CH 93

But why did she try so hard?

“I can’t stop shaking. My heart is pounding and my head is dizzy……, maybe I’m a little too nervous? Look, look, Kotaro-kun. Puru-puru-puru~!”

On the way home. It was nice to get out of the school, but Shiho, who was still slow on her feet, asked for a break, so we stopped at a nearby park. I asked her to sit on a bench and catch her breath.

“You did something unusual and unfamiliar……. How could you raise your hand in a situation like that when you’re so shy?”

In the silence of the classroom, the voice she put out to gather her courage was trembling, but it had the power to make everyone’s hearts tremble as well.

Thanks to that, I became the central character.

“I’m not shy. I was a rabbit in a previous life, so I have a strong sense of territoriality. See, my ears are floppy, aren’t they? It’s a remnant of being a rabbit, you know.”

She said and wiggled her ears.

She is cute, but why does she stubbornly refuse to admit her shyness?

I think Shiho’s cute point is that she is stubborn in a strange way.

“Rabbit …… I wonder what it would taste like if I ate one of those ……?”

I felt somewhat distracted. I felt silly for worrying about so many things, so I sat down next to Shiho. Then she started patting me on the shoulder.

“No, no. Rabbit is not food. …… I wonder if Kotaro-kun doesn’t have a human heart?　Oh, but rabbits are counted as ‘animals,’ and maybe they taste like birds…….!”

“You’re drooling…….”

“Oh no. I’m so embarrassed.”

The change of heart is too quick.

And while it’s cute to see her fidgeting in embarrassment, please don’t try to wipe your mouth with my uniform.

“Here’s a handkerchief.”

“Thanks.”

Come to think of it, I’ve lent her a handkerchief before. Thinking back to that time, the relationship between me and Shiho has come a long way.

“I really appreciate your hard work, ……. But you didn’t have to try so hard, okay?”

Looking closer, I see that her body is still trembling.

She must have pushed herself very hard. Shiho is that sensitive to people’s consciousness.

So why did Shiho try so hard?

She told me the reason.

“Because I wanted to see Kotaro-kun’s big day……, and I was kind of nervous when I thought that you, the wonderful Kotaro-kun, would show me something cool. So I did my best to help you in any way I could.”

After all, this girl wasn’t thinking too deeply about things.

She just showed her tender affection for me with her actions.

I guess Mary and Ryuzaki are not important to Shiho.

She is thinking about me anyway.

She has special feelings only for me.

That really …… made me happy.

“Thank you.”

I genuinely think so.

Thank you for loving me like this.

That thought moved my body.

I gently held her trembling hand. I held it tightly so as not to break it, yet not to let it go.

“Eh? Um, hmm??? Kotaro-kun? What’s wrong?”

Shiho was also puzzled by the sudden grip on her hand.

It’s not surprising. The reason is that I’ve never touched her before.

Whenever we had skinship, Shiho always took the lead.

I was always passive and couldn’t do anything, but today …… I was finally able to touch her myself.

Because I was always in self-denial, I was convinced that Shiho was ‘not the right person for me to touch,’ so I was reluctant to do so.

But finally…… I, too, have grown up, it seems.

“It’s not fair of …… you to do that all of a sudden. I’m so nervous, my hands are going to shake even more.”

“Oh, really? Then, um…….”

But she was still embarrassed and shy.

As expected, I thought it was too sudden and tried to let go, but Shiho didn’t want to do that…….

“No. You made me tremble so much, so…. will you take responsibility and hold my hand until I stop trembling?”

She smiles charmingly and at the same time squeezes my hand even tighter.

That smile always saves my life.

Really, this girl is so cute…