Devil’s Deal

"I'm off."

"Have a nice day. Please be careful, okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, I know."

It was late afternoon, with only a few days left of summer vacation. I sent him off as usual and returned to the room.

It made me sad to think that this life would soon be over.

"I don't want this to end."

That's what I told him the other day at the summer festival.

A month-long summer vacation with nothing to do and no disturbances.

For me, summer vacation used to be hell, as I could only stay at home and even that was painful.

But this summer vacation was almost painless, and I was very happy.

"Well, there were times when I overdid it…"

I was obviously too excited at the pool. While I didn't regret my actions at the Obon grave visit at all, I completely screwed up when I went out shopping with him.

I never thought that the moment I saw him being complimented by a girl other than me, I would feel such dark emotions.

Envy, jealousy, possessiveness. I had never experienced such emotions before, and I was completely swept away.

I was in a lot of trouble because of it, but that was my fault, and I don't blame him.

However, remembering that exchange made my head hurt.

" Ne , ne , what's your relationship with Kujo-senpai?"

"Nothing, we're just friends."

"That's a lie. Your attitude earlier was so obvious, you know? You were jealous."

"Wha!? N-No, y-you're wrong!"

I was so flustered by the fact that my inner thoughts had been accurately guessed, and the girls screamed in yellow.

"Ninomiya-san is so cute! So you like Kujo-senpai, huh?"

"That's… um…"

I couldn't respond honestly. If I did, he would be in trouble.

But from my attitude, the girls had correctly guessed. And they were right.

"I never thought I'd see that look on Ninomiya-san's face! Honestly, it's unexpected, but I'll support you!"

"Yes, yes, Kujo-senpai seems kind, and he protected Ninomiya-san, right?"

"From here, senpai looks mature, but he's not bad at all."

"…Don't say a word about Kujo-senpai."

When he was praised by others, my heart tightened.

As soon as he was spoken ill of, I lost my composure.

This attitude made the girls more and more excited.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to deny Kujo-senpai."

"I feel like I'm getting closer to you. And Ninomiya-san looks so cute today!"

"Um, that's…"

Every time I showed my emotions, the girls would get closer and closer.

I had never experienced anything like that before, so I didn't know how to react.

"I know it's going to be tough after the summer break, but we're here to support you! If you ever need help, just let us know!"

"Me too! I'm always here for you! Besides, I don't want to interrupt your date today, so let's talk some other time!"

"D-Date?! You're wrong!"

"Eh? I think going out alone with a guy you like is already a date."

"No, it's not. It's really not!"

Then, no matter how much I denied it, they didn't listen to me at all.

To be honest, I was happy that they seemed to approve of me being with him, but I think they were unusual people.

Why? That's because–

"It's not that simple. I'm sure it's gonna be hard."

If only everyone would accept me and him as they did, there would be no problem.

But it wouldn't work out that way. In fact, things have been going too well so far.

"Minato-san, Shiori-san, Mutsura-senpai, and… I'm truly blessed."

Unlike when I was in junior high school, I am blessed with a lot of good people. But from now on, there will always be people who will turn their evil intentions against us.

Why can't people just leave other people's relationships alone? It's just none of their business.

I have mixed feelings, both happy and sad, towards this appearance, which is the cause of the problem, but also his preference.

It's because my appearance is so eye-catching that I bother him just by being with him. However, this appearance is the most attractive to him.

When I found out, I was so embarrassed that my face almost burst into flames, and I was so happy and felt so guilty for invading his privacy that I did something bold.

Besides, the way he acted back then–

"I'm sure he was going to kiss me."

My cheeks heated up and my heart started to beat restlessly as I remembered the scene. I wondered if he would have done it if I hadn't called his name.

In the end, he didn't force me, but apologized in a very strong manner, which made me feel disappointed and disheartened, but he's too kind to begin with, and I know very well that he cares about me.

I couldn't say anything strongly, because I had stirred him up in that situation.

Eventually the conversation drifted away, but during the last summer festival, he took my feelings into consideration.

"I was so happy."

I knew he had feelings for me when he said it like that. In the first place, I somehow knew that he liked me from the days before, and I was almost certain when he tried to kiss me.

And even though he knew he was going to be in a lot of trouble, he said he would do his best.

He would get a lot of blatant stares, and in the worst case, he might even get a few accusations. I don't think I would care about the balance of appearance, but a third party wouldn't.

I understand this very well, because I have been forced to behave in a way that is appropriate to my good looks and my ideals.

But even so, he was prepared to be hurt and said he wanted to be next to me.

Then, there is nothing to be afraid of.

Of course, that would be tiring, so I would be spoiled by him then, and if he gets tired, I would spoil him.

We spoil each other and are spoiled. I even wish that's how we'll never be able to leave each other. Of course, I have no intention of leaving.

For that reason. I must now fulfill the conditions that were agreed upon during our previous outing.

I operated my phone and put it to my ear. Since I had contacted her beforehand, the call connected immediately and I could hear the voice of my closest female friend.

[Hello, Airi!]

"Hello, Shiori-san."

[So, let's get straight to it. Can Airi tell me how she feels?]

"Yes, I love Minato-san. I don't care about the balance of our appearances. I don't care about other people's tactless glances or words."

[I'm glad to hear that!]

What Shiori-san gave me as a condition was that I had to tell her how I honestly felt about him.

In the first place, she had noticed my fondness for him a long time ago, and at the summer festival, her parents were so excited that we didn't have time to talk.

So it took me this long to tell her, but I was able to do it.

I was almost relieved to have fulfilled my promise, when the voice over the phone became more cheerful.

[ Nee , Nee , what does Airi like about Minato-kun?]

"…Do I have to tell you that?"

Of course there are many good things about him, and I have a desire to show them off. But I didn't feel comfortable telling his childhood friend.

In a reluctant voice, I said I didn't feel like talking about it, and–

[If you tell me, I'll tell you an old story about Minato-kun in return.]

"!!?"

What a devil's bargain she offered me.

It would be tremendously embarrassing to talk about his good qualities.

However, the terms of the exchange were far too tempting.

My reason wavered, and in the end, I lost.

"…I'll say it. I'll say it, so make sure you say it too, okay, Shiori-san?"

[Of course! I'll keep my promise!]

"Well, first of all, I like Minato-san's kind face. And I like the way he's always taking care of me. And he smells good when he's nearby… Ah, That's right. Minato-san said I smell good, but I'm pretty sure he smells better than me. And when I've been selfish, he's always accepted me with a kind of 'it can't be helped' attitude, and the other day he forgave me for looking inside his computer without permission and let me touch his hair, and–"

[Stop! I'm sorry, stop!]

"Eh? Why?"

Even though she told me to talk, I was interrupted by a confused voice from over the phone.

There were still so many good things about him that I couldn't say enough.

When I asked her why she stopped me, I was met with a dumbfounded voice.

[I never thought it'd be this mellow… I thought I was going to throw up sugar. I know exactly what Airi feels, so now it's my turn.]

"Was that enough?"

[Enough! I've had more than enough! Well then, Minato-kun, even since he was a child, he–]

Her story was interesting, and it was a very precious time for me to get to know him in a way I never had.

"Airi, are you in a good mood today?"

"Is that so?"

When I remembered Shiori-san's story during dinner because it was so interesting, he gave me a quizzical look.

Since it was a good opportunity, I opened my mouth to tease him.

"…Summer festival, candy apples, Shiori-san, made you cry"

"Huh!? Wait a minute! Where did you hear that from… Momose!?"

He started to panic when I blurted out the words.

I felt sorry for him, but his desperate expression was so cute that I couldn't help but smile.

" Fufu , you can't laugh at her face because she tried so hard to eat something that's hard to eat, okay?"

"I don't do that anymore! I didn't do it last time, did I?!"

"Yes, that's right. But Minato-san was a tease."

"Give me a break…"

I'm happy to see his troubled face.

If this man would stand beside me, I would be able to endure anything. And he said he wanted to stand next to me even though he would get hurt.

One day, when he's out there with me–

I'll tell him about the big, passionate, overflowing feelings in my heart.