Hime mistakes me for a lolicon.
I would like to deny it, but unfortunately I had already arrived at school and didn't have time to explain.
"Hey, hey! Hoshimiya-san is holding hands with a guy!?"
"Who is that boy with the mob face? Is he a relative of Hoshimiya-san?"
"It's so cute, like you're being led."
"I want to lead the team too...!"
And sure enough, the students were watching. I think most of them were just curious or intrigued, but I feel like there were some who were a little suspicious. That last one, I'm never letting Hime get close to you!
That being said, anyway.
Hime is a conspicuous presence, so it's inevitable that she stands out. Perhaps she's used to attracting attention, or perhaps she's just insensitive... Either way, she doesn't seem to care at all about what others think.
"Youhei-kun... are you happy as a lolicon that you're leading the charge?"
"I'm not a lolicon though."
"Ehehe. I guess I'll leave it at that."
Hmm. It's quite difficult to get people to understand.
The problem is that Hime seems a little happy that I'm a lolicon. Of course, it's a misunderstanding, but she seems happy so I feel hesitant to strongly deny it.
Well, I guess I can explain it in detail later when I have time.
There doesn't seem to be any particular problems at the moment, so I'll put that aside for now.
"I've always thought this, but Hime seems like the type who doesn't really care about what others think."
I was putting on my indoor shoes at the entrance and heading to the classroom.
Even though he had let go of her hand to take off his shoes, he took the trouble to hold it again and, as he held her hand again, blurted out what he had just realized.
"Really? I don't know."
"Yeah. Because even now, everyone is staring at me and I'm acting totally fine."
It's not that he can't see what's going on around him.
Although she understands that she is being watched and that her subject is being brought up, Hime doesn't seem to mind it at all.
I had heard him say "it feels like we're being led" just now. And yet, his hands were still holding mine, so I got the impression that he didn't care if he was the center of attention.
"Hmmm... You really do pay a lot of attention to me, Youhei. I'm so happy that you care about me."
But you're very sensitive to what I say.
Even now, he seems to be in a very good mood, accepting the kind thoughts humbly.
So it's not that I'm insensitive.
And yet, it was somehow strange that he didn't seem to care about what was going on around him.
"Now that you mention it, that may be true. I don't really care about other people... or rather, I don't think anything of being watched by others. I think it's probably just a matter of getting used to it."
It's probably because I'm worried.
Hime put her finger to her chin and used her clear mind to consider the reason.
"Get used to it?"
"Yes. I appear in the media from time to time, so I think I've gotten used to being looked at. Wherever I go, I look like a panda at the zoo... It would be a problem if I was worried about every single thing."
The explanation was very convincing.
If you think about it, Hime has been in many situations where she has attracted attention, so there is no way she would be concerned about something like this.
It was something I couldn't have imagined when thinking on a normal scale.
That's why she doesn't care about what others think at school.
"Mmh. Unfortunately, we've already reached the classroom... The time for holding hands is over. There's no other way, so I'll have to sit on your lap from now on."
And because they're so used to being watched, they probably don't mind touching each other like this even in the classroom.
"...Lolicon Youhei, would you be happy if I sat on your lap? Leave it to me, I'll do my best to satisfy you ♪"
Yep. Once again, I made a decision.
Hime's misunderstanding must be properly corrected.
She doesn't care what others think, so she's likely to do something very bold in public one day.