Chapter 11

Yuzu Senpai’s POV

My kouhai is cuttteeee!!! Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhh!?

“Uhyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaawaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaawawawawaaaaaaah!!”

Tap-tap-tap-tap-tap-tap-tap-tap-tap-tap!!

As I lay rolling around on my bed and kicking my legs over and over, wave after wave of embarrassment, butterflies, distress, and a sweet ache assaulted the depths of my chest.

“Even though I said I wouldn’t sit down! I wouldn’t! S-S-S-S-Soooooooooooooo!!”

I sat, I went and sat down.

I mean, I didn’t expect that when I got to the club room, there would only be one chair again!

Besides, Kakeru-kun was already waiting there, sitting in the chair with such an apologetic look on his face, wasn’t he!?

That’s practically begging me to sit!

I personally think it’s ruder not to sit!

“…I touched his hand.”

It was a boy’s hand.

Even though he’s a cute kouhai, his hand was bigger and much more reliable than mine.

And yet I-I…!

“Ehehehehehe… Hawawawa!?”

Embarrassing feelings welling up inside me once more, I buried my face straight into Mi-kun, the green sea turtle plushie I was hugging to my chest.

Rub, rub, rub, rub.

“Ugh…!”

Even with my eyes closed, his face kept floating up into my mind.

“…Why did he use my first name?”

I was swept up in the heat of the moment, but he called me Yuzu senpai just once.

Normally it’s just senpai, but instead of Minato senpai, he used my first name, Yuzu senpai.

D-Does that mean he wants to call me by my first name, ehehe…?

“Even though I haven’t even called him by his first name yet… Right, Mi-kun?”

Mi-kun the green sea turtle plushie didn’t answer me.

When I finally calmed down just a little bit, I realized I was the only one in this room.

A quiet, endless stretch of time.

It was just like… when Kakeru-kun held me from behind and we gazed into each other’s eyes, wasn’t it?

“Uuuuuuuhhhhhhhhuuuuhuuuuuuuuhuuuuuhuuuuuhuuuuuhuuuuuhuuuuhuhuhuuhuhuhuuuhuhuhuuhhuuuuuuuhuuuuuhuhuuuuuhhh!!”

I remember it even with my eyes closed, I remember it even with my eyes open.

Seeing his serious expression, my eyes had closed on their own.

If things had gone on like that, if they had just kept going like that…

“Kakeru-kun…”

Just saying his name, just picturing his face, just being together makes my chest ache.

It hurts, yet it feels so comfortable, and I want to stay right by his side forever—though lately I’ve just been sitting on his lap, but still…

And besides, those ‘words’ I said right at the end when I was leaving the room.

There’s no doubt about it, that was my true, heartfelt feeling.

It’s my true feeling, but…

Leaving the room like that, running away from the embarrassment, leaving Kakeru-kun all by himself; I felt like I shouldn’t have done that.

Well, what I said wasn’t very honest, or rather, it was about all my current self could manage…

So, so…!

“…I like you.”

If only I could say those words out loud, if only I had the courage, wouldn’t that have been wonderful?