Chapter 10
It had been thirty minutes since Miyuki and I had started walking without speaking.
Since we'd taken a sparsely populated road, all we could hear was the heavy thud of our footsteps.
I'd wanted to talk to her for a while, but Miyuki looked so serious.
It seemed she wasn't too bothered by the fact that I'd touched her breasts...
Had thinking about the incident where I'd saved her left her unsettled?
“Haa...”
After letting out a long sigh, I reached up to scratch my bandaged head.
But Miyuki grabbed my wrist and stopped me.
“Don't touch it... And why are you sighing?”
So she was finally breaking the ice.
We should have done this sooner.
“Why is this so awkward...? I'm really sorry for touching your breasts.”
When I bluntly brought up the indecent thing that had happened earlier, Miyuki's face flushed bright red.
Hugging the book the bookstore owner had given her for free as an apology, she shook her head.
“Th-that isn't why...”
“Then what is?”
“.... It's just... a little embarrassing...”
“So that is why. I think this is the first time I've seen you lie?”
“N-no, it isn't...?”
“What do you mean, it isn't...? It's obvious that it is...”
I grumbled as I laced my fingers behind my neck, and Miyuki, who had been pouting, suddenly stuck one foot out to the side before quickly putting it back.
I slightly opened my mouth at her inexplicable behavior and asked,
“What are you doing?”
“I was about to trip you... but then I realized hardly any part of Matsuda-kun's body was uninjured, so I stopped.”
“Everything's fine except my head.”
“Your hea... Ahem... No, is your head okay?”
You'd even gotten to the point of copying my speech patterns now.
It had probably slipped out without her thinking, but I was proud of her. Very proud.
I answered with a crooked grin.
“It doesn't hurt at all. Besides, I've always had a stupid head, so what does it matter if it gets hurt a little?”
“Don't say things like that... Why do you put yourself down?”
“I'm joking. Why do you always take me seriously when I'm joking?”
“I-I just didn't think you'd joke even in a situation like this...”
“Are you going to report me?”
“Huh...?”
Miyuki's large eyes blinked a couple of times.
Realizing that I was talking about touching her breasts, she scolded me.
“Matsuda-kun, I really don't care. You don't have to worry about it either.”
Then can I touch them one more time?
I wanted to say that, but light sexual jokes weren't appropriate right now.
Given the situation, I should exercise some restraint.
“All right. But aren't you hot?”
“Not particularly...? Are you hot, Matsuda-kun?”
“Not really. I was just asking.”
“Ah... Yeah.”
After Miyuki's answer, silence resumed.
We continued walking at a leisurely pace and eventually reached Miyuki's neighborhood.
I wanted to go to the playground with Miyuki and talk, but this wasn't one of those nights when people got sentimental, so I held back.
Today, I'd simply see Miyuki home.
So she could quietly reflect on what had happened today.
“This is my house.”
Miyuki stopped in front of a small, two-story detached house.
I looked up at the house and admired it before saying,
“It's a pretty house. I like the orange roof.”
“It's much smaller than Matsuda-kun's house, isn't it?”
“It doesn't feel small. How many people did you say were in your family?”
“Four, including me. I live with my mom, dad, and older sister.”
So I could do sister donburi, mother-daughter donburi, even a mother-daughter foursome? Got it.
“It must be fun living with your family in such a nice house.”
“Ah...”
Miyuki didn't seem to know what to do.
It was obvious she was choosing her words carefully because she was worried about my situation, living alone.
I gave a hollow chuckle and lightly tapped her on the back.
“Why are you so fidgety? By the way, you're surprisingly selfish, aren't you?”
“What...?”
“You treated me like a guard dog and brought me all the way here. Can't you let an injured guard dog rest?”
“A-a guard dog...? That's absolutely not it...!”
“I'm joking. You always take my jokes seriously. I'm leaving. Get some rest.”
I waved casually and turned around, but Miyuki called out to me from behind.
“M-Matsuda-kun...!”
“Yeah?”
“Thank you... For saving me today...”
“You really don't have to thank me for something like that. Take care.”
“Get home safely...!”
I gave Miyuki a light smile, then left the neighborhood and thought.
For someone who was grateful to me, Miyuki's attitude was excessively timid.
It wasn't because she was embarrassed that I'd touched her breasts.
Then was she sorry for causing me trouble?
Of course, Miyuki was a genuinely kind girl, so she must have felt that way too, but one thing was certain...
‘You became aware of me as a man.’
Even if she didn't feel that way now, at the moment I saved her and immediately afterward, she had definitely seen me as a man.
There was no other way to explain her attitude.
This was a good situation.
But considering all the karma I'd accumulated until now, her affection would plummet again if I let my guard down even once.
To prevent that, I should continue taking care of Miyuki.
@@
“I'm home.”
At her listless greeting, Miyuki's mother came out of the kitchen and asked,
“You're home early. Did you buy the book?”
“Yeah, I did.”
“Did you get heat exhaustion or something? You seem strange today...”
“What's strange...? I'm the same as always. I'm going upstairs.”
“Call Tetsuya.”
“Did Tetsuya-kun call?”
“No, but I ran into him when I went to the market today. He had a worried look on his face.”
Worried? Was he having trouble with his studies?
I should rest for a bit, then go out and see him.
With that thought, Miyuki went up to her room on the second floor.
“Haa...”
She collapsed onto her bed and thought back over what had happened at the bookstore.
She had never seen Matsuda, who was always so composed, look that desperate before.
She couldn't forget the expression that had appeared on his face as he genuinely worried about her.
It was still vivid in her mind how he had kept checking on her even while being struck by the books raining down.
Honestly... she had thought he was a little cool.
‘W-well, he is handsome, but...’
His short hair suited his angular, sharply defined features perfectly.
And it was nice seeing him gradually change in a positive direction these days...
Miyuki closed her eyes and thought about Matsuda's unfamiliar side, so completely different from his usual self, before shaking the thought away.
What had happened was just a momentary whim, nothing more and nothing less.
In a situation like that, any man would look like a knight in shining armor.
Still, she was genuinely grateful, so it was only right that she do something for him.
After browsing through an app, she bought a convenience-store gift certificate for a store in Matsuda's neighborhood.
Then she sent it to Matsuda with a message telling him to enjoy it and a cute emoticon.
**
The following Monday.
After spending a boring weekend diligently studying what Miyuki had taught me, I opened the front gate when Miyuki and Tetsuya came to visit.
“You're here?”
Miyuki's face was... expressionless, but it seemed to have a subtle hint of delight mixed in.
“Yeah. You reviewed, right?”
“I did, but... there were a lot of things I didn't understand.”
“Then you should have asked me.”
“I had to try doing it on my own as far as I could.”
“That's a good attitude, but it's better to ask than to struggle with something you don't understand at all. Do that from now on. But when are we going inside? It's really hot...”
She had a point. It had rained yesterday, so the humidity today was no joke.
I stepped aside so the two of them could come in easily.
Miyuki naturally crossed the stone path and headed for the flower bed, then smiled brightly when she saw that the plants' leaves were gradually coming back to life.
Leaving her there, I went to the living room with Tetsuya and brought out the melon I'd cut in advance.
“Eat.”
Tetsuya thanked me, then immediately began stuffing melon into his mouth.
He sure as hell could put it away.
I sat down across from him and asked,
“Isn't it really hot?”
“Yeah. It was no joke today. I feel like I can finally breathe now that I'm here...”
“But aren't you going to cut your hair?”
Miyuki, who had just come into the living room, chimed in.
“Tetsuya-kun, how about cutting it short like Matsuda-kun? It's summer, so doesn't it feel stuffy?”
Miyuki liked Tetsuya's shaggy hair.
Even so, the fact that she was telling him to cut it...
This was pretty significant, you know?
Tetsuya, who had been stuffing himself with melon, looked at Miyuki in puzzlement.
“All of a sudden? You never said anything before.”
“No... I just heard this summer was supposed to be incredibly hot, so I was worried.”
“Really...? Then maybe I will. Matsuda, do you have a hair salon you go to?”
He got all giddy just because Miyuki said so... Tsk, tsk...
I snorted inwardly and answered,
“There's one just outside the neighborhood. We can go together after we're done studying.”
“Then I'll take you up on that.”
Tetsuya's face shape suited growing his hair out more than cutting it.
I'd be happy if one of his defining features disappeared.
After agreeing, I thanked Miyuki.
“Hey, I used the gift certificate. Thanks to you, I bought a lunchbox and ate until I was stuffed.”
Tetsuya stopped eating melon.
He turned to Miyuki and asked,
“Gift certificate?”
“Ah... You remember I said Matsuda-kun saved me at the bookstore?”
“Yeah.”
“I sent him a gift because I was grateful. Matsuda-kun, you didn't live on greasy food alone, did you? Convenience stores sell salad lunch boxes these days too.”
It was an ordinary conversation, but somehow it gave off the feeling that Tetsuya was being excluded.
No, let's not overthink it.
The Miyuki of today would never do that.
I should just be grateful that I was the focus of the conversation.
And judging by what they were saying, she hadn't mentioned that I'd accidentally touched her breast.
Well, it wasn't exactly the sort of thing she needed to mention.
Having a secret between two people who had always been honest with each other was a good thing, too.
“I only bought karaage lunch boxes.”
“You need to eat salad too if you want to stay healthy.”
“I eat fruit, though.”
“.... Fine, do whatever you want. Today's lesson is math, right? Are we taking a test?”
At that, Tetsuya and I looked at each other with dismayed expressions.
Seeing us like that, Miyuki giggled and continued,
“I'll give you ten questions like last time. Tetsuya-kun, you have to get at least seven right this time. Matsuda-kun... I'll be lenient and say five.”
“Hey, Miura only has to get two more right than last time, so why do I have to get four more? Is this discrimination?”
“Aren't you embarrassed that you only got one right?”
“I'm so proud that I got the written-response question right I could die.”
“Then this time, let's work hard to get at least five right and boost your self-esteem even further.”
Miyuki took two A4 sheets folded in half and a thick notebook from her bag and placed them in front of Tetsuya and me.
“I made the questions to match your levels. You have forty minutes. That's a lot of questions, right? So don't give up just because you get stuck. Try every formula you can think of.”
“We're doing it now?”
“No. After you finish the melon.”
Miyuki sat down with a goofy grin.
She speared a piece of melon with her fork and brought it to her mouth, then exclaimed in delight.
Her warm gaze toward me seemed stronger than before.