A Popular Girl Confessed to Me, the Loner—Thinking It Was a Prank, I Tried to Scare Her Off... But She Was Actually Serious. - Chapter 10: Because I Want to Be with You

After school, I packed up my things as usual and left the classroom—only to bump into someone at the end of the hallway.

“Ah, Manabe~!”

With a beaming smile and a lazy wave, it was Suzuka Tachibana—the flashy, cheerful girl from the popular group.

“I was looking for Hiyori, but oh well! More importantly… fufu~”

Suzuka stared at me with a mischievous grin.

It wasn’t a mean look, but there was something sharp about her gaze. Was she… observing me?

“W-What is it, all of a sudden?”

When I asked, she continued with that same teasing smile.

“Hiyori turns super girly and cute when it comes to you, you know?”

“…Huh?”

That came out of nowhere—I couldn’t help but let out a weird sound.

Suzuka leaned her elbow against the wall, casually flicking her hand like she was showing off her manicure, and went on.

“Like, usually she reads messages right away, but with yours, she stares at the screen for a bit before opening it. She’s all, ‘Ugh, I’m nervous~! What should I reply~?’ That kinda thing.”

“Sh-She really said that…?”

I couldn’t sense a single lie from Suzuka. This was probably… the truth.

“Yup, for real. Aww, Manabe~ you’re totally smiling right now.”

She poked me on the cheek.

“Cut it out, seriously.”

My ears were burning. My face was probably bright red, too.

Still, Suzuka didn’t stop teasing me, grinning the whole time.

“Cute, right? That side of Hiyori—she only shows it to you, you know.”

For some reason, that line went straight to my heart.

Suzuka might seem like your typical shallow, flirty extrovert—but…

She really sees Hiyori. And me, too. Even me, the so-called gloomy loner… she sees me, too.

“…So, you guys really aren’t just messing with me for fun?”

That’s what had always been stuck in the back of my mind.

Why would they be nice to someone like me unless it was a punishment game, or just for laughs?

When I asked, Suzuka shrugged and looked a little serious—maybe even a little exasperated.

“We don’t have that kind of time to waste. Hiyori’s serious about this. And as long as you’re responding to her feelings, we genuinely want to cheer you on. Also…”

She added one more thing, her mischievous grin returning.

“…Your reactions are kinda priceless.”

“Priceless, huh…”

“The way you freak out is just—like, I wanna protect you or something~!”

“Don’t mess with me.”

“Tehe~”

Despite myself, I ended up laughing.

Suzuka’s eyes widened in surprise, but then she smiled, satisfied.

“Well, I’m off to find Hiyori. Later, Manabe~!”

I watched her walk away, then headed toward the stairs.

***

It was Wednesday today—the day Hiyori and I usually walked home together.

I waited on a bench near the school gate, and before long, she showed up.

Wearing a light hoodie over her uniform, her ponytail swayed gently as she approached.

“Whoa, you waited for me? That makes me happy.”

“…Just happened to be here.”

“Uh-huh, suuure~ Still, I’m happy… Wait, it’s Wednesday! We’re supposed to walk home together today! ‘Just happened to be here’ my butt!”

She was the same as always. No matter what I said, she just accepted it with a smile and bounced right back.

That openness of hers—it slowly dissolved the walls I kept up.

After walking for a while, I muttered something quietly.

“…To be honest, I’m always scared.”

Hiyori stopped walking. So, did I.

I couldn’t look at her face. But somehow, I knew—she was listening.

“I’m scared of… trusting people. Not because I’m afraid they’ll betray me, but because… if I start hoping for something, and it doesn’t happen… I end up hating myself.”

Hiyori didn’t respond right away.

Instead, she gently tugged at my sleeve—lightly, softly.

“…It’s okay to be scared.”

She said that with a small smile.

“In return, just… stay by my side, okay?”

It wasn’t “encouragement.”

It was permission.

It’s okay to be scared.

It’s okay not to be able to believe.

Just… stay close. That’s enough.

That’s what she was telling me.

“…How can you say things like that so easily?”

“Because I want to be with you, Masato-kun.”

She said it with that usual smile of hers—like it was the most natural thing in the world.

I had no words to respond.

But deep in my chest, something warm began to spread.