I hadn’t thought it through. The meaning of walking to school while holding her hand.
No, that’s not quite right—I did understand it… but I was so excited… so flustered… that I completely forgot what it meant. Nanami-san was a girl who had turned down every handsome guy who had ever confessed to her.
So the sight of someone like me—an introvert who didn’t stand out at all in class—walking to school hand in hand with her naturally drew all kinds of looks from the people around us. Curiosity, surprise… and on top of that, jealousy and even hostility.
…Luckily, it was still early in the morning, so there weren’t many students around yet. Even so, a few of them definitely saw us.
No one actually came up to talk to us, but the people who knew Nanami-san were whispering among themselves.
It didn’t feel great… but there wasn’t much I could do about it, so I tried to accept it. I wondered how Nanami-san felt and glanced at her beside me.
“…We might end up becoming a rumor, you know?”
As expected of Nanami-san… she looked like she was enjoying the situation, teasing me a little as she flashed me a bright smile that showed all her beautiful teeth. Her perfectly white teeth sparkled.
By the way, along the way here she had been talking to me nonstop—completely different from yesterday.
“What are your hobbies?” “What do you do on your days off?” “Have you dated any other girls before?”
Those kinds of questions kept coming the whole time as we walked here.
Yesterday, Baron-san had given me some advice: “Try not to talk too much about yourself. Ask about her instead. Focus on being a good listener.”
But that advice had ended up completely useless.
I had been the one talking about myself nonstop.
It was because she was incredibly good at conversation… or rather, she was really good at expanding it. When she asked about my hobbies and I answered “games,” she immediately noticed that my icon character was from a game. Then she connected it to another question, saying that although she had never played games herself, did I spend my days off playing that one?
How should I put it… the way she linked questions together in conversation was brilliant. Before I realized it, I had completely forgotten Baron-san’s warning from yesterday and ended up talking mostly about myself.
So this was what a true good listener was like… completely different from someone like me.
I felt a little bad that I’d talked so much about myself and worried Nanami-san might find it boring… but she seemed to be enjoying it, so I hoped it hadn’t been the wrong approach.
“Yeah… but becoming a rumor because of someone like me… I feel a little bad for you, Nanami-san.”
The moment I said that, she puffed out her cheeks.
“What was that supposed to be? That’s not the reaction I wanted! We’re dating, so it’s totally fine!”
Seeing her cheeks puffed up like that made me feel the sudden urge to poke them. What kind of reaction was I supposed to give? Maybe it would be difficult until I figured out Nanami-san’s preferences…
“Also, stop saying ‘someone like me.’ From now on, okay? Youshin is my boyfriend now… and yesterday you helped me. You were cool. So… let’s have an equal relationship, okay?”
…This is supposed to be a punishment-game relationship, right?
Ah, I see. An equal relationship. That must be the kind of relationship she idealizes. And she’s using me to simulate it.
That must be it. I get it.
“Yeah, I understand… Nanami-san.”
When I answered, she returned my smile—but for just a moment, her expression clouded over. The bright, flower-like smile from earlier turned into something slightly sad.
“…I’m the one who should be sorry.”
What exactly was she apologizing for? For the rumors…?
Or for the fact that this relationship started as a punishment game?
If I told her that I already knew it was a punishment game… what kind of face would she make?
I felt a small urge to see that expression… but I held back.
Instead, I poked her cheek with my index finger.
Startled by my sudden action, she stared at me with wide eyes. I had only meant it as a small prank, but she looked so surprised that I ended up widening my eyes too.
“W-w-w-wh-what are you doing?!”
“Ah, sorry… Nanami-san. You were the one who said we should have an equal relationship, but then you suddenly started apologizing… I just thought… well. Was it unpleasant? Sorry.”
“…N-no… it wasn’t unpleasant… I was just surprised… yeah… just surprised… really surprised…”
Her face was bright red as she emphasized how surprised she was, her eyes darting around. It seemed I had startled her quite a bit… I felt a little guilty.
After that, she fell silent for a while—and before we knew it, we had arrived at school.
We let go of each other’s hands and changed from our outdoor shoes into indoor ones.
Our classroom was the same, but I assumed this was where the hand-holding would end…
But after changing her shoes, she held out her hand again.
…Even in this short time, she still wanted to hold hands. I see.
“Isn’t this… a little embarrassing?”
“It’s fine. It’s still early and there aren’t many people around… just a little longer.”
Hearing that, I gave in and took her hand again.
There were already a few people scattered around in the classroom… and the moment we entered, the room buzzed with noise. The only ones not reacting were two of Nanami-san’s friends.
…They came pretty early too.
While the classroom buzzed with whispers, the two of them immediately approached us with smiles.
…Uh, what were their names again…?
“…Nanami, you’re pretty bold. I didn’t expect you to walk in holding hands.”
“Hatsumi… yeah… well, a little.”
The friend with long hair—Hatsumi-san—seemed surprised by Nanami-san’s behavior, but her tone was gentle and carried a sense of relief. Nanami-san responded with a shy smile.
“Congrats! Congrats!”
“Ayumu, thanks.”
The girl with short hair and a relaxed smile—Ayumu-san—clapped her hands cheerfully. She seemed genuinely happy for us. She even looked at me and said, “Congrats!” while clapping.
Hmm… that reaction doesn’t seem like someone who suggested a punishment-game confession.
If anything, they looked like they were sincerely celebrating our relationship. I had expected at least a slightly forced smile… but if this smile was an act, I might end up losing trust in women.
“Misumai, can I borrow your girlfriend for a bit? I want to hear all the details.”
“Ah, yeah… that’s fine. Nanami-san, see you later.”
When I let go of her hand, she looked slightly disappointed, but soon left the classroom with her two friends. Well, if they’re talking about the punishment game, it would be hard to discuss it with me around.
After she left, I looked at my now-empty hand.
Still feeling the lingering warmth of her hand, I opened and closed my fingers slowly, savoring the afterglow.
“…I guess this is what they call being out of my league.”
I sent her off and sat down at my seat… placed my bag down… and wondered what I should do now.
I casually looked around.
The few students who had been watching us with curious eyes earlier were clearly fidgeting, looking like they wanted to ask something. It probably wouldn’t take more than a few minutes before they surrounded me.
I could easily imagine what they wanted to ask… but how should I answer?
More importantly… would I survive until Nanami-san came back?
That was the real problem.
Then the first person came to my desk… then the second…
Classmates whose names and faces I couldn’t match gathered around me one after another, firing questions at me like arrows.
And every question was basically the same.
“Why were you holding hands with Nanami-san when you came into the classroom?”
Everyone wanted to know the answer.
Honestly… the person who wanted to know that answer the most was probably me.
Still, I decided to tell them honestly.
“Nanami-san and I… we started dating. So…”
“No way!!”
…They didn’t believe me. Actually, it sounded more like a scream from someone who didn’t want to believe it.
Of course they wouldn’t believe that an introvert like me was dating her… that’s only natural.
Ah… I said “someone like me” again… even though Nanami-san told me not to.
Well, I can’t change overnight… but I’ll try to improve little by little.
After that, I was bombarded with questions until Nanami-san and the others returned. As more students gradually arrived in the classroom, the crowd around me grew larger… though the questions remained exactly the same.
While I was struggling to answer them, the crowd suddenly parted.
Just like a scene from Moses parting the sea, the wall of people split apart—and there stood Nanami-san, Hatsumi-san, and Ayumu-san.
Wow… the three of them walked through the parted crowd like something straight out of a movie scene. I couldn’t help staring in admiration.
When they reached me, everyone’s attention immediately shifted from me to Nanami-san.
“Hey, hey, why were you holding hands with Misumai when you came in? Is it some kind of game?”
“Hm? Because I confessed to Youshin yesterday and we started dating. Holding hands with your boyfriend is normal, right?”
Nanami-san said it so casually that everyone around us widened their eyes.
The boys looked utterly devastated—some of them even collapsed to their knees. The girls alternated their gaze between me and Nanami-san with disbelief on their faces.
…So when I said it, no one believed me—but when Nanami-san says it, everyone accepts it instantly. The influence of someone at the top of the social hierarchy is amazing.
“Alright, alright, break it up. They just started dating—give them some space.”
“That’s right, that’s right! Let them be alone!”
“Ah, thanks… um… Hatsumi-san and Ayumu-san… right?”
Thanks to their words, everyone reluctantly returned to their seats. I thanked them, but when Nanami-san heard me, she puffed out her cheeks again.
Huh? Did I say something that upset her?
“…Why are you suddenly calling Hatsumi and Ayumu by their names? At first you called me by my last name.”
“Ah, well… that’s…”
…Nanami-san is sulking.
No, it’s just that I didn’t know their names before and only learned them now. There’s no hidden meaning behind it. When she sulks in such a cute way, I honestly don’t know how to react…
“Ahahahahaha, it can’t be helped, Nanami. Misumai never had any connection with us before, so he just didn’t know our names. I’m Otofuke Hatsumi. Nice to meet you, Misumai.”
“And I’m Kamoenai Ayumu. Nice to meet you—Nanami’s boyfriend.”
“Ah, right… thanks. Nice to meet you too, Otofuke-san, Kamoenai-san.”
Thanking the two of them for throwing me a lifeline, I addressed them again by their family names.
That seemed to fix Nanami-san’s mood. She stopped puffing her cheeks and smiled at me again, then took a deep breath.
“Youshin, what are you doing for lunch today?”
“Lunch? I usually go to the cafeteria… or sometimes just eat bread.”
“Well… I made a bento today… for your portion too… so… if you want… um… would you like to eat together?”
“…Gladly.”
With the entire classroom watching us, that unexpected lunch invitation was all I could manage to say.
At the same time, I finally understood why she had brought a slightly larger bag today compared to yesterday.
But still…
This started from a punishment-game confession, right?
Nanami-san… aren’t you being a little too serious about this?
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