Episode 6 – wonderful person

The Gal Next to Me Is Trying Too Hard to Make Me Fall in Love With Her

“You were dating Amagi-san!?”

“No, we weren’t dating…”

“You seem quiet, but you’re doing the right thing…”

“So, that’s why…!”

“Please ask Amagi-san to introduce me to someone cute! Please!”

“No, that’s not it!”

The next day.

I left home before 5 a.m. for my early morning part-time job, and after work, I headed straight to school.

As usual, I passed through the student entrance, walked down the hallway, and went to my classroom.

The moment I opened the door, I was surrounded by the central group of boys in the class, and this is how it went.

“Just admit it! That’s what happened yesterday, right?!”

“How were her breasts?!”

“Wow, I’m really curious about that!”

The conversation, typical of male high school students, exploded around me.

Ah… The commotion echoed in my brain after a long day of work.

Like Amagi, why doesn’t anyone listen to me? I told you we’re not dating.

Well, I guess anyone would think that after what happened yesterday.

I know it can’t be helped, but I’m not used to being teased like this, so it’s really embarrassing.

“We’re really not dating! Amagi-san, she seem to have mistaken me for someone else! So it’s all a misunderstanding!”

Anyway, I told a convenient lie to get out of the center of attention.

I’ll ask Amagi-san later to go along with my story.

She wouldn’t want to be teased about it either. Pretend to be strangers at school, but get along at home… Yes, that’s best for both of us.

“Saeki!~~~”

Speak of the devil.

The door opened with a bang.

Her voice, as hot as the summer sun, echoed through the classroom, and everyone looked at her—at Amagi.

“I love you!”

…My head started to hurt from her appearance, which was exactly the same as yesterday after school.

Amagi kicked the boys aside and slammed her hand on my desk.

She leaned forward, her sweaty chest asserting itself.

I was overwhelmed by a refreshing sweet smell, and my face suddenly became hot.

“I wanted to go to school together, so why did you go ahead without me? Isn’t that cruel?!”

“Well… I had a part-time job…”

“In the morning? Wow! That’s amazing!”

With that, she ruffled my hair. Like she was petting a dog.

In contrast to Amagi, who was laughing cheerfully, the boys looked bored. They glared at me with dull eyes.

“Let’s go together on days when you don’t have a part-time job! Let me know later!”

“Uh… yeah…”

“Let’s eat lunch together too! I’ll come pick you up!”

“Yeah…”

“And today, we’re going home together! I don’t want you leaving me behind like yesterday!”

“Got it…”

I just nodded my head, unable to think straight from the flood of demands.

Satisfied with what she had said, Amagi snorted. She was about to return to my classroom… Just as I was about to breathe a sigh of relief, she made a mysterious request, “Stand up!”

“I’m standing, but what now…”

I started to say.

The soft, sweet impact made my head go blank.

While everyone in the class was watching us, she didn’t seem to care at all and hugged me tightly.

“I love you～～～♡ I love you so much♡”

She rubbed her forehead against my chest, then looked up at me and showed her white teeth. She smiled brightly, full of energy.

Her body heat and gaze were intense.

My body was drenched in sweat. But strangely, I didn’t feel uncomfortable, and I was a little happy that her red eyes were focused only on me.

“Well, see you later!! Kiss kiss!!”

She showered me with affection like a storm, then scattered kisses and left.

Exhausted by the whole ordeal, I sat down heavily in my chair.

Amagi, you’re too much.

If this continues, I’m afraid my heart will explode and I’ll die.

““Saeki?””

“Huh?!”

The cold voices of the boys made my slumped body straighten up.

“You’re dating, aren’t you?”

“Showing off first thing in the morning!”

“What technique did you use to win her over? Tell me!!”

I couldn’t cover it up anymore, but explaining it was too much trouble.

I was shaken violently, but I endured it silently.

◆

“Saeki, I brought them along!”

““Oo!””

It was lunchtime.

I had originally planned to have lunch with Saeki alone, but my classmates wanted to meet him, so I decided to introduce him to them.

Saeki smiled wryly as I pulled him by the arm.

My three friends stared at him as if they were sizing him up.

“So this is the type of guy you like, Arisa-chan?”

“Huh, that’s cool! He’s tall!”

“Eh, isn’t he pretty handsome? Lift your bangs a little!”

One of them reached out to touch Saeki.

I lightly brushed away the hand and stood in front of Saeki to shield him.

“Don’t touch him without permission! He’s my Saeki!”

“No… I’m not Amagi-san’s boyfriend or anything, am I?”

“So what does that mean? You want someone else to touch you besides me?”

“I didn’t say that!”

“Right. Saeki, you only want me to touch you, right?”

As I said that, I rubbed his side, and he squirmed and blushed, as if it were his weak spot.

Uhehe, cute♡

“Then, Saeki, sit over here!”

“Yes… Excuse me…”

I borrowed a chair and had him sit next to me.

He placed the drawstring bag he was holding on the desk and sat down timidly. He’s not in my class, and he doesn’t know anyone here, so he must be nervous.

“Hey, hey! Is it true that you rejected Arisa-chan once?”

“Is living alone that important?”

“Just go out with her already!”

“Saeki has his own reasons! Come on, let’s eat!”

It’s one thing for me to push him, but if everyone else is rushing him, Saeki won’t enjoy it.

I stopped my friends from talking and took out my lunch box from my bag. Saeki also opened his drawstring bag, took out a Tupperware container, and gently opened the lid.

“Saeki-kun lives alone, right…?”

“Did you make this yourself!?”

“Wow!! Can I take a picture of it!?”

“Uh, sure… I guess…”

The three of them were fascinated by Saeki’s colorful homemade lunch box.

I knew he was a good cook from yesterday, but he actually makes enough to bring to school.

Even though he had a part-time job in the morning… Saeki is really amazing.

“Eh… Oh, Amagi-san?”

“What’s wrong?”

“That lunch box… What is it?”

With a frown on his face, he pointed at the lunch I had spread out. Today’s lunch consisted of two colors, green and white.

“It’s boiled broccoli and chicken breast. Do you want some, Saeki?”

“No, I… But why are you eating that? Are you dieting or something?”

“Well… yeah. I’m concerned about my figure.”

“You’re already slim enough! Maybe you don’t have enough money? Do you want some of my lunch?”

Saeki looked worried, like an old lady from the countryside, and my friend said, “Doesn’t he know?”

“Arisa-chan is a model.”

“She says it’s to maintain her figure, but she only eats that kind of stuff!”

“She started living alone as practice for making a living as a model, apparently.”

“Hey, don’t say that! I don’t have any work, I’m not cool, and I was planning to keep it a secret from Saeki!”

Studying yields results in proportion to the effort put in, but the modeling career I really want to pursue just isn’t going well.

So I only told a few people, but it was just blurted out.

“You went to the middle and high school affiliated with △△ University, but they said you couldn’t do entertainment activities, so you came to our high school, right?”

“That’s really a shame. You definitely should have gone there.”

“Arisa-chan is smart, but her head is bad.”

“It’s fine, I don’t care! Oh, I don’t regret it!”

Feeling a little annoyed inside, I forced a smile and silenced the three of them.

I know my choice was a mistake in the eyes of society. My teachers and parents have told me that repeatedly, and I myself am aware that I did something stupid. In fact, the income from modeling is minimal.

That’s why I didn’t want Saeki to know.

I want him to see only the good parts of me because I like him.

I don’t want him to see the messy, struggling version of myself.

I don’t want to be disliked, and it would be sad if he thought I was stupid.

“Saeki kun? What’s wrong?”

Her friends asked as he remained silent with a serious expression.

He looked at me, then at my lunch box, then back at me.

His face turned pale, and for some reason, he bowed his head with tremendous force.

“I’m sorry! I’m really sorry!”

“What? Why are you apologizing?”

“B_because…!”

He timidly raised his head.

His expression showed that he had done something terrible.

“I didn’t know that… I made Amagi-san eat a lot yesterday!”

“…Huh?”

“You can’t refuse what’s served to you, right? Especially homemade food!”

“Um, Saeki…?”

“From now on, if you think the portion is too big or too greasy, please tell me! I’ll try to make it with more consideration!”

He looked straight into my eyes and gently held my hand.

Realizing he had been touching my hand unconsciously, he apologized again and let go.

“No, you don’t have to be so considerate. As everyone says, I’m not a model at all, and I don’t have anything to brag about…”

Saeki is kind. So he’s just on my side.

…Or so I thought.

He looked at me with an expression that seemed to say, “What are you talking about?”

He furrowed his brows in genuine puzzlement.

“You’re the top of your class academically, pursuing your dreams, and on top of that, you’re earning your own living expenses. That’s truly amazing. It’s not something everyone can do. That alone is enough to be proud of, don’t you think?”

Upon hearing this, my friends looked at each other and nodded in agreement.

They apologized for teasing me earlier and, as a gesture of apology, added a little of their own lunch to my lonely bento box. “Hey, that’s extra calories…” Well, it’s nice of them, though!

“…S-Saeki…”

“Yes?”

Under the desk, I gently took his hand.

It was big, firm, and warm.

He looked at me with wide eyes and blushed awkwardly. Even his restless gaze was adorable, and my lips naturally curved into a smile.

“I can’t take it anymore! Please, let me kiss you!”

“What!? Of course not!”

“It’s okay! I won’t use my tongue, so it won’t be considered inappropriate!”

“What’s okay about it!?”

“Ugh…!! I love you so much!! It’s all your fault, Saeki!! Take responsibility!!”

“Whoa!? Don’t hug me!! Everyone’s watching!!”

He’s timid and lacks confidence, but he doesn’t hesitate to recognize the good qualities in others.