Chapter 17: If This Isn't Love...
By the time Teacher Matsuzaki sent Naoto home, it was already dusk.
After a day of business, he hadn't eaten lunch, and now there was no sign of dinner either.
Naoto, holding the painting, felt his stomach aching with hunger.
At this time, The Saiki Family's house was also dark, with no lights on, indicating that everyone must have gone out.
"Indeed, I should go find something to eat first. Oh no, what should I say to Kuriko tomorrow?"
While agonizing over what to eat, Naoto suddenly remembered Kuriko.
Before, Naoto had thought that he was just participating for fun, and if he didn't win an award, no one would know about the painting.
But what he never expected was that he not only won an award, but it was the first prize. Now, he was probably famous nationwide.
And drawing Kuriko in his painting, how was that different from a confession?
Naoto really wanted to strangle himself now. If Kuriko got angry, what should he do?
"What do you mean, explain to me?"
Just as Naoto opened his door, a pink figure suddenly appeared before him, startling him.
Naoto hadn't expected Kuriko to be at his house instead of her own.
"Kuriko? You, why are you here?"
"Dad and Mom went on a date. I'm the only one home."
After saying this, both of them fell silent.
The atmosphere between them was extremely awkward. Neither of them knew how to explain what had happened today.
To say it was a misunderstanding, he had already submitted the work, and basically Naoto's entire class already knew about it.
And if Naoto's entire class knew, it was pretty much equivalent to their whole school knowing.
If the whole school knew, the spread would probably cover half of Tokyo.
Although there was some exaggeration involved, Naoto was sure that even if he explained in front of the whole class that he had no relationship with Kuriko, no one would believe him. Instead, it might earn him a title like "scumbag."
"Didn't you say you were going to give me an explanation? Speak, what exactly happened?"
Kuriko crossed her arms and quietly watched Naoto's performance.
Naoto felt extremely awkward.
As a single guy, how was he supposed to know what to say now?
Looking at Kuriko now, let alone speaking, his mind was as chaotic as a pot of porridge. It was likely that even if Kuriko read his mind, she would only get a jumble of "abba abba abba."
"Um~ well, here, this is for you."
After thinking for a long time and still not knowing what to say, Naoto simply shoved the painting he was holding into Kuriko's hands.
Kuriko unwrapped the cloth covering the painting, revealing the exquisite artwork inside.
Looking at herself in the painting, like a fairy under the moon, Kuriko turned her gaze back to Naoto.
"This is your award-winning painting? It looks pretty good."
Seeing that Kuriko wasn't angry, Naoto quickly seized the opportunity and said, "Of course, after all, someone offered two million yen for this painting."
"Then why didn't you sell it? Two million is very important to you right now, isn't it?"
"But, in my eyes, there is only one owner of this painting forever. This value cannot be exchanged for any amount of money. Kuriko, I'm sorry, I submitted this painting without your permission."
"You idiot."
Looking at Naoto's embarrassed expression, Kuriko gently held the painting to her chest.
Was this what she was angry about?
This guy was indeed like a block of wood, completely clueless.
Seeing Kuriko become even angrier after accepting his painting, Naoto was a bit bewildered.
It was true that a woman's heart was like a needle at the bottom of the sea. He didn't have the ability to read minds, and even Kuriko's anger was something he judged based on experience and intuition.
"I'll hold onto this for you for now. If you really need money later, you can come to me."
Just as Kuriko was about to turn and go back to her house, Naoto, with quick reflexes, grabbed Kuriko's hand.
Caught off guard by Naoto's sudden grab, Kuriko momentarily forgot about her teleportation.
"Um~ well, it's still a bit hard to say, Kuriko, can you read my mind?"
Saying that, Naoto took off the ring Kuriko was wearing on her hand.
This ring could temporarily seal Kuriko's mind-reading ability. She usually only wore it when she returned home and wanted to have a peaceful holiday.
When she wore this ring, her ability to forcibly read the minds of all animals and plants within a 200-meter radius would disappear.
And when Naoto took off the ring, Kuriko's psychic abilities immediately returned.
"Hey, what exactly do you want me to do?"
Just as Kuriko was wondering why Naoto was doing this, suddenly, Naoto's inner voice entered Kuriko's mind.
"Kuriko, I really like you. Or rather, the first time I saw you when I was little, I already fell deeply in love with you. So, can you, be my, girlfriend?"
Although he only said this through mind-reading, Naoto still couldn't help but blush.
This was his first confession in eighteen years of life.
And upon hearing Naoto's direct confession, Kuriko, with lightning speed, pulled her hand back and then put the ring back on her hand.
Immediately, before Naoto could stop her, Kuriko had already vanished with Naoto's painting.
"Huh? What, what happened?"
Faced with Kuriko's silent departure, Naoto immediately panicked. He rushed towards The Saiki Family's house without stopping.
"Kuriko! I was wrong! I shouldn't have said that! Please open the door!"
Naoto kept pounding on The Saiki Family's door, afraid now that his words had made Kuriko angry.
However, what Naoto didn't know was that Kuriko was sitting on the sofa, clutching her chest and lost in thought.
She ignored Naoto, who was constantly knocking on the door outside.
For Kuriko, who had almost become a god, she could barely feel the emotions that normal people should have.
But just now, faced with Naoto's sudden confession, Kuriko felt like her heart was about to burst out.
"What exactly is this feeling? Why is my heart beating so fast?"
After knocking on the door for a long time, Naoto still didn't see Kuriko open it. Naoto felt a bit desperate. He decided it would be better to wait until Kuriko calmed down tomorrow and then explain at school.
However, just as Naoto was about to go home, Kuriko unexpectedly opened the door, her face visibly flushed.
"You idiot, if you want to be my boyfriend, then I'll give you a chance. Next time, if your serialized manga can become number one on the popularity rankings, I'll consider it."
As soon as Kuriko finished speaking, while Naoto was still trying to process her words, she abruptly slammed the door shut.
Naoto stared at the closed Saiki Family's door, lost in thought for a long time.
Did he, succeed in his confession?