NOVEL NEXT Chapter 33
After Chiaki-san sulked, leaving everyone else to exchange awkward smiles, we ordered some light snacks, sang a few songs, and after a while, Chiaki-san’s mood lifted, and she rejoined us.
“Well, thanks for today.”
“Thank you for your hard work.”
And with that, the combination wrap-up party and apology meeting came to an end.
By the way, it only lasted about an hour and a half. Chiaki-san had already strained her voice during the live performance, and the rest of the band members were exhausted from playing. As for me, this was the first time I had really interacted with them, and I’m definitely not the type to passionately sing my heart out in front of a group of women.
As a result, we kept things pretty casual, chatted a bit, and dispersed without any extensions.
“Alright, I’m headed this way.”
“Me too.”
“Well then, Mizuki-san, please keep an eye on our fool from now on.”
“That’s not something you can just ask me to do… Well, alright. See you later.”
After giving us a polite bow, Harusaki-san and the others headed toward the nearest station. I found myself watching their retreating backs until they disappeared from view. Not out of any sense of longing, but more like a subconscious urge to give them a proper send-off.
“Shall we head home?”
“Yeah, let’s.”
Once the three of them were out of sight, Chiaki-san and I also started walking. Maybe because we’d already been so noisy in the karaoke box, the walk through the quiet, dimly lit residential streets felt rather calm with just the two of us.
“Hey.”
“Hmm?”
“What did you think of my band?”
“They were amazing.”
“That’s not what I meant. I mean, what impression did you get of Meg and the others?”
“Ah…”
Impressions. Her question wasn’t asking for a simple update from regular customers at my part-time job to ‘members of an incredible band.’ She wasn’t asking for simple evaluations of each person, based on our conversation at karaoke.
What she wanted was more abstract, not a breakdown of individual personalities but a more holistic view of the group dynamic.
“Hmm, they seem like really good people.”
—What she’s really asking is: “What did you think of my friends?”
“Right? They’re all my treasured best friends!”
With a broad grin, Chiaki-san quickened her pace slightly. Her reaction was so childlike, yet because she looked so good doing it, it came off as completely natural.
What she was doing was basically like a grade-schooler getting overly excited because their friends got praised, but her looks and usual demeanor made it seem less awkward than it should have. It’s amazing how much of a difference appearance makes.
“And they each have their own distinct personalities.”
“Exactly! They’re so much fun to be around! Although using ‘distinct personalities’ to describe people in real life sounds a bit weird.”
“Though if we’re talking strong personalities, Chiaki-san takes first place.”
“Excuse me!? There’s no way! Fuyuka’s personality is way stronger!”
“I can’t badmouth your best friend now, can I?”
“Are you still stuck on that!? Wait, so you’re okay with badmouthing me, Haruto!?”
“But you have to admit, it’s a fact that you have a strong personality.”
Just the fact that she stalked me and broke into my apartment—there’s no one who could top her on the “strong personality” scale. It’s almost like her actions are on a completely different level.
“Ugh…”
“I don’t know what to say to that realistic sigh.”
“Hold on, you’re not denying the part where I said you’re okay with badmouthing me, are you?”
“I don’t see the need to deny it.”
“You’re not even trying to sugarcoat it!?”
Because that’s entirely your character, Chiaki-san. Not a compliment, but you’re kind of a messy person.
“Whyyyy!? You could compliment me a little more, you know?”
“I just don’t see much to compliment.”
“That’s an outright insult!”
“Sorry, that came out wrong. I mean, didn’t I compliment you after the live show?”
“Was that really a compliment…? It felt more like you were stabbing me while pretending to compliment.”
“I said you were cool and beautiful, didn’t I?”
“Yeah, but only while I was singing, right?”
“Chiaki-san is still Chiaki-san.”
“Didn’t you just say I was a completely different person earlier!?”
I didn’t say you were a different person. I just think there’s a difference between specific and overall evaluations.
When you’re singing, you’re incredibly impressive—both as a performer and as a woman. But outside of that… well, that’s another story.
“By the way, how were your grades in high school?”
“Why are you asking that all of a sudden?”
“For example, if you aced math but failed every other subject, would you still say you had good grades overall?”
“Well, no, I guess not.”
“That’s basically what I’m saying.”
“Wait, so you’re saying I’ve failed in every area except singing!?”
“That’s some serious victim mentality.”
The test example was just an easy way to explain it. There’s no deeper meaning behind it.
If she feels there’s more to it, that’s probably just her own insecurities.
“Haruto, do you really think I’m that bad?”
“Not bad, but…”
“But…?”
“You are trying to sneak your way back to my apartment with me again. That’s one thing.”
“Fweeewwww…”
“What a serene whistle.”
That unnecessarily good whistling skill really took me out of the moment. Seriously, this is exactly what I’m talking about.
“So, am I really that bad?”
“You’ll have to be more specific.”
“You know, like… staying over?”
“Let me turn that around: why did you think that would be okay?”
With the kind of relationship I have with Chiaki-san, normally, you wouldn’t just let someone stay over. The situations where sleepovers happen are limited to relationships that are either romantic or at least something in between friendship and romance, or there are unavoidable circumstances. None of those apply to us.
I mean, yeah, a typical guy might be tempted to say yes if a beautiful woman asked to stay over, even if he didn’t have any plans to take things further. But that’s not me. I don’t want to deal with something like that in my small, poorly soundproofed apartment.
When it comes to those kinds of activities, I think they should be done in the right place, so I’m not letting anyone stay over for that reason.
Of course, I don’t know if Chiaki-san is actually trying to stay for that reason, but given her usual behavior, it’s easy to assume that’s her intention. And even if it’s not, I’m definitely not letting her stay over. There’s no way that would turn out well.
With Chiaki-san’s habit of constantly trying to deepen our relationship, I can easily imagine her using a sleepover as an excuse to escalate things further. Allowing that would be like stepping into a minefield, knowing full well it’s there.
“But Haruto, you didn’t say anything until now, right? Isn’t that basically a silent ‘okay’?”
“I was just caught off guard because it was so natural for you to tag along. I didn’t realize right away. Now I have to walk you back.”
“Wait, walk me back? That’s so kind. I like you.”
“Don’t exaggerate. This is normal.”
“But Haruto, up until now, you’d just wave goodbye from your room, right?”
“Well, the time was earlier then.”
“Is it really that different now?”
“…”
Uh, was it?
“And besides, if it feels natural for me to be next to you, doesn’t that mean you’re already comfortable with it?”
“…”
“You’re not denying it?”
“Enough of that.”
“Aww, Haruto, you’re so cute!”
“Shut up!”
Ugh, I totally messed up! Feeding her that line without thinking—I’m such an idiot! Anyway, let’s just get her home quickly. Clearly, I’m losing this round.
“Come on, let’s go. You should head back before it gets too late.”
“Hehe, so you *do* like me after all, huh?”
“Actually, your score is dropping as we speak.”
“Yeah, yeah.”
How irritating! It’s only because Harusaki-san and the others asked me to look out for her!