Living with the Arrogant Queen from High School is Surprisingly Not Uncomfortable

I walked along the Rainbow Bridge, with Megumi clinging to me.

Megumi had been trembling and just keeping pace with me seemed to take all her effort.

“Are you okay?”

“I… I can’t handle heights…”

“Why did you come then?”

Apparently, Megumi has a mild fear of heights. No, seriously, why did she force herself to come up here then?

Looking at the trembling Megumi, I wondered.

“Ah.”

Well, if she can make progress by clinging to me, then this is fine for now.

Thinking this, I looked at the buildings in downtown Tokyo that spread out beyond the iron fence.

High-rise buildings lined up layer upon layer. Among them stood the bright red radio tower, Tokyo Tower.

It’s a sight that you won’t often have a chance to see in the countryside.

“Hey, Megumi, look at this.”

The sidewalk diverted to avoid the columns that supported the enormous Rainbow Bridge, and at that part, instead of the iron grating, there were railings.

I stopped to look at the Tokyo cityscape and leaned against the railing.

“Don’t stop!”

Megumi shouted.

“Why did you really come here?”

I retorted.

Taking a closer look, Megumi had her eyes tightly shut, refusing to look around. A slight tremor caused her body to shudder, and a thin layer of sweat glistened on her forehead.

Was she really that bad?

…Seriously, why did she come?

Helplessly, I started walking again. The strength of Megumi’s grip on my arm was gradually increasing.

“Ugh…”

As we walked, Megumi moaned softly.

At first, I thought she might be feeling nauseous, but that didn’t seem to be the case.

Perhaps she felt guilty for acting like this despite choosing to come here herself.

Looking down, the waters of Tokyo Bay were, as always, a murky brown. Several ships were cutting through the murky water.

…Speaking of which, there should be a water bus that goes from Asakusa through the Sumida River to Odaiba. I remember enjoying a cruise around Yokohama Port once; maybe I should try that again sometime.

“Kyaa!”

Next to me, as I was enjoying the view, Megumi let out a scream as if she’d just found a murdered body.

…Really, she shouldn’t have said she wanted to come if she was going to be like this.

I felt a bit dumbfounded by her behavior, but then I remembered that Megumi was forcing herself to accompany me to the places I wanted to go.

“Megumi.”

“…What?”

“We’ve barely made any progress since earlier.”

“…I’m sorry.”

“I’m not angry.”

“I’m sorry.”

Her apology probably wasn’t about our lack of progress.

“Do you want a piggyback ride?”

“Huh?”

“Should I carry you? At least that way, you won’t feel the bridge swaying. You can keep your eyes closed, and it won’t be dangerous.”

Megumi finally opened her eyes.

She stared at me, her mouth half-open.

“…Um. Um um um… no, I can’t!”

“…I see. You can’t, huh?”

Then it couldn’t be helped.

I thought it was a good idea, though.

“Eh, why do you give up so quickly?”

Megumi whispered, her face on the verge of tears.

I mean, what does she want? I wanted to complain again, but I refrained because I feared it might make her cry.

Seeing Megumi throwing a tantrum, considering her past reputation as a “queen,” I kind of wanted to see it.

“Come on, get on.”

I decided to just carry her without asking.

I crouched in front of her and turned my back to her.

Megumi hesitated for a moment.

“…Is it really okay?”

“Yeah.”

“But I just had lunch, I might be heavy.”

“It’s okay.”

“But…”

What cut off her never-ending hesitations was a car that passed by us on the adjacent road at a speed exceeding the legal limit.

Startled by the loud noise, Megumi clung to my back and, after a while, she entrusted her body to me.

“Here we go.”

“Eek!”

Another scream leaked from Megumi.

She pressed her body tightly against mine.

“…D-Don’t shake too much.”

“Ah, sorry.”

“Mm.”

“…Shall we go?”

“Mm.”

Trying not to be conscious of Megumi’s warmth, I started walking slowly.