The Hide-and-Seek and the Darkness and the First Love (2)
“Eh, why’re you crying?”
“I’m not crying.”
“…… but, my cheeks are getting wet.”
Narahashi who grew fl.u.s.tered as tears spilled from his eyes in large drops, wiped his tears with his sleeve. His fair cheeks turned red.
I stared intently at Narahashi’s face as his eyebrows furrowed and his mouth became 一 shaped.
He’ll be cute if only he’s this docile and meek normally. After all, his face was arranged to be quite amorous. Although the Prince, Soutarou and Kaname are also beauties, Narahashi is the refined type.
“Shut up. I hate bunny-chan.”
Even though just up until a moment ago he was all ‘deredere’, suddenly he became ‘tsuntsun’[1]. What on earth is going on.
Not even willing to converse, somehow this became incredibly tiresome. Mitsuki’s probably worried too and while I want to leave Narahashi behind and return home, I can’t do that. Besides, I want to think of myself as someone who won’t do such a heartless thing.
No matter how unlikeable I found Narahashi, I can’t just abandon someone who’s crying and return home.
Even though he took on a ‘tsuntsun’ att.i.tude, he’s still gripping my shirt so tightly that I can’t move an inch.
As I let out a small breath while wondering what to do, the fluorescent light suddenly went off with a loud “bachitto”.
In a split second, it became pitch dark. I was surprised, but the moonlight entering from the window was enough for one to determine what was where. If it’s just this much, there’s no need to panic, huh.
“Kaichou, are you okay?”
“Un…… Hey, bunny-chan.”
“Un? What’s up?”
Narahashi finally got off from my waist.
I’m glad that he got off as my waist and my shoulders were becoming numb. Encouraging my numb muscles, I somehow managed to sit up and leaned my back against the cardboard. Narahashi then adhered himself perfectly to me and sat down.
Even though he’s too close, this isn’t the atmosphere where I can ask him to back off. I’ll remain silent and wait for him to speak.
Narahashi watched from the side as I slowly put my shirt in order. I couldn’t find my tie with the vicinity being this dark. Forget it, I’ll search for it tomorrow.
“Bunny-chan, you said that I shallowly spoke superficial words of love and that I’m just scared of being alone, right.”
“…… Ah. I won’t apologise.”
Even though I felt sincerely sorry that those words that made him cry, I don’t think I did a bad thing.
Those were veracious words. I worry for the futures of maidens who offered up their bodies to this guy’s superficial words of love.
“That’s fine. It’s true after all.”
“Are you afraid of being alone?”
“That’s right. I’m scared. Loneliness is a scary thing.”
The way he spoke was chock-full of sentiments.
The me who grew curious turned to look at Narahashi’s face and it just so happened that he was also gazing at me. I reflexively backed away from the surprise of being so close.
“Cho, Narahashi-kaichou, you’re too close.”
“Is bunny-chan afraid of the dark?”
“Nope, just this much is fine.”
Due to the moonlight illuminating the storage room, I’m aware of my own location. Even if I’m not, I can just feel my way around in such a cramped s.p.a.ce.
Narahashi suddenly laughed and thrusted his hand through the gap of my shirt, gently caressing from my collarbone to my chest. Shocked, I moved backwards. Chasing the retreating me, he buried his face in the nape of my neck.
“Bunny-chan, you’re cool, huh. I’m scared. Whether of the darkness or of loneliness. Even more so of sleeping alone.”
Is that why he’s sleeping around with people regardless of their gender? Because he’s afraid of the dark, he’s fine with sleeping with anyone, huh.
While thinking that his actions are in no way forgivable, an interest also surfaced within me, wanting to know what happened to push him this far.
Did I make a face as though I was looking outside? Narahashi lifted his head from the nape of my neck and smiled the way a cat who’s about to cry would.
“Did bunny-chan think that I was some s.e.x fiend who’d sleep with anyone? You thought that, didn’t you. I know that everyone looks at me with eyes like that. But, that’s a misunderstanding.”
“Misunderstanding?”
“I won’t do ecchi stuff with just anyone. I only do them with people I really like.”
I unconsciously made a dubious face.
After all, even when we first met, he was just about to have s.e.xual intercourse with that flashy girl. There’s no way that a half-naked girl and a half-naked guy are just straddling for fun. It’s not that I have an excessively dirty thinking, right.
What’s more, there’s that. Isn’t that girl your lover? Is it okay to say things like Mitsuki is your type in her presence? I don’t quite understand his thinking.
But with the expression Narahashi was making, it doesn’t seem like he’s lying. Moreover, it doesn’t matter even if he did lie to me or deceive me with this serious face.
The number of people Narahashi slept with had not even a 1mm connection to my life.
“You’re making a face like you don’t believe me. But what I said was true. It’s doesn’t matter whether you believe me or not though.”
“I believe you. If you say so, so be it. Don’t become so abject.”
“But bunny-chan hates me, don’t you?”
Narahashi sucked in his breath as though he was surprised, and his line of sight swam. The way his lips curled as though he was sulking was kind of adorable.
Although I don’t know whether his words struck a chord within me, honestly speaking, I don’t find Narahashi likeable.
Nonetheless, if I have to say what I dislike about him, the only thing is how he spoke superficial words of love to Mitsuki and I. To put things bluntly, I don’t really care about what relationships he has with whomever.
Things like that, I wonder if Narahashi properly understands?
“Ja, does kaichou likes me?”
“I like you. Haven’t I been saying that all along?”
“The only thing kaichou likes is my face, right?”
That I said such a narcissistic thing, please overlook it.
Other than Narahashi commenting that my face was completely his type, I don’t remember him praising anything else.
“I don’t know. But in this darkness, my heart’s throbbing crazily. Just the thought of being close to bunny-chan makes my heart beat so fast that my chest hurts.”
“That’s because you’re scared of the dark, right.”
“Awawa, perhaps.”
Narahashi who regained his usual self inhaled a small breath and opened his mouth leisurely.
“But……, if I say that it’s not just your face that I like, will bunny-chan fall in love with me?”
“Un?”
“I want to get along better with bunny-chan. This may seem like a lie to bunny-chan but from the first time I met you, I really, really thought that I like you. But I didn’t tell you because it wasn’t characteristic of me.”
Narahashi who was crawling on the ground entwined his finger with mine. Unable to either squeeze his finger back or separate from it, I just let him hold it.
“As I thought, I’m a liar, huh, bunny-chan.”
Narahashi was really a liar. Even though he’s a liar, I’m increasingly starting to find that mostly likeable. Perhaps it’s because of its simplicity.
Thinking that way, I laughed slightly.
“I’ll forgive you if you stop lying.”
Saying playful words, I filled the finger he was holding with my intention and gripped his hand strongly.
Although I don’t think I’ll come to like Narahashi yet, it’s certain that a part of me was gradually having a favourable impression of him.
As expected, it’s important to talk things out. That I quickly re-evaluated him once we started talking, I apologise for that. This is something I should reflect on, huh.
In this less than an hour, just talking to Narahashi made me feel like wanting to know him better. I have a feeling I can befriend him even though I hated him so much before. I think I can come to like him.
“Seems like bunny-chan’s not an enemy. Thank goodness. I won’t lie to bunny-chan anymore. I promise that, only to bunny-chan, I’ll tell the truth.”
“I see. Then I’ll also promise not to lie. Only as much as possible though.”
“Awawa, that’s crafty of bunny-chan.”
Looking at my watch, it’s almost 21:00. We’ve spoke until quite a late hour.
At that moment, multiple sounds of footsteps came from the corridor.
“Makoto’s bag was still in the cla.s.sroom so he must still be here. Along with that Student Council kaichou. We have to save him.”
“With the kaichou……? So Mako-chan’s with kaichou-san.”
“I understand. Then, I’ll search the cla.s.srooms. So Mitsuki-san should go to the 1st school building, Kiritani-kun please search this area.”
Judging from their voices, they seem like the Prince, Yurino-sensei and Mitsuki.
Did they come to look after waiting and waiting for the me who didn’t appear? Although I don’t know who proposed it, I’m grateful to these three.
As footsteps of two people got further, footsteps that sounded like the Prince’s approached us step by step.
Won’t he notice us if I raise my voice now?
“Kiritani, I’m he――……!”
“Makoto.”
Narahashi clung to the waist which I was about to raise.
“Kaichou……?”
“Call me, Junya. Makoto.”
“Eh?! A, hmm…… Well then, Junya-senpai, I’m going to call for help so please let go.”
Somehow Narahashi seemed to be shy. This isn’t the time to get shy, though.
E, what’s this. What’s this atmosphere. I got a taste of this before too. It’s the atmosphere when a CG appears.
Were there times where I was swept into CG-appearing events before? No, there definitely weren’t, right?
“It’s okay. You don’t have to call for help.”
“E? Iya, but at this rate you’ll be troubled, right?”
“I won’t be troubled. I want to remain like this, with Makoto.”
The atmosphere had sweetened so much that I felt uncomfortable.
He planted his face around my navel and rubbed his cheeks against it. Exactly what does he mean by this.
Eー, it can’t be, eー…… isn’t this atmosphere even more dangerous than the atmosphere when I was being pushed down? Will my chast.i.ty be safe?
Save meー, I’m hereー, Kiritani!