Translator: RaidenTL
Thirty minutes had passed since Miyuki and I started walking in silence.
Since we were on a deserted street, the only sound was our trudging footsteps.
I'd wanted to say something for a while, but Miyuki's expression was so serious.
She didn't seem too bothered about me touching her chest, but...
Was her mind all mixed up? Thinking about how I saved her?
"Hah..."
I let out a long sigh and went to scratch my bandaged head.
But Miyuki grabbed my wrist, stopping me.
"Don't touch it... And why are you sighing?"
So she's finally starting a conversation. I should have done this sooner.
"Man, why is it so awkward... I'm really sorry about touching your chest."
As I bluntly brought up the shameless incident, Miyuki's face flushed bright red.
Clutching the book the bookstore owner had given her for free as an apology, she shook her head.
"Th-that's not why..."
"Then what is it?"
".... It's just... a little awkward..."
"So it is because of that. I think this is the first time I've seen you lie."
"N-No, I said it's not...?"
"What do you mean, no... It's so obvious..."
I grumbled and clasped my hands behind my neck. Miyuki, pouting, suddenly stuck one foot out to the side before quickly pulling it back.
Slightly agape at her inexplicable action, I asked.
"What are you doing?"
"I was going to trip you... but then I remembered your body is a mess of injuries, so I stopped."
"Everything's fine except for my head."
"Your he— Ahem... I mean, is your head feeling a little better?"
So you've reached the point of copying my way of talking. It might have slipped out, but I'm proud of you, so proud.
I grinned and replied.
"Doesn't hurt at all. Besides, my head's already full of rocks, so what's a little more damage?"
"Don't say that... Why do you put yourself down?"
"It's a joke. Why are you always so serious when I'm joking?"
"B-Because I didn't think you'd be making jokes in a situation like this..."
"Are you going to report me?"
"Huh...?"
Miyuki's large eyes blinked a couple of times.
Realizing I was talking about touching her chest, she chided me.
"Matsuda-kun, I really don't mind. So you shouldn't worry about it either."
Can I touch it one more time, then?
I wanted to say it, but this wasn't the time for lighthearted sexual jokes.
Given the circumstances, I should restrain myself.
"Alright. By the way, isn't it hot?"
"Not really...? Are you hot, Matsuda-kun?"
"Not really, either. Just asking."
"Oh... okay."
After Miyuki's reply, silence fell again.
We continued walking at a slow pace, eventually reaching Miyuki's neighborhood.
I wanted to go to the playground with Miyuki and talk, but it wasn't one of those nights that makes you sentimental, so I held back.
Today, I'd just let Miyuki go. So she could quietly mull over what happened.
"This is my house."
Miyuki stopped in front of a small, two-story detached house.
I looked up at the house, admiring it, and said.
"Nice house. I like the orange roof."
"It's much smaller than your house, isn't it?"
"Doesn't feel small to me. How many people in your family, you said?"
"Four, including me. I live with my mom, dad, and older sister."
A sister-sandwich, a mother-daughter sandwich, and even a mother-daughter 4P are possible? Got it.
"Must be fun living with your family in a nice house like this."
"Ah..."
Miyuki looked flustered. I could see she was being careful with her words, conscious of the fact that I live alone.
I let out a dry laugh and gave her a light pat on the back.
"What are you so fidgety about? By the way, you're surprisingly selfish, you know?"
"What is...?"
"You treated me like a guard dog and made me walk you all the way here. An injured guard dog, and you won't even let it rest?"
"A-A guard dog...! That's not it at all...!"
"It's a joke. Taking it seriously again. I'm heading out. Get some rest."
I gave a casual wave and turned to leave when Miyuki called out from behind me.
"M-Matsuda-kun...!"
"Yeah?"
"Thank you... for today... for saving me."
"You're thanking me for nothing. Take care."
"Get home safe...!"
I gave Miyuki a small smile and thought to myself as I left the neighborhood.
For someone who was grateful, Miyuki's attitude was overly passive.
It wasn't because she was embarrassed about me touching her chest.
Then was it because she felt sorry for causing me trouble?
Of course, Miyuki is a genuinely kind girl, so she probably felt that way too, but one thing was certain...
'She's become conscious of me as a man.'
Maybe not right now, but in the moment I saved her and right after, she definitely saw me as a man.
There was no other way to explain her attitude.
It was a good situation. But with all the bad karma I'd built up, one slip-up and her affection level would plummet again.
To prevent that, I'll have to keep looking out for Miyuki.
"I'm home."
At her listless greeting, Miyuki's mother came out from the kitchen and asked.
"You're home early. Did you buy your book?"
"Yeah, I got it."
"Did you get heatstroke or something? You seem a bit off today...?"
"What's off... I'm the same as always. I'm going upstairs."
"Give Tetsuya a call."
"Did Tetsuya-kun call?"
"No, but I ran into him on my way back from the market today. He looked worried."
Worried? Is his studying not going well?
I should rest for a bit and then go meet him.
With that thought, Miyuki headed to her sanctuary on the second floor.
"Haaah..."
Flopping onto her bed, she replayed the events at the bookstore.
It was the first time she'd ever seen the always-composed Matsuda look so frantic.
She couldn't forget the expression on his face, one of genuine concern for her.
The memory of him getting hit by a cascade of falling books while only checking to see if she was okay was still vivid.
Honestly... she couldn't help but think he was a little cool.
'W-Well, he is handsome...'
His short hair perfectly suited his sharp, distinct features.
And it was nice to see him gradually changing for the better lately...
Miyuki closed her eyes, thinking about this unfamiliar side of Matsuda that was so different from usual, before shaking her head to clear it.
This was just a momentary whim, nothing more, nothing less.
In a situation like that, any guy would look like a knight in shining armor.
Still, it was true that she was grateful, so it was only right to do something for him.
Fiddling with her phone, she bought a convenience store gifticon for a store in Matsuda's neighborhood.
Then she sent the gift to Matsuda with a message telling him to enjoy it, complete with a cute emoji.
The following Monday.
After a boring weekend spent diligently studying what Miyuki had taught me, I opened the main gate when Miyuki and Tetsuya arrived.
"You're here?"
Miyuki's face was... expressionless, but seemed to have a subtle hint of pleasure mixed in.
"Yeah. You reviewed, right?"
"I did, but... there was a lot I didn't understand."
"Then you should have asked."
"I wanted to try and do it on my own as much as I could."
"That's a good attitude, but it's better to ask than to get stuck on something you don't understand at all. Do that from now on. Anyway, when are we going inside? It's really hot..."
True, it rained yesterday, so the humidity today was no joke.
I stepped aside to let the two of them in.
Miyuki naturally crossed the stone path toward the flower bed, and a bright smile spread across her face as she saw the plants, their leaves gradually perking up.
Leaving her to it, I went into the living room with Tetsuya and brought out the melon I had cut up earlier.
"Eat up."
Tetsuya thanked me and began to hastily stuff the melon into his mouth.
When it comes to stuffing his face, he's damn good at it.
I plopped down across from the guy and asked.
"It's pretty hot, isn't it?"
"Yeah. Today's insane. I feel alive now that I'm here..."
"By the way, aren't you going to cut your hair?"
Just then, Miyuki came into the living room and chimed in.
"Tetsuya-kun, how about cutting your hair short like Matsuda-kun? It's summer, isn't it stuffy?"
Miyuki likes Tetsuya with his shaggy hair.
And yet, for her to tell him to cut it... This is pretty significant, you know?
Tetsuya, who had been munching on melon, looked at Miyuki with a puzzled expression.
"All of a sudden? You never said anything about it before."
"Well... I heard this summer is going to be incredibly hot, so I was worried."
"Really...? Maybe I should get it cut then. Matsuda, do you have a hair salon you go to?"
What a guy. The moment Miyuki says something, he gets all giddy... Tsk, tsk...
I snorted inwardly and replied.
"There's one just outside the neighborhood. We can go together after we're done studying."
"I'll take you up on that, then."
Tetsuya has the kind of face that looks better with long hair than short.
If one of the things that defines him disappears, that's great for me.
After agreeing, I turned to Miyuki to thank her.
"Hey, thanks for the gifticon. I bought a lunchbox with it and ate till I was stuffed."
Tetsuya paused mid-bite.
He turned to Miyuki and asked.
"A gifticon?"
"Ah... I told you Matsuda-kun saved me at the bookstore, right?"
"Yeah."
"I sent it as a thank you gift. Matsuda-kun, you didn't just buy greasy food with it, did you? They have salad lunchboxes these days, you know."
It was a normal conversation, but it somehow gave off the feeling that Tetsuya was being excluded.
No, let's not overthink it. The current Miyuki would never do something like that.
I should just be grateful that I'm the center of the conversation.
And from the way she was talking, it seemed she hadn't mentioned that I accidentally touched her chest.
Well, it's not the kind of thing you need to talk about anyway.
And it's a good thing for a secret to form between two people who have always been honest with each other.
"I only bought karaage lunchboxes."
"You need to eat salads too to stay healthy."
"I get that from fruit."
".... Fine, do whatever you want. Today's lesson is math, right? We're having a test."
At her words, Tetsuya and I looked at each other with expressions of dismay.
Seeing us, Miyuki giggled and continued.
"I'll give you ten problems like last time. Tetsuya-kun, you need to get at least seven right this time. Matsuda-kun... I'll cut you some slack with five."
"Hey, hold on. Miura only has to get two more right than last time, so why do I have to get four more? This is discrimination."
"Aren't you ashamed of yourself for only getting one right?"
"I'm so damn proud of myself for getting the open-ended question right, what are you talking about?"
"Then let's try to boost that self-esteem even more by getting over five right this time."
Miyuki took two sheets of A4 paper folded in half and a thick notebook she had prepared from her bag, and placed them in front of me and Tetsuya.
"I made the problems to fit your level. The time limit is 40 minutes. That's plenty, right? So don't give up if you get stuck; try out all the different formulas."
"We're doing it now?"
"Nope. After you finish the melon."
Miyuki sat down with a silly grin.
She speared a piece of melon with her fork, brought it to her mouth, and let out a sound of admiration.
Her favorable gaze toward me seems stronger than before.