No One Would Ever Suspect that the Perfect Angel I’m Secretly Dating is Actually "Experienced" — Part 3

"Here, this is cola—a ‘bad’ drink."

The "Angel" looked even more confused, so I added,

"Hiiragi-san, you always seem like you’re trying to get a perfect score in everything."

I continued with what was probably an obnoxious, presumptuous opinion, even feeling a bit guilty as I said it. "Cola is far from healthy if you think about it that way," I added, sliding the can into her hand. What if she doesn’t like carbonated drinks?

"Getting 100 points in every subject must be exhausting. I’m not saying you should stop aiming for perfection, but… at least for me, you don’t have to be perfect all the time. That’s all."

I could feel the heat rising to my face, knowing how pretentious I must sound.

When I glanced over at the "Angel," she looked as if she didn’t know what expression to choose. The silence between us wasn’t uncomfortable, but I suddenly felt like I hadn’t explained myself well enough, so I added,

"This drink is loaded with sugar and all sorts of things that aren’t good for you, but… it tastes great. It’s ‘bad,’ but it’s not all bad."

Great, no matter what I say, I just sound more and more pretentious. Time for a quick escape, I thought, as I began to raise my hand to leave. But just then, the "Angel" spoke up.

Her mouth opened, closed, and then opened again, her voice finally reaching me.

"Tokito-san, you’re amazing… Thank you for putting it into words. It helped me understand things better."

In that moment, I saw a side of the "Angel" I had never seen before—a side that was struggling to find the right words. She wasn’t some ethereal being, but just a girl, and she thanked me with a smile as soft as the scent of rain in the air. When she smiled like that, like a bud blossoming into a flower, she was even more beautiful than the nickname "Angel" could ever capture. I found myself at a loss for words.

Trying to hide my embarrassment, I struck another pose in my mind, adding this to my memories.

—The feeling I had at that moment… perhaps people would call it "love."

"…Chisa-kun!"

Startled, I looked up to find Hina glaring at me, having wriggled out of my arms. Oh, I must’ve fallen asleep too, I realized.

"Sorry, were you trying to wake me?"

"About three times."

"My bad. But you were sleeping soundly too, weren’t yo—"

"That’s not the point!"

"Alright, alright."

A pleasant silence filled the room. There’s something incredibly rare about a silence that doesn’t feel awkward… I thought groggily.

"Chisa-kun, do you remember your first ‘bad thing’?"

From the context, I figured,

"Cola."

"And the next?"

"Stopping for snacks on the way home. We ate while walking, remember?"

Two ice creams. She had never bought snacks after school before, so I took her to a convenience store.

"And… the most recent ‘bad thing’?"

"…Do I have to say it out loud?"

Her gaze pierced through me, and I gave up, opening my mouth. Just remembering it was embarrassing.

"After school in the classroom the other day, …we kissed."

Was this a new form of humiliation? I agonized internally as I looked at the "Angel." She wore the same slightly desperate expression I had seen by the vending machine during the rainy season.

"…Is there no ‘bad thing’ today?" she asked softly.

Without any real reason, I held my breath, and in the silence, more words slipped in.

With her face flushed red, almost looking like she was about to cry, she said,

“Today… I tried really hard to invite you… Is that not okay?”

“You invited me?”

I asked reflexively, and the “Angel” nodded slightly.

“If I were really the ‘Angel,’ maybe I wouldn’t say this, but… I want to move forward, too… you know?”

Her eyes, filled with a warm, feverish gaze, locked onto mine, making it impossible to look away.

And then the “Angel”—Hina—added one more thing.

“…Shall we do something naughty?”

After we finished—or rather, after we did the “naughty thing.”

“…I really wanted to be the one to say it first…”

It might be old-fashioned these days, but when I looked over at Hina, wrapped up in the blanket, she was wriggling about in embarrassment.

I quickly put my clothes back on and patted the area where her head seemed to be under the blanket.

Even though I was patting her, I didn’t know what to say, so I just kept patting, when suddenly—

“Mm…”

The “Angel” poked her head out from under the blanket, and our eyes met.

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