42 - Cupid

I sent a few messages to Chiharu using Kaito’s phone to ask for her address. As soon as she sent the location, I immediately ran towards Kaito’s house, carrying him in a princess carry.

Along the way, many people laughed at us and made all sorts of strange jokes. I could only laugh awkwardly while giving them a slight response before quickly running away. The problem was, I was embarrassed too, but what else could I do? If I carried him any other way, I’d be the one feeling uncomfortable.

Twenty minutes later.

After running for a long time, I finally arrived at the location Chiharu had sent me. I stood right in front of a luxurious apartment building— completely different from the one I lived in.

Are they rich…?

I took the elevator up, a facility that would never exist in my apartment.

Ding-dong!

Once I reached Kaito’s door, I rang the doorbell repeatedly, panting heavily. It’s not easy, you know, running while carrying a guy who weighs over seventy kilos?

"Chiharu-san! It’s me! Nagi Nagi!" I called out, waiting for Chiharu to open the door.

A few moments later, the door opened. A beautiful girl with loose hair, a towel around her neck, and damp clothes appeared from inside the room.

Did Chiharu just finish taking a bath?

"Chiharu-san! Please help carry your brother! This guy is way too heavy!!" I begged desperately. My hands and legs were shaking violently, ready to give up from exhaustion.

"Ah! Leave it to me!" Chiharu tried to lift Kaito’s unconscious body, and without a second thought, I immediately handed him over to her out of sheer exhaustion.

"Oops—!"

But as expected, a fifty-kilo girl wouldn’t be able to hold up a healthy, well-built seventy-kilo guy.

THUD!

Chiharu’s arms couldn’t support her brother’s weight, causing Kaito to crash onto the floor, landing directly on the back of his head.

"AAAAARRRGGGHHH!" Kaito woke up from his unconscious state, screaming hysterically.

He frantically looked left and right in confusion. "Huh..? Eh.. What...?"

"Where am I..?"

***

"Nagi-san, would you like me to make you something to eat or drink?" Chiharu offered kindly.

When I was about to leave after dropping off Kaito, Chiharu blocked my way with her kindness. She kept offering me all sorts of snacks and wouldn’t let me leave until I ate at least one.

The snacks she gave me didn’t really fill me up, but at least they could tide me over until I got home. So, I didn’t need to accept her offer anymore.

"Well… No need, really. Don’t worry about it. I’m not hungr—"

Right as I was about to refuse, my stomach growled loudly.

My face heated up. Meanwhile, Chiharu smiled widely at me.

"Uh… Alright then. If you insist… I’ll have some warm tea. And for the food… I’ll let you decide," I said, embarrassed.

"Got it!" Chiharu immediately rushed to the kitchen, while Kaito sat beside me, busy tending to the large bump on his head.

"Sorry, Kaito. Really, I’m so sorry..! Even though you helped me… Even if it was just acting, I think… my attack on you earlier was way too much," I said, pressing my palms together apologetically.

"Yeah, I forgive you. But the problem is— this really freaking hurts!" Kaito groaned, letting out a long sigh.

"Besides, since when did you get this strong, Nagi? I mean, I’m the genius child of the Takeda family! THE GENIUS CHILD!"

"Not only that, even though I don’t specifically train for strength, I’m still a former national basketball champion. My physique has been trained. There’s no way I’d get knocked out in one hit by just a BASKETBALL!" Kaito continued, staring at my body with intense focus, scanning me from head to toe.

"Why does this feel so creepy?" I muttered in shock. Instinctively, I covered myself while glaring at Kaito with sharp eyes. "Stop that, Kaito."

"What? Why?" Kaito asked, confused.

I clenched my teeth in irritation and let out a deep sigh. "Nothing. I just work out a lot, that’s why I’m strong. Maybe that’s the only reason."

"I already know that much. What I’m curious about is— how long have you been working out?" Kaito asked again, his curiosity seemingly endless.

"One year and a half, " I answered without hesitation.

Kaito scratched his nose in confusion, his gaze filled with disbelief. "No way. Your body’s already that well-built. That’s not something you can achieve in just that short amount of tim—"

"Here comes the drinks!" Chiharu cheerfully entered the room, bringing two cups of warm tea to the table. "Nagi-san, the food will take a bit longer."

Kaito’s eyes sparkled as he teared up in gratitude, seeing his sister bringing tea toward him. "I-Is this for me..? You’re being unusually nice, Chiha—"

"As if. This is for me and Nagi! You don’t get any, not until you pay your debts to me," Chiharu replied coldly, expressionless.

Kaito’s teary gratitude quickly turned into a sea of sorrow upon hearing his sister’s words.

Poor Kaito. Not only was he cut off twice, but he also didn’t even get tea. Even if he was in debt— wasn’t that a bit too harsh…?

I didn’t have any younger siblings, but I often heard similar complaints from Yuichi about her younger sister.

Hang in there, Kaito.

As Chiharu headed back to the kitchen, she suddenly turned to me with a sharp gaze.

"Nagi-san," she called softly.

"What is it?"

"Come to my room later."

Without giving me a chance to refuse, Chiharu left just like that.

"..."

I turned my attention back to Kaito, who was still crying in despair.

"…You can have my tea, Kaito."

***

After treating me to various dishes, I was quite surprised to realize that each one of Chiharu’s homemade meals was incredibly delicious. Naturally, I thanked her once she was done serving them.

Once my stomach was satisfied, I planned to sneak out since it was getting late, with Kaito’s help.

Unfortunately, we were caught red-handed, which earned Kaito another bump on his head. Luckily, I was spared.

It seemed that Chiharu wasn’t the type to be rough with anyone other than her brother.

Even so, as soon as she realized I was trying to escape, she immediately dragged me into her room.

***

"NAGI-SAN!" Chiharu called my name loudly.

"Yeah...?"

The corners of Chiharu’s lips slowly lifted into a wide smile, revealing her neatly aligned teeth. "I'll help you win Yuichi-san's heart!"

My mouth immediately fell open in shock. My cheeks burned hot. "H-heyy! Keep your voice down! If Kaito hears, he'll totally make fun of me!"

Chiharu nodded in understanding. "Yes. You must win Yuichi-san’s heart. It’s an absolute necessity!" she said, lowering her voice.

"But... why?" I asked, confused. Chiharu was suddenly acting like a cupid, yet she hadn’t even told me why she wanted to do this.

"Why, you ask? Isn’t it obvious? Because you like Yuichi-san, right?" Chiharu replied with an innocent expression.

I scratched my head awkwardly. "Well... that's true, but... I mean, why are you so willing to help?"

"It's just my personal feelings. You don't have to go out of your way to get involved," I continued.

"Oh! So that’s how it is!" As she said that, Chiharu clapped her hands together loudly, her face showing that she had finally understood my point. "Don't worry about it! I actually enjoy doing this."

She then grabbed her phone from the table and played around with the screen for a moment before finally showing it to me.

On the screen, there was a contact named "nagi's loverrr (๑˃̵ᴗ˂̵)و."

That name, though... Is that Yuichi?

I ignored the strange contact name and shifted my attention to the messages. It seemed like Yuichi had texted Chiharu for some reason.

"Chiharu-san."

"Can I ask for a favor? Please be careful! Don’t let anyone find out, okay?" Yuichi wrote.

Chiharu then replied, "Got it! Is this about love?"

"YES! Chiharu-san, you have experience as a matchmaker, right?"

"Could you... make a plan to get a guy to fall in love with me?" Yuichi continued. After that, there wasn’t anything too interesting— just some basic date planning.

Still, Yuichi never mentioned who this "guy" was. Was it really me? Why did Chiharu come straight to me when she didn’t even know for sure?

My heart grew restless. I was afraid... What if Yuichi liked someone else?

"What’s with that look on your face?" Chiharu asked, her smile gentle. "Don’t worry. I know for sure that the guy Yuichi-san is talking about is you!"

I let out a sigh of relief. "It’s fine. I’m not worried about anything."

Even though I said that... I still couldn’t shake the thought.

What if that "guy" wasn’t me? What if Chiharu was wrong?

It would hurt— so much— if Yuichi ended up with someone else...

Just like every time someone confessed to her. I always got anxious whenever that happened. I was terrified that she might actually accept one of them.

I clenched my fists tightly, sweat trickling down my forehead.

"Chiharu-san. I appreciate your kindness, but— if I may ask— why are you telling me all this? Didn’t Yuichi-san tell you to keep it a secret?" I asked curiously.

Chiharu only giggled before tapping her head lightly with her hand.

As I thought... This girl is... A COMPLETE BLABBERMOUTH!

Chiharu’s eyes sparkled as she panted slightly, her face flushed. She then grabbed my hands tightly. "Don’t worry, Nagi-san! Leave everything to me. I promise I’ll come up with the perfect plan to make Yuichi-san fall in love with you!"

And on top of that... It seemed like she was just using us for her own entertainment...

I let out a sigh.

Well, at least she had good intentions. I could appreciate that. Even if there was another reason behind it...

"Alright then. I’ll be counting on you, Chiharu-san," I said, giving her a gentle smile.

TO BE CONTINUED.