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 41: I Still Haven’t… Said Those Words Back

Returning now to Masato and Hiyori’s story.

***

The sky after school had taken on the full colors of autumn.

Under the clouds dyed orange by the setting sun, Hiyori and I walked side by side.

This route—leaving the school gate and heading down the hill—had, at some point, become our usual.

“Practice was brutal today~! Coach said my form was slipping, so we just did endless basic drills. Seriously, endless.”

Still in her track jacket, Hiyori laughed as she spoke.

There wasn’t a trace of exhaustion in her voice—only a fresh, post-run exhilaration that lingered.

“…Don’t overdo it.”

I muttered, almost without thinking.

She smiled and replied,

“Hehe, thanks.”

Somehow, this kind of exchange had also become natural for us.

Not long ago, I had thought of her as “the popular girl pulling a punishment game.”

Now, walking beside her like this wasn’t scary anymore.

—Or at least, it shouldn’t have been.

And yet, the faint unease lodged deep in my chest still wouldn’t go away.

“…Hey, Hiyori.”

“Hmm?”

“…Nah, never mind.”

I couldn’t say it. That thought—“Is it really okay to leave things like this?”—just swirled in my throat, stuck there.

I was afraid that saying it out loud might break something.

But at the same time, it felt like I’d already missed the right moment to leave it unsaid.

A breeze blew by. Fallen leaves rustled at our feet, and one caught in Hiyori’s hair.

Without thinking, I reached out and gently plucked it free.

“Ah, thanks.”

She smiled.

Every time I saw that smile, I couldn’t help but wonder—

(Have I really returned her feelings properly?)

I’d convinced myself it wasn’t a punishment game.

But when I looked back… I couldn’t recall ever truly saying it—ever really answering her feelings.

And then, Hiyori suddenly stopped walking.

It was at the crosswalk, waiting for the light.

Bathed in the glow of the red signal, she spoke quietly.

“Hey, Masato-kun.”

“…Yeah?”

“Do you know… why I first said ‘I like you’?”

My heart skipped a beat.

Of all times, I hadn’t expected her to ask that now.

“Uh… I think you said it was because I was like a cat? Quiet, mysterious, stuff like that…”

“Yeah, that’s part of it. But—”

Still facing forward, her voice dropped just a little.

“…There’s actually a real reason. From the very beginning.”

“…”

“But… you never asked. So I haven’t told you yet.”

The light turned green.

Without looking back, Hiyori began walking again—calm, steady steps.

I couldn’t move.

I stood there, frozen, unable to follow her right away.

(It’s not that I didn’t ask. …I couldn’t ask.)

A quiet guilt stirred in my chest.

That day, she said, “I really do like you.”

And I—thinking it was some kind of joke or punishment game—tried to brush it off.

But I was swayed by her words. Pulled along by the current. And somehow, we ended up together.

It was fun. It made me happy. I cherished it.

And yet—

(Even now, I still haven’t said “I like you” back.)

At some point, I had started walking again.

Then, her voice floated over to me from just ahead.

“Hey, let’s walk home together again next time, too.”

“…Yeah. Sure.”

She said it with a smile, like nothing had happened.

But behind that smile—I thought I glimpsed something… just a little different.

The sunset deepened.

The sky shifted from orange to purple, and the city quietly began preparing for nightfall.

(Hiyori has always been trying to face me—honestly, directly.)

(And me… maybe I’ve just been running away.)

As I walked, I clenched my fist inside my pocket—realizing for the first time what I’d been avoiding.

The real reason she came to like me.

The truth behind her words—that I had never dared to hear.

(This time, I’ll face it. Properly.)

Another breeze swept by.

Hiyori’s hair fluttered gently in the autumn wind.

One day, I want to be able to say “I like you” to that back I always see walking just a little ahead.

And finally—finally—I was ready to take that first step.