Chapter 12
Ding-dong-!
The clear sound of the doorbell pierced my ears.
I had just finished brushing my teeth, so I carefully limped toward the front gate.
I moved so slowly that the bell rang again.
Ding-dong-!
“Matsuda-kun?”
Miyuki's bright voice... I loved it no matter how many times I heard it.
I wanted to smile, but my ribs hurt whenever I did, so I couldn't. What a shame.
After somehow making it to the front gate, I opened it while leaning against the pillars on either side.
Click...
“Matsuda-kun, did you oversleep...?”
Miyuki came in with a beaming smile, but when she saw my face, swollen like a steamed bun, she was startled out of her wits.
“Aaaah!”
“Gaaah! Miyuki! You startled me!”
Miyuki recoiled in fright, and Tetsuya was startled along with me because of her.
They reacted as if they'd come to a haunted house. I hadn't expected this.
“M-Matsuda-kun...! What is this? What happened!? What's going on!?”
Still, it was a relief that she immediately began worrying about me.
I let out a weak laugh and said,
“Come in...”
“Huh, what happened to your face...? What on earth did you do yesterday...?”
“Just come inside first...”
After saying that, I dragged one foot behind me and staggered all the way to the living room.
I braced both hands on the raised platform and hauled myself up, groaning, and Miyuki hurriedly took off her shoes and came up to support me.
I slowly waved a hand to refuse her help, then leaned my back against the living-room wall.
Miyuki crouched down in front of me and examined my condition.
“What should I do...? There isn't a single place that's uninjured... You even have a blister here... It looks a little torn...”
I stared at Miyuki, who was fidgeting anxiously, then pointed to the cabinet in the corner.
“There's a first-aid kit in there, right? Could you bandage the injured spots?”
“A Band-Aid won't fix this. I think you need to see a doctor... B-but, all right. Wait a moment...”
Miyuki hurried over, opened the cabinet, and searched for the first-aid kit.
Tetsuya came over and looked at me with a pitying expression.
I jerked my chin at him, pretending to be cool, and said,
“Let's get your hair cut next time. I'm exhausted.”
“Hey... I don't think that's what's important right now... Your condition is seriously bad...”
“I'll get better soon. I'm sturdy.”
Miyuki sat down with the first-aid kit and chided me.
“If you were sturdy, you wouldn't be covered in bruises...! Can you hold your head straight?”
“Like this...?”
“Yeah, stay like that.”
Miyuki took an alcohol pad and disinfectant out of the box, applied the disinfectant to a cotton swab, and moved closer to me.
Miyuki's breasts gradually filled my field of vision.
The scent of fabric softener clinging to her clothes drifted over and stimulated my sense of smell.
“It might sting.”
She could have applied it with her finger. What a shame.
“Okay... Aaaaaaaah...!!”
I was about to answer obediently, but a sting above my eyebrow made me scream.
Miyuki looked at me as if I were pathetic and said,
“I barely even touched you...”
“Didn't you just put disinfectant on it?”
“I did. A tiny bit. It was barely noticeable.”
“.... Really...? Try again.”
“Okay. Bear with it even if it hurts this time.”
I'll try my best.
**
“Now tell me. How did this happen?”
It was Miyuki, who had finally finished treating all my wounds, who said this.
She hadn't immediately asked whether I'd gotten into a fight.
That meant Miyuki trusted me to some extent.
I gulped down the water Tetsuya had brought and asked,
“Can you keep this a secret?”
“You mean don't tell the professors?”
“That's right.”
“So it was something related to the Academy?”
“Sort of. Do you know Shimoyama? Shimoyama Akihiro.”
Miyuki tilted her head.
Tetsuya, on the other hand, looked slightly intimidated when he heard the name.
“Shimoyama Akihiro...? Do you mean that second-year Shimoyama Akihiro-senpai?”
Tetsuya's question cut into the conversation.
I said nothing, which was my way of answering yes.
Miyuki's eyes widened as though she'd figured something out.
“Ah...! I think I've heard of him...! That second-year troublemaker... Why? Did he hit you? For no reason?”
“There was a reason. Yesterday...”
I told them exactly what had happened after I parted ways with the two of them yesterday.
Tetsuya tried to ask something in the middle, but he shut his mouth when Miyuki gave him a stern look.
He should've known better than to butt in without reading the room. Serves him right.
Miyuki listened to everything I said with a serious expression, then spoke.
“So, in short... You refused because you didn't want to get into trouble with the students from Inagi Academy, but Shimoyama Akihiro resorted to violence? And Matsuda-kun just let him hit you?”
“Yeah.”
“.... I understand. First, I want to praise you.”
“For what?”
“You held yourself back even though it was a situation that would make anyone angry. The old Matsuda-kun would have attacked the moment he was hit. You didn't just stand there because you were afraid of a senior from the same circle, did you?”
“Do you think I'm afraid of some dried-up skeleton like him? I just avoided him because getting involved was a pain.”
“Yes. That's exactly what I mean. Matsuda-kun is definitely changing. I'm really happy.”
I'm happy you say that, too.
I was about to scratch my head bashfully, but the moment I raised my arm, my ribs gave a sharp twinge, and I grimaced.
“Does it hurt a lot? Do you want to go to the hospital first?”
“What hospital? I felt around, and it doesn't seem cracked, so it'll heal in a few days.”
“How do you know that, Matsuda-kun? I'm worried, so I think you should get it checked at least once.”
“I'll go on my own.”
“You won't go.”
“Ah, so that's why you're saying I shouldn't tell the professors?”
When I forcibly changed the subject, Miyuki let out a quiet sigh and said,
“I'd really like to tell them right now... Not only did he hit Matsuda-kun, but he also tried to provoke students from another academy into a group fight... It's gone way too far.”
“If I tell you not to, don't.”
“Why? Why don't you want us to tell them?”
Tetsuya answered for me.
“It's because Matsuda's worried we'll get dragged into this.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Think about it. If we tell the professors, they'll verify the facts and hand down severe punishment to Shimoyama-senpai and everyone else involved. What do you think those students will do after being punished? It was a secret plan, so they'll try to find the person who exposed them.”
Then, naturally, they'd suspect me first—the one who refused their orders—and beat me senseless.
If I refused to tell them anything, they'd start harming the people close to me.
Of course, they didn't know that Miyuki, Tetsuya, and I studied and hung out together, but there was no telling how things might unfold, so I was being cautious.
After hearing Tetsuya's explanation, Miyuki bit her lower lip.
“Is that really why you told us not to say anything?”
“You can figure that out yourselves. I'll handle the matter with the circle myself, so don't worry about it. I told you honestly because I trust you, so you have to trust me too. Though I know I don't have much credibility.”
That was sincere.
If Miyuki got involved, there was a strong chance the incident would grow worse.
It would be best to use my connection to the circle solely for affection points and then end it, and I was confident I could do that.
The third-year big shot who effectively led the Supree Circle leaned slightly toward the good side.
He was the type who radiated villainous vibes in an academy story, but was actually a decent, cool guy,
someone who caused trouble during his first and second years, then came to his senses to some extent as a third-year.
He had that kind of cliché going for him.
Still, he was a delinquent, so if I announced my withdrawal in front of him, I would have to be prepared for some bloodshed.
“You'll do that, right?”
Miyuki's eyes wavered at my earnest plea.
You saw how resolute I looked the last time I made up my mind.
So just let this go.
Did my wish get through?
Miyuki gave the tiniest nod.
“.... All right. I'll do that. And we trust Matsuda-kun. You're mistaken to think we don't trust you.”
To hear her go that far for me... It was like luck had practically fallen right into my lap today.
I felt incredibly rewarded.
Maybe getting beaten up had been worth it...
“Then that's settled. Let's study now.”
“How can we study when you're in that condition...? Matsuda-kun, rest here. We'll clean up.”
“Clean up?”
“There are drops of blood all over the place. Since the floor is tatami, we need to get them off quickly before they leave bigger stains.”
My Miyuki was far too capable at managing a household.
That was why she was so lovable.
With each passing day, I wanted more and more to bury my face in her bosom.
**
Miyuki seemed terribly sorry for me and worried as she watched me lying motionless on my side in the corner.
“Are you really sure you don't need to go to the hospital?”
She had kept saying things like that at intervals while cleaning.
I wanted to go to the hospital alone with Miyuki anyway, so I decided to drop a hint.
“I said I'm not going... Why would I go to a hospital? It's embarrassing...”
“That's a pretty pointless pride, isn't it...? What are you going to do if something seriously wrong develops? We've finished cleaning, so don't just lie there like that. Let's go. I'll call a taxi. Tetsuya-kun, do you want to go home first?”
Since Miyuki hated taking up other people's time, I knew she'd say that to Tetsuya.
Even though they were childhood friends, she couldn't drag him into this much trouble.
“Huh? I can go with you...”
Tetsuya was trying to get between Miyuki and me again.
I just wanted to tell him to get lost.
Since he was passive by nature, he'd go home if Miyuki made the offer one more time.
“No. It might take a while, so Tetsuya-kun, you should go home.”
“Is that so...? All right. I'll finish this up and go.”
Listening to the two of them, I voiced my displeasure.
“I never said I was going, but you two are putting on a whole show.”
“Matsuda-kun.”
Miyuki put a hand on her hip and spoke sharply.
Pretending to be resigned, I answered in a sullen tone.
“All right. I'll go. I'm going. Don't look at me like that.”
“This is the only way to make you listen, Matsuda-kun.”
“Nagging...”
After grumbling, I waited until Tetsuya finished cleaning his assigned area, then tossed out,
“Thanks, Miura.”
“No. Of course I had to help. I'll get going now. Miyuki, I'm leaving, okay?”
Miyuki, who had been checking the taxi's location on her phone, answered,
“Yeah. Get home safely, and I'll contact you later.”
Don't contact him. Stop giving Tetsuya hope.
After sending Tetsuya off alone, we prepared to leave when we received the notification that the taxi would arrive soon.
I laboriously put on my shoes, then pushed off the raised platform with both hands and stood, and Miyuki asked worriedly,
“Do you want me to support you?”
“No. I can walk.”
“You were staggering like crazy earlier... Take my hand.”
What?
When I stopped, ears perked, Miyuki stood in front of me and held out both her hands.
“Take it. You might fall while walking. I'll help you keep your balance.”
Miyuki was only thinking of helping a friend, but depending on what I said, the atmosphere could change completely.
The opportunity had come, so I had to seize it.
I calmed myself, slowly reached out, and placed my hand on Miyuki's palm.
Even though she'd just washed her hands with cold water, Miyuki's hand still held its warmth.
Did she naturally run warm?
I'd be so happy if I could cuddle her beneath a thick blanket and sleep with her in winter.
Matching Miyuki's backward steps, I moved forward carefully and spoke as gentlemanly as I could.
“It's warm.”
“What's warm?”
“Your hand. I mean, your hand is warm.”
“.... Yeah...?”
Miyuki's head dipped ever so slightly—so slightly that I might not have noticed if I hadn't been paying close attention.
It looked like a faint blush had appeared on her cheeks... I wanted to stare and confirm it properly, but I had to hold back.
Instead, I decided to check her feelings another way.
Looking between the ground and Miyuki's hand, I took one step at a time toward the front gate and asked,
“What about my hand? Is it cold?”
“.... Mmm... It might be a little cold...”
Seeing her answer in a small voice after a slight hesitation, it seemed my plan had worked perfectly.
I wanted to clench my fists, but that would hurt Miyuki, so I celebrated inwardly instead.
Somehow making our way through the strange atmosphere around us, we left the house and took a taxi.