CH 141

The next day.

I walk to school with Shi-chan again today.

Thanks to yesterday’s good-night kiss, I was able to get a good night’s sleep, and with a refreshed head, I walk along my usual route to school today, holding hands with Shi-chan.

I thought it was the third semester just a few days ago, but it’s already the end of January and the beginning of February.

Soon our school will be having entrance exams, and I realize that I only have a few more days left to be a freshman in high school.

“I wish I could be in the same class as Takkun in the second year”

Shi-chan, who was walking next to me, seemed to be thinking the same thing, looking up at the winter sky and muttering.

“Yes, it would be nice.”

“But I’ll be fine even if we’re not in the same class.”

“What do you mean?”

“Because I can already feel that I am connected to you.”

Shi-chan smiled softly as she looked into my face.

I nodded in response to her words, smiling back at her.

Yes, even if we were to be in separate classes, I wasn’t worried anymore.

Because I can confidently say that Shi-chan is my girlfriend and I am her boyfriend.

The reason I can say that is because we miraculously ended up in the same class.

If Shi-chan and I had been in different classes, I would not have recognized the national idol, Shiori, as the Shi-chan I played with as a child, and I don’t know if she would have been able to talk to me over the past year.

But then, she might still have come to the convenience store in that suspicious style, and then she might have repeatedly acted suspiciously like she did back then.

I think about that now, and to be honest, there is a part of me that would have liked to see Shi-chan like that.

“But I still want to be with you.”

“Really.”

We smiled at each other as we exchanged these words.

I was happy that despite such an unimportant conversation, we could feel a connection.

It was getting colder outside in February, but the distance between us was warmer.

We entered the classroom, and I left Shi-chan and took my seat.

Nishikida-san, who usually comes to school late, was sitting in her seat first and was reading a book as usual.

Her appearance is back to normal today, and it seems that she no longer intends to wear the same outfit she wore that day.

The boys in her class were disappointed, but the fact that Nishikida is actually a beautiful girl had already spread throughout the school year, and her popularity seemed to be growing by the day.

However, Nishikida herself seems to have no interest in such things, and when boys try to talk to her, she ends the conversation with a single word, as if she were putting up a wall.

The appearance of a third beautiful girl, who is truly impregnable, is in fact the hottest topic of conversation at this school right now.

“Good morning, Ichijo-kun.”

“Good morning, Nishikida-san.”

But even so, Nishikida-san still greeted me this way every morning.

I don’t know if it was because we were from the same junior high school or because we were sitting next to each other and could talk a little, but I was sometimes envied by the boys in my class for being the only one who could have a normal conversation with Nishikida-san.

One of my classmates said to me, “You’re a demon king, even though you have Saegusa-san!?” I was laughing a little, because I thought it was true.

But unfortunately, I am not a Demon King or anything, I am just a human being, and I am and will always be devoted to Shi-chan.

I explained to them that it was not true, and now they don’t talk to me about it anymore.

However, Shi-chan seems to have heard that the boys are talking about it, and she is still wary of Nishikida-san.

So while I thought it was okay, I also thought Shi-chan was cute for being jealous of me, and I was getting a lot of rave reviews for my romantic brain.

Then, on the way home after another successful day of classes.

Today, Shi-chan and I were going home together, and I noticed that she was looking at me with a fidgety look and a sideways glance.

“Uhm, Shi-chan, what’s wrong?”

“Eh!? No, i-it’s nothing!”

But Shi-chan, with an awkward expression on her face like a child caught in a prank, shook her head from side to side to cover up the fact that it was nothing.

“T-Takkun, for example, which do you like better, homemade or store-bought?”

“Eh?”

And this time, Shi-chan asked the question.

However, I couldn’t help but respond to Shi-chan’s sudden question.

I had no idea why, but I thought Shi-chan might be concerned about Nishikida again, so her question was completely unexpected.

“It’s just an example, you know? Look, it’s for your lunch box!”

“A-aah, I see. Hmmm, well, the store-bought ones are delicious, but if you compare them to Shi-chan’s homemade ones, I think I would be happier with the homemade ones.”

“Fue!? I-I see! Yes, understood ehehe!”

I was a little puzzled, but answered her honestly.

Shi-chan smiled happily when she heard my response and seemed to be full of motivation as she struck a gut-punch with both hands.

She then asked me what kind of sweets I liked and whether I liked regular or white chocolate.

I answered all of her questions, pretending to be oblivious to what she was up to, even though I knew exactly what she was up to.

Because she seems to be doing her best to keep it a secret, and I’m looking forward to it more than ever.

Shi-chan, who is so easy to understand, was cute and clumsy today, too.

And I was looking forward to the day when it would finally come.