It's something I've felt for a long time.
It doesn't seem like Hijiri is particularly conscious of me as a member of the opposite sex.
I think she probably sees me as a man, but I don't think that means she sees me as a romantic interest.
Of course, I don't have any negative feelings about it. There are plenty of people more attractive than me, so it's only natural -- or so I thought.
"I don't really understand what it feels like to fall in love with someone."
Of the two gummies I gave him earlier, one is already in Hijiri's stomach.
But the other one still remained on her fingertips. As she played with it, Kiyoshi spoke as if talking to herself.
"I love you Hime-chan, but it's not the same thing, right?"
"Well, maybe not?"
"These feelings are separate from your feelings towards Mei-chan, right?"
"Aren't trust and love two different things?"
"...Hmm."
In response to my gentle denial, Hijiri pouted her lips a little.
It seems like he's dissatisfied.
"Does Yohei know what it feels like to be in love?"
"No, I don't know."
"You don't know?"
That's true.
I think Hijiri was probably looking for a clearer answer.
But it's hard to respond to that, because I've never really fallen in love with anyone.
"Aren't you a boy, Yohei? My friend said that adolescents think about things like that all the time."
"He's a real boy... Well, like most people, I sometimes think, 'That boy is cute.' I've also fantasized about how fun it would be if we were lovers. If that counts as feelings of 'love,' then I can say I've had that experience."
"So you have no experience."
"Yeah, that's what happens."
...I've never truly fallen in love with someone.
I think there are surprisingly many people like me. I've never had a deep enough relationship with a specific person to fall in love with them for real. If I were a more proactive person, I'd have more opportunities to interact with others and have more experiences like that, but I'm a passive person, so it's no wonder I have so little experience.
But she's different.
"I think it's surprising that you say you've never fallen in love with anyone, even though you have a lot of good friends."
Unlike me, he is sociable and interacts a lot.
He is also a popular member of the student council.
She has a bright personality, is friendly with everyone, and is kind to boys...I think it's only natural that someone like her would fall in love with someone.
I'm not a special person. If I were in Hijiri's position, I would definitely have fallen in love with a specific member of the opposite sex.
However, despite being in that position, Kiyoshi has never fallen in love with anyone. I feel that this is more unnatural.
"Hehehe. It seems you've misunderstood, Yohei."
In response to my comment, Hijiri gave a joking smile.
Her mischievous smile is very similar to Hime's. Actually, Hime resembles Hijiri-san.
Innocent and innocent.
However, there is a dark side to Kiyoshi that Hime does not have. That is the difference between the two.
"Being kind to everyone doesn't mean you think of anyone as special -- don't you think that's what it means?"
"...I hadn't thought of that."
There is no difference to others.
So you can treat everyone the same.
In other words, to Kiyoshi, other people may look almost the same.
"Of course, I can sense whether someone is fun to chat with, whether they're serious and reliable, whether they talk a lot about themselves, or whether they're always badmouthing others... but that doesn't mean I like or dislike them."
...After all, I feel like Hijiri is more complicated than Hime.
That girl is not used to expressing her emotions, which is why she has a blank expression, but in reality she is honest and it is easy to understand her inner thoughts.
However, this person is always smiling... but it seems that he is just pasting on a smile like a Noh mask, and that he lacks any subtlety of feeling.
No wonder there are no rumors about Hijiri.
She's the complete opposite of me in that she has no interest in romance. In fact, she's the type of person who can't get interested in it.
"But I feel calm when I'm with Yohei, so I guess he's special in that sense. He might be the first person I've ever felt so comfortable with."
...Come to think of it, he told me a similar story before.
It was during dinner at the Hoshimiya household that Hijiri said, "It's not like I'm that opposed to being proposed to."
I think I now understand the root of the reason for this.
To be honest, I wasn't sure if he was serious about what he said, but... this guy is serious.
If I push hard enough, maybe they'll accept it.
I realized that that's the kind of person he is.