The Gal Next to Me Is Trying Too Hard to Make Me Fall in Love With Her
“Let me take a picture!”
“Um, sure…”
“How about a video too?”
“Go ahead…”
“Ohyaaa~~~, you’re so cute! Look this way! Smile!”
“…Haha,..”
“Kyaaa~♡♡♡”
It was like a textbook example of how to be happy.
…Subaru is amazing.
She’s able to make Amagi this happy, so it’s no wonder she’s so popular with women.
“What’s that smell… Were you cooking something?”
“Oh, yes. I heard that Saeki was going to surprise me… But I don’t know anything about it! I don’t know anything, but I thought I’d give it a try too!”
Are you really going to stick to the “forget it” setting?
You’re not hiding it at all, so you don’t have to worry about it anymore.
“I was thinking, um… well…”
“What’s wrong?”
“I made omurice! The chicken rice turned out well, but… the eggs…”
She said awkwardly as she took a plate out of the refrigerator.
Oh, oh… This is quite something…
The chicken rice and eggs are mixed together, and it looks like fried rice. It looks delicious, but it’s not omurice.
Amagi-san is good at studying and sports, but she’s actually quite clumsy.
She’s basically not good at housework in general.
I don’t tell her this, but I’m a little happy about it.
She’s perfect in every other way, so I need her to have some flaws like this to feel comfortable around her.
“Then, please give this to me. As a thank you, I’ll make something for you, Amagi-san.”
“Eh? But this is a failure…”
“You made this for me, right? Then I want to eat it. Success or failure doesn’t matter.”
“…”
“Why are you silent…?”
“No, I’m just a little annoyed.”
“What? Did I say something rude?”
“You say that impure relationships are bad and you won’t touch me, but how much of my Saeki love gauge do you need to fill before you’re satisfied? I’m going to seriously attack you soon.”
“What is that gauge? I don’t know what you’re talking about!”
“Then stop being so gentle! Be strict with me!”
“Strict…”
“…But I might fall in love with a strict Saeki, because it gives me a thrill♡”
“There’s no escape now…”
Anyway, I stood in the Amagi family’s kitchen.
The apron… well, never mind. It’s just for cooking eggs.
“Which do you prefer, firm or fluffy?”
“Firm! …But today, make it fluffy!”
“Got it.”
I poured olive oil into the frying pan and put it on the heat, then beat the eggs while it warmed up.
I quickly poured the egg mixture into the pan and cooked it.
“Um…”
“Hm?”
“Why are you staring at me like that…?”
“I think it’s cool that you’re cooking so stylishly, Saeki.”
“…Is that so?”
I’m glad she’s happy, but now I don’t know when to give her the present I bought.
Should I give it to her after I finish cooking? No, that would be weird timing.
After dinner… But I don’t know how to bring it up.
This is bad. I should have asked Subaru about this.
What would Subaru do?
…No, thinking about it won’t help.
She would probably give it to her in a very smart way, with some cheesy lines.
I don’t have that kind of skill.
—-Maybe I shouldn’t give it to her?
It’s such a fun atmosphere, and I might ruin it.
There’s no guarantee that she’ll like my gift… In fact, she probably won’t.
At the very least, it definitely won’t be better than Subaru’s.
Yeah… I’ll do that.
As long as Amagi-san is smiling, that’s all that matters.
“It’ll be ready soon.”
“Yay!”
Soon, the omelet rice was ready.
We put the omelet rice that Amagi-san made on the table, said “Itadakimasu,” and started dinner.
“Mmm! Saeki, you’re such a genius!”
“It’s because Amagi-san’s chicken rice is delicious.”
“Really? Hehe, maybe so♡”
She’s smiling. Somehow, she seems cuter than usual.
It’s probably because I’ve transformed thanks to Subaru.
I have no complaints, but… what is this feeling?
It’s vague.
In my heart.
“I bought some cake for dessert! It’s from that delicious place in front of the station!”
“Really? Thank you.”
We ate omelet rice, chatted a little, and took the cake out of the refrigerator.
We enjoyed dessert time while asking questions about the upcoming exam.
After watching TV for a while, it was already 10:00 p.m.
“Well, I should probably head home soon…”
Usually, we would end around this time.
Just as I was about to pack up my things and go home, Amagi’s smartphone vibrated.
“Oh, wait a minute!”
Was it a work-related call?
Her usual high spirits were nowhere to be seen. She checked her email with a very serious expression on her face.
After a moment, she made a small victory pose and smiled happily when she saw me.
“I got a job!”
“What!? That’s amazing!”
“The client specifically requested me! I’ve been working hard on social media, so maybe it paid off a little? Hehe, yay!”
“Congratulations,” I said, and we high-fived.
We laughed together, but soon a look of tension crossed her face. Her eyes spoke strongly of the determination not to fail this time.
[I’ve caused trouble for the agency and the manager! They gave me this chance, but I’m hurting both Saeki and the job…!]
Suddenly, her words from a few days ago flashed through my mind.
That’s right. What am I misunderstanding?
The reason I decided to give her a present this time was not simply to make her happy.
Of course, I want her to be happy, but my original motivation was my own ego. It was selfish of me to want to support Amagi, who was working so hard.
Subaru’s present was well received, and I was jealous when I compared it to mine… I made excuses that it would be better for her if I didn’t give her a present.
I didn’t want to get hurt myself, so I gave up on my original goal of supporting her.
Pull yourself together.
What I thought when I saw Amagi crying that day wasn’t a lie.
Why am I bothering Subaru, who is so busy, and moping around?
It’s only natural that Subaru has good taste. It’s not even a competition, so it’s ridiculous to be jealous.
Don’t try to protect yourself.
I’ve been selfish from the beginning, so be selfish until the end.
“Hey!”
“!? You scared me… Why did you suddenly shout so loudly?”
“Well, um…!”
I took out a small paper bag from my bag.
I took it out and gently handed it to Amagi.
“It’s a present from me. I’m sorry I couldn’t give it to you sooner…”
“Yay!! I’ve been waiting for this for so long! You never seemed like you were going to give it to me!”
“…Huh? You were waiting?”
Her unexpected reaction made my voice crack.
“I was pretending to have forgotten about it, so asking directly would have been rude! Ah, I’m relieved.”
While saying that, she peeked inside the paper bag.
Then, she looked at me with sparkling eyes. Understanding her intention, I hesitantly urged her, “You can open it if you want.”
Up until today, while studying for exams, I desperately searched for something good.
What would make her happy? What wouldn’t be a nuisance? What wouldn’t get in the way?
I thought and thought and thought, but still couldn’t come up with an answer, so in the end, I just went for it.
Subaru took me to various stores, and I agonized over whether this or that was good, picking things up and looking at them.
Finally, I found it.
“This… a bracelet?”
It was my first gift, and we weren’t even lovers, so I wondered if jewelry was appropriate.
Naturally, I agonized over it.
But I couldn’t think of anything else.
When I found it, I was convinced that it would suit Amagi-san perfectly.
“Unlike Subaru, I don’t have much money… To be honest, it’s cheap, but I thought… I thought this would be good, so…”
“…Ugh…”
“Huh?”
“Ugh… Ugh, sniff…”
“Wait, wait! Why are you crying?”
Amagi held the box containing the bracelet and shed tears.
I thought it would be either a happy or disappointing reaction.
I didn’t expect a third reaction.
Caught off guard by the unexpected situation, I was just confused and panicked.
“Because… I’m so happy♡ Hehe, ehehe… A gift from someone I like is just too much…♡ I can’t stop crying, it’s hilarious…♡”
Even as she wiped away her tears, a smile blossomed on her lips.
It wasn’t the same kind of obvious joy she showed when she first saw me.
Her voice wasn’t cheerful, and she wasn’t making any wild gestures.
But there was something about those tears that felt like they held endless value.
I truly felt that giving her the gift was the right thing to do.
“Hey, Saeki… Can I put this?”
“Y-Yes.”
It was a silver bracelet with an elegant heart charm.
Amagi smiled when she saw it wrapped around her wrist.
She showed her white teeth and smiled brightly.
Like a sunny summer morning.
“…Does it suit me?”
“It suits you.”
“Then, it’s cute…”
“It’s cute. It’s very, very cute…”
I couldn’t help but say it before she could ask me.
Because it suits her.
It’s cute, so I can’t help it.
A large tear rolled down Amagi’s cheek.
I quickly wiped it away with my finger, and our eyes met.
“Um, well… please do your best. I’ll support you in my own way, both in your next job and in the future.”
“…Yeah, thanks.”
She nodded slightly and took my hand.
She played with my fingers, feeling their texture, and held them tightly.
She didn’t mind the sweat mixing between our hands, holding them firmly.
“Hey, Saeki.”
“What is it?”
“…I like you, I really like you. Always liked you.”
Her two large eyes stared only at me.
They were so beautiful that I didn’t want to share her with anyone else, and I lost track of time as I gazed at her.
She pulled me gently toward her.
It wasn’t much force, but my body was drawn to her as if there were no gravity.
I couldn’t resist, and I couldn’t help myself. Right now, Amagi-san is just so cute.
She stood on her tiptoes, bringing us even closer together.
She smells good. It’s a sweet, cool scent.
I can hear her breathing and feel her heat.
Her eyelashes are long. And her eyes are beautiful, as always.
She’s close.
Her face.
Her lips.
Already.
There’s no turning back now.
Guh.
At the last moment, my glasses hit Amagi, and we both stopped moving.
We stared at each other for a few seconds, and then I quickly backed away.
“I’m sorry! I was caught up in the moment… Oh, that was dangerous…!”
“I thought I could kiss you… If only you weren’t wearing those stylish glasses…”
Amagi pouted her lips in disappointment.
I wondered what the point of wearing glasses without prescription lenses was, but I never thought they would come in handy like this.
Thank you, Subaru.
Thanks to her, my solo living was saved again today.
“Well, I guess I’ll head home now.”
“Yeah, thanks so much today! I like the usual Saeki, but I also like the stylish Saeki, so let’s go shopping for clothes together next time? Actually, I want to go on a date♡”
“A date… um, I understand. If I have a little more money, I’ll go anywhere with you.”
“Yay♡”
We waved goodbye and left the room.
Looking up at the night sky, a round moon was rising, clear and bright.
Maiban