A Love Longed for the Tiger Lily (GL) - Chapter 11

“You were such a hassle to deal with.”

Stop.

“Don’t come near me anymore. You’re disgusting.”

Please… stop.

“You’re too much.”

Stop it…!!

＊＊＊

“Haa… haa… haa…”

That was the worst dream.

It’s been a while since I’ve had that one. I thought they had stopped. But now it’s back, and the fear that I’ll see it again if I fall asleep keeps me from closing my eyes.

The clock points to four.

Waking up this early on a day without school just feels like a loss. My body, which had been burning up moments ago, is now chilled from the sweat that’s cooled on my skin.

The sun rises early in summer. Outside the window, the sky is already beginning to brighten, even though it’s far too early for anyone to be awake.

“…Haa.”

Regret swirls through my head like a storm cloud, and all I can do is sigh.

I traced my lips with my finger.

I don’t usually touch them consciously, so I couldn’t even tell if they felt like they normally do.

I don’t even understand why I acted like that yesterday.

I just wanted to know—that’s all.

I just wanted to find out at what point my gynophobia would kick in with Taniguchi-san.

I kissed her so suddenly. Of course she must have found it disgusting. Just thinking about her still being in this house makes it hard to breathe—I stop unconsciously, my chest tightening.

That’s probably why I had that nightmare.

To calm myself down, I decided to get some water and forced my stiff, freezing body to move.

At this hour, I probably wouldn’t run into Taniguchi-san. But since it’s a day off, she’ll likely be home all day. That thought alone made my mood sink.

Today—no, from now on—I don’t want to see her.

After what I did, how could I possibly face her?

I opened the door quietly, making sure not to make a sound, and walked to the living room. Just as I opened the cupboard to grab a glass, the last voice I wanted to hear reached my ears.

“Sayo, you’re up early. Morning.”

My hand froze. I clutched the empty glass, unable to move.

Taniguchi-san, who never wakes up before 8 on weekends, was somehow already in the living room—without even turning on the lights.

Maybe… I’m still dreaming?

“……”

“Are you ignoring me?”

Wearing pajamas, her hair straight from bed, she spoke as if nothing had happened. She even smiled at me, like always.

Maybe for someone like her, who’s dated so many people, what happened yesterday meant nothing—easier than filling a glass of water.

Even now, in moments like this, she shows how unshakable she is—and it annoys me.

“…Good morning.”

I said it in the most displeased tone I could manage, without even looking at her. I hoped my irritation would come through.

“No need to sound that obviously grumpy.”

Taniguchi-san replied cheerfully, maybe even more brightly than usual. Why is she so unfazed? It makes all the time I spent worrying feel ridiculous.

“So… it wasn’t a big deal to you, huh, Taniguchi-san?”

“…Huh?”

I turned to head back to my room, but she stepped in front of me.

“I figured you might not want to talk about it, so I didn’t bring it up—but deep down, you kind of wanted to talk about it, didn’t you?”

I looked up at her—taller than me—and saw a smirk on her face. It wasn’t a warm smile. It was teasing.

She really is unfazed.

It’s infuriating.

“…Didn’t you think it was gross?”

I’m disgusting. I didn’t mean to ask, but I wanted her to deny it. I wanted her to tell me I wasn’t disgusting.

I’m scared…

If she says it was gross, I’ll have to leave this house immediately.

I can’t trouble her any more than I already have—and I don’t want to let my heart get any more wounded than it already is.

“Wanna do it again?”

Startled, I looked up—and there she was. The same old Taniguchi-san.

That expression of hers stirred up a mess of emotions inside me. Relief tangled with irritation, and it all got muddled together.

But I could tell—she wasn’t just teasing. She was serious.

And for some reason, that calmed me.

If she’s willing to do it again, then it means she didn’t think it was gross. At least… that’s what I want to believe.

“…You’re such a pervert, Taniguchi-san.”

Leaving the grinning pervert behind, I headed back to my room.

Even though it’s summer break and I don’t have anything I have to do…

No—that’s not true. I have plenty.

I’m a third-year student. I have to study for entrance exams.

There’s so much I need to do, and yet somehow my heart feels strangely at ease. I’m still afraid of dreaming again, but before I knew it, I had fallen onto my bed.

※※※

Knock, knock, knock

“Sayo, breakfast time?”

I must’ve fallen asleep without realizing it.

That same voice from earlier reaches my ears again.

Taniguchi-san is still acting completely normal—just like always.

Because she acted so normally, my plan to stay curled up in bed all day completely fell apart.

When I opened the door, Taniguchi-san was there, waiting patiently as always.

“It’s you again. Want to eat breakfast?”

How long was she planning to wait if I didn’t come out?
Rather than respond, I avoided her gaze and headed to the living room.

On the table were nicely toasted slices of bread, along with scrambled eggs, cheese, tuna, and other toppings to mix and match. Butter and jam were there, too—of course.

I sat down at the dining table, and naturally, Taniguchi-san sat across from me.

It’s always like this.

And yet my heart felt like it was going to burst from my chest.

“Itadakimasu!”

“…Itadakimasu.”

We pressed our hands together and exchanged the customary phrase before a meal. Across from me, Taniguchi-san murmured to herself with a cheerful expression, wondering which topping to try first.

Maybe it was from the lack of sleep, but instead of feeling tired, I felt unusually hungry. I quietly started piling toppings onto my toast and eating.

“Don’t forget the salad, okay?”

Without being asked, she handed over a neatly prepared bowl of salad.
Unhappy, I accepted it anyway and chewed like some quiet herbivore.

Now… what should I put on my next slice of toast?

“Sayo, are you free tonight?”

I was just enjoying choosing toppings, but of course Taniguchi-san had to interrupt.

It’s not like I have any plans to hang out with friends.
Still, I didn’t want to be honest with her while she was acting so nonchalantly, so I made up an excuse—studying, of all things, even though I wasn’t concentrating at all.

“I’m a third-year, so I need to study.”

“I see… Then how about just one hour?”

“One hour?”

“Yeah. Is that okay?”

“What are we doing in that one hour?”

I had no idea what she meant, so I asked—but that turned out to be a mistake.

She rummaged around the shelf and pulled something out.

“Tadaa! I bought these. Let’s do fireworks together!”

I never said I would do fireworks with her—I just said I’d think about it.
And when did she even buy them…?

“The world’s so convenient now, right? They just happened to have them at the convenience store.”

She explained happily, smiling like a child.
Every so often, Taniguchi-san makes these expressions that are far too youthful for her age—and honestly, I kind of envy her for it.

“I’m going to study, so please do it alone.”

“Use it as a study break!”

“No thanks.”

“Boo, stingy!”

This grown woman literally puffed out her cheeks like a sulking child.
Why is she so desperate to do fireworks with me?

“Fine. I’ll really go do them by myself then.”

She suddenly gave me a sharp look—but even her glare had warmth in it, so it wasn’t intimidating at all.

“Go ahead.”

“…What would it take to get you to come? Why don’t you want to do fireworks so badly?”

It seems like she really isn’t going to give up.

I tried my best to think—though my brain wasn’t being particularly useful.

There’s no real benefit to doing fireworks.

I vaguely remember doing them once with my mother when I was little.
I don’t recall much from that day.

I’ve seen fireworks with Kaede at summer festivals too—but it never felt like anything special.

The only vivid memory I have of fireworks is when I did sparklers with everyone in the Taniguchi family.
Back then, it wasn’t the fireworks that felt beautiful—what made me happy was the simple fact that I was doing something with someone else during a lonely time in my life.

That’s why, to me, fireworks aren’t anything particularly meaningful.

“I just… don’t think fireworks are fun.”

I figured that was reason enough.
I didn’t believe Taniguchi-san was the kind of person to force someone into doing something they didn’t enjoy.

“Then that just means you have to do them with me.”

…Huh?

I looked over at her. Her smile was radiant.

She hadn’t listened to a word I said.

“Come do fireworks with me. I’ll make you think they’re fun.”

Where did she get that kind of confidence?

Still, she looked so happy—yesterday she was all anxious and unsure, but today she’s brimming with energy.

I really don’t understand this woman.

“…Haaah…”

“If you sigh that obviously, even an adult like me gets a little hurt, you know?”

“If you’re really an adult, then why are you being so pushy with someone younger just to do fireworks?”

“Ugh…”

“…Buy me a nice cake next time. Then I’ll do the fireworks.”

It’s not like I even like cake.
I just didn’t want to give in to her for free.
And maybe—just maybe—I was a little curious about where all that weird confidence of hers came from.

“Yay! I’ll get something extra delicious from the cake shop next time!”

She started cleaning up the breakfast dishes while swinging the bag of fireworks happily in her hand.