Chapter 44

“Ow… ouch…”

My body hurt.

It wasn’t as bad as asphalt on a road, but the classroom floor was hard.

We fell without even trying to break our fall, so of course it hurt.

Though compared to what happened earlier, I was fully conscious and way better off, this might still rank pretty high among pains felt at school.

My shoulders, back, and lower back were aching in a dull way.

Fortunately, I didn’t hit my head and my legs didn’t hurt, so that was a relief.

And my arms were wrapped in softness—softness?

“…………”

“…………”

Yuzu senpai’s cute face was right in front of me.

Behind her rimless glasses, her perfectly round eyes were wide open in sheer disbelief.

We had tumbled onto the club room floor together, and I was holding her small body in my arms…

“…K-Kido-kun.”

“…Y-Yes.”

Total stiffness.

Our noses were close enough to bump into each other.

“…A-Are you okay?”

“…Y-Yes.”

Yuzu senpai, who was still worrying about me even in a situation like this, was too kind.

Fussily, or rather, briskly, we straightened our postures and stood up.

There was no conversation, it was awkward, and what should I do? It was a little too embarrassing to look at her face.

“U-Um… Uh, well…”

“I am so sorry!”

“Eeeh!?”

I immediately resorted to a dogeza.

Welcome back to the distant floor.

“Even if it was an emergency, I hugged senpai without permission!”

“I-I don’t remember making it a permission-based system!?”

“Besides, senpai’s body is slender yet soft, and my desires won over my concern… This is the blunder of a lifetime!”

“S-Soft!? Wh-What I mean is, don’t talk about a lifetime blunder over something like that! A-Anyway, lift your head up! Come on!”

Since I received permission, I stopped the dogeza and raised my head.

Yuzu senpai’s face was right at my eye level.

Yuzu senpai hadn’t stood up either and was still kneeling on the floor.

She was too kind…

“…………”

“…………”

Another silence.

Both of us kneeling straight on the literature club floor, facing each other in silence.

“W-Well…”

“U-Um…”

Our voices overlapped.

What a cliché development.

But seriously, this was insanely embarrassing.

“S-So, is there something…?”

“N-No, senpai, please go ahead…”

“No, no, Kido-kun first…”

“My turn is already over…”

“Is this a turn-based RPG…?”

I felt like that wasn’t quite right, but I nodded anyway.

This time it was Yuzu senpai’s turn.

I was ready to counter with a re-dogeza no matter what kind of criticism or harsh words came flying at me.

“W-Was Kido-kun… not hating it?”

Ah, here it comes, dogez— wait, what?

“…Hating it?”

“W-Well, I… lately… um, when I get absorbed in things, well, au…”

Au… cute.

“T-Today too… I got carried away… and had to be saved by you…”

“No way! If you hated it, I’d make sure to tell you! L-Lift your head up, please!”

Fussing and fuming.

I was fussing over Yuzu senpai, who had dropped her head.

Even if I did it, it wouldn’t be cute.

“Besides, look! I-I’m a guy too, so I’m happy to be pressed up against senpai!!”

“…R-Really?”

“Eh?”

Yuzu senpai lifted her head.

…Wait, what did I just say?

“K-Kido-kun is also…”

Creep closer.

“H-Happy…?”

Creep, creep closer.

“R-Really…?”

Creep, creep, creep closer.

Yuzu senpai inched closer little by little.

The only reason she was already right in front of me was because I couldn’t move.

“Um, well… yes.”

I couldn’t help but look away from Yuzu senpai.

This public execution was getting out of hand.

Even though it was just me and Yuzu senpai in this room.

If I had time to feel embarrassed, I wanted to fully savor Yuzu senpai’s cuteness, but right now… wait?

“T-Then…!”

“U-Um, Yuzu senpai?”

Creep, creep, creep, creep, creep closer.

She was still getting closer.

Yuzu senpai’s face was right in front of me again.

Eh… so close, so cute.

“K-Kido-kun being happy means, well… senpai is too, you know?”

“…………”

“S-Senpai?”

Silence right in front of me.

I could feel her face getting redder and redder.

The moment Yuzu senpai lowered her gaze slightly, she looked up at me from underneath.

“…Yeah.”

She gave a small nod.

NAMES
Kido Kakeru
Minato Yuzu

TERMS
literature club room
dogeza
seiza