CH 45

He was in a state of listlessness.

“…”

It had been like this even during school, but ever since summer vacation started, he―Yosuke hadn’t left the house.

It was all because of that scene he witnessed.

He saw a passionate encounter between the girl he loved and a guy he never expected, let alone imagined.

“Hey, at least turn on the lights.”

In the midst of it all, Yosuke’s mother entered the dark room.

Yosuke glanced at his mother’s face for a moment, but he continued to lie under the covers without any reaction.

“…Sigh.”

His mother had some idea of what had happened.

When Yosuke came back with a gloomy expression, she wondered what had happened, but Yosuke kept muttering, “Why? This can’t be happening.”

By listening to that, she clearly understood that Shirayuki, whom Yosuke had loved so much, had moved away.

“Well… I do feel sorry for you, but there’s no point in dragging it out forever, you know?”

“What do you… understand?”

To be honest, his mother wanted to say that it was ridiculous to be so depressed just because of a failed romance.

She knew how deeply Yosuke felt about Shirayuki, but from her perspective as a mother, it was simply a recognition of a lost love.

“Shirayuki-chan is truly a wonderful girl. She’s not just beautiful, but she also has a good personality. There’s no man in the world who wouldn’t be happy to have her by their side.”

“…”

“It does concern me that someone else has won over Shirayuki-chan’s heart, but that’s what love is. If they both like each other, they get together. It’s as simple as that.”

“…It’s different.”

“Huh?”

Yosuke retorted.

Continuing to look down as usual, he muttered softly.

“But she… Shirayuki hated him. So it’s absolutely strange… She must be manipulated… There’s no way Shirayuki would smile at a guy like that.”

“…Sigh.”

His mother held her head, realizing this was not good.

As she began to tidy up the scattered clothes and clean the room, just before leaving the room, she said this to Yosuke.

“As your mother, I do have the desire to take your side. But you know what? Looking down on others and talking about someone like that just because you don’t want to accept it, is that really right?”

“Ugh…”

“I’ve also had the chance to talk to Shirayuki-chan, so I understand. She’s not a weak girl who would be threatened by someone. If Shirayuki-chan chose that person, it simply means she has feelings for him.”

“…”

Though it was like a self-assuring statement, it didn’t seem to reach Yosuke.

After his mother left the room, Yosuke stared out of the window.

“…No… No! Shirayuki… Shirayuki is definitely being deceived by him!”

He didn’t want to accept it, because if he did, he would have to give up on Shirayuki.

Yosuke hates Arashi… but even more so, he can only think about Shirayuki.

“Shirayuki… Shirayuki… I…”

As if trying to grasp something, Yosuke reached out his hand.

▼▽

“Achoo!”

“Oh, are you catching a cold?”

“No… Perhaps someone is talking about me, I wonder.”

I sneezed before, but this time it was unusual for Shirayuki to sneeze.

It wasn’t a big sneeze like mine, but a small, cute sneeze that was typical of Shirayuki.

“Thank you.”

“What for?”

“It seems that it’s trendy to be grateful for a girl’s sneeze.”

“Why would you be grateful?”

Oops, let’s drop this topic here.

I managed to divert Shirayuki, who seemed to be endlessly pondering why sneezing could be a relief, and we resumed our walk.

Today’s plan was simply a date with Shirayuki.

Hisui wanted to come too, but Shirayuki put pressure on her and unexpectedly, Hisui gave in.

“By the way, a pool… It feels different from the gym, doesn’t it?”

“Yes, it does. However, a pool date is something unique to summer.”

Just walking around the city is our usual date, but today we’re on our way to a leisure facility pool unrelated to the gym with Shirayuki.

I don’t think I’ll feel anything being exposed to the public eye with all the people around, but this beautiful girl next to me is likely to attract a lot of attention.

“What’s wrong?”

“Well, I just realized that I’m going to expose my belly.”

“Don’t worry, it’ll be fine. If someone says something, let me handle it.”

“Let you handle it…”

What is she planning to do, or is she intending to say…?

I already knew about the scariness of Shirayuki and Hisui, and I’ve learned more about it, but still… it’s scary, right?

After that, we arrived at the pool without any issues, and I finished changing before Shirayuki and waited for her.

“Come to think of it, I never imagined myself coming to a place like this in my past life.”

I mused. Well, that’s because I’m far from being a popular guy… sigh.

Nevertheless, I can bid farewell to such sighs today.

“Hmm… I guess not many people are looking.”

I’m currently wearing only swim trunks, so my body is exposed to the gaze of many. Although there aren’t that many people with a physique like mine, there are still a few, so it seems that it’s not an uncommon sight in this type of entertainment facility.

“…Those people seem to be here with their male friends.”

They must be parents with children, rather than being as overweight as I am. In the current situation where I might be seen as part of them, a voice like a bell that challenges that notion echoed from behind.

“Sorry to keep you waiting.”

When I turned to that voice, of course, Shirayuki was there.

She had her long hair tied to one side and was wearing a white bikini. I was enchanted by her appearance, but my initial thought was still, “What’s with this s**y girl?”

The white fabric covering her b*****s, which seemed to be on the verge of reaching three digits in size, was supported by delicate-looking strings.

“Fufu, judging by your expression, it doesn’t seem bad at all, right?”

“W-well… I know that whatever you wear looks good on you, Shirayuki. But I can’t help but worry if your defense is low to support that level of combat power.”

“Oh, I see what you mean. Don’t worry; it’s not easy for this kind of thing to come undone. Look, like this—”

Shirayuki lightly jumped in place.

Her large b*****s jiggled and trembled, making me nervous that they might slip out if she took one wrong step. But as Shirayuki had assured me, everything was fine.

However… imagine this.

Can you ignore the sight of a beautiful girl with an extraordinary figure, who doesn’t look like a high school student, jumping and causing her b*****s to sway? I couldn’t.

(They’re looking at her… Well, that’s to be expected.)

Not only me, but many other people had their eyes on Shirayuki. I couldn’t protect her from those gazes, but at the very least, I could make it known to those around me that this girl was an important presence to me.

“Shirayuki.”

I said as I placed my hand on her shoulder and started walking.

She probably noticed my possessiveness towards the attention we were receiving, but she didn’t point it out.

With a joyful smile, she wrapped my thick arm around the valley between her b*****s. My skin and Shirayuki’s soft skin melded together, creating an indescribable scene of happiness.

“Let’s enjoy ourselves today, okay?”

“Yeah.”

Now, playing in the pool is something that can be said to be unique to students. With Shirayuki by my side, I proudly walked ahead, basking in the gazes of many..