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 47: In My Own Words, Not Anyone Else’s

We left the café and walked side by side through the twilight streets.

The leaves on the roadside trees had turned a vivid red, dancing on the wind before settling at our feet.

Before I realized it, summer had come and gone. Autumn was already so close.

The breeze brushing my skin should have felt cold—but with Hiyori beside me, it felt strangely warm.

“Hey, look! Isn’t that shop adorable? The Halloween decorations are so over the top!”

“…Yeah. They really went all out.”

Hiyori peered into the display window of a tiny shop on the corner and laughed in delight.

As I watched her profile, I kept searching for the right moment.

The words I wanted to say had been stuck in my throat all day.

…I know I have to say them.

But I’m scared.

It’s been such a fun day, and I’m afraid that the moment I speak, something will break.

That thought makes it hard to move my lips.

So I forced a smile and played along.

“You really love cute little shops like that, huh?”

“Yup! What about you, Masato? Not into this kind of thing?”

“…It’s not that I don’t like it. Probably.”

My vague answer made her giggle.

“You’re kind of different today, Masato.”

“…You think so?”

“Yeah. Like… just a little nervous?”

“…Well, maybe a little.”

That wasn’t a lie.

In fact, it was way more than “a little.” My heart was pounding like crazy.

Evening had crept in before I knew it. It was almost time to part ways.

(If I don’t say it now, I’ll just keep putting it off…)

(Today has to be the day.)

I took a deep breath.

“…Hiyori.”

“Hm?”

“Can we stop by over there for a bit? It’s still early.”

“…Sure!”

We headed for a quiet park nearby.

There weren’t many people around.

The city noise faded slightly, leaving only the sound of the wind and the trees rustling.

We sat down on a bench. Hiyori took a seat beside me.

“This place feels nice.”

“Yeah. …There’s something I want to talk about.”

“Talk?”

She tilted her head as she asked. Normally, I’d probably chuckle at the gesture—but not today.

“…A lot happened today, right?”

“Yeah. A lot!”

“Honestly, I was kind of down. Everything felt like a mess. Nothing went right…”

“That’s not true.”

“But… I still felt happy, and I realized it was because you were next to me.”

I think my voice trembled a little as I spoke.

But I couldn’t hold it back.

“I always feel like I’m the one being supported…”

“Masato…”

“But today, I wanted to try doing something myself. And that’s why…”

The words caught in my throat before I could finish.

I choked up, my breath escaping before any sound.

Then, Hiyori gently said:

“…It’s okay. Take your time. I’m listening.”

That one sentence loosened something tight inside me.

I took a deep breath and placed my hand on the edge of the bench.

Hers was close—not touching, but easily within reach.

A brief silence passed between us.

The sun was dipping below the horizon, the sky turning from orange to deep blue.
Breaking that calm, I finally spoke.

“…There’s something I want to say.”

***

Hiyori quietly nodded.

I have to say it. Today, for real.

I poured all of my feelings into that one sentence:

“…There’s something I want to say.”

The moment I said it, Hiyori’s eyes turned toward me.

She looked surprised, but also like she was ready—like she’d made up her mind to listen.

My heartbeat spiked.

I’d never told anyone “I like you” before.

A loner like me falling for a bright, popular girl like her… and now I was finally going to say it out loud.

It was embarrassing. Terrifying. But beyond that was something real—my first true feeling.

“…When you first confessed to me,” I began.

My voice shook, but I didn’t stop.

“Honestly, I couldn’t believe it. Or maybe I didn’t want to.”

Hiyori stayed silent, looking straight at me. She didn’t interrupt or correct me—just listened.

“I kept thinking it was a joke. That there’s no way someone like you could be serious about someone like me.”

“…Yeah.”

“So I kept testing you. Acting all gloomy to push you away, treating you coldly, creating distance… The
truth is, I was just scared.”

Saying it out loud made me realize it for the first time.

I’d been so afraid.

I didn’t have the courage to accept that someone could actually like me.

So I tried to destroy it with my own hands.

But Hiyori…

“Even so, you smiled and stayed by my side. You never gave up on me.”

“…Because I liked you.”

She murmured it softly.

The words pierced gently into my heart.

She didn’t mean “liked.” She meant still does—I could see it in her eyes.

“…It’s because of you that I’ve changed.”

My breathing turned shallow, but I still pushed through.

“For the first time, I wanted to do something for someone else. Today, all I could think about was how to make you smile.”

Maybe my plan was clumsy.

Maybe most of it didn’t go right—

But today, I acted out of my own will. For the girl I like.

“That’s why… I’m going to say it properly.”

I looked her in the eyes.

She seemed nervous, but somehow at peace—like she was finally hearing something she’d waited for.

“—I… I like you, Hiyori.”

For a moment, it felt like the world stopped.

My voice rang out alongside the pounding of my heart.

I said it—I like you.

It had taken me so long, but I finally said it with my own voice.

A few seconds of silence passed.

But they weren’t filled with anxiety.

Hiyori’s eyes welled with tears, and slowly, she began to smile.

A smile so full of joy, like something precious had finally reached her after a long, long wait.

“…Yeah. I knew.”

Her response was so gentle, it left me speechless.

“…Wait, you knew?”

“Uh-huh. You were trying so hard today, Masato—I could tell.”

So… it had reached her.

Even without words, through my actions, through everything—I had gotten through to her.

“But hearing it in your own words… I’m really happy.”

As she said that, Hiyori gently reached out and held my hand.

The warmth from her palm seeped deep into my chest.

“Thank you, Masato.”

“…No. Thank you.”

I’d always been scared.

Afraid it might all fall apart someday.

But now—having shared our feelings and holding hands like this—

I knew this wasn’t the end. This was the beginning.

“Hey, Hiyori.”

“Hm?”

“From now on… will you stay by my side?”

“Yeah. I’d love to.”

Her answer came so naturally, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

But to me, they were the happiest words I’d ever heard.

The sky was now completely covered in twilight.

A breeze passed through, making the trees rustle softly.

But we stayed there, hand in hand.

And in that warmth, I felt quietly, deeply at peace.

I finally said, I like you.

Just those words, and it felt like the whole world had changed.

From now on, I want to say it more.

I want to be by her side more.

I love Hiyori.

That’s the one thing no one can deny—my true, honest feeling.

***

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