Volume 1 - CH 23

Koyomi’s POV

One week. For this one week, I intended to do everything in my power.

I appealed to him as much as I could while thinking about when to pull back at the same time.

As expected, today I can’t go on a date because of what I have to do tomorrow.

But still, I don’t feel confident.

I was prepared. I said such a thing but the truth is that I’m still not sure whether I should tell him. If I told him about the fake confession, Kouyou might stop going out with me.

Even still, I should do this. One factor is the fact that I lied to him, and more than that I actually wanted to be a real couple with him.

Up until the end, I know I’m selfish.

But, I just can’t stop.

That’s why today, when I go back home I planned on crying a lot. So that I could stop my tears when I was rejected tomorrow. So that I could smile.

Aah, Sunday was really fun.

It was my first date on a day off.

Kouyou also enjoyed himself, and I managed to make him feed me with an “Ahn” or “Ahh”.

And that’s why, I regretted crying on the Ferris wheel. It’s because it makes the happy memories we just experienced into sad ones.

Let’s come again! When I said that, he smiled. I was happy. That was closer to a hope than a promise to me. That’s why I was happy.

But he didn’t give a reply.

I don’t know whether that was intentional or just a coincidence.

No, I shouldn’t think about this

I also managed to talk to him a lot during this week.

I’m glad that he didn’t try to refuse talking to me.

………..But somehow, I feel like this is the end. When I think about it that way, I begin to feel uneasy.

It was fun when we went to visit the shop where he worked part-time.

I was nervous when his cute junior came out, and when she told me that Kouyou is her boyfriend, I felt like crying.

Everyone seemed nice.

The manager was…….I don’t really know.

Anyways, I have done what I could.

The rest depends on tomorrow, I just have to tell Kouyou to stay after school.

I wasn’t planning on talking to Kouyou tomorrow. If I do, I feel like my resolve will falter.

That’s why today, I was planning on telling Kouyou to stay in the classroom after class.

When I arrived at the classroom, I found Kouyou there. As soon as I tried to enter, I heard the girls talking about me.

It wasn’t about a good topic.

I don’t really paid any attention to them. I’ve been told a few times that these guys are jealous. I don’t care about that now.

But it was kind of hard to get in the classroom, so I stayed there. The girl even started to involve Kouyou in this, and I started to complain.

◇◇◇◇◇

[Kouyou’s POV]

After school, I was told by Koyomi that a teacher called me.

It’s probably about the matter tomorrow.

I’m bored so I tried talking to Akira(only responding with gestures and short replies).

And I heard the voice of a few female classmate’s talking

“That Koyomiー, she’s getting carried away just because she’s a little cute.”

“Yeah! She even rejected the confession of a third-year student.”

“She says she’s not good with men, but she’s always hanging out with her male friends, and the other day she suddenly started having a boyfriend.”

“And she did it voluntarily.”

“Eh, really?……….How is she bad with them.”

Aah, I see………….

This is the so-called gossips of the unpopular bunch.

A bunch of people have said that to me before, but I basically ignored them.

Did she ever do anything to you guys…..

That’s tough….

Well she is probably used to getting talked behind on. And backstabbing is something that doesn’t really hurt a person directly as long as you doesn’t say it in front of the person in question, so as long as the ones being gossiped didn’t hear it, it’s fine.

If I were to pay a little bit of attention, the one who is at fault here is completely me.

Everyone has one or two thousand people that they don’t like, and of course they vent it by talking behind their backs. It’s useless to try to control these types of things.

But still, you don’t have to say that in the classroom. I’m sure they have a lot of things to deal with so let’s be generous and forgive them.

Well if the person that was gossiped heard it, then they will immediately stop.

“Kouyou, are you sure you don’t want to stop it?”

“Isn’t it fine? The person in question wasn’t listening. And these girls probably have a lot of things going on, probably. You too have talked behind someone’s back right? At the very least, I ever did. In fact, you aren’t stopping them?”

“If you, the boyfriend, leave it alone. I won’t do anything too.”

“Is that so. ……….It’s just, Koyomi is going to come soon, I guess I should stop them…”

“Oh! Tsundere!”

Akira teased me, so I glared at him and then called out to the girls.

“Excuse me!”

“Nn?”

“Koyomi is about to come soon, so I think it’s better for you to stop now.”

“Oh? It’s Koyomi’s boyfriend! So you were still here!”

“Ahー, hey-hey! How was it honestly?”

“What are you talking about?”

“Isn’t Koyomi troublesome?”

I retract my previous statement.

This is completely their fault. No matter how much, even as a joke, trying to ask her boyfriend about this is OUT.

And you know what? Right? What ?

What do you have to be so sure of that?

Is that it? Are you guys Koyomi’s ex-boyfriends?

Well, she is certainly troublesome but……..

“………What do you mean?”

“No, she is bad with guys after all~she said, pretending to be innocent, but then suddenly she tells him off and gets herself a boyfriend. Isn’t she a b#tch! ”

“Yeah! You honestly think she’s annoying right?”

“Or is it that? Are you fine with anyone as long as she is cute? Give it up, she’s just deceiving you.”

If you’re jealous of her looks, you’re the one who’s deceiving yourself. ……………

I thought that but, I don’t really want to incite a fight.

I’ll handle this gently

“In the first place, you look obedient, but when Koyomi confesses to you you are all over the moon……”

………!

It’s still fine if you talk about Koyomi.

But you can’t do that to me, right. I’m right here listening after all

In the first place, you know nothing about Koyomi. It’s not your place to badmouth her.

Well, I don’t know either so I don’t have any duty to stop you!

I thought there was a lot to it, but there isn’t. Nothing at all. All it was were just plain jealousy.

“That, did you tell that to the person in question?”

“What? It’s the truth after all.”

“What’s wrong with that? Isn’t it true she’s pretty?”

“Haah? Look here…”

“You’re just jealous in the first place right?”

“We are just doing this for you………!”

“Then let me tell you something for your sake. Just because you aren’t popular doesn’t mean that you should be jealous. Isn’t it better if you stop?”

“It’s not like we’re not popular! In the first place, if only my face was better!”

“Aah, yeah. You are ugly after all. So pitiful……….is this what you meant by being deceived by appearance? But wellm you have a bad personality too, so it can’t be helped that you aren’t popular right…”

“Uugh…………!”

“In the first place, are you guys even trying?……..For example you. You’re fat. I can hear things even if I don’t want to. You were always talking about sweets and drinks all the time and anyone can see clearly that your lunch box is bigger than most people?”

“Wha, what is it! Is it bad to eat what I want to!?”

“No, not at all. In fact I think it’s a great thing. To be able to enjoy what you want. I think it’s a good way to live, it deserves respect. It’s just that, if you choose to go down that path, you have to have the resolve to throw everything else away. If you don’t want to be called fat, then you can always exercise right? At the very least, Koyomi usually doesn’t eat more than she needs to. She resists the temptation of eating what she wants and she also exercises. Before complaining about your faces, how about fixing your attitude first?”

“Bu-, but…in the end she just pretends to be pure-hearted”

“Isn’t that fine? Even so. I don’t really mind it though, those kinds of minor details. Let’s go, Akira.”

“Nn? Ah right!”

As I was leaving the classroom, I turned around, looked at the girls, and said a few words.

“I think it’s much easier to find the bad things about yourself than it is to find fault in others. If you noticed it, then why don’t you do something about it?”

“Hahaha!……….You guys, you shouldn’t make Kouyou your enemy~”

“Akira, you’re noisy….”

“Ueehhh!”

And like that we went out the classroom, and I feel like I saw something moving when I looked to the side.

It was Koyomi…….

………….Oh My God!

So she heard that!

◇◇◇◇◇

[Koyomi’s POV]

I was very happy. I was glad that Kouyou defended me again.

Kouyou is about to leave the classroom.

I move away for now and hide.

Kouyou walked to my direction. I couldn’t hold back and hugged him.

The moment I hugged him, my tears overflowed.

Kouyou was surprised for a moment, but when he recognized me, he gently hugged me back and patted my head.

It’s the same as that day……….

Aa, more, more, more……! I wanted him to do more, but at the same time, I wanted him to stop. If you are that kind to me, I wouldn’t want to separate from you. My resolve will waver then.

But my body naturally didn’t want to separate.

I’m sure the tears I have right now are not from the sadness of being complained about by my classmates, nor from the happiness of being protected by Momiji, but from the fear that our time together like this will end today.

ーーI couldn’t stop my tears for a while.