I’m a Shy Loner and I Was Confessed to by a Beautiful Girl Who Has All the Boys in School Smitten, but It Turned Out to Be a ‘Fake Confession,’ So I Politely Declined. As a Result, I Ended Up Learning About Her Hidden Side and She Started to Cling to Me

“Ughhhh…!!”

I was sulking alone on my bed in my room.

I can’t move due to muscle soreness all over my body…!!

The cause is probably the basketball game I had with Kaneda yesterday.

My body is paying the price today for moving so much after such a long time…!!

Normally, my mother would chide me for skipping school over something as trivial as muscle soreness, but no one’s home. Actually, my family is almost never home, so it’s almost like living alone.

Honestly, I could just skip school.

But skipping school over mere muscle soreness… Wait, I feel like I might have a fever.

I should measure my temperature just in case.

36.6 degrees Celsius.

Normal.

Even if it’s normal, my body is in pain, and I really can’t move. If I force myself to go to school, I might cause trouble for the teacher and my friend Kuromiya.

So, yeah… can’t be helped. I’ll skip school today.

After managing to make a phone call to the school, I was told to take care.

Just making a call felt like a huge achievement.

Ah, the joy of having a day off and the guilt of skipping school for something so minor are flooding in.

Such mixed feelings.

With that in mind, I spent the day lazily binge-watching anime on TV while munching on snacks and sipping juice on the sofa.

When I look outside, it’s already evening. School’s out, and everyone’s going home.

Suddenly, Kuromiya’s face comes to mind.

Is she… worried about me?

Ah, the guilt that had disappeared is coming back.

Ding-dong.

The intercom rings.

At this time, it’s probably a delivery or something.

“Coming!”

I open the door and find Kuromiya standing there, a bag and a plastic bag slung over her shoulder, with her hands on her hips.

“…Hello.”

As I bow my head slightly and try to close the door, my arm is suddenly grabbed, stopping me.

“Oh? You look pretty lively, don’t you, Sato-kun?”

Kuromiya is smiling, but her grip is getting stronger.

Uh-oh!! This is bad; she was actually worried about me! She’s smiling, but she’s really mad inside.

“Sato-kun, can I come in for a bit?”

Kuromiya is emitting her usual business smile and a sweet voice.

This is that smile that says, “You know what will happen if you say no, right?”

“Please, come in.”

There’s no other choice but to let Kuromiya in.

“Wait, you skipped school just because of muscle soreness?”

“Well… yes.”

I honestly told Kuromiya why I skipped school today. She’s sitting on my bed with her arms and legs crossed, and I’m sitting properly on the floor.

It’s exactly the same situation as yesterday.

“Sato-kun…! Do you know how worried I was? And you skip school over simple muscle soreness… that’s terrible.”

Ouch!!

She’s obviously fake-crying, but her words hit home so hard I can’t say anything back.

“Ah… I worried for nothing. I even bought sports drinks, medicine, and stuff. What a waste.”

She muttered this while looking at the plastic bag on my desk.

“Ah, um, I’ll gladly buy them from you.”

“Really? That’ll be 5000 yen.”

“…What? Is it that expensive? Can I see the receipt?”

“The medicine and stuff cost around 1000 yen, and my worry fee is 4000 yen. So, 5000 yen in total.”

That’s a rip-off.

For now, I handed her 1000 yen. The medicine, sports drinks, and porridge could come in handy someday.

“By the way, bringing a girl into your room right away? What are you thinking?”

“Huh?”

“Not ‘huh.’ Normally, I’d be on guard, thinking you might do something creepy.”

True, she has a point.

There’s a room on the first floor that I absolutely do not want anyone to enter. It’s my pit of dark history that I never want to be discovered.

So I invited her to my room on the second floor… but I wasn’t considerate enough toward Kuromiya, or any girl for that matter.

“Well, just don’t do it with anyone other than me.”

Kuromiya graced me with these very kind words.

“Oh, as if you have anyone else to do it with.”

And she followed up with very rude words.

“Ah, I know this manga. It’s popular now, right? Yoink.”

Kuromiya excitedly grabbed four volumes of manga from my bookshelf and began reading while sprawled on my bed.

Is this your house? I wanted to say as she made herself comfortable.

But for some reason… seeing a beautiful girl from my class lying on my bed feels somewhat erotic.

Wait!! What am I thinking?!

I shake my head to dispel the impure thoughts. Kuromiya seems to have no intention of leaving anytime soon. With no other choice, I also picked up some manga from the floor and started reading.

We each read our favorite books, quietly passing the time. There’s no awkwardness in this silence.

…Ah, I see. So this is what it’s like to have a friend.

When I finished reading a satisfying part and looked at Kuromiya, she was engrossed in her book while leaning against the wall on my bed.

…Her underwear is showing.

…White, huh?

I imagined it would be black. Because she’s Kuromiya.

If I mention this, I’ll definitely get killed.

What should I do? Should I tell her?

“Kuromiya, your underwear has been showing for a while now.”

“…!?”

Now, what’s going to fly at me? Insults? A fist? A foot? Or maybe a manga? I’m ready for anything.

Bring it on!

“…You should’ve told me sooner. Idiot.”

She said, her face turning red with embarrassment, as she looked away.

…I’d rather she had just punched me.