CH 60

7 HOURS AGO 1 COMMENT

Translator: Soafp

“Makoto?　Your face is kind of red. Did you catch a cold?”

“No, I’m fine. I was just a little lightheaded.”

That day, I recognized my feelings for myself.

I am in love with Anri.

A feeling I had been trying not to notice. But I couldn’t suppress them any longer.

Anri and I were walking in the residential area in the morning wearing jerseys. In our hands, we carry our luggage for the forest school.

Yes, we are going to the forest school for two days from today.

“Fuun, you’re so strange, Makoto. Can I come a little closer?”

“It’s, you know, that ……, it’s fine, but ……, hold on a second.”

Anri smiles and closes the distance with me. Come to think of it, we were holding hands on a field trip. …… now I feel like I’ve done something horrible.

The other day I hugged her with all my might. I’m starting to worry that …… Anri might not like me.

I shook my head. If she didn’t like me, she wouldn’t be talking to me.

I didn’t trust people and Anri.

But we became good friends. Now we are always together.

“I won’t wait for you. Yes!　……Since then, you’ve been acting a little strange lately. Your face turns red easily and you don’t hold hands with me like you used to.”

Anri took my hand in hers. I began to worry if my hands were sweating.

“That’s because Anri is cute. Ah!”

I couldn’t help but have real feelings. A weird sweat comes out from my whole body.

Anri mumbles with her mouth agape.

“I-I’m not cute. Makoto-kun is better looking than me. ……”

Both Anri and I looked down. The air is awkward, but not unpleasant.

Because Anri was smiling.

Love is really a terrifying thing. No matter what I do, I can’t help thinking about Anri.

She looked so cute in her jersey. She wears her trademark Pomeranian badge on her bag.

She is cute, so this Pomeranian is cute, too.

“M-More students from school should be coming soon, but, you know, is it okay to keep holding hands?”

“Ugh ……, I don’t care!　You’ve been so cold lately.”

“I wasn’t being cold. I don’t know how to explain ……, uhm…….”

“Yeah, yeah, you better have a good explanation. Last time you hugged me out of the blue.”

“T-that was because, well, I was happy to see Anri for the first time in a while.”

Apparently I can’t lie in front of someone I like. This is what it feels like to like someone.

I feel fluffy and hot-headed and …….

And I’m wondering what Anri thinks about me.

Our relationship now is between two important friends.

We finally trust each other and become friends. If Anri finds out that I like her…….

I’m afraid that this relationship will end. That’s why I pretended to be unaware of my love for her.

But I couldn’t do that anymore.

Because Anri is the person I love most in the world.

“Hey, the release date for my book is set!　Hehehe, the title is “The Most Important Person in the World”. I’ve talked a lot with my editor since then.

I couldn’t help but be struck by those words. After reading that novel, I became even more conscious of Anri.

The content is very interesting. I think it will definitely sell.

However, there are parts of it that make me feel strangely embarrassed when I read it. It was a novel that conveyed the feelings from Anri not to be too self-conscious.

” I see, that’s good. I’m looking forward to it.”

“Muu, I knew it, Makoto-kun is so unapproachable!　I-Is there some girl you like?”

I don’t know how to respond when someone says that to me with someone I like right in front of me.

Mikey Saburo…… what am I supposed to do?

“Good morning, Anri-chan, Onii-chan!　Ehehe, I’m looking forward to today’s barbecue!”

Then my stepsister, Haruka, arrived. Haruka, who was carrying a large baggage, looked at me and Anri, and her gaze fell on the hand we were holding.

Haruka munches on a rice cake and says to us with a sleepy look on her face.

“I knew you two were perfect for each other!　You look so happy. Hey, which one of you confessed first?　I hope Haruka will meet someone wonderful someday too! Oh, Kisaragi and the others are waiting for me, I have to go!　See you later!”

Haruka said all she had to say, munched down her rice cake and ran off at full speed. …… that girl is starting to get the same vibe as Dojima.

Anri was shaking her body with a pull and was surprised.

“Ma-Makoto, w-we’re going to be late, so let’s go, shall we?　K-Kusamochi (grass cakes) looked delicious.”

I thought Anri was going to say something in denial, but she let Haruka’s words pass.

For some reason, she seemed to be holding back her smile.

I looked at Haruka and regained my composure. Once again, I looked at Anri’s hand in my hand.

–I don’t want Anri to be hurt anymore. I want her to be happy.

I let go of Anri’s hand once. I heard a disappointed little voice saying, “Ah.”

But I immediately re-hold Anri’s hand again.

“I wasn’t being cold to Anri. It’s just that Anri is so cute these days that I was a little embarrassed. It’s okay now, let’s go.”

“Ma-Makoto!?”

Anri turned bright red and slumped down again. It’s okay, because it’s Anri’s face when she’s happy.

My face would be bright red. I’m too embarrassed to look at Anri’s face.

But since we are holding hands, our feelings are connected.

Surely, everything will be fine between us. Because we believe in each other——.

“Yes, you two are the last. What, you two are pretty close, huh?”

I ended up taking a lot of detours and arrived at the bus just in time.

My homeroom teacher, Majima-sensei, was checking the students in front of the bus.

“Excuse me for being I’m late.”

“No, you are not late. To begin with, you guys have never been late, right?　….Geez, how long are you going to hold each other’s hands?”

Come to think of it, me and Anri were still holding hands. After that, Nanako talked to me, The Yamada couple tangled with me, and many other things happened.

Anri and I let go of each other’s hands.

I feel a little sad.

“Geez, don’t look at me like that. Sensei looks like a bad guy. ……Well, whatever it was, I’m glad.”

I chuckled as we tried to get into the bus.

Come to think of it, I didn’t like the moment I got on this bus. They look at me like I’m a foreigner getting on, even though we’re classmates in the same class.

A sense of alienation fills my heart.

I never thought about that while I was holding hands with Anri.

Sensei stopped us from behind.

“Right, wait a minute.”

What is it?　What did we do?　Anri and I stopped.

“Let me tell you an old story. There was a girl who loved her childhood friend. But neither of them could be honest with the other, and they kept crossing paths. One day they had a big fight at an amusement park. After that, they never saw each other again due to various reasons. Their mutual friends told me that they liked each other.”

“S-sensei?”

Sensei exhales a light sigh. She looked distant. It was as if she had experienced it herself.

“It’s about someone I know. You guys, be honest about your feelings.”

With that, she went ahead of me into the bus.

Anri and I looked at each other.

This is the third time I’ve had a serious talk with Sensei. I was very touched by her words.

Me and Anri hold hands without either one of us making a move. It is an act of connecting our hearts.

It is more natural than this morning, and I can feel the other person’s feelings more.

“Anri!”

“Yes, Makoto.”

We boarded the bus with natural smiles on our faces——-.