Oh, that’s enough. I’ve absorbed enough of the Komiya kun ingredients.”

“Ingredients…”

That’s a very cute expression.

“Come on, let’s have lunch.”

Ichikawa san then opens her lunch box.

I’m sure that this has flushed the matter out of her mind earlier.

…… but I felt this wasn’t good enough.

I can’t just keep begging for Ichikawa san’s forgiveness. ……!

“I-Ichikawa san ! Let me apologize!”

“Apologize?”

Ichikawa san looks at me with a scowl while holding a meatball in her mouth.

Cute……Ah, not the right time.

“Y-Yes! Apologies for making you uneasy.”

“…..I wonder what will you do”

“Anything ! Anything you want me to do, Ichikawa san!”

“Anything……okay”

After swallowing what is in her mouth, she mumbles, [anything?] and dresses thoughtfully for a while again.

“Then—”

Well, what’s coming? Another ahnnn? Or ……

“Can I stay over at your place today?”

“…..eh? Eh ?!”

I-is that what it really means ?!”

Eh, Wait a minute ! We’re still in the early stages of dating, and I’m not prepared for anything …….

I just thought about that from what she has said so far.

“I want to be with you today.”

But when I saw Ichikawa san say sadly, my euphoric feelings were quickly quieted down.

I felt uncomfortable with Ichikawa san, who said that she wanted to stay as if she were talking about something else.

“…Is that a no ?”

It’s not a no. She wants to be with me and I’m not bold enough to say no without a reason.

When she hugged me earlier, she seemed different from the usual Ichikawa san. It is the same now.

“It’s okay, I won’t do anything today that you might imagine.”

“………..”

“I just want to be with you today.”

“I understand:

“Fufu, then it’s decided”

When I nodded, I felt Ichikawa san’s smile finally return.

“(I was actually going to stay there originally, but here we are.)”

“Eh?”

Ichikawa san mutters in a small voice.

What did she say?

“No, it’s nothing. Besides, it’s your birthday, right?”

“…….ah that’s right”

I had forgotten. I had been congratulated that morning, but nothing more, so I was already going about my day as a normal day.

“I really wish I could have started yesterday.”

Ichikawa san took a breath.

“I want to be with the person I love all the time on their birthday.”

“~~~guh!!”

I wonder if there is anyone who does not blush when someone expresses his or her feelings to him or her in a straightforward manner.

At least I wasn’t one of those people who could do the dexterous trick of not showing it on my face.

“You’re blushing.”

“…… because Ichikawa san says all kinds of embarrassing things.”

Lately, I feel like I’m being drawn into her pace more and more.

But I’m glad you’re feeling better.

“I wonder what you were imagining back there? Something dirty?”

“………….”

Too much energy was also a thought.