Chapter 424

"Are you really not going to tell me where you got hurt?"

Inside Miyuki's room.

I sat in a chair while Miyuki tended to my injuries. Spearing a piece of pineapple from the desk with a fork and popping it into my mouth, I answered her.

"I told you, I don't know."

"You're bleeding. How could you not know?"

"It's not even a big cut. It happens."

"Matsuda-kun, are you seriously an idiot? How can a person be so dense?"

"I was in such a rush to come feel your breasts that I didn't notice."

"What are you even saying...! You're so weird...!"

Letting out a breathless laugh of disbelief, Miyuki dabbed ointment on my forehead.

When I exaggeratedly complained about the pain, she gave my leg a scolding slap before sticking a plain bandage over the scrape.

"There. You need to change this to a waterproof one when you shower."

"What's wrong with a little water getting on it?"

"It's on your face. Healing properly is the priority."

"I got beaten to a bloody pulp when I left that club and turned out fine."

"That's because the school nurse and I took such good care of you."

"Taking the credit, huh?"

"I'm not taking credit, I'm stating a fact."

The text from the Vice Representative asking if I had fought, and my arrival right after Tetsuya left.

Putting those two details together made the answer obvious.

It was a simple enough deduction that even an idiot like me could figure it out instantly; a smart girl like Miyuki would definitely know.

"Didn't you run into Tetsuya-kun outside the playground earlier? Going by the timing, you must have..."

Just as I expected, Miyuki immediately brought up her suspicion.

"I didn't see him."

"Now that I think about it, I'm pretty sure I heard voices."

"How could I have been talking if I didn't run into him? It's not like I was talking to myself."

"Really?"

"Really."

"Really, truly? You better not be lying."

She raised an index finger with a stern expression, lecturing me like a student.

Chuckling lightly, I decided I had kept up the denial long enough.

It was time to admit the truth while showing off my broad magnanimity.

"I saw him."

"Then... did Tetsuya-kun do that to you?"

Back at the playground, Tetsuya had brought it up.

He'd asked if Miyuki hadn't once said back in middle school, regarding a certain delinquent, that people never change.

Dating me had obviously diluted that prejudice quite a bit by now, but I could weaken it even further.

"He didn't do it on purpose. We were just greeting each other as we walked past, and we accidentally bumped shoulders. That's how I got this."

"An accident...? Was it really an accident?"

"Don't jump to conclusions. You hate that kind of prejudice. I told you the truth."

"No... okay."

"First you say no, then you say okay... Can't you make up your mind?"

"I wasn't disagreeing with you, it was just an exclamation...! Did Tetsuya-kun get hurt too?"

"No."

"And did you get an apology?"

I hadn't.

But I wasn't going to tell her that.

I was going to lay the hypocrisy on thick, pretending to protect Tetsuya's image on the surface.

"I don't remember."

"How could you not remember? Are you pretending you forgot because he didn't apologize?"

"I really just forgot."

"Matsuda-kun, didn't you dislike Tetsuya-kun?"

"Of course I do."

"Then why are you acting like this?"

"Acting like what?"

I casually played dumb, letting my expression subtly spell it out for her.

I was showing her that I was only protecting Tetsuya for her sake. For her, I was even willing to tolerate the pathetic blunders of a guy I despised.

"Haa... This is driving me crazy..."

Miyuki muttered, catching on.

Her childhood friend had acted petty and small-minded, whereas I was doing the exact opposite. It was only natural she would compare us.

"Why is it driving you crazy?"

"Well..."

Miyuki hesitated.

It seemed she was slightly reluctant to frankly discuss what had happened with Tetsuya.

But a moment later, her expression hardened with resolve, and she recounted what had happened at the playground.

"While I was waiting for you at the playground, Tetsuya-kun showed up and..."

I listened in silence for a long time as the unfiltered truth spilled from Miyuki's lips. Watching her lick her dry lips after all that talking, I gave a slow nod.

"I see."

"Yeah. Things felt a little tense when he was with you too, right?"

"It did feel a bit off, yeah."

"Right? That's why the Vice..."

Miyuki trailed off and snapped her mouth shut with an oh no expression.

Realizing she had caught herself right before mentioning the Vice Representative, I smiled knowingly.

"The Vice what?"

"No... nothing."

"So the Vice Representative texted you that it looked like Miura and I were fighting?"

"Huh? W-What do you mean?"

Miyuki's body jolted.

Her visible panic was pretty amusing.

This was exactly why lying should be left to people who were actually good at it.

When amateurs tried it, it was painfully obvious.

"Why are you playing dumb? When you texted me earlier asking if I fought with Miura, you only asked because the Vice Representative told you and you got worried."

"I didn't...?"

"Don't lie. She admitted it herself."

Miyuki's eyes darted around.

Classic signs of a guilty conscience. Chuckling, I continued.

"I bumped into her by chance when I was leaving the Academy. I was driving her home, and after I dug into it with a half-threat, she confessed she told you out of concern."

"She did?"

"She did. Why were you hiding it anyway? Were you worried I'd think the Vice Representative was a snitch?"

"...Why would you threaten her... You're so violent, honestly..."

It was funny watching her try to deflect and wriggle out of the situation.

"I can't just let this slide."

Miyuki flinched at my lowered tone and pushed her lips out in a pout.

"I-If you're going to be like that, you lied to me earlier about not running into Tetsuya-kun..."

"That and yours are completely different."

"How are they different...! They're practically the same...!"

"They aren't similar at all. I'm keeping this on your tab, so you owe me a favor later."

"A favor? What are we, elementary schoolers? What kind of favor for something like this..."

"You don't want to?"

As I said that, I tapped my knees.

It was a signal to sit. Facing me, she carefully settled her hips onto my thighs and replied.

"No... okay."

The disappointment Miyuki felt toward Tetsuya today had to be indescribably immense.

It couldn't be helped, considering she'd just gotten a firsthand look at the insidious side of a guy she thought was purely good and innocent.

Even if he hadn't done it on purpose, he'd still managed to hurt me, so her image of Tetsuya must have plummeted straight to the bottom.

Even if it wasn't quite enough for her to completely cut ties yet, there was a very high chance she would sever their relationship entirely if Tetsuya kept acting like this.

I, on the other hand, was the exact opposite of Tetsuya.

The old me would have thrown a punch right away, but I had brushed off the incident like it was nothing.

I hadn't shown any hostility either. In fact, I'd even tried to protect Tetsuya.

From Miyuki's perspective, I was probably her ideal man right now.

As proof, her eyes were practically overflowing with love for me.

She almost looked like she was aching with it.

Supporting the small of Miyuki's back, I asked her a question.

"Is what happened today still bothering you?"

"Of course it is. Tetsuya-kun felt like a total stranger today. And it hurts my heart a little that you got injured, Matsuda-kun."

"So are you going to go confront him? Won't that make things incredibly awkward?"

"Even so..."

"Time heals all wounds for this sort of thing. The situation was mostly resolved through your conversation with Miura anyway, right? Let's just wait and see."

"I wouldn't exactly call it resolved..."

"Quiet."

"Ah, why do you keep cutting me off...!"

Miyuki threw a small tantrum, playfully bouncing her weight against me.

I felt the light pressure of her weight on my lap.

Grinning, I leaned in and planted a light kiss on Miyuki's lips.

And the exact moment the smack of the kiss faded, Miyuki surged forward with terrifying intensity.

Her tongue pushed right in. I patted her back to try and calm her down, but it was completely useless.

She sucked on my lips like crazy.

Like she was trying to leave them bruised and swollen for tomorrow.

Wrapping my arms under her bottom to support her weight, I stood up from the chair with Miyuki fully clinging to me. I paced around the room until my lips actually started to sting, at which point I half-forced her onto the bed.

The moment I did, Miyuki grabbed my wrist and stared up at me with teary, shimmering eyes.

"Sleep over tonight..."

I never thought she'd go that far. That was completely unexpected.

She must have felt such immense joy and love from my attitude today that she wanted me to stay over, even with her family right downstairs.

"Here?"

Did my wide-eyed, startled question make her shy?

Miyuki subtly turned her head, avoiding my gaze as she answered.

"Yeah... here."

"But your mom and dad are here."

"I'll tell them. Why? Do you not want to...?"

"I have absolutely no reason not to want to."

"Then it's settled, right?"

"Well... you could say that on my end. Though it depends on what your mom and dad have to say about it."

"They'll say yes. Mom and Dad like you too, Matsuda-kun."

"I think letting a guy sleep over is a completely different matter."

"Wait here."

"You're going to ask them right now?"

"Yeah."

Did Miyuki eat something weird today? Her sheer drive was impressive.

"Shouldn't I go down with you?"

"No. It's better if I ask alone."

"You think so?"

"Probably. I'll be right back."

Miyuki walked briskly out of the room.

It took her less than five minutes to return.

"They said you can sleep over."

"They gave you permission?"

"They were super enthusiastic about it."

I knew Midori and Wataru were pretty open-minded, but they were actually okay with this?

I couldn't help but wonder if they realized exactly what might happen if they let me sleep over in her room.

"Did they say anything else?"

"Anything else? Like what?"

"Like warning us not to cause any trouble... things like that."

Catching the underlying meaning of my words, a flush spread across Miyuki's face.

Giving my teasing expression a sidelong glance, she replied.

"They didn't say anything like that. They just talked about breakfast tomorrow..."

"Is that so? Got it. I'll go drop by my place, then."

"Why are you going home...?"

"I need to grab some clothes to wear tomorrow."

"Oh, right. Then let's go together and pack a few more outfits. I want to keep them in my closet."

It seemed Miyuki wasn't planning on having me stay over for just tonight.

Her current determination was so strong that it wouldn't surprise me if she ended up asking me to move in with her later on.

And she was overflowing with affection for me.