Chapter 17: Pushy, Pushy!! (Kanae’s Point of View)
When I got back to the classroom and the heat of my rampage finally cooled down, I clutched my head as intense regret and deep despair came crashing down on me all over again.
Waaahhh… what am I even doinggg…!
With my face hotter than it’s ever been, I collapsed forward onto my desk.
This wasn’t just a simple screw-up. That was… that was…
“Whoa… Kana-ppe, your ears are bright red too…”
“You dragged Yukiya-kun out somewhere, so what were you doing with him, Kanae~…”
The girls in the nearby seats teased me in hushed voices, probably trying to be considerate since we were in class. If you’re gonna be considerate, please be considerate of me too… hey, stop, stop, don’t poke me with your fingers!
The girls around me kept poking me while grinning. I kinda felt like I finally understood how the turtle in Urashima Tarou must’ve felt.
“Nn… stop…!”
It tickled so much that I squirmed.
“Ehehe… Kana-ppe, you’re kinda erotic~…”
“But now might not be the time to enjoy it… looks like your beloved Yukiya-kun’s getting the same treatment over there…”
Huh? Yuki-kun?
When I looked over toward the distant seats like my friend said, I saw Yuki-kun getting poked by the kids sitting near him.
In that instant, my heart turned cold and hard like a stone, and then a bubbling heat boiled up from deep in my stomach. My eyes naturally narrowed as I stared straight at Yuki-kun and the kids messing with him.
“Kana-ppe, that’s scary, scary…”
“I mean, Kanae gets jealous too, huh…”
Yeah, that surprised me too. I’d never once felt jealous over anything involving Souta-kun, so I thought I was the type who had nothing to do with that sort of thing. But it turns out I was totally wrong.
“Uu, Yuki-kun…”
The sulky little mutter slipped from my lips, and it was like he heard it, because our eyes met right then. Whenever that happens, those sticky, muddy feelings vanish in an instant, and I just feel happy.
Feeling my face warm slightly, I gave Yuki-kun a small wave.
“Oh my… look at her, she’s started waving her hand now…!”
“Hey now, could you please refrain from flirting at long distance…?”
Their teasing made my face heat up again… Yuki-kun’s gonna notice, so please stop!
And even though they kept teasing me like that during class, things got even worse during break when other classmates gathered around too…
“Hey, hey, seriously though, did you confess to Yukiya-kun or something?”
“I mean, that’s kinda beyond the point now, right?”
“Yaa~n, Kana-ppe~ so boo~ld~”
Ugh, everyone’s just having fun with this… this is taking it way too far. And I can’t even go over to Yuki-kun since he’s gotten grabbed too…
While looking at my friends with a slightly resentful feeling, something suddenly occurred to me.
Wait, but is it really a bad thing to have rumors going around about me and Yuki-kun…?
“Yeah… um, so! I actually have plans with Yuki-kun for lunch today…!”
I completely flipped my attitude and ended up asking the friends crowding around me for advice.
And then, lunchtime…
“Yuki-kun!”
I was sent off with things like “Go get him” and “Be happy” from the friends who’d given me advice. The way they said it was so exaggerated that I knew for sure they were teasing me, but my chest still tightened up. There’s a part of me that feels happy in a situation like this.
…No, no, calm down a bit. You’re gonna scare Yuki-kun off.
Standing in front of Yuki-kun made me super nervous, but I gathered my courage and spoke.
“Yuki-kun, wanna eat in the courtyard?”
A slightly spoiled tone slipped into my voice, and it was embarrassing, but I managed to invite Yuki-kun somehow.
Yuki-kun looked really surprised when I said the courtyard, but that’s understandable. Even for me, eating lunch in a courtyard full of couples feels like a dream.
Taking advantage of the fact that Yuki-kun was frozen in surprise, I took his hand and led him along.
While feeling strangely aware of how big and rough Yuki-kun’s hand was compared to mine, I brought him to the courtyard. Just then, Yuki-kun came back to his senses and squeezed my hand tightly, which really startled me. He’s so strong.
And on top of that, my hand was still throbbing just a little, and that made my heart race too. I’m kinda like a pervert for that…
Not wanting him to notice those feelings, I forcibly made Yuki-kun sit down on a bench.
The real thing starts from here, after all…
“Um, hey, Yuki-kun. This…”
I held out the small lunchbox I’d secretly prepared for him.
I wanted him to take it. I wondered if he’d eat it. Maybe it was a bother after all. I should’ve asked him beforehand. While all those hopes and worries swirled inside me, Yuki-kun accepted it with a huge smile and praised me so much it was almost ridiculous.
Every time Yuki-kun praised me, I felt so happy and so embarrassed, with a ticklish feeling rolling around deep in my throat, and my heart filled with happiness.
By the end, I was so happy my eyes even started to water, and I hurriedly stopped him.
“I-I’m happy, but… it’s embarrassing, so… th-that’s enough…”
My face was hot, my eyes were watery, and my voice was trembling… th-this is so embarrassing.
But once I’d calmed down a bit, I watched Yuki-kun happily eat the lunchbox while saying it was delicious, and I ate mine too.
Still, Yuki-kun’s hands are big. My already small lunchbox looks even smaller. And also…
“Boys really are strong, huh?”
I said the honest thought that came to mind again. Personally, I’d even felt a little lonely that the throbbing from being squeezed by Yuki-kun earlier was gone, but Yuki-kun replied apologetically.
“I’m really sorry… is your hand okay?”
“Eh, ah, yeah! I’m totally fine! It’s okay!”
Panicking because I’d made Yuki-kun worry, I touched his arm as if to brush it off.
“W-wow, your arms really are amazing! Um, they’re so thick… and hard… and warm… uh…”
His upper arms are all firm and raised, his shoulders are big, and his chest is broad and thick. His body’s completely different from mine. It’s unusual and mysterious, and before I knew it, I was stroking him all over.
“Kanae… h-hey, w-wait…!”
Hearing Yuki-kun’s strained voice snapped me back to my senses, and I realized what I was doing. Then my face heated up like it was about to explode, and I got sick of myself for never learning my lesson.
“I-I’m sorry. I just got carried away because it was so amazing… ehehe.”
I apologized with a forced laugh, but my hand stayed on Yuki-kun’s upper arm… ugh, I’m such a pervert…
Still, it made me realize that Yuki-kun really is a boy too.
Honestly, part of me wanted to keep doing that just a little longer, but both Yuki-kun and I were at our limits in various ways, and our lunch break would be over, so that was it. After that, we just ate while chatting about trivial things.
Then the two of us slowly headed back up to our classroom floor together.
“The lunchbox was seriously delicious. Thanks. I’m gonna stop by the restroom, so…”
“No, thank you too for accepting it even though I brought it so suddenly. Oh, right, Yuki-kun…”
“Yeah?”
“Hey, um… wanna go home together today? J-just the two of us…”
I never thought inviting someone to walk home together could be this nerve-wracking. What if he says no?
“Ah, but I’ve got club activities…”
“I-I’ll wait for you… okay?”
I asked with a praying feeling in my heart.
“…Alright. Then let’s go home together.”
Yuki-kun hesitated for a moment, then smiled and nodded. Thank goodness.
We parted ways in front of the stairs, and I headed back to the classroom first.
My steps felt light, like I might even start humming.
I was in a great mood over my promise with Yuki-kun, but on the way back to the classroom…
“Ah, Kanae-senpai!”
“Kanae-san, do you have a moment?”
It was Rinka-chan, Chris-chan, and Azaka-senpai.
“I’m really sorry, but I need you to come to the student council room after school today.”
They all looked apologetic, kind of troubled even. What’s going on?
While thinking about Yuki-kun finishing his club activities, I nodded at Azaka-senpai’s words.