Chapter 352

"Asahina, aren't you going to eat this?"

A boy's voice broke her reverie.

Snapping out of her daze, Hiyori looked across the table at her classmate, who was pointing at her cake.

"Huh?"

"I asked if you're eating this. Can I have it?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah. You can have it."

At her response, the other girls at the table shot the boy exasperated looks.

"You just stuffed your face, and now you're going after Hiyori's?"

The scolding came from the girl sitting next to Hiyori.

The boy shamelessly raised his head and shot back.

"She said I could have it."

Despite his brazen tone, he covertly flicked his gaze toward Hiyori.

He was testing the waters, worried she might secretly be annoyed by his behavior.

Catching his glance, Hiyori let out a soft chuckle and pushed the plate toward him.

She was about to pull her bare feet up onto her chair, but what Matsuda sunbae-nim had told her at the movie theater that morning flashed through her mind. She slipped her sandals back on.

"Hiyori, aren't you hot in that?"

The friend sitting next to her pointed at her cardigan.

It was a bit too thick for a hot day like today.

Pulling it snugly closed, Hiyori offered a bright smile.

"The AC is pretty strong, so I'm fine."

"True. But where did you buy it?"

"This? There's a store called Blossom in the underground shopping center. I got it there. They have a lot of cute clothes."

"Really? I should go check it out. It isn't too expensive, right?"

"Not at all."

The conversation wrapped up, and Hiyori fiddled with the sleeves of her cardigan.

To think he had actually sent her home to change, only to escort her all the way back here...

She wasn't sure whether to call it absurd or just marvel at his ridiculous follow-through.

Recalling Matsuda sunbae-nim ordering her to change clothes with a stern expression, Hiyori subconsciously smiled.

He really was an interesting person.

Sometimes he was incredibly conservative, yet other times, he seemed completely uninhibited.

Like how he had calmly picked up and eaten the Popcorn that landed in her cleavage during the movie.

Judging by that, he was fundamentally old-fashioned, but completely relaxed and open with the people he was close to.

Did his unpredictable attitude toward her mean they were still in the process of getting close... Could she interpret it that way?

Of course, she couldn't just jump to conclusions about his personality on her own.

Because of that, her desire to get to know Matsuda grew even stronger.

It stimulated her curiosity. He was a type of guy she hadn't encountered before, and figuring him out seemed like it would be a lot of fun.

As Hiyori happily recalled her interactions with Matsuda, a voice snapped her back to reality.

"Hiyori, what's up with you today? Did something happen?"

One of her friends was looking at her with genuine concern.

What had they even been talking about?

Was it about clothes? No, she felt like another topic had come up after that, but she couldn't remember it at all.

She had been so lost in thought that she completely tuned out the conversation.

"It's nothing like—"

Hiyori was about to deny it, but she changed her mind.

Today was a day when she needed a little time for herself. She wanted to slowly unpack the thoughts swirling in her head.

Besides, Miho wasn't here today, and she had used up a lot of physical and mental energy chatting and playing around with Matsuda sunbae-nim all morning.

Deciding it would be better to head back early and get some rest, she spoke up.

"I don't think I'm feeling well... I'm sorry, but I'm going to head out first."

"Are you really sick?"

"Not too badly, but I think I just need to lie down for a bit."

"Really? Okay."

As she stood up from her seat, she could feel the disappointed gazes of the boys at the table.

They tried to hide it, but it was perfectly clear. They were interested in her as a girl, not just a friend.

Ignoring their stares, Hiyori bade her friends farewell with a smile and left the cafe.

Then, she popped the wireless earphones she had bought today into her ears and pulled out her Cell Phone.

Soon, the second single from her favorite singer-songwriter began to play.

Listening to the lyrics that sounded like a tsundere grumbling, she descended into the nearby subway entrance, tapped her IC Card, and passed through the turnstiles.

She walked down the stairs, boarded the subway just as it arrived, and sank into a luckily empty seat.

The AC was weaker here than in the cafe, and she quickly grew warm, but she didn't even consider taking off her cardigan.

Instead, she adjusted it, completely covering up her upper body.

Why was she acting like this?

Plenty of guys had told her to cover up before, but there was a massive gap between how she reacted to them and how she was behaving now.

Perhaps it was because the last thing Matsuda sunbae-nim said to her had struck a chord.

I want to look out for you. When she heard those words, he had looked incredibly reliable.

Suddenly, she remembered the first time she saw Matsuda sunbae-nim at the cafe.

A very handsome, kind guy. That was the entirety of her impression back then.

However, once she found out he was a senior attending the same Academy, that had changed.

It would be helpful if we got close... Starting from that assessment, she had gone on to see him as an amusing person, a nosy person, and an easygoing person.

Now, going even further, she had reached the conclusion that he was someone she could truly rely on.

[The next station is...]

She had been racking her brain so much that she arrived at her destination before she knew it.

If she hadn't accidentally caught the announcement, she would have missed her stop. Today really was a lucky day.

Having those thoughts as she stepped off the train, Hiyori was suddenly approached.

"Excuse me."

Hearing the cautious voice of a tall, handsome man, she foresaw exactly what was coming and shook her head flatly.

"I'm sorry."

"...Right."

If he had clung to her like that host the other day, it would have been incredibly annoying... Thank goodness he backed off so easily.

This was why a girl needed someone like Matsuda around... someone built like a bear.

Not just a big guy, but a dependable presence she could rely on.

Having brushed off the moth drawn to the flame, Hiyori went back to reflecting on her interactions with Matsuda.

What had been his intention when he said those words today?

Did he mean he wanted to take care of her as a woman?

Or were those words spoken out of genuine concern, an attempt to guide a mischievous junior back onto the right path?

It seemed fairly certain that he was seeing Hanazawa sunbae-nim, which made the latter highly likely.

But part of her felt that might not be the whole truth.

When she had accidentally run into the Kendo Club president and manager recently, she had realized that they too harbored a great deal of affection for Matsuda sunbae-nim.

And he had acted like he was naturally accepting of their interest.

Surely he wasn't dating all three of them... Was he stringing them all along?

Matsuda sunbae-nim didn't seem like that kind of person... Or maybe he and Hanazawa sunbae-nim were just so close that light physical contact was perfectly normal for them? Like childhood friends?

It was purely speculation, but wasn't that the fun of indulging in delusions?

Leaving the subway exit with those thoughts, Hiyori promptly whipped off her cardigan the moment the outside heat hit her.

Matsuda's nagging weighed on her mind, but she would obviously roast to death if she walked all the way home like this.

This summer was going to be pure hell without AC.

Briefly snapping out of her reverie to fret over the weather, Hiyori quickened her pace when she saw her house up ahead.

Stepping inside, she found the house completely empty.

Remembering the text her parents had sent about taking her little brother to a kids' pool, Hiyori shrugged it off and headed upstairs to her room on the second floor.

She turned on the AC, pressed the power button on her Laptop, and carelessly peeled off her clothes.

Standing there in only her underwear, she absentmindedly caressed her stomach. Suddenly realizing she hadn't said goodbye to Matsuda, she grabbed her Cell Phone.

[Matsumatsuken.]

After firing off the message, she went into the bathroom to take a shower.

When she returned to her room after a warm shower, the cold breeze from the AC felt amazing.

With a smile tugging at her lips, Hiyori sat down at her vanity and checked her Cell Phone.

[What.]

A blunt, almost taciturn reply was waiting for her.

In reality, Matsuda sunbae-nim wasn't a man of few words, but...

Looking at their chat history, it seemed he preferred keeping things brief and straight to the point over text.

[I'm bored.]

[Mind your manners.]

[Sir.]

[I thought you were hanging out with your friends.]

[I came back home~.]

[Already? Why?]

[Just because. I had nothing to do.]

[Then go to sleep. So you don't doze off during class during the week.]

[Old man.]

[You got a death wish?]

Seeing Matsuda's irate reply, Hiyori giggled.

This was a huge part of why she found talking to him so enjoyable.

Even a little teasing always elicited the exact reaction she wanted.

She also loved how he would act appalled when she started chattering away, yet never actually seemed sick of her.

The same went for how he unfailingly reacted to everything she sent.

Furthermore, talking to guys was often frustrating, but that never happened with Matsuda.

Sure, some of their banter was blunt, but it just proved how comfortable she felt with him.

[What are you doing?]

[Gaming.]

[The one you bought the other day? Did you accept my friend request? Want me to send you some items?]

[Hand them over.]

All thoughts of drying her hair flying out the window, Hiyori grabbed her game console and flopped face-down onto her bed.

She logged into the game and was about to head straight for Matsuda, but feeling mischievous, she decided to change her nickname first.

What would be a really flippant, hastily-made-up nickname?

Thinking for a moment, Hiyori changed her character's name.

Then, using the feature to visit a friend's house, she traveled to the island where Matsuda lived.

An island named Home.

Thinking it was a thoroughly unimaginative name—entirely fitting for Matsuda—Hiyori burst into laughter when a character named Dummy Ken, who had been wandering nearby, spotted her and froze in his tracks.

-Who are you?-

As it happened, her character was holding a Toy Hammer.

She swung it and whacked Dummy Ken over the head. With a squeak, Dummy Ken instantly burst into complaints.

-Why are you hitting me?-

Ignoring him, Hiyori smacked him a few more times and began shoving the items scattered around—things Matsuda seemed to have collected—into her inventory.

At that, Dummy Ken trailed after her character, his frantic typing displaying his panic.

-Mr. FartPpppoong. P-Please don't s-steal my iteems.-

A sentence practically dripping with desperation.

Cackling out loud at that, Hiyori dropped every item she had snatched and typed into the chat.

-I'll let you off the hook. Be careful from now on.-

-Thank you.-

Seeing Matsuda's utterly sincere gratitude, she felt as if she had reverted to her childhood too.

She used to play pranks like this on her friends all the time when the game first came out, but she realized it was far more fun now than it was back then.

The gap between Matsuda in reality, who seemed so unlikely to act this way, and his naive behavior in-game was downright hilarious.

Rolling around on her bed and roaring with laughter, Hiyori scattered the items she originally owned onto the ground.

Then, she typed as if doing him a massive favor.

-Use these.-

At that, Dummy Ken stood still for a moment, as if he had realized something.

-You're Asahina, aren't you?-

He finally typed.

Beaming at his sheer density for only just now figuring out her identity, Hiyori replied.

-Yep.-

-Hey, is there something wrong with your head?-

A remark that suggested he was quite triggered by her earlier thievery.

Bursting into another fit of laughter, Hiyori didn't reply. Instead, she was about to leave her mark on Dummy Ken's guestbook when she paused. "Huh?"

She discovered that a user named Smart-ki had left a single, meaningless character in the guestbook.

Who was this? Smart-ki? Smart ki?

Could it be a nickname for Hanazawa Miyuki sunbae-nim?

That seemed right. They probably left it while poking around and trying different things when they first started playing the game and decorating the island together.

A strange feeling washed over her.

It felt as if someone else had stolen his 'firsts' away from her.

Subconsciously wearing a sullen pout, Hiyori impulsively wrote Bleh♡ in the guestbook. Finally, she smacked Dummy Ken, who had followed her, over the head with the Toy Hammer one last time before logging off.

She herself didn't quite know why she had gone out of her way to leave a heart.

No, rather than not knowing, it was more accurate to say she was conflicted.

[Thanks.]

Not long after, a message from Matsuda arrived on her Cell Phone.

About to return to her vanity, Hiyori froze when she saw the message. Resting her wet hair against her pillow, she tapped away on her Cell Phone.

[Pay me back with two Suichus~.]