"Idenchi-"
"Identity."
"Amuse"
"Maybe Amuse?"
"Dessert?! Wow, so that's how you spell it."
"Huh? I don't think there was anything about desserts in the exam... Ah, that means desert."
"Huh? Isn't that a sweet after-meal food?"
"The words are similar but they seem different."
Kiyoshi's laid-back English is difficult to translate in a different sense.
I also had a hard time without checking the vocabulary book...but I guess this is fine for memorizing words.
"All right! I memorized three questions."
"Good. Here you go, gummy bear."
"Eh? Just one?"
"...They're smaller than chocolate, so two will be fine."
"Yay! Thank you~♪"
After receiving the gummy candy from me, Hijiri munched it down with gusto.
Hmm. I wonder if two was enough... I'm usually the one on feeding duty - no, Hime is in charge of giving snacks, so I wasn't sure how much to give.
Well, I guess I can just have Hime replace her when she comes back, so it's okay if it's just a little bit.
"Yohei is easy, so it's easy~"
"I don't think it's a good idea to say that in front of him though."
"Hehe. But you won't be angry, right?"
"Well, that's true."
Hijiri is surprisingly good at judging people. Compared to his attitude towards Hime and Mei, he clearly seems to be looking down on her.
...But that doesn't mean I have any particular feelings about it. I feel like they're looking down on me, or maybe they're just getting to know me, so maybe that makes me happy.
As I have said many times before, Hijiri is a flower that is out of reach.
It was a miracle that we were even able to talk like this. That's why I didn't mind anything that Kiyoshi said, and in fact, I even found it amusing.
"Yohei, you might actually be suited to being a teacher. You're good at teaching."
"Really? But I think my grades aren't quite good enough to be a teacher. They're just average."
"...Hey, is that meant as a sarcastic remark?"
"Oh, sorry sorry. Hijiri-san was last..."
"Don't say that! I think it'll probably be okay this time."
Although he had only answered three questions so far, Hijiri was already in chat mode.
I guess I'm not cut out to be a teacher after all. I can spoil people, but I'm not good at being strict with them. I try to tell Shinyo when I need to, but even just doing that takes up a lot of energy. It's really hard to know how to let your anger out.
Even now, I probably should tell Hijiri to study.
However, I found myself thinking that it would be okay until Hime arrived. I am aware that this is not kindness, but merely naivety.
However, for Kiyoshi, who is a true sweets lover, this sweetness may not be so bad after all.
"Yohei is so calm. No wonder Hime-chan is so attached to him... Even though he's a boy from his class, it's fine for them to be alone together."
...I finally became aware of it when I was told.
That's right. Come to think of it, it was just me and Kiyoshi right now.
I guess I've gotten used to her surprisingly.
Until recently, I used to get nervous whenever we were alone. Just now, when I was handing her some sweets, my fingertips lightly touched her hand. Even just that made me feel strangely self-conscious, but now I'm fine.
Perhaps because of that, Hijiri seemed completely relaxed.
"...I guess it'd be a bit tough to be alone with a guy who isn't Yohei."
Hijiri muttered this while resting his chin on the desk.
He's staring at me... what is he imagining?
"Hey, do you have any ulterior motives?"
"Oh no. That's sudden."
Are you kidding me?
No, but considering that, his expression did seem a little tense.
Maybe it would be better to give a proper answer.
Ulterior motives? Well, that doesn't mean I don't have those feelings at all. I'd like to sound cool and say I have no ulterior motives, but I'm not mature enough to do that. After all, I'm a man, so it's not like I'm not interested in women.
However, I could say with certainty that no such feelings existed in this situation.
"I don't have any ulterior motives... or rather, maybe I don't think there's any point in harboring those feelings?"
"Huh? So that means you're a lolicon and have no interest in me?"
"Not a lolicon... well, that's fine."
As for my sexual preferences, I'll let you judge them by my future actions.
For now, let's be clear about whether or not there are any ulterior motives.
"I don't have many friends... so maybe my desire to become friends with Hijiri is stronger than anything else. Also, you're Hime's older sister, so I simply don't want you to dislike me."
That was all.
I just want to continue to have a close relationship with you.
So it's not like I'm a great person at all.