A Love Longed for the Tiger Lily (GL) - Chapter 16

Tonight, I had plans to go out drinking with my best friend, Koharu.
I was a little worried about leaving Sayo home alone, but I’d made her a warm dinner in advance, so I figured she’d be fine.

After all, she’s a high school student now.
If I worry too much, I’ll just come off as overbearing—and probably end up being resented for it.

This morning, when I told her I’d be out, her usually clouded expression seemed to lift just a little.
So maybe… she’s actually happier when I’m not around.

That thought stung, just a bit.

Since the day she bit me, Sayo seems to have been trying—maybe even making a genuine effort—to get used to being close to me as part of “treating” her phobia.

But her attempts so far have been limited to sitting on the sofa nearby or letting me hold her hand.

For someone who struggles to even talk to women, that may be a huge step forward.
But from my perspective, I can’t help wondering if it’s really enough.

Still, overthinking it won’t help anything, so I pushed the thoughts aside and decided to enjoy my time with Koharu.

“Cheers!”

I took a sip of my cold, smooth beer and let the bitterness settle into my body.

“It’s been, what, three years since you actually agreed to go drinking with me?”

“Haha… yeah.”

“You know, I never planned to eat you alive. I just wanted to hang out once in a while.”

For the past three years, I’d all but cut off ties with everyone but my family.
Back then, I really believed that if I had her, I didn’t need anything else.
Even when I was told to cut off my other relationships, I didn’t hesitate. Looking back… yeah, I was kind of reckless.

“But honestly, I thought you’d be way more broken up after the breakup.
You seem better than I expected. Happier, even.
Wait… did you get a new girlfriend or something?”

“Cough!”

I choked on my beer at the sudden question and wiped my mouth with the napkin as I looked at Koharu, deadpan.

“Of course not.”

“You say that, but you look totally flustered. What happened?”

She really is sharp—probably because she knows me so well.
There’s no point lying, and she’s one of the few people I actually trust.
So, I decided to tell her.

“I picked up a stray cat.”

A cat…?

No, more like a tiger. A feral one.

“A cat? You know they say starting to keep pets when you live alone is the beginning of the end, right? Are you okay?”

“Well… it’s more like a high schooler who’s like a cat is staying at my place.”

“…Huh!? A high schooler!?”

The woman sitting across from me—her red cheeks glowing from the alcohol, her stylish bob cut swaying—froze, her eyes widening.

Then came the suspicious stare.
I quickly realized I needed to clarify before she misunderstood.

“Don’t look at me like I’m some criminal! She’s my cousin.
Her mom—my aunt—left the country and dumped the kid on my mom.”

“…What kind of messed-up story is that?”

Well… when you think about it calmly, yeah—it is pretty bad.
I don’t know the full details, but apparently things weren’t going well between Sayo and her mom’s new husband.

I feel like it’s the adult’s job to make it work in those situations,
but I also know life isn’t always that simple. So I’ve stayed out of it.

Still, I can’t help thinking that’s probably one of the reasons Sayo became so emotionally closed off.

“She was staying at my mom’s place, but the air conditioner in her room broke.
So I was asked to take her in for a while. I’ve got a spare room anyway.”

“Gotcha. I mean… lucky you, right? Living with a high school girl.”

Koharu giggled teasingly, but she had no idea how rough it had been.

“She’s a really difficult kid. It’s been a lot.”

“High schoolers are all difficult.
I’m sure we were just as annoying from an adult’s perspective back then.”

True. Koharu always has a way of putting things in perspective.
She clapped her hands together and smirked at me.

“Well, just make sure you don’t do anything to her, okay?
Once she’s in college maybe, but until then, it’s illegal.”

“Wha—!? I would never do that!”

I panicked—but then I remembered.
She kissed me that one night.
Does that make me the bad one?

Does holding hands count as a red flag, too?

“You never know. These days, kids could accuse you of harassment for anything.”

“…”

“Haha! That scared look on your face is priceless.
But come on, it’s not like you’ve done anything weird… right?”

“…Y-Yeah.”

“What’s with that sketchy response?
Well, whatever. Just be careful, okay?
How long is she staying?”

“Until the end of this month.”

“So you’re gonna miss her when she’s gone, huh?”

“It’ll be nice to have the place to myself again.”

“Really?”

………………

I couldn’t answer right away.

This arrangement has an expiration date.
That’s been obvious from the start.

But… it turns out there’s a part of me that doesn’t want it to end.

I need to get back to living alone, sort through my feelings, and finally clean up the mess in that house.
I’ve been putting it off—because of Sayo.

No. Not because of her.

Because I used her as an excuse to avoid facing everything.

“Haah…”

“Don’t sigh like that.
She doesn’t have anywhere else to go, right?
Why don’t you take her in?”

“…Huh?”

“I mean, wouldn’t she feel more comfortable with you than with someone our moms’ age?”

“She hates me.”

“Doesn’t seem like it.
You look like you’ve been having a lot of fun lately.”

Koharu smiled brightly as she spoke to me.

Living with Sayo…?

No. There’s no reason for us to live together.

I shouldn’t even be thinking about that.

I downed the rest of my drink in one go, trying to drown the thought with it.

＊＊＊

I regretted drinking too much.

I wasn’t drunk enough to be staggering, but my legs were unsteady.
I could have just crashed at a hotel somewhere, but the thought of Sayo being alone—and maybe just a little lonely if I didn’t come back—nudged me toward home.

When I opened the door, I found the living room lights still on.

Why…?

I walked further in to find a girl sitting silently at the table, no TV on, just staring ahead.

“Why are you still up?”

She looked grumpier than usual as I tossed my question at her.
Was she waiting for me?
The hope bloomed before I could stop it.

“I just wasn’t tired.”

“You’re in high school, you should get to bed earlier.”

“You should too, Taniguchi-san.”

“This is normal for adults.”

I tried to speak with my usual tone, doing my best to hide the fact that I was tipsy.

“…So, what were you doing today?”

The sudden question made my heart throb in my chest.
Was Sayo actually curious about what I was doing?
The thought was strange—almost surreal.

“I went drinking with a friend. Her name’s Koharu.”

“I see.”

“That’s it? You asked, but you don’t sound interested.”

Her lack of reaction made it clear—she probably didn’t ask for any deeper reason.
Still… Sayo suddenly stepped closer and glared up at me.

Maybe I shouldn’t hope for more.
Normally, I’d never ask something like this, afraid of getting hurt.

But the alcohol made me bolder.

“…Were you up because you were worried about me?”

Even I knew how self-absorbed that sounded.

But if she was worried… that’d make me happy.

“…No.”

Her answer wasn’t what I hoped for.
But then I noticed—Sayo was gripping the hem of my shirt.

Why…?

Why would she do something like that?

Am I dreaming?

I couldn’t make sense of anything.
My thoughts were swirling like a blender making the world’s most confusing smoothie.

“Sayo…?”

She looked a little distressed.
I hadn’t meant to upset her.

“Next time, tell me what time you’ll be back. And tell me your plans more clearly.”

“Alright.”

The realization that Sayo had been thinking about me lit a spark of joy in my chest.

It’s true—I hadn’t told her my exact plans.
Maybe she stayed up because she was worried.

That thought made her seem so adorable to me.

“…What’s so funny?”

I must have smiled without realizing it.
Sayo scowled at me, visibly annoyed.
She really is a terribly awkward girl—but the kindness at her core hasn’t changed.

“You were worried, weren’t you? Thanks. Were you lonely?”

“I wasn’t worried. And I wasn’t lonely.”

Of course, she wouldn’t give me the answer I wanted.
But it didn’t matter.

At that moment… I wanted to feel her closer.

I didn’t know why.
Maybe it was maternal instinct, or something like it.

She just looked so sad—my body moved before I could think.

“…It’s okay if I’m a little forceful, right?”

I gently pulled her into a hug.
Her body felt small, fragile… and lonely.

I’m sorry for making you feel that way.

But then—something else rose in me.

I’ve hugged plenty of people before.
But this time felt like the first.
My heart pounded uncontrollably.

Her scent drifted up, light and soft.
And before I knew it, I was holding her tighter.

“You haven’t done anything weird, right?”

Koharu’s words echoed in my head.

Was this weird?

No—it wasn’t weird.

This was to help her. This was pure. Nothing inappropriate about it.

Sayo has a fear of women.
So why… why does she let me do this?

Because it’s me.
Because I’m different.

That’s what I wanted to believe.

But in the next moment, I realized how wrong I was.

She shoved me away.

Hard.

The pain of being pushed didn’t compare to the look on her face.
That face—so full of disgust—stabbed deep into my chest.

“…Don’t do weird things like that.”

And with that, she left for her room.

I don’t know what kind of expression I’m wearing right now.

I just hope… it doesn’t show too much.

I hope she didn’t see how sad I looked.