Cool On The Outside, Childish (Teddy Bear) Underneath

Surrounded by mountains on three sides, this regional city was notable for nothing if not its remarkably ancient history.

It was early May, in the Class 1-3 classroom of Mitsuru Private Academy near the mountainside.

From the classroom window, one could see the cherry blossom trees fully covered in fresh, vibrant greenery, their light pink hues completely gone.

The students, who had been timid and uncertain at the start of the school year, had now fully adjusted to their new life.

As classmates gradually learned about each other’s personalities and relationships began to crystallize, various groups formed within the class. Among them, one particular group stood out prominently.

“Wait, if you look closely, is Nabatchi wearing an earring!?”

“Woah, just on one ear? That subtle look is so cute~!”

“I’ve always wanted piercings, but thinking about poking a hole in my ear makes me hesitate a bit, you know~”

“I know, right? Even if it’s for fashion, it takes courage~ As expected of Kotori-chan!”

“It’s… nothing special, really…”

At the center of the conversation was a girl with a cool expression and few words, who could even seem somewhat blunt at times.

With brightly dyed hair, full makeup, and an unhesitating display of her thighs and neckline, she always maintained an almost languid expression.

Slightly cold in impression and carrying an aloof demeanor, she was Kotori Nabata.

The girls surrounding Kotori were just like her—all glamorous and cute.

It seemed they were getting excited discussing the earring Kotori had worn to school.

Whispers about it could be heard across various corners of the classroom as well.

Attracting everyone’s attention, they were truly the caste top of this class, the A-tier girls.

“…”

In stark contrast to those glamorous girls, Takumi Hashio rested his cheek on his hand in the corner of the classroom, staring at them with his naturally glare-like eyes.

As Takumi watched Kotori with a cynical look, someone suddenly approached Kotori from outside their circle to talk to her. It was a guy with brown hair who had the air of a lighthearted troublemaker.

Carrying a flippant grin, he waved his hand and forcibly barged into their conversation.

“Hey, that suits you pretty well, Nabata. But don’t you think something a bit more flashy would look better on you?”

“Is that so?”

“If it’s you, Nabata, I don’t think even bigger ones would overpower your looks. Ah, want me to go pick out a nice pair with you next time?”

“……Not really.”

Although the guy spoke to her enthusiastically, Kotori gave him a completely salty response.

Faced with a reaction that overtly showed a lack of interest, the surrounding girls burst into quiet giggles and chided him.

“See, see? You’re not invited.”

“Besides, Kotori-chan isn’t interested in guys in the first place.”

“Ahaha, read the room~”

“Tch~”

Shrugging his shoulders ostentatiously, the guy left the area.

When Kotori let out a large, deeply bored sigh, quiet chuckles leaked out from the crowd once more.

Kotori’s response was blatantly cold and unfriendly, but it was also true that it looked remarkably natural on her.

Favorable voices could be heard from various parts of the class, such as “Nabata-san is cool as always!”, “She’s so blunt, but the fact that she pulls it off so naturally is amazing,” “Man, I kinda want to be brushed off cold like that,” and “Aha, I can kinda get that.”

Takumi knitted his brows as he overheard those rumors, and snorted in annoyance as he looked at Kotori, who stood aloof at the center of attention. There was no one around him.

Despite both being unsociable, Kotori was surrounded by people and revered as a solitary flower on a high peak.

On the other hand, Takumi held his breath in the corner of the classroom, isolated.

The two were complete opposites.

Like oil and water, they were in a relationship that originally should never have crossed paths.

At that moment, Takumi’s phone suddenly chimed with a message notification.

Checking it immediately, Kotori’s name popped up on the screen. On the display was a sticker of a cat throwing its front paws forward and stretching.

As for Kotori herself, she remained in the middle of their group looking aloof, as distant as ever.

Seeing the sticker that indicated a certain request from Kotori, Takumi furled his brow.

After school that day.

In Kotori Nabata’s room at the Nabata residence—a room strangely packed with bookshelves, strewn with shonen manga character merchandise on some shelves, and cosmetic products and fashion magazines scattered across the floor, looking for all the world like someone who had only recently awakened to fashion—her pathetic words echoed.

“H-Help me, Takumi…”

Sitting across from her over the low table, Takumi crossed his arms and let out a sigh with a stern expression.

Kotori sat duck-legged flat on the flooring, her shoulders trembling fearfully in a hunched stance as she looked up at him with anxious eyes, begging for help.

Faced with her demeanor, which was completely different from how she acted in the classroom, Takumi pressed his aching temples while interrogating her.

“…What is it this time?”

“T-To tell you the truth, today, after school, they asked me to go to Futaba…”

“Futaba? That coffee chain?”

“Yeah, that Futaba at Goldfish Mall. Because… a new strawberry mix milk something-or-other came out…”

“That one. Come to think of it, was that trending on social media promotions? If so, why are you at home?”

“I-I said I’d go after finishing some errands. I had them wait, so…”

Kotori hung her head, speaking falteringly.

It was nothing complicated; it seemed she had simply been invited by the group of girls she usually hung out with to go to Futaba after school.

By the way, Goldfish Mall was the largest commercial complex in the vicinity, housing over two hundred specialty stores and a multiplex cinema. Takumi and Kotori had also frequented it since they were young.

Takumi let out a loud, exaggerated sigh and snapped bluntly.

“Then you should just go.”

At that, Kotori spoke rapidly with tears welling up in the corners of her eyes.

“I-I-I-It’s impossible! The A-tier girls have loud voices, they’re pushy, and, I-I’ll get eaten alive…!”

“You won’t get eaten alive. Besides, aren’t you one of those A-tier girls yourself now?”

“T-That’s true, but…”

Takumi glared at her with half-lidded eyes in exasperation.

The real Kotori was timid and had low self-esteem. Who could ever imagine that her quiet figure at school was simply due to her being terrible at speaking? If this state were exposed to everyone who secretly admired her as a solitary ice princess among the guys, who knew what they would think.

Kotori continued to weave excuses.

“I’ve never been to a glittering place like Futaba before, it’s scary. …Besides, at Futaba, you have to recite spells when ordering, right? I’m still practicing, and I’ve only just managed to memorize Short White Mocha Nonfat Milk Decaf…”

“Oh, you said that pretty smoothly without stuttering. It really sounds like a spell, that’s impressive.”

“E-Ehehe. Really…?”

When Takumi praised Kotori’s spell, she immediately reversed her tone, scratching her blushing cheek in embarrassment.

Seeing her utterly gullible reaction, Takumi gave a wry smile and said,

“Yeah, yeah, if you can recite it that smoothly, you’ll be fine. Go with your head held high.”

“B-But, today I’m going for the new item, so I can’t use this spell…”

“If it’s a new item, shouldn’t you be fine without reciting spells just by trying the basic flavor first?”

“Ugu… but, going to Futaba for the first time is scary and embarrassing, or rather… c-can you do the usual…?”

Saying that while turning even redder, Kotori fidgeted and peeked up at him nervously, asking fearfully.

From an outsider’s perspective, it was an adorable plea. And Takumi also knew what she was asking for.

“Help with the routine…?”

“Y-Yeah.”

In this case, the routine referred to a mental control method used in sports and business where one repeated set actions and movements to relieve tension and anxiety, achieving mental stability.

For the naturally faint-hearted Kotori, whenever she had to hang out with the A-tier girls, or when she was nervous and needed to gather courage, she had a routine she always performed.

Takumi was her accomplice in this. This wasn’t the first time.

Even so, Takumi made a sour face, though he swallowed dryly as he confirmed.

“Are you sure?”

“A-Absolutely!”

“…”

“…”

Their intense gazes met and lingered awkwardly for a moment.

Both of their cheeks gradually grew hotter.

It felt as if the room temperature suddenly spiked as if anticipating early summer.

Takumi suddenly looked away and said bluntly.

“Alright.”

“Nn…”

At that, Kotori nodded down tightly, squeezed the hem of her skirt firmly, and then shifted onto her knees toward the bed.

After a moment of hesitation, she slid her hands from both sides of her skirt up to her waist—and pulled her underwear all the way down to her knees in one swift motion, whispering in a voice that seemed about to fade away.

“P-Please…”

“ Yeah.“