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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Nekorune
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Ding-dong!
The sharp sound of the doorbell pierced my ears.
I carefully finished brushing my teeth and limped towards the front door.
My pace was slow. Perhaps because of that, the doorbell rang again.
Ding-dong!
“Matsuda-kun?”
Miyuki’s sweet voice… It was always so pleasant to hear.
I wanted to smile, but the pain in my ribs prevented me from doing so.
I finally reached the door and opened it, leaning against the pillars for support.
Click…
“Matsuda-kun, did you oversleep…?”
Miyuki, who had entered with a bright smile, was startled to see my bruised and swollen face.
“Aah!”
“Whoa! Miyuki! You scared me!”
Miyuki stumbled back in fright, and Tetsuya, startled by her reaction, followed suit.
They were reacting as if they had just entered a haunted house. I hadn’t expected this.
“M-Matsuda-kun…! What happened!? What’s going on!?”
Thankfully, she quickly switched to concern.
I let out a weak laugh.
“Come in…”
“W-What happened to your face…? What did you do yesterday…?”
“Just come in…”
I dragged my feet and stumbled towards the living room.
I groaned as I struggled to climb onto the veranda, using my hands for support. Miyuki quickly took off her shoes and tried to help me up.
I slowly waved my hand, refusing her assistance, and leaned against the living room wall.
Miyuki crouched down in front of me and examined my injuries.
“Oh my… you’re covered in bruises… and there’s a blister here… it looks like it’s slightly torn…”
I stared at Miyuki, who was fidgeting nervously, and pointed at a closet in the corner.
“There’s a first-aid kit in there. Can you put some bandages on my wounds?”
“This looks like something that needs to be checked at a hospital, not just bandages… B-But okay. Wait here…”
Miyuki hurriedly opened the closet and searched for the first-aid kit.
Tetsuya approached and looked at me with a worried expression.
I nonchalantly gestured towards him with my chin.
“Let’s get your hair cut another time. I’m tired.”
“Dude… I don’t think that’s important right now… You look really bad…”
“I’ll be fine. I’m tough.”
Miyuki, who had sat down with the first-aid kit, scolded me.
“If you were so tough, you wouldn’t have all these bruises…! Can you lift your head?”
“Like this…?”
“Yes, stay still.”
Miyuki took out alcohol swabs and disinfectant from the kit and dipped a cotton swab in the disinfectant. She moved closer to me.
Miyuki’s breasts loomed larger in my vision.
The scent of fabric softener from her clothes filled my senses.
“This might sting a little.”
It would have been nice if she just used her fingers to apply it.
“Okay… Aaaaaargh…!!”
I was about to obediently reply when a sharp sting above my eyebrow made me scream.
Miyuki looked at me with a disappointed expression.
“I barely even touched you…”
“Didn’t you just apply disinfectant?”
“I did, but just a tiny bit. It’s barely noticeable.”
“…Really…? Try again.”
“Okay. This time, try to endure the pain.”
I’ll do my best.
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“Now tell me. How did this happen?”
Miyuki asked after she had finally finished treating my wounds after what seemed like an eternity.
She wasn’t immediately asking if I had gotten into a fight.
This meant that Miyuki trusted me to some extent.
I gulped down the water Tetsuya had brought me and asked,
“Can you keep this a secret?”
“You mean, don’t tell the teachers?”
“Yes.”
“So it was something related to the academy?”
“Kind of. Do you know Shimoyama? Shimoyama Akiro?”
Miyuki tilted her head.
Tetsuya, on the other hand, seemed slightly scared at the mention of the name.
“Shimoyama Akiro…? Are you talking about Shimoyama Akiro-senpai, the second-year?”
Tetsuya interjected.
I remained silent, confirming his assumption.
Miyuki’s eyes widened as if she had figured something out.
“Ah…! I think I’ve heard of him…! He’s that second-year troublemaker… Why? Did he hit you? For no reason?”
“There was a reason. Yesterday…”
I recounted everything that had happened after I parted ways with them yesterday, without holding anything back.
Tetsuya tried to ask something in the middle, but he shut his mouth when Miyuki glared at him.
Serves you right for trying to interrupt.
After listening to my entire story with a serious expression, Miyuki spoke.
“So, to summarize… you refused to pick a fight with the students from Inagi Academy, and Shimoyama Akiro resorted to violence? And you just stood there and took it?”
“Yes.”
“…I understand. First of all, I want to commend you.”
“For what…?”
“You endured it even though you had every right to be angry. The old Matsuda-kun would have fought back the moment he was hit. You weren’t just standing there because you were scared of him because he’s your senior, were you?”
“Do I look like I’d be scared of that scrawny skeleton? I just avoided him because he’s disgusting.”
“Yes, that’s what I meant. You’re definitely changing, Matsuda-kun. I’m really happy.”
I’m happy you said that.
I tried to scratch my head out of embarrassment, but a sharp pain shot through my ribs as I raised my arm, and I winced.
“Does it hurt a lot? Do you want to go to the hospital?”
“What hospital? I checked, and nothing seems to be broken. I’ll be fine in a few days.”
“How do you know? I think it’s best to get it checked out, just in case.”
“I’ll go on my own.”
“You won’t.”
“Anyway, please don’t tell the teachers, okay?”
Miyuki let out a small sigh as I forcibly changed the subject.
“I wish you would tell them… It’s not just about him hitting you… but also about him trying to instigate a group fight with another academy… It’s too much.”
“Just don’t tell them.”
“Why? Why not?”
Tetsuya answered for me.
“Matsuda is worried about us getting involved.”
“What does that mean?”
“Think about it. If we tell the teachers, they’ll investigate and severely punish Shimoyama-senpai and everyone involved. What do you think those students will do after being punished? They’ll try to find out who ratted them out.”
Naturally, they would suspect me first, since I was the one who refused his order, and they would come after me.
And if I didn’t talk, they would start targeting my friends.
Of course, they didn’t know that Miyuki, Tetsuya, and I were studying together, but I was being cautious because I couldn’t predict how things would unfold.
Miyuki bit her lower lip after hearing Tetsuya’s explanation.
“Is that really why you’re asking us not to tell anyone?”
“Figure it out yourselves. I’ll handle the club situation, so don’t worry about it. I was honest with you because I trust you, so you should trust me too. Even if I haven’t been the most trustworthy guy you know.”
I meant it.
If Miyuki got involved, things could escalate quickly.
It was best to use my connection with the club solely for affection points and then cut ties, and I was confident I could do that.
Because the third-year leader, who is the true head of the Supreme Circle, is a relatively decent dude.
He might have looked like a typical villain in a school setting, but he actually had a good personality and was pretty cool.
He used to cause trouble in his first and second year, but he had somewhat cleaned up his act in his third year.
He was a walking cliché.
Still, he was a delinquent, so I would have to expect some backlash if I declared my intention to quit in front of him.
“Can you do that for me?”
Miyuki’s eyes wavered at my sincere request.
You saw the look on my face when I made up my mind earlier, didn’t you?
So please, just let it go.
Did my wish come true?
Miyuki gave a tiny nod.
“…Okay. I will. And we trust you, Matsuda-kun. You’re mistaken if you think you’re not trustworthy.”
She even said that… My luck was overflowing today.
I felt an immense sense of accomplishment.
Maybe… getting beaten up wasn’t so bad after all…
“Good. Now let’s study.”
“How can you study in your condition… You should rest. We’ll clean up.”
“Clean up?”
“There’s blood everywhere. We need to clean it up quickly before it stains the tatami.”
My Miyuki was incredibly resourceful.
That’s why I loved her so much.
With each passing day, the urge to bury my face in her chest grew stronger.
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Miyuki seemed worried about me, lying motionless on my side in the corner.
“Are you sure you don’t need to go to the hospital?”
She kept asking me that while cleaning.
I wanted to go to the hospital alone with Miyuki too, so it was time to drop a hint.
“I said I’m not going… It’s embarrassing to go to the hospital for something like this…”
“That’s such a pointless reason to be embarrassed…? What if it gets worse? We’re done cleaning, so stop lying there and let’s go. I’ll call a taxi. Tetsuya-kun, you can go home first.”
I knew Miyuki, who hated inconveniencing others, would say that to Tetsuya.
Even if they were childhood friends, she wouldn’t want to drag him into this.
“Huh? I can go with you…”
Tetsuya was trying to interfere again.
I wanted to tell him to just go away.
He was passive, so he would probably leave if Miyuki insisted, but still.
“No, it might take a while, so it’s best if you go home, Tetsuya-kun.”
“Really…? Okay. I’ll just finish this and then leave.”
I voiced my complaint, listening to their conversation.
“I never said I was going, and you two are already making plans.”
“Matsuda-kun.”
Miyuki’s voice was sharp as she placed her hands on her hips.
I pretended to be resigned and replied sullenly,
“Alright, fine. I’ll go. I said I’ll go. Stop looking at me like that.”
“This is the only way to get you to listen.”
“The nagging…”
I grumbled and turned to Tetsuya after he finished cleaning his assigned area.
“Thanks, Miura.”
“No problem. It’s only natural to help out. I’ll be going now. Miyuki, I’m leaving, okay?”
Miyuki, who was checking the location of the taxi on her phone, replied,
“Okay. Get home safe, I’ll call you later.”
Don’t call him. Stop giving him false hope.
After sending Tetsuya off, we received a notification that the taxi had arrived and started getting ready to leave.
I struggled to put on my shoes and used my hands to push myself off the veranda. Miyuki asked worriedly,
“Do you need help?”
“No, I can walk.”
“You were stumbling a lot earlier… Here, take my hand.”
What?
I perked up my ears and stood still. Miyuki stood in front of me and held out both hands.
“Take it. You might fall. I’ll help you keep your balance.”
Miyuki probably thought she was just helping out a friend, but depending on what I said, the mood could change drastically.
This was an opportunity I had to seize.
Calming my nerves, I slowly reached out and placed my hand on hers.
Even though I had just washed my hands with cold water, hers were warm.
Did she have a high body temperature?
I imagined how wonderful it would be to cuddle with her under a thick blanket in winter.
I carefully matched her pace as she walked backwards, and I said in the most gentlemanly voice I could muster,
“Your hand is so warm…”
“What?”
“I said, your hand is so warm.”
“…Really…?”
Miyuki’s head dipped ever so slightly, almost imperceptibly.
It seemed like there was a faint blush on her cheeks… I wanted to stare intently and confirm it, but I had to hold back.
Instead, let’s check her reaction another way.
I continued walking towards the front gate, looking at the ground and her hand, and asked,
“Well, I suppose my hand must feel cold to you.”
“…Y-Yes… They feel a little cold…”
She hesitated for a moment before answering in a small voice. It seemed like my plan was working.
I wanted to squeeze her hand tightly, but that would only hurt her, so I would just cheer internally.
We navigated the strangely charged atmosphere and exited the house, getting into the waiting taxi.
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It sounds like some things are broken.