CH 79

I, Shizuna, Am Right Behind You—

Translated by HamletJr

Edited by HamletJr

“…Hmm.”

After school, Ryuichi was alone at a certain store. He was the only one around, and even his girlfriend, Shizuna, was not there.

“Sir…?”

“Hah?”

“Hiih?!”

Perhaps he’d been pondering things too seriously, but he turned his attention to the woman working at the store with a sharp gaze. The look on his face was ferocious and murderous… Well, to say that would be an overstatement, but as a person working in this beautiful store, the woman probably had a delicate and fragile heart as well.

Man, the people who work at stores like these are all so neat and tidy.

All the other store clerks were also dressed in suits, and their hair and makeup were neatly done. In a sense, this was a store that dealt in luxury goods, so the idea was probably to focus first and foremost on the appearance of the store to make sure that customers who came to the store actually bought their products.

“Sorry, I just naturally look like this, so it causes a bunch of misunderstandings.”

“…No, it’s okay.”

As has been mentioned many times before, Ryuichi had no intention to scare other people. It was normal for his gaze to sharpen whenever he thought about something, making the people around him think he was in a bad mood. Of course, this didn’t apply to Shizuna and the other girls, and recently, the reactions of his classmates had changed too, but for those who did not normally interact with him, it was only natural that they would still see him this way.

“I’m actually a high school student, just so you know.”

“Huh? You’re a high school student?!”

“…Yeah.”

Her reaction suggested that she didn’t think he looked like a high school student at all. The woman gazed at Ryuichi from head to toe in surprise, and then immediately apologized.

“It’s okay. So, do you mind if I explain things?”

“Sure. Go ahead.”

Ryuichi began to tell her about his situation. What he had come to buy without any of the girls around was a birthday present for Shizuna. He had thought about what would be good for her, and after much consideration, he decided on a ring, even though he could not deny that it was a little over the top.

“So… I am thinking of buying her another one once we’re older, but I want to give her a gift to thank her for everything she’s done for me until now and in the future.”

A ring, also called an engagement ring, was an important and significant item used to pledge a couple’s future with each other. When Ryuichi thought about what he should get Shizuna for her birthday, this was what he came up with. As a high school student, he was limited in what he could afford, but he still intended to buy something reasonable since his part-time job paid quite a lot.

“That sounds wonderful. Fufu, I understand now! Come, let us have a look together!”

Hearing Ryuichi’s situation, the clerk mysteriously broke out into a grin, and she seemed very eager to help him choose a ring.

“I wish I’d met a man who thought of me that way during my high school days too. I think your girlfriend is really lucky.”

If asked whether Shizuna was happy or not, Ryuichi could say with confidence that she was. There were many factors behind it, but he understood that he himself was the biggest one. This was by no means Ryuichi being self-conceited; it was only natural for him to think this way as her boyfriend.

“I’m glad to hear you say that, but she was the one who made me this way. So I’m definitely the luckier one.”

“…Ah.”

Ryuichi nodded his head, sincerely emphasizing his point. Of course, he wanted Shizuna to be happy, but he thought that if he wanted his precious girlfriend to be happy, he himself had to be happy first. As he thought of Shizuna, he put on a wonderful smile without even realizing it himself.

“What’s wrong?”

“…No, it’s nothing!”

The woman had been staring at Ryuichi’s face in a daze, but she quickly averted her eyes in a panic. Later, with the woman’s help, he managed to decide on a ring for Shizuna, and he left the store with a bright look on his face.

“……?”

On the way home, he looked at his phone and saw that he had received a call from Shizuna, with a message asking how his outing alone had gone. As a matter of fact, Shizuna had expected to be together with Ryuichi again today, so when he told her he would be going out alone, she was shocked. Well, her actual reaction hadn’t been that dramatic, but he could still tell she’d been disappointed, so he couldn’t help but chuckle at her.

Geez, what’s gonna happen to this girl if I leave her? Well, not that I ever intend to in the first place.

Shizuna…no, it wasn’t just her. Ryuichi fully intended to cherish the present in order to not cause grief and worry to those around him, including Shizuna. 

“…No, not just the present, but the future, too.”

And with that mutter, Ryuichi headed back to his apartment. As soon as he got home, he put the ring he had bought on his desk and took a box out of his closet to make sure he did not lose it.

“Alright, this should be good.”

Ryuichi nodded to himself, seeing as the ring would be safe inside the box now. It was too early to be giving Shizuna the ring since her birthday was still almost a month away, and if anything, it was way too early for a high school student to be giving a ring in the first place, but he didn’t care.

“Time to get the bath ready.”

Just as he was about to head to the bath to fill the tub with hot water, the intercom rang. Ding dong!

“…Who could it be?”

Basically, the only people who ever came to his apartment were women, Shizuna included, so he wondered if perhaps Chisa had come to visit. As he was about to head for the front door, his phone vibrated with seemingly perfect timing.

“Shizuna, huh? What’s up?”

It turned out Shizuna was the one who had called him.

“Hi, it’s me, Shizuna. I’m in front of your door right now.”

“…Huh?”

Ryuichi immediately opened the door without even having to say the popular phrase, “What the heck?” On the other side of the door was Shizuna, who had a shopping bag in her hand. With her phone held to her ear, she let out a giggle, and Ryuichi chuckled as he invited her in.

“Did you miss me that much?”

“Yes, I did. But even I didn’t think I’d be this lonely.”

No matter how much she missed him, though, he felt dismayed that she’d come all the way to his place alone after dark without telling him. Nevertheless, what came after his dismay was the feeling that she’d been a little too reckless.

“Yes, I’ll take your scolding, Ryuichi-kun. I’m sorry.”

“…Well, it’s okay.”

If nothing happened, then it’s okay. All’s well that ends well, Ryuichi thought. He too had become a little soft on her. And so, with Shizuna’s arrival, it was hurriedly decided that she would cook dinner for them.

“Oh, right. Shizuna.”

“Yes?”

“I can actually make some simple stir-fried veggies now. Next time, I want to try making some fried fish.”

As a matter of fact, Ryuichi was getting better at cooking little by little. Still, when compared to the average person, he was still sorely lacking… When Ryuichi mentioned this progress to Shizuna, her cheeks puffed out in a somewhat displeased manner.

“…You didn’t have to though. I’ll always be here to cook for you.”

“Heh, that’s what’s gonna ruin me one of these days.”

Well, it wasn’t like she had meant her words seriously either, and she asked him to cook next time so she could see what his cooking tasted like. Ryuichi nodded, clenching his fist at this perfect opportunity to show off the culinary skills he had developed to her.

“Aight, I’mma take a bath first.”

“Alright. See you.”

Despite the suddenness of her visit, he was glad Shizuna came to see him. Ryuichi headed for the bath with a smile on his face, then his expression turned grim when he returned.

“Wha?!”

“Ah, Ryuichi-kun. What’s this?”

She was pointing to a box on the table. It was the very same box that held the ring for Shizuna’s birthday. Shizuna’s visit had caused Ryuichi to completely forget that he’d left it on the table just like that. It seemed he’d gotten lucky that she hadn’t seen what was inside, but Ryuichi slowly approached her and spoke.

“Shizuna, give me that.”

“…This feels very fishy.”

Ryuichi’s expression turned strangely grim as he asked for it back, when he should have acted like it was nothing. Shizuna’s suspicion was understandable, but in a good way, she was very perceptive and obediently gave it back to him.

“Could it be that there’re porn books or DVDs inside?”

“Hell no. There’s no need for me to rely on stuff like that when I have a girlfriend like you.” 

“…I see.”

Shizuna’s cheeks flushed red at Ryuichi’s sincere words. Ryuichi was relieved that he had managed to retrieve the box and stored it securely, stealing a glance at Shizuna as she returned to cooking, embarrassed all the while.

“…But man, I can’t wait.”

Buying a gift like this also made him eagerly look forward to that day. Ryuichi smiled as he imagined the coming date, watching Shizuna’s back who was cooking while humming a nice tune.