CH 19

It seems that Shimotsuki has been following me.



It’s quite a stalker that I didn’t notice ……. There was no sign of her, which was a little scary.



“So, may I come in? Oh, are your parents here? I’d like to say hello to them. I’m not …… shy when it comes to people around my parent’s age! I’m a little nervous in front of people, but I can talk to people around my mom and dad’s age just fine, you know?”



She said she’s shy.



Anyway, she seems to be polite. The way she speaks, her gestures and her attitude all have a certain elegance to them. …… Her parents seem to have taken good care of her and she probably had a good upbringing.



The more I learn about Shiho Shimotsuki, the more attractive she becomes.



It’s rare to find a person with such deep feelings.



“No, it’s okay. My parents are both on a business trip overseas.”



Well, they’re not here, so there’s no need to worry about it.



I unlocked the door and invited her in.



“Well, that’s …… very disappointing. I would have loved to have seen Nakayama’s mom and dad. I would have liked to have seen your childhood albums and talked with you about the past.”



“I don’t think you’d enjoy looking at my albums, …… and please don’t embarrass me.”



It’s as strange as ever.



It’s really boring to look at my albums as a mob character.



But Shimotsuki is very curious.



She’s itching to know more about me.



“I’m sorry to bother you. Hmm, I see. …… You were born and raised here, weren’t you? It’s a little bit bigger than our house. But it’s nice to have a house this big where you can see your family.”



Shimotsuki looked around the house, looking curious.



Really, I don’t think there’s anything to see since it’s just a typical house.



Anyway, I welcomed her to the living room instead of my room. As for me, I thought I’d just serve her some tea and sweets and chat with her over some random food. …… But it looks like that was a failure.



“Huh? Why don’t you take me to your room, Nakayama-kun? I’m your friend. …… It’s a common practice to invite friends, who come to visit you to your room. Do you know anything about the world, Nakayama-kun? You’re a strange person.”



She looked at me with a puzzled look on her face, like she was speaking common sense.



No, that’s not right. It’s not common sense to force your way into the home of a person of the opposite sex on the second day after becoming friends and moreover, it’s a mystery why she wants to go to my room. I think it’s better to be more …… cautious.



Shimotsuki has a rather defenseless side to her. I don’t know why she trusts me so much, when she is usually so cautious and gets nervous at the mere presence of others.



Yeah, that’s right.



What’s even stranger is the fact that she’s so curious about me.



I wonder if it’s because it’s always been in the corner of my mind.



Since it was a good opportunity, I couldn’t help but ask her.



“My room is really not that interesting, you know. I mean, I’m a boring person myself. …… Don’t you think it’s a little weird that you want to know about this mob character?”



Shimotsuki’s mouth widened at my words.



Her face was like that of an annoying person who talks about the universe while inviting people to join a mysterious religion.



“Mob characters? Nakayama-kun? What do you mean? I don’t know what you mean. …… I don’t think you’re a mob character. I’ve never found you boring or dull. It’s a strange thing to say. …… I’ve shown so many signs of affection and yet Nakayama still doesn’t get it.”



Then she sighed and smiled.



With an adorable smile that seemed to make everyone who saw her happy, Shimotsuki said this.



“You’re special to me. Don’t be sad about being a mob character. It’s not bad to be humble, but you shouldn’t be so humble. Don’t be sad about denying who you are. …… It hurts me, your friend.”



–That was the first time I had heard that.



He acknowledged me as one of the many others and said that I was “special”.



Rather than being happy, I think it would be more accurate to say that I was …… surprised.



So, to this girl, I was special.