NOVEL NEXT Chapter 67
“Who would have thought I’d be getting licked so early in the morning…”
“Could you not say it like that!? I wasn’t doing anything like that!”
“But you were.”
You were licking my finger as if it were a pacifier. Only babies or pets could get away with that, you know? Are you aware of that?
“Chiaki, you’re seriously a mess when you wake up.”
“Well, um… yeah, I’m not great in the mornings, but I’m usually not that bad.”
“So why were you such a disaster today?”
“…I went to bed late.”
“But I went to bed at the same time.”
Just to clarify, we turned off the lights and got ready for bed around 2:30 AM, so we still got about seven hours of sleep.
“…But I didn’t fall asleep until almost 5 AM! I didn’t get to sleep until it was bright out!”
“You’ve got serious sleep problems.”
So you were just lying in bed, tossing and turning for over two hours? What happened? Did you take a long nap during the day or something?
“It’s not my fault! I mean, I was in the same room as a boy I like! And it was on your bed, Haruto! I was too nervous, and I couldn’t relax because your scent was everywhere! There was no way I could sleep!”
“Huh. Well, I didn’t mind having you in my room at all.”
“You slept like a rock, though!”
Well, I was pretty exhausted yesterday. Honestly, having Chiaki there was actually kind of comforting, in a way, since I wasn’t alone.
“Anyway! I’m kind of sleep-deprived! So what happened earlier wasn’t really my fault!”
“That’s not really an excuse, though.”
“…Doesn’t it count as one?”
“It doesn’t.”
Normal people don’t start sucking on someone else’s fingers, even when they’re half-asleep. Even if someone poked you in the cheek and their finger ended up near your mouth.
“…I’ll never be able to get married now.”
“That’s not a marriage issue; that’s more like you regressing to toddlerhood.”
“Aren’t you supposed to say something like, ‘Don’t worry, I’ll marry you, so it’s fine’!?”
“Looks like your energy’s back now, Chiaki.”
“Well, Haruto, you seem to be back to normal too.”
“That was some rapid recovery, I’ll give you that.”
Sure, I did sleep well last night, so I’m feeling fine. But still, isn’t it a bit too soon for her to switch back to her usual self?
Honestly, though, I wouldn’t have minded seeing more of the composed Chiaki from yesterday.
“Anyway, Chiaki, I wanted to ask you something.”
“What is it?”
“Well, you’ve been up and about for a bit now, but aren’t you going to fix yourself up or anything?”
“…I really won’t be able to get married.”
Hey, wait! Now that you’re up, don’t crawl back under the covers! I get that you’re embarrassed, but you knew what you were getting into when you decided to stay over.
“It’s almost summer, so stop acting like a caterpillar.”
“You don’t understand, Haruto! Today has been a complete disaster since morning!”
“That’s all your fault, though.”
Sigh. Really, this girl… She’s done a complete 180 from yesterday.
Well, whatever. I’ve decided today’s my day off anyway. I guess I’ll let Chiaki do whatever she wants for now… though I have no idea what her plans are.
For now, I should check my phone. With everything going on this morning, I haven’t had a chance to look at social media or messages yet.
Especially since it’s the day after the incident, I should check if there’s any important news.
“…Oh, I see. Looks like the shop’s going to be closed for a while.”
“Huh, Marine Snow’s closed?”
“Ah, you’re back. Well, yeah, after everything that happened, it’s no surprise. The manager got hurt, too.”
“That makes sense, but still… it’s going to be tough with my favorite place closed. Did they say how long it’ll be?”
“Unfortunately, they didn’t.”
“That’s a bummer.”
“Don’t go hiding again.”
Just because you’re upset doesn’t mean you should burrow under the covers. You’ve already poked your head out, so just get up already. Are you a turtle?
“Next… Kondo-san. She’s asking if we can meet today.”
“Kondo-san? That high school girl?”
“Yep, her. She wants to formally thank me today, along with her family.”
“…Hmm.”
“What’s with that reaction?”
“I’m jealous.”
“Wow, that’s honest.”
She’s not even trying to hide it. I thought she’d at least pretend to be okay with it.
“Well, I mean… She’s the one who caused all the trouble in the first place, right? I don’t have a great impression of her since she put you in danger, Haruto.”
“I get what you mean, but once we realized the other guy was a complete scumbag, it was obvious things would’ve gone much worse if we’d handled it any differently…”
“Yeah, but still…”
I understand how Chiaki feels, but considering everything, there wasn’t much we could have done differently.
“Even so, it still bothers me. Plus, I’ve got a bad feeling about this. Honestly, I don’t want you to meet her.”
“A bad feeling?”
“Yeah. I’m sure that girl has a crush on you, Haruto. That’s why I don’t want you to meet her.”
“No way.”
Kondo-san? On me? Not a chance. Sure, I helped her out of a tough spot, but come on, I’m the guy who smacked a stalker with a metal tray. That’s not exactly romantic.
“You don’t get it. Some girls are into guys who are rough around the edges, especially if they were protecting them. It’s totally swoon-worthy.”
“Saving someone and having them fall for you is something that only happens in manga.”
“But think about it. She completely relied on you by the end. At first, maybe it was just circumstance, but later, it was like you were her personal bodyguard.”
“That’s one way to put it…”
Yeah, I did feel her trust growing as things went on.
But honestly, Kondo-san had shown interest in me from the start, even before all this mess. So her trust in me increasing after everything… wait, what?
“…”
“See!? You’re totally realizing something! It’s obvious when you think about it! This is definitely a full-on crush situation!”
“Come on, no way…”
“Haruto, do you not understand what you’ve done!? We’re talking about a high school girl! She was terrified of a stalker, and you stepped in as her protector! A calm, older guy who takes care of her without a word of complaint, while also being angry at the person who hurt her—how could she not fall for you?”
“Oh… uh… okay…”
“And not only that! When things got really dangerous, you protected her with your own body! You showed her that when it counted! And let me just say, that’s toxic! You’ve completely shattered that girl’s view of men! Honestly, if it wasn’t you, Haruto, I’d sympathize and help her get compensation. It’s at the level where she’d make you marry her to take responsibility!”
“Is it really that bad!?”
All I did was act like a decent, older guy she knew! And now we’re talking about marriage!? I didn’t do anything crazy! I just did what anyone would!
“That’s why I don’t want you to meet her! She needs time to calm down. If you see her now, she might run up and hug you, and then kiss you right after!”
“Chiaki, you’ve been reading too many comics! That kind of thing doesn’t happen in real life!”
“Haruto, you’re the one who’s out of touch! You’ve been acting like a hero in a shoujo manga, so of course there’s a chance the story might play out like one!”
No, no, no, no, no. There’s no way… right?
“But, listen. Even if, and I mean *if* we assume that’s possible, it would still be wrong not to meet her after she asked to thank me. Especially in this situation—it’s a pretty serious matter.”
“I know that! I know it’d be totally wrong to refuse, and it’s just my selfishness talking. But I still hate it! You’ve finally started getting closer to me, and now a rival shows up at the worst possible time!”
“…Is this what they call possessiveness?”
But I kind of get where she’s coming from. It’s not like she’s completely wrong, after all…
“Well, I’m still going to accept the invitation, though.”
“Whyyy!? I knew you’d say that, but still, whyyyy!?”
“Her parents want to thank me, too. I can understand them wanting to make things right, both as parents and adults.”
“Ugh! That’s too reasonable, I can’t argue with it! And the fact that her parents will probably approve of you makes it even worse!”
“Calm down, Chiaki. No need to roll around like that. You’re not evolving into a pill bug here, okay?”
Seriously, turning into a ball and rolling around is going too far, even for her.
“By the way, can I give you my personal opinion on this?”
“…What?”
“Kondo-san is a high schooler, and we only know each other through part-time work. Meanwhile, you’re a university student, same age as me, deeply involved in my personal life, and now even staying over at my place. You’re way ahead in every way. So why are you so worried about a rival?”
“…”
Logically speaking, you’re in a way more advantageous position. There’s no need to get so worked up over this.
“Don’t tell me you’re not confident?”
“…Rational thoughts and feelings don’t always align, Haruto. Anyone would be upset if someone else tried to steal their crush.”
“All I’m saying is that there’s a big difference between pouting and complaining about it and getting motivated to fight for what you want.”
“…Haruto, you’re really unfair, you know that? I can’t argue with that.”
“I’m the kind of guy who’ll take advantage of my crush’s weak spot. Or is it that you really don’t have confidence? That all this frustration is just a sign of insecurity?”
“Ugh! Haruto, you’re so unfair! Sooo unfair!”
Haha. Well, if you’re frustrated, then go ahead and turn the tables. That way, you’ll get to take advantage of my weak spots too, Chiaki.