As usual, she responded with her cold attitude, making me pout slightly as I started seriously considering a way to move forward.
“Well, the reasonable thing to do is to just go along with dating, isn’t it?”
“That’s true. After all, I did accept your confession.”
“Exactly. This whole situation only happened because you said yes to my confession.”
“If you hadn’t confessed in the first place, none of this would’ve happened.”
“Come on, cut me some slack. Just like you have your role to play at school, I have mine too.”
The truth is, I avoid unnecessary interactions with people because it’s a hassle.
As a result, I’m labeled as an introvert and mostly keep to myself.
On the other hand, Nagisa is the quintessential elegant and beautiful girl.
We’re polar opposites—people who normally wouldn’t cross paths. That’s precisely why no one at school ever found out about our relationship.
Although, she wasn’t always like this.
Back in middle school—or even up until we started high school—she was a serious, studious, and straight-laced honors student. But through some effort, she transformed into who she is now.
You could call it her “high school debut.”
“So, why did the school’s Madonna, Nagisa Hiiragi, bother to accept my confession?”
“Well...”
“Even if you rejected me back there, it wouldn’t have shaken my feelings for you more than a tiny bit.”
“Wait a second—‘a tiny bit’? It would have shaken them a little?”
She reacted sharply, giving me a suspicious look.
“Just kidding, just kidding.”
I laughed, and she turned away, pouting.
Finding her sulking to be cute, I decided to keep the conversation going to try and cheer her up.
“Well, in that case, shouldn’t we just go with actually dating?”
“No, let’s just say we already broke up.”
“That’s ridiculous.”
“Let’s say I knew you were going to confess as a punishment and felt bad for you, so I agreed temporarily as a contract.”
“Ah, I see. That way, it makes you look like the kind, considerate Nagisa who’s even nice to introverts.”
“Exactly. Let’s go with that.”
Unable to come up with a better idea and wanting to restore her mood, I decided to ask one final question.
“So, in the end, why did you accept my confession?”
Nagisa stood up from the bed and placed her hand on the doorknob.
She glanced back at me for a moment and muttered something in a voice too quiet for me to hear.
“Because I didn’t want to see you get mocked...”
I couldn’t catch what she said and simply watched as she disappeared through the door, letting out a wry smile.
“Honestly, what’s going on in that head of hers?”
Later that evening, after we ate the dinner Nagisa cooked, we each went to our respective rooms to unwind.
While the rain poured heavily outside, I lay on my bed playing a mobile game in the comfort of my room. That’s when I got an unexpected visitor.
I heard a knock at my door, followed by a soft voice.
“Suzuya... c-can I come in?”
“Hm? Sure.”
Her voice sounded unusually timid. After I gave her permission, she slowly opened the door.
Standing there was Nagisa in her pajamas, holding a pillow tightly to her chest—a sight I’d only seen a handful of times since we started living together.
“Um... hey.”
“Yes?”
“Would it be okay if I slept with you tonight?”
“...What?”
Her words were so shocking that it took me a moment to fully comprehend them.
“Well... you said earlier that you wanted to sleep together...”
“What’s gotten into you...?”
Frankly, her sudden suggestion caught me off guard. This was so out of character for her that I couldn’t hide my confusion.
As I struggled to figure out how to respond, she stepped closer, leaning her face toward mine.
“So, is it okay?”
“Uh, well...”
Before I could answer, a loud clap of thunder roared outside.
“Eek!”
With a startled cry, Nagisa leaped into my chest, covering her ears with her pillow.
At that moment, everything clicked into place.
“Oh, right. You’ve always been afraid of thunder, haven’t you?”
“Yeah...”
Her teary-eyed response, spoken in a trembling voice, reminded me of the Nagisa from years ago, back when we used to visit each other’s houses as kids.
The stark contrast to her usual confident self made her look so adorable that I had to fight back a grin. Gently, I wrapped my arms around her.
“Well, I guess I’ll have the honor of sleeping with you tonight.”
“...Thank you.”
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