Chapter 44 Is the destination of awakening… Shuraba’
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
”No way. Why am I with this guy?”
Riko was the first to answer
And she continued to say, “That’s impossible” while taking a bite of the pizza in her hand
Aika then stared at her for a while, and then said quietly
”Earlier, when you took out Izumi-kun’s pajamas, you didn’t hesitate, did you?”
”No”
”Besides, Riko-chan and Izumi-kun smelled the same. You took a shower earlier and carefully wiped Izumi-kun’s body too”
”…Ugh”
Really, she is sharp. Very careful
By the way, Maria also pointed out the smell. Riko must have been concerned about it, but taking a shower might have had the opposite effect
…Well, maybe there’s no more cover
If that’s the case, how much should she know?
She won’t believe it if Chihiro says it’s a Master-slave relationship..
So, he glanced at Riko
She met Chihiro’s gaze and gave a small nod
”…It’s true that I’m not dating Izumi. And I don’t have any plans to go out with him”
”So, is it just a physical relationship?”
Aika’s guess is correct in a way
But Riko shook her head
”No. I don’t want to go out with Izumi, but that doesn’t mean I don’t have feelings for him”
”Eh?”
The two looked at Riko curiously as she raised her voice
(…I never thought Riko would say that much)
From the way she’s been acting lately, Chihiro knew she didn’t hate him. At the same time, he didn’t think she really liked him
After all, it’s normal, considering how the two of them have been together
”Sorry, I don’t understand”
Aika dropped her hands to her knees and looked down
The relationship that Chihiro, Riko, and Maria had developed is completely different from that of a normal relationship. It would be difficult for Aika, who walked in the sunshine and light, to understand if he explained to her about training and SM
Still, Riko said without stopping to eat
”It’s okay if you don’t understand. Just remember, I’m not forcing you. As long as you understand that much”
”…Riko-chan”
Chihiro did not know much about the relationship between Aika and Riko
From what he’s learned from them, they don’t have a very deep relationship. For Riko, she is just a classmate, and they are incompatible
To Aika, Riko may be a friend, but..
”Izumi-kun…”
Aika’s gaze turned to Chihiro again
The expression on her face was one of confusion rather than disgust. Perhaps it was because she hadn’t fully understood the conversation yet
”Yesterday, when you told me you liked me, was that a lie?”
Chihiro felt a stab in his heart
Yes. It was only yesterday that Chihiro had made a sort of confession to Aika
So many things had happened that he had forgotten about it – although he’s sure Aika had been in a similar state of mind just now
But Chihiro opened his mouth to answer Aika’s question
”Eh, what? When did he say that?”
Riko stared at her. Aika quickly answers
”We met in the corridor after school. To be precise, when I asked him if “he liked me”, he said “it was too late””
”Hmm, I see”
For some reason, Riko was instantly in no mood to respond to Aika
”So, what did Takatsuki-san say?”
Riko asked, tilting her glass of malt tea. It was girl talk, or frank talk, or something like that, but to Chihiro, it was a needle in a haystack
”Well…I haven’t answered. I was so surprised when he suddenly told me that, so I just ran away”
Aika’s cheeks puffed lightly
Chihiro got a reproachful glare from her
”It was tough, you know. I couldn’t concentrate on anything after that. I couldn’t even taste my dinner”
”I-I’m sorry.”
”It’s true, you know”
Chihiro apologized and he sighed
…So this is the kind of girl Takatsuki Aika is. He thought she was the type of girl who would never say bad things about others, but apparently she can be quite outspoken
”I thought you were troubled all night, but you collapsed in the park. I told you not to do anything rash. …But now you’re acting like this out of the blue, I don’t understand anymore”
”…I’m sorry”
Chihiro didn’t have any words to reply
He stepped back a little from the table, put his hands on the floor, and bowed his head
He apologized for confessing so suddenly, for bothering her with the treatment, and for the confusion he had caused her
”But, what I said yesterday is true. I like you, Takatsuki-san”
This is the first time he has ever said this
Of course, he’s embarrassed, but it’s a little late for that
After all, right now is the only time he has a chance to say it
”……”
There was no reply from Aika
He wonders what expression she has on her face
”Okay, stop, don’t look up”
”――-“
Chihiro doesn’t know why Riko said that to him
But she’s right. Chihiro has no right to do that now
Just wait
He has to wait until he gets some kind of answer from Aika
”It was my first time. That’s the first time someone’s said that to me”
”Huh? But, what about Kamishiro?”
”That was just, “I like you and I want you to go out with me”, right? But the first time was when you just said “I like you””
It’s true that at that time, Chihiro didn’t expect anything in return
He simply didn’t have the psychological capacity to do so. The main reason was that Chihiro was not looking for a relationship with Aika, but Aika seemed to take it differently
”What does Izumi-kun want with me? I didn’t know what Izumi-kun wanted me to do, and the more I thought about it, the more it became all about Izumi-kun.”
…It’s like..
It’s as if she’s saying she didn’t disapprove of Chihiro’s words
”You know, Takatsuki-san is the type of person who would fall for a bad guy”
”But, Riko-chan, what are you thinking? I mean, is he saying mean things to me on purpose?”
”No way. I don’t care what happens to Takatsuki-san with Izumi. Even if I realize it now, it’s too late for me”
”Too late, huh?”
Unable to look up, the girls exchanged words with Chihiro in the background
And then
”Hey, Izumi-kun”
Aika looked at Chihiro, who looked up, with eyes filled with mixed emotions
”Why don’t you show me what you do with Riko-chan?”
It took a few seconds for Chihiro to understand the meaning of what was said
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