Episode 28 – surprise attack

---

The Salty Princess Told Me That I Was a ‘Convenient Keep’, so I Tested What Would Happen if I Introduced the Most Beautiful Girl at Another School as My Girlfriend

---

─ ─ Koga-san was crying.

To be honest, I had forgotten almost all the bad things that happened between us. For me, Koga-san was still the same “Kokone” that I used to be friends with, and I don’t remember much about what happened after that …….

……No, I have a vague memory that somehow Koga-san did something bad to me and apologized to me for it. But it was just one of countless bad memories, and not that big of a deal to me.

I wanted to forget it.

I hated myself for running away from soccer, and I wanted to forget all the bad things in my past. …… I knew that if I didn’t do that, I wouldn’t be able to protect my fragile heart.

So I tried as much as possible not to remember the time from my senior year of elementary school, when I couldn’t get the results I wanted in soccer, until I had to quit soccer in my third year of junior high school. Those days were already in the past for me.

But Koga-san must have been suffering from that time all this time. While I quit soccer and was struggling for myself, Koga-san was always thinking about me and hurting.

“I’m sorry……I’m sorry……!”

Saying that, Koga-san cried on my chest. I don’t want you to make that kind of face. I want Koga-san to keep smiling at me, but I don’t know what words to use to tell her that. If I …… forgive her so easily here, I wonder if Koga-san’s suffering until now will have no meaning. …… I can’t help but think about that.

I was able to say “help” because it was you at that time. Even if you pretended not to hear the words, it doesn’t change that fact.

That’s why I’m ……

“Koga-san, you told me before, didn’t you? From now on, we’re going to do lots of fun things together.
I was crying pathetically, and you said that to me.”

“That’s ……, I …….”

Koga-san’s body trembles.
Is she afraid of the thunder, or is there something else she’s afraid of? I stroke her back as gently as I can.

“Koga-san. I was happy to hear you say that. ……Yes, I was happy. So, don’t cry anymore. I want to have fun with you from now on.”

“I’m sorry. …… I know, but I couldn’t stop,…….”

Koga-san’s voice trembles. …I’m sure she’s had a lot of hardships up until now. Maybe I’ve forgotten something and ended up hurting her.

The day we met again on that riverbed. If I had called her a traitor, Koga-san’s heart might have been saved a little more than it is now.

…… but it didn’t happen that way.

The past is just the past. What happened, what went wrong, what hurt……. It doesn’t mean they all didn’t happen, and I’m sure they will never really …… be forgiven. The wounds may heal, but the hurt will never be forgotten.

So we just have to keep doing what we can.

I am sure Koga-san understands this. But even if you do, your heart doesn’t understand.

I haven’t been able to face my parents …… my father properly either. I’m sure I’ve already quit soccer, but I’m still training at the very least because I still have some unfinished business. I think I may have betrayed my dad somewhere.

He spent a lot of money and time on me, but I didn’t accomplish anything. I felt guilty and ashamed of it, so I wanted to forget about it.

If that’s not possible, at least ……

“I remember now. Koga-san, that time …… I won the draining game, but you ran home before I said the penalty game, didn’t you?”

“No, I ……”

“The truth is, I’ve been holding a grudge about that for a long time. Koga-san, you make other people play the punishment game, but when it’s you that has to do it, you run away because you don’t like it.”

“I’m sorry, …….”

Koga-san becomes small in my arms. But I won’t say I forgive her.

“No, I won’t forgive you. That’s why I’m going to start the punishment game now.”

I hold Koga in my arms and gently tickle her soft flanks so as not to hurt her trembling body.

“Hey, Ochiha-kun ……!　What are you doing all of a sudden?　Stop it!　You’re tickling me!”

“No. It’s a game of punishment, so you’ll have to endure it for a while. The old Koga-san used to ride me and tickle me, right? Compared to that, this is pretty gentle, isn’t it?”

“I know, but …….!”

Koga-san laughed.
I wondered if forcing her to laugh like this would make her feel bad later on? I wondered about that for a moment, but I couldn’t think of any other way to do it. So I continued tickling Koga-san like that for a while. Koga-san didn’t resist, and just let herself do whatever she wanted.

And after a while. I smiled as much as I could, just like my old self, and said

“This is the end of the punishment game. This is how I get even for what Koga-san got away with that day, right?”

Hearing those words, Koga-san rolled her eyes and looked up at me.

“… Are you sure ?”

Her eyes are still moist, as if she is about to cry. I do not break into a smile.

“It’s okay. If I do it any more, I’ll become the bad guy. So …… that’s enough. I’ve already forgiven …… you. So …… you don’t have to blame yourself anymore. No matter what anyone says, I’ve forgiven you.”

“……!”

Koga-san’s body trembles again. …The truth is, I’m not in a position to say such arrogant things. In the first place, I was the one who got hurt and asked for help. It’s unreasonable to resent her just because she didn’t hold my hand.

“Koga-san and I were just… kids. You and I were just immature children. So, it’s okay now. You can forgive yourself now. Koga-san has properly… changed.”

“……! I’m sorry …… Ochiha-kun. I’m really …… sorry!　Ochiha-kun…….”

In the end, Koga-san ends up crying again. It must be difficult to suddenly break away from what she was carrying around. But there’s nothing more I can do. So the only thing left to do is…

“….!”

Then there was another thunder.

A loud and unpleasant sound. Koga-san’s body trembled. The rain still hasn’t stopped.

“……….Ah…”

So I embraced Koga-san. I hugged her so tightly that I couldn’t hear the loud rain or the annoying thunder. I hugged her so tightly, her cold body.

“…Thank you, Ochiha-kun.”

Koga-san hugged me back too. In this way, we continued to feel each other’s body heat until the dawn of night.

◇

Koga Kotone’s heart ached.

“Huh, I …… must have fallen asleep. ……”

She slowly open my eyes to the morning sun streaming in through the window. Before she knew it, the sound of the rain and thunder that had been so loud had disappeared. Before she knew it, it was already morning.

She check the time on the clock on the wall and see that it is still past five in the morning. It was still a little early to get up.

“….. Ochiha-kun must have fallen asleep, too.”

Ochiha is breathing quietly in his sleep, holding Kotone tightly in his arms. He must have been holding her all night long. The warmth of his body has burned into the depths of her body.

“I wish time would stop like this. ……”

Such a small murmur from Kotone disappears into the morning slumber.

When Ochiha wakes up, he will surely let go of his hand as soon as he wakes up. Ochiha treats Kotone as a woman, so he would never hug her like this unless there was a reason.

“He’s really grown up.”

His body has grown big and muscular like a different person from before. She never want to let go of this hand again. she wants him to stay by her side forever and ever.

“I’m a selfish and self-indulgent woman, but only in front of you, I want to be the prettiest girl of all.”

“….. not such a good thing, I know.”

If I become the most beautiful girl in school, I’ll go apologize to you,……, that’s really just a child’s nonsense. But Kotone clung to such words.

Because as long as she was doing her best, she could justify herself for running away.

“But now I’m probably really ugly,……. My eyes would be red from tears, and my face might be swollen …….”

She didn’t want Ochiha to see her like this. But more than anything, she didn’t want to let go of his warm body.

“……!”

Then suddenly, the sound of an incoming message from Ochiha’s phone rang out.

“….. that’s right. Ochiha kun isn’t mine, right?”

Her chest ached for some reason, and Kotone hugged Ochiha again.

She cried a lot yesterday. She caused so much trouble. she hadn’t intended to cry, but the tears just wouldn’t stop.

　
“I don’t know why things don’t go well every time. ……”

The other day, when she stayed at Ochiha’s house, she fell asleep before she knew it. She actually wanted to do something more fun, but she ended up doing unnecessary things.

“…..Ah.”

There again, the sound of an incoming message from Ochiha’s phone rang out. After all, Ochiha must be very popular at school. Surely there must be a lot of people who want to help Ochiha now, even if they don’t have to help him anymore.

…… Ochiha may not be aware of it yet, though.

“I’m not in a position to say I’m jealous, but… somehow I can’t help but feel envious.”

Kotone lets out a small breath.

Ochiha is probably going to become someone else’s while she is spinning her wheels like this. Then again, will she be walking alone along the riverbed, taking the long way around?

Making excuses, running away, and believing that surely one day a miracle will happen again. ……

“I know. …… I know. That’s not good enough.”

She wanted to change. She thought she could change. But the real Koga Kotone remained a timid, selfish little child.

“no. I am …….”

She doesn’t want to bother Ochiha any more. But she also doesn’t want him to go away. She wants time to stop like this. But ……, it’s no good. No matter how much you wish for it, the clock on the wall carries time forward. Every second, I hear the sound of the second hand moving forward.

That’s why Kotone ……

“Hm? Oh, yeah.
I must have fallen asleep, I ……”

Then Ochiha wakes up. He rubs his eyes sleepily and slowly raises himself up. Her heart jumps. Her chest aches. The warmth leaves her. She doesn’t want to bother him anymore. But, so she has to say it, but if she put it into words, she can’t …… go back.

But ……, yes. No matter how much she wishes, time will never go back. …… back, it didn’t.

So Kotone just looked straight at Ochiha and said,

“–Sakashima Ochiha kun. I like you. So please go out with me.”

“Ha…………………?”

This was Ochiha’s second surprise.
　

---

-Maiban

---