C13 – [Second Library] Shiritori ◆ Nekura

After school, I was waiting in the back of the second library, stretching my legs, when I heard the sound of pattering and running approaching, and then a vigorous bang.

“Did you come running?”

“Uh-huh. Because I thought you might leave if I didn’t come soon. ……”

She said, “Huff.., huff…” in a voice that sounded like she was exhaling after a run, and it made me lightheaded. Like, even her breathing is cute…..No, my thoughts are going in the wrong direction.

“I’m not going to leave after I called you. I’ll wait for you properly.”

I’ll be waiting even if the sun goes down, even if summer vacation comes, even if the school closes, even if thousands of years go by and the human race is destroyed.

“Yeah, but, because, sooner…….”

“Calm down, sit down and catch your breath.”

I was a little depressed when Saionji-san declared that she hated me for some reason, but it couldn’t be helped. I’ve always been one of those people who find it odd to be surrounded by girls.

But no matter who dislikes me, I still have Hiria-chan. That’s why I didn’t feel so depressed. I have someone who understands me. She’s cute and the best. Even if the person on the other side of the bookshelf is a wild hippopotamus or a civet with a cute voice, I feel like I would still love her.

“Mast.”

“Uh, tomato!”

“Tofu!”

“Mmm, Fundoshi!” (TN: Fundoshi – loin cloth for males)

Having a conversation amid fluffy thoughts, I was playing Shiritori with Hiria-chan.

“H, Hiria-chan, do you know about Fundoshi ……?”

“eh, Nekura-kun, are you familiar with Fundoshi?”

“I thought girls didn’t know about it…….”

“Nekura-kun, do you know anything about bras?”

“Nah, br……!　Not that I don’t know…… only by name …… just by name!”

“You know, ……. Nekura-kun, you have a skewed image of girls. Don’t you have any girls around you that much?”

“There are girls in my class, so I kind of hear about them. …… No one ever talks about fundoshi. ……”

“Yeah, I guess that’s true. Sorry.”

“No, but I’m pretty sure I’m biased.”

“Is there anything else like that?”

“eh…”

“What else do you think girls do differently than guys?”

“eh, not so much. Like …… not puking.”

“Of course, they puke!　What outrageous things are you saying?”

“What, you girls puke?”

“How can I not puke? If I get sick, I’ll throw up in a big pile!　…… You’re not serious, are you?”

“Well, yes. If you think about it, we’re all humanoids, homo sapiens, so it’s probably more natural for us to throw up as part of our body functions. ……”

If you ask me if I was serious, it’s not that I really thought so. It was more like I couldn’t vaguely imagine it. I thought girls were some other kind of creature. In fact, it might have been more like I didn’t want her to throw up or something like that. I was under the illusion. I was so embarrassed when a girl pointed it out to me.

“But I used to think men didn’t wear underwear.”

“Why?”

“In dramas and movies, people pee standing up and unzipping their pants, so I kind of went with that thought…….”

Hiria-chan said with a giggle.

It’s cute. What a cute misunderstanding.

I mean, Hiria-chan has been saying a lot of ridiculous words like vomit, bra, and pee in her cute voice. I’ve been talking to girls around me for over a year, and I’ve never heard any of these words. I thought girls didn’t say such things.

But I’m not disappointed at all, in fact, I feel like I’m benefitting from it.

Hiria-chan is probably cute even when she vomits. I think the vomit itself is cute too. Not only was my fantasy not shattered, but it was spreading in an unexpected direction. No, my tendencies are normal. I am a man with boring tendencies. It’s just that Hiria-chan is too cute.

“That’s right!　Nekura-kun, you ……”

“eh?”

“It’s nothing.”

“Come on, say it.”

” No…… I’m not going to ask this question. Well, I want to know a little bit more about you, Nekura-kun. …… or so I thought. But that’s a problem right ……”

This is not a problem, but it is a problem. It’s just too cute. As my head started to spin and I couldn’t even breathe, a panicked voice came from behind the bookshelf.

“So, sorry!　I’m not asking!　I won’t ask you. ……”

“eh”

“I’m not going to ask you any unnecessary questions. …… Will you continue to see me as a friend like this?”

I slammed my head hard against the wall opposite the bookshelf. I don’t know why I did it, but it was the only way I could calm down. There was a dull thud.

“Nekura-kun?　Nekura-kun?”

I heard a rising sound and an anxious voice from behind the bookshelf. I hurriedly opened my mouth.

“Oh, I’m sorry!　I almost fainted. I really enjoy talking to you, and I’d like to meet you again in the future, and I’ll answer any questions you have.”

The presence on the other side moved again. I felt like she was sitting down again. I also heard her exhale.

I said that I would answer any questions, but in the end, I didn’t get any questions.

Instead, all I heard was, “It’s almost summer vacation”.

“Oh, well, there’s still a lot of time left …….”

It seemed a bit early to be talking about it, but I wondered if it was to cover up something.

“I’m glad for the summer vacation, but I’m going to miss seeing you, Nekura-kun. ……”

“E ~h?”

“Because I mostly come to school to see you, Nekura-kun!”

“E~eh?　You know this personality of mine, and yet you still say that to me ?”

“I like your personality a lot, Nekura-kun.”

“Goffu!”

Me too. I like you so much too!　I can’t tell you though.

In this situation where you can’t see my face, you like my personality. Can I just assume that means you like me?　Is it wrong?　What do you think?　Warako-chan!

Warako-chan said, [Souji-kun, you’re so disgusting!] with a flat intonation and a shake, and I regained some of my composure.

[The other side is clearly saying that you are friends, and since they are not aware of you as a person of the opposite sex, they can say such things without hesitation, understand?　You get it, then die. Creepy guy-! ]

Warako-chan made me calm down. She usually only says things like, [I’m going to have a parfait,]. But only when she’s trying to shatter my hopes, does she use an uncharacteristic argument to verbally attack me.

Stay calm. Calmly. I’ll just tell her that I like her as a friend without being conscious of it.

“M, me too, Hir…….”

I like your character, Hiria-chan. I’ve never said anything like that to a girl before, so I ended up sounding like an old man screaming. But the message seemed to have been conveyed well enough.

I could hear the rustling of her clothes on the other side of the bookshelf as she shuffled about.

“Wah~ …… I’m happy ……”

Cute …….

I buried my face in my lap and hid it, even though she couldn’t even see it.

I feel like it’s time for us to be normal friends.

But the fact that I had to hide my appearance made it even harder to do so. And I’m making myself look bad. She’s so friendly with me, but if she finds out who I am, a girl like Hiria-chan might shrivel up and not treat me the same way.

Does she know me as Sakura and not Nekura? If she does, does she have a bad impression of me? I don’t know about that either. I have many concerns.

And no matter what our impressions of each other are, I have a feeling that the relationship will definitely change. A conversation with just a voice, in a somewhat anonymous state, and a conversation in which both parties recognize each other’s appearance may seem close, but they are completely different.

And first of all, it’s not just me, it’s her too.

I swallowed a mouthful of saliva and opened my mouth.

“Hiria-chan, do you want to know my name or …..see my face ……?”

The question was met with a long silence.

“….I’d like to know……, but I’m afraid I’ll disappoint you because my image doesn’t match your image of me, so …… it is fine.”

“No, that’s not ……!”

“And …….”

“Eh?”

“I’m kind of embarrassed…..for now, it is fine”

A gasp escaped my lips. My face was hot, even my ears. What the heck is this? What is it?