Chapter 10: Volume 1 - CH 4.2

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She hadn’t studied this much since she took the entrance exam.

(I thought I wouldn’t need to study once I entered high school, and yet.)

As she stared down at the blank maths exam paper, she suddenly looked at herself from an objective point of view, seriously confronting the questions, and unintentionally let out a wry laugh.

(It’s not like me to try this hard.)

She wanted to do fun things.

Such idealistic things as patience, endurance, hard work, and determination were not her strong suits.

However, somehow or another, thanks to her perseverance, she felt better about the exam than usual.

(A-Ah, this…is the place where Nakayama-kun taught me.)

While solving the math questions, she suddenly remembered her friend.

(I wonder if it looks like this. Alright, looking good. That being the case, will Nakayama-kun will praise me?)

There was still a blank space on her answer sheet, but she had already done her best. Given that, she placed her pen down even though there was still time.

(Phew……Alright, maybe I should have a thank you party with Nakayama-kun after the exam?)

Her cheeks loosened as she fantasized about their after-school activities.

That’s how much she liked Koutarou.

(Really…he’s so wonderful.)

Recently, she would even think of him when she had spare time.

(I wonder why Nakayama-kun’s only the one who I don’t get nervous around?)

It has always been a habit of hers since elementary school to freeze up in the presence of others.

Koutarou, however, was an exception to this rule. He was a 『different』existence.

(Why can he stay so calm towards me, I wonder?)

For better or worse, she was born with good looks, making many strangers an object of fear for her.

The opposite sex had ulterior motives for her, and the same-sex was constantly jealous of her.

Shiho, who was born with a keen sense of hearing, was highly sensitive and was able to read the bad feelings of others even though she didn’t want to. It was painful, forcing her to live a life of continuously repelling people away…that harmful effect has now made her severely shy.

The only time she could act natural was in front of her father and mother.

But, Koutarou unintentionally made her vulnerable.

(I can’t hear any dangerous sounds from Nakayama-kun.)

There was no sign of ulterior motive, malice, or desire in Kotaro.

That’s why she couldn’t help but open her heart up to him. He laid bare his true self. Allowing her to forget the concept of safeguarding herself, making her the usual 『Shimotsuki Shiho』.

(Hmm, but…that might sound strange after all.)

No, it’s different.

Because he was calm. Because he wasn’t dangerous. After all, she wasn’t nervous──such a reason could only mean her judgement was incomprehensible.

(As far as I’m concerned, Nakayama-kun…is even more 『special』to me.)

Perhaps because she was thinking about him, she unconsciously turned her gaze toward Koutarou.

Shiho’s seat was at the second row of the rear window, while Koutarou’s seat was at the backmost of the corridor.

They were far enough that they couldn’t notice each other’s gaze, but Koutarou’s eyes met hers.

(Oh? I wonder if Nakayama-kun has finished solving it?)

He put down his pen and looked at her, his expression relaxing just a little when he met Shiho’s gaze.

And then, Koutarou suddenly moved his lips.

Of course, no sound was made during the test. No one could hear it, and maybe Koutarou didn’t think it would be understood either.

However, Shiho, who has a keen sense of hearing, read what Koutarou was trying to say from the leaking sigh and movement of his lips.

(Um…is he saying 『do your best』?)

Even during the test, he cared for her.

Or rather, if you think back on it, Kotaurou noticed Shiho’s gaze as soon as she looked at him, and their eyes met. That could be considered to mean that he was aware of her the whole time.

(He’s supporting me even during a test…!)

With tender care, I hope your efforts will pay off.

Such a thing, Shiho had never known anyone who thought of others first like this.

(U-Ugh, just as I thought, Nakayama-kun is weird.)

Suddenly, she realized her cheeks were getting hotter.

(I-Idiot. Don’t make me happy with something so unexpected…you’re making me embarrassed!)

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Shiho turned over, unable to look at Koutarou while complaining inwardly.

This caused her to face the answer sheet again.

And this time, the blank space somehow bothered her unnecessarily, so she picked up her pen again.

(…I’ll try my best just a little more.)

Koutarou’s yell of encouragement pushed Shiho’s back just a little more.

All this time, she’s been thinking that she doesn’t want to do anything.

She felt that she would never be able to get along with others anyway and that it would be pointless to try.

But now, it was different.

Koutarou praises her. He acknowledges her. He takes care of her. He plays with her. He was always together with her and always thought for her safety.

That’s why she heedlessly worked so hard.

(In any case, I’m going to get an amazing score and surprise Nakayama-kun.)

Inwardly imagining his surprised face, she got even more fired up.

In the end, Shiho used all the time she had left to work on the questions.

Thanks to her efforts, her exam score was──brilliantly beyond Koutarou’s expectations.

(72 points!? A-Amazing! Just as I thought, I’m a ‘can-do’ child after all!)

Several days later, the returned answer sheet showed a score slightly higher than the average.

Upon seeing the score, Shiho couldn’t hold herself back any longer.

Though not quite satisfactorily, she promised Koutarou that she wouldn’t talk to him as much as possible at school.

However, such things were entirely forgotten, as she thought that she wanted to tell him that directly『Look!』

After getting back her test results, she went to Koutarou’s seat as soon as it was recess time.

Just as she thought, it was still impossible to speak out loud due to the presence of people around him. So, after taking a roundabout path and walking up right behind him, she called out to him in a tiny voice.

“Nakayama-kun, will you look at me?”

She lightly tapped him on the shoulder.

Then, Koutarou, perhaps not expecting it, turned around with a surprised look on his face.

Shiho immediately showed him the answer sheet.

“S-Shimotsuki-san? You shouldn’t talk so much at school…w-wait, 72 points!?”

In the beginning, she was trying to warn him.

However, Shiho’s score seemed to surprise Koutarou as well, as he widened his eyes in response.

Thanks to that, the promise had been entirely blown out of his mind.

“C-Congratulations! T-That’s amazing! Without a doubt, I thought you’d get a red mark, but.”

“I-I’m not that much of a moron, okay! B-But, I was surprised too.”

“Yeah, you did a great job.”

Koutarou praised her as he smiled.

Shiho smiled along with him.

“Hee-hee.”

He unconsciously placed his hand on the top of her head. Recently, Koutarou had a habit of doing this when he was talking to her.

Whenever she gets praised like this, she starts to get impatient.

(I also want to pat him──b-but, such a thing, there’s no way I could ask him for something so embarrassing…!)

In her heart, Koutarou’s presence grows all the more stronger.

Just praising wasn’t enough, she felt.

That’s right, Koutarou was 『special』to her.

(But, one day…!)

More, even more, she fantasized about a future where she and Koutarou got even closer.

She was anxiously waiting for such a future, enamoured with Koutarou.

As time progresses, their relationship deepens.

However, we must not forget that this was also synonymous with the story’s progression.

Nakayama Koutarou, an existence that was omitted from the very beginning.

Just who does this story belong to?

Let alone the protagonist, having a supporting character befriend the main heroine is a costly taboo…what will these two people taste next?

The peaceful part is soon coming to an end──

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