What started as a prank to get back at him had turned into genuine feelings. Over time, his kindness drew me in, and now I couldn’t imagine life without him.
The confession I’d meant as a joke no longer mattered.
That evening, after I finished washing the dinner dishes, I found him waiting for me, his expression serious.
‘Miki, I have something important to talk about.’
‘Is this… about the message earlier?’
‘Yeah. It’s important.’
He was drying the clean dishes by my side, staying silent apart from that.
Feeling awkward, I left the kitchen and sat on the sofa in the living room.
‘…Alright, I put the dishes back in the cabinet,’ he said, sitting down next to me.
‘T-thanks.’
The TV was still on, but I wasn’t paying attention to it. My heart pounded so hard it felt like it would burst.
When he asked if he could turn it off, I simply nodded, barely able to respond.
The screen went dark, leaving only the faint sound of cloth shifting.
The heavy silence was unbearable.
Then, he took a deep breath, turned toward me, and said:
‘…I’ve always been called emotionless. People said I was hard to read, like I didn’t care about anything.’
‘Huh?’
I hadn’t expected this. As I sat there stunned, he took another deep breath and continued.
“Even so, Miki, you were different. You always respected me… You were the first person I ever felt it was fun to be with.”
“Maa-kun…?”
“So, from now on… well, I’d like us to, um, keep being together…”
He stumbled over his words but managed to express himself. Then, he pulled something out of his pocket, extended it toward me, and said:
“Will you… marry me?”
Before I knew it, there was a beautiful ring on the fourth finger of my left hand.
But I couldn’t comprehend what was happening—I just blinked in shock.
“Wait, weren’t you going to talk about… breaking up today?”
“Breaking up? No, I was planning to talk about marriage.”
“M-marriage…?”
Marriage… Marriage… Marriage?!
“W-w-why?!”
“Why? Because I love you.”
“...!”
Hearing those words so straightforwardly, with such sincere eyes, made my heart skip a beat—but no, wait, that’s not the point!
Hold on, stop, take a moment… So, if I thought he hated me, that was all in my head? Just a misunderstanding? And if he still loves me, then this proposal means… he’s asking me to stay by his side, forever?
Then this situation is… unmistakably… a proposal, isn’t it?
“Miki, I hate to interrupt your confusion, but… can I get your answer soon?”
“A-answer?”
“I mean… will you accept my proposal or not?”
His words snapped me out of my daze, and everything finally clicked.
There he was, waiting anxiously for my response, his face uncharacteristically red.
I couldn’t help but admire him for a moment, but I also wanted to release him from his nervous anticipation.
My answer? There was no question about it—it had been decided long ago.
“…Yes! I’ll marry you, Maa-kun!”
“Whoa! I told you, stop jumping on me…!”
Ignoring his protests, I hugged him just like always.
That scowling face I used to dislike so much was now nowhere to be found; instead, he looked visibly relieved.
As for revealing the truth about my prank confession… I had no intention of doing so now.
Because this relationship, just the way it is, is the happiest I’ve ever been.
The next day, we went to the city office together and submitted our marriage registration form—but that’s a story for another time.
◇
“Hey, you’re Makabe, right? Yeah, you. Look, no offense, but you should break up with Sudou as soon as possible.”
Rewinding to a few days after her confession. A classmate approached me while I was engrossed in my book.
“She’s been bragging to her friends about pulling a ‘confession prank.’ And there are rumors that while she seems nice, she’s actually pretty manipulative behind the scenes…”
“Really? Is that true?”
“‘Is that true?’ Seriously, man?! I’m telling you, dump her before you get hurt. She’s just messing with you.”
“Hmm, but I don’t really mind.”
“...What?! You don’t mind? Any sane person would break up with her immediately! Why are you so set on staying with her?!”
“Why? That’s simple…”
It wasn’t because she was rumored to be the most unattainable beauty in school. It wasn’t because people said she had a manipulative side—none of that mattered to me.
When we happened to be paired as class monitors, I was too nervous to hold a proper conversation. But she was kind to me regardless.
That kindness made me happy. Before I realized it, I was drawn to her.
And I wanted to be honest about those feelings.
That’s why—
“…Because I love Sudou-san.”
I answered clearly, leaving no room for doubt, even to a classmate whose name I didn’t know.
[The End]
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