I Thought She Was the One, but It Turned Out to Be a Fake Confession, so I Decided to Break Up With Her
I arrived at the meeting spot right on time.
Today, the day of the summer festival, Hina had specifically warned me, โYou absolutely must not show up early.โ
So I left home early and adjusted my pace along the way to make sure I arrived on time.
Just as I was looking around, scanning the area for Hinaโ
โDaiki!โ
That familiar, cheerful voice came from behind me.
I turned around immediately, and there stood the owner of the voice that had called out to me.
Beneath her high ponytail of blonde hair, the nape of her neck stood out white against the twilight.
Her pale lavender yukata looked surprisingly elegant against that backdrop.
She had an innocent smile like a puppyโsโyet the voluptuous curves visible above her obi inevitably drew my gaze.
โYou really areโฆ beautiful.โ
Iโd seen Hina in all sorts of outfits before, but her yukata look was truly breathtaking.
Even Iโwhoโs definitely a Western-style clothes guyโcouldnโt look away.
At my words, Hina giggled, โEhehe,โ and wrapped her arms around me.
โDaiki, your face is redder than usual~โ
โN-no, thatโs notโฆโ
Now that Hina pointed it out, I could definitely feel my face flushing.
I didnโt start dating Hina just because of her looks.
But I canโt deny that her cuteness is one of her charms.
โSince I got to see Daiki blushing this much, it was totally worth the effort I put into dressing up today!โ
โI-I guess soโฆโ
โOh, by the way, did you know? Traditionally, youโre supposed to wear a yukata without underwear.โ
Hina flashed a mischievous smile and pulled me even closer into her arms.
I panicked for a moment at her words, but the sensation against my skin made it clear right away.
โฆShe was definitely wearing underwear.
โDonโt tease guys like that too much.โ
โHmm, why not? If I tease you too much, I wonder what youโll do to me?โ
Hina teased me with an even more seductive expression.
Finally, she stood on tiptoe and whispered softly in my ear.
โJust like in those hentai manga saved on your computer, Daiki, youโd drag me into some dark corner, leave my yukata half-undoneโโ
โWait, when did you even look at my computer!?โ
My unsavory digital collection had been completely exposed.
You canโt hide a single thing from Hina.
That hunch had now turned into certainty.
โIf itโs Daiki, itโs okay to do that kind of thing, right?โ
โNo, Iโd end up in trouble with the police.โ
I know the difference between fantasy and reality, after all.
โฆโฆStill, itโs true that Iโm a little curious about doing โthat sort of thingโ out in the open where no oneโs around.
Well, I mean, as a guy, itโs okay to dream about a little fantasy, right?
โWell then, letโs get going. There are a lot of people around, so donโt get separated from me.โ
โOkay!โ
Hina wrapped her arms around my left arm, intertwined her fingers as if to say it wasnโt enough, and linked arms with me like lovers.
She didnโt seem to mind at all that our bodies were touching all over.
If anything, I could even sense her determination to never let go.
I was happy to see her acting so much like a girlfriend, but the truth was, it was hard to move when she was clinging to me so tightly.
On top of that, because she was wearing geta, our walking pace was much slower than usual.
โFor some reason, youโre acting like a sloth today, Hina.โ
โReally? Oh, I actually happened to see a documentary the other day about sloths mating!โ
โHow on earth did you just happen to come across something like that?โ
โOn YouTube!โ
YouTube is something else.
โApparently, when a female sloth is in heat, she sends a signal to the male, and he picks up on it, approaches her, and they mate.โ
โโฆโฆReally?โ
Maybe Hina actually likes trivia more than I thought.
Maybe sheโs interested in animals.
I thought to myself, maybe we should go on a date to the zoo sometime.
โBut you know, apparently male sloths walk away from the female right after that.โ
Hina tightened her grip on my hand as she continued.
โThatโs why I thought to myself, โI definitely donโt want to be a female sloth.โโ
โHinaโฆโ
Even though Iโd already come to terms with my feelings for Kotone, from Hinaโs perspective, she must be incredibly anxious.
That said, it must be hard for Hina to just brush off a childhood friend sheโs known for so many years.
At the very least, I wouldnโt leave Hinaโs side.
I was just about to say thatโwhen, at that very momentโฆ
โOh! Candy apples!โ
She tugged me along toward the food stall.
Seeing her so eager to enjoy the summer festival like this, a smile slipped out of my face without my realizing it.
ใโโ
โSo, youโll do exactly as we say, right?โ
At the words of the new tutorโNanami KodaโKotone nodded slightly.
Soon, the two of them left the room and headed for the head of the householdโs living room.
Asami, who had been reading a book, immediately furrowed her brow the moment she saw the two of them.
โWhat about your lesson? Why are you here?โ
โOf course, I came for the lesson~โ
Nanami retorted without the slightest hesitation.
This was a stark contrast to Kotone, who would shrink back at the mere glare of her mother.
โI was thinking of holding an outdoor lesson, so I came to let you know.โ
โAn outdoor lesson? Why go to the trouble of holding it outside? Itโs too noisyโyou wonโt be able to concentrate properly.โ
โActually, itโs the opposite~. Isnโt it important to be able to maintain your concentration even in noisy places?โ
Unexpected situations can arise in exam rooms, and background noise is often present.
If you arenโt prepared for those kinds of situations, you wonโt be able to perform to your full potential.
Thatโs why itโs actually helpful to study in a moderately noisy place on purposeโthat was the line of reasoning Nanami laid out.
โThat makes sense, I suppose. Butโฆโ
Asami glared at Kotone.
โIs it just my imagination, or does that sound like an excuse to go out?โ
Sure enough, her mother had caught on.
Kotoneโs hands began to tremble.
Was she destined to be at her motherโs mercy for the rest of her life?
That sense of dread even began to wash over her.
However, Nanami just laughed.
โAsami san, I didnโt come here to ask for permission. Iโm here to give you notice that weโre having an outdoor class.โ
โโฆNotice, you say?โ
โThatโs right. Or do you perhaps not approve of my educational approach? Even though you were the one who asked me to do this, Asami-san?โ
Asami couldnโt retort and could only clench her fists tightly.
Seeing her mother like this for the first time, Kotoneโs eyes widened instinctively.
โWell, if you donโt like my methods, youโre totally free to fire me~โthough, of course, Iโll report exactly what happened today to Dad, okay?โ
โโฆI understand. Please take good care of my daughter. Anyway, Nanami-sanโโ
Asami raised her voice and continued.
โAs Kotoneโs future sister-in-law, weโll be in a relationship that lasts a long time.โ
โโฆ!?โ
Kotone felt a shock as if sheโd been hit hard on the back of the head.
Nanami is her future sister-in-law?
She couldnโt grasp what that meant right away.
Then, suddenly, Asamiโs words came back to her.
โโKotone, youโre different from me. Youโre going to marry the son of a distinguished family. Everythingโs already been settled with them.
Is that distinguished family the Koda family?
So, does that mean Nanamiโs younger brother is the prospective son-in-law Asami has her eye on?
Smack!
Nanami gave Kotoneโs dazed back a hard slap.
โAs long as you play your cards right, Kotone-chan, I donโt think Iโll end up being your sister-in-law, okayโ
Kotone turned her face toward Nanami.
Nanami gave her a wink.
Kotone didnโt know exactly why Nanami was helping her, but at the very least, Nanami didnโt seem like a bad person to her.
(Maybe, just this once, Motherโs judgment wasnโt wrong after all.)
Still, the fact that her marriage partner had been decided for her without her consent was simply unbearable.
Kotone surmised that, in that sense, it probably wasnโt a pleasant situation for Nanami either.
After all, her beloved younger brotherโs fiancรฉe was currently in a serious relationship with another man.
โThe Koda family is well aware of just how much influence the Shimazaki family wields in this area. Howeverโโ
Nanami said to Asami, gently gripping Kotoneโs arm.
โI hope you donโt end up being a frog in a well.โ
Maigetsu