Chapter 31 - The Two of Them

After that, the two of us were the only people remaining in the silent s.p.a.cious living room.
Just the two of us.

Standing close to her I could see that Tachibana was now looking well again. Just thinking about it, I felt light-hearted without any reason. As if my body was about to start floating in the air, that kind of feeling.
At the same time, too embarra.s.sed for having such thoughts myself, I couldn"t directly meet eyes with the girl right before me.

– Ehehe… Thank you, for understanding me.

– Should I say there"s no need for it at this point… Well then, let"s clean up.

– Yeah…

I… We, why did we? For some reason, we felt a need to hurry.
I wanted to quickly finish something unimportant like cleaning up and talk with just the two of us.
I probably needlessly felt so as everyone"s clamor had just stopped.

But speaking of that, don"t we two meet every single day, so there shouldn"t be anything that I would like to specially talk about and yet… as expected, something"s weird, lately.

The more I think let"s talk, let"s talk, the more I realize that the talk wouldn"t be decent.
Like, what should the topic be? Or, even if there is something to talk about, wouldn"t I start acting strangely? Or, wouldn"t she hate me if say something strange? And lots of that sort of worries get stuck inside my head. Usually, even if I want to talk, I unintentionally end up not saying anything.

— By chance, I met eyes with Tachibana, who was gathering cards in the distance.

Without even saying anything, Tachibana gently smiled.
With only that, my heart almost stopped.

I don"t know if this is what she wears at home, but today she has jeans and shirt put on, a fairly casual outfit.
And yet, maybe because her figure is good or because the way she wears it is good, she seems so adult-like that I feel embarra.s.sed.

Today as well… she is so pretty…

Noticing that my face felt hot, I looked down at once.
That girl who lately worries me with her words or just with her gaze, this time she"s about to kill me with atmosphere around her, so I"m feeling suffocated.

No good, no good… I"ll be affected if I don"t calm my mind.
Okay, watch me, how about this…

This here is a super advanced skill of a senior bookworm, that I comprehended after a long time of training, «Think about today"s dinner», and it is time to use it.
It is super effective, like at times when homeroom teacher is angry, so all of the good children, please imitate me!

Yeah, there are supposed to be quite a lot of SPAM1 canned goods at home. Well then, how about today"s main dish will be "SPAM, SPAM, SPAM, nattō, SPAM, SPAM". Ah, but we"re out of nattō. Then, instead, we will garnish it with SPAM… You fool!

Haa… If I talked like this, it would be simply exposing a shameful sight. Even if I say so myself, it is as pathetic as it can possibly be.

Thus, without thinking deeply, I continued working.
With this and that, I completely finished cleaning up and fell onto sofa with a thud.
Arbitrarily fighting windmills and arbitrarily getting tired, I dropped my shoulders feeling down.

I settled troubles with the cla.s.s, so only the tests are left.

I should just quietly go home today… just as I thought so.

Neither from the right, nor from the left, it was a surprise attack from the rear.

– Yaaa!

Long blonde hair swooshed before my eyes — Tachibana leaped from behind the sofa, rolled over and buried her face in my lap. It was so sudden that I was scared.
She turned around and faced up, meeting my eyes.

– Wh-, what are you doing…?

– I"m using bookworm"s lap pillow…♪ What are you doing?

Grinning, Tachibana showed her teeth.
Silky blonde hair touched my arm, tickling it.

– …Nothing, I…

– Ah, you didn"t answer right away, here"s your punishment game!

Saying so, she stretched her hand to my face and pinched my cheek.
What"s with this something-game. Unbelievably embarra.s.sing…

– Ugh, let gwo… Or rather, get off!

– Nooope… Somehow, it felt like you"ll go home if I get off…

– I"m not in a hurry in the first place…

Her expression softened and she took away her hand. As if saying that this is the safest place, she lied on top of my lap. Her whole body was languid.
Warmth transmitted directly, so I wanted to turn my face to the side, but,

"No, don"t turn away. Keep looking at me…" — she looked drowsy.

There was a strange atmosphere.
Within the silent room, the two of us were alone. I was tensed, but my heart felt excited…

Thinking about it, there"s no need to search for a topic when you"re with her.
Even if there were no contents nor purpose in our talks themselves, until now, there was surely something that we conveyed to each other just by being together. Something sweet and tantalizing.

– I want to talk a little. Today, papa and mama are not here, can you stay for a bit longer…?

– Uh… Only until dinner time. I"ve got no mobile phone, I can"t get in contact with my home!

Uh huh, Tachibana downheartedly nodded on top of my lap.
Amid the tension and relief mixed atmosphere, she started talking in a whispering voice.

– You, were kind… About yesterday"s matter.

– Stop. That is not so…

– And I was angry about it for so long like an idiot… Ehehe, tsundere-san who is kind to everyone. That part of you, I like it very much. I like it too much.

Like —— I indeed lost any wish to make an eye contact after this word. Although there is not supposed to be that much meaning in it, but to me of now, these four letters" stimulus is too strong.
My mind went off the course and then did it once more, so it didn"t look like I could use the escape route of a fool.
And yet… when I tried to promptly turn away, my chin was swiftly caught. Tachibana"s white and soft fingers dug into my skin.

– No… You"re not allowed to turn that way… Be kind

– So-, sorry…

– I want to know more, about you. Also, I want you to know, about me. Even though we get along so well like this, we don"t know anything about each other, it"s unacceptable…

The conversation we had after that… From a certain point of view, it was a useless conversation.

About how I live together with my aunt and little sister. How both parents have special circ.u.mstances and cannot even make a call. How my little sister is a shut-in. How somehow, despite everything, the three of us live an easygoing life. How it is nothing special.

Well, it was a silly story, but Tachibana"s face as she listened to it was impressive.
She had a relaxed, happy, relieved smile, nodding from time to time.
She wanted to meet my little sister. I said how I wouldn"t mind betting that my little sister wouldn"t meet her, but Tachibana wouldn"t listen to me saying that they would absolutely get along.

– So… I"ve told you all of my main stuff. Tell me about yours.

– Ehehe…♪

That, I"ve already guessed from her house, but…
Apparently, both her parents are terrible workaholics. Her father belongs to the top management of a listed company. Her mother is a designer that started a fashion brand and last half year she has been staying in Milan. Right now, Tachibana practically lives together with the maid.

It was lonely, but for that part, she has been relying on friends,

– I did have a boyfriend, but… um… we didn"t get along much? Please, believe me. It seems, different rumors are circulating. Rather, I get along with you so much better, or something…

With a pleading look in her eyes, Tachibana pulled around my chest.

You, why did you revealed that information now…?
It"s not like I"m doubting you … Still…… she gets along better with me, huh?

That means, bookworm is closer than a boyfriend, which in short means… that bookworm is closer than a boyfriend, doesn"t it? Ugh, I just don"t get it.

– I, I didn"t ask about such a thing. Why are you explicitly reporting this to me?

– That"s because, I though, I want you to know…

– That"s out of my jurisdiction. Not to mention it is about your past.

– But, aren"t you too compatible with me…? I feel like we can get along just by being together or something, really…

It"s so fun. In the end, Tachibana added this.
My chest was full of warm feelings. We hadn"t known much about each other for a long time, but even with this brief talk today, it"s like we are much more intimate, like I"m too happy…

Her former boyfriend? Like I care.
My relationship with Tachibana? Right now it doesn"t matter.
Right now… she seems satisfied being near me. I felt like it was satisfactory. I felt like if I can be together with her from now on, it is alright to be worried about anything. That I could meet her today just like yesterday, made me endlessly happy.

Also, I thought that even if I change by being together with, then I don"t mind it. Actually, I think that I already changed quite a bit.
If it is for Tachibana, it"s okay to change… That sort of feeling, what should it be named?

After that, we smiled at each other.
Up to the parting before that house as usual, we haven"t said a single word.