Chapter 127: Spending the Night at Minami’s House?! 

She had never given her true self to anyone.

So why would anyone give their true self to her?

That was a simple truth.

And deep down, she had always understood it.

But...

Understanding something and experiencing it firsthand were two completely different things.

The reality was—

She was a very lonely person.

She had no one she could truly connect with.

And no one who truly wanted to connect with her.

She knew this.

But she had always ignored it.

The people around her—

They only stayed because she was fun to be around.

Or because of her cute looks and bubbly personality.

That was all.

Thinking back, was there anyone in her life who had ever truly been honest with her?

Akane wandered aimlessly down the street, lost in thought.

And to her surprise—

A single name surfaced in her mind.

Minami.

...Wait. What?

Even she wasn't expecting that.

But…

Minami was different from the other guys who approached her.

From the very beginning, he had never cared about her feelings.

Even when she made the cutest faces, using tricks that no other guy had ever resisted—

Minami completely ignored them.

Nothing she did could move him.

No matter what tactics she used—

He remained the same.

Unyielding. Indifferent.

And yet…

He was the only person who had ever spoken to her without holding back.

The only person who treated her without deception.

The only person who had ever truly been honest with her.

How ironic…

The person who she thought she hated the most—

Was the only person who treated her like a real person.

She chuckled bitterly at the thought.

Shaking her head, she continued walking.

She had no idea where she was going.

But it didn't matter.

Her house was empty, anyway.

She'd just find somewhere to eat before heading home.

That was her plan—

Until—

Drip.

Then another.

Raindrops, carried by the wind, splattered against her face.

"Oh, come on!"

She barely had time to react before the downpour started.

Akane immediately broke into a run.

But the rain showed no mercy.

The entire street was quickly swallowed by a curtain of water.

There wasn't a single convenience store in sight.

She could barely see ahead—

And just when she thought she was completely out of options—

"What are you doing?"

"Huh?"

A voice—one that had become far too familiar—spoke beside her.

And at the same time—

A large umbrella suddenly opened above her.

Akane turned, utterly bewildered.

And standing there, holding the umbrella—

Was none other than Minami.

"Minami...?"

Her lips parted slightly, her shock evident.

Why... why is he here?

Wasn't he supposed to be with gloomy pink-haired girl and Kita?

Why is he here…? Wait!

Seeing Minami appear so suddenly, Akane's mind raced with a bold idea.

Could it be—

Did Minami leave Kita and that gloomy pink-haired girl behind just to come looking for her?

Was he worried about her?

Yeah! That had to be it! It made perfect sense!

For a moment, she had completely forgotten—

She was Shinjo Akane! The charming, irresistible Shinjo Akane!

With this realization, a radiant smile returned to her face.

She hadn't expected this at all.

Minami might act indifferent, but deep down, he cared about her.

Thinking about it carefully, it was obvious.

Minami was a guy, after all.

Sure, he acted tough, but there was no way he could resist her charm.

At that moment, Akane regained her confidence.

"What are you thinking about? Why aren't you walking?"

A calm voice beside her pulled her back to reality.

"Heh, never mind that. Why aren't you with Kita? Weren't you all heading home together?"

Akane stretched her words out teasingly, tilting her head with certainty.

"?"

Minami gave her a confused look.

Why was she asking about this now?

He answered casually.

"Didn't you check your messages? There was a weather alert just now—heavy rain and possibly a typhoon. Even the trains might stop running. We canceled our plans, and since my place is nearby, I was just heading home. That's when I ran into you."

As he spoke, he furrowed his brows slightly.

"Can we go now?"

"Oh…? Your house is around here? What a coincidence..."

The more she listened to Minami's explanation, the more convinced Akane became—

He had definitely come looking for her.

After all, wasn't it too much of a coincidence?

Heavy rain?

A typhoon?

And his house just happened to be nearby?

That was way too much to be believable.

Reality wasn't some novel!

There was no way this many coincidences would pile up!

"Are you coming or not?"

Minami asked again.

"Hmm… what should I do~?"

Akane narrowed her eyes playfully.

For some reason—

Seeing Minami finally soften up a little made her feel thrilled.

Going to his place didn't seem like such a bad idea.

But then—

No matter what, Akane was sure of one thing.

Minami would never leave a delicate girl like her alone in the rain.

And yet…

And yet…

She watched in stunned disbelief as Minami turned his back on her and started walking—

without even looking back.

With his umbrella raised, he walked forward without hesitation.

Like an idiot would actually stand there in the rain for her!

"Eh?"

…He left?

He actually left?!

Watching him walk further and further away—

Not even sparing her a single glance—

Every single one of her confident assumptions shattered.

Panicking, she rushed after him, the rain soaking her from head to toe.

"W-Wait! Wait for me, Minami-kun!"

===

===

Sitting inside Minami's tiny apartment, Akane stared blankly at her phone.

Because—

Everything Minami had said was true.

The news confirmed it.

Heavy rain. A typhoon approaching. Possible train suspensions.

He hadn't been lying.

After all, Japan was an island country.

Sudden rainstorms and typhoons weren't unusual at all.

That was why so many Japanese literary works used rain as a central theme.

And train suspensions due to typhoons? Completely normal.

Akane sat there, dazed.

She had absentmindedly gotten on the train and ended up here.

Minami's house just happened to be nearby.

And because of the rain, he had to return home early—

Which led to them running into each other.

…So it really was just a coincidence.

Thinking about it, Akane unconsciously turned her gaze toward the bathroom.

Behind that thin glass door—

Minami was taking a shower.

Alone in a room with a teenage boy.

This was something she had never imagined—nor wanted to imagine.

She needed to do something—anything—to distract herself.

But then—

Whoosh—

The sound of the bathroom door sliding open.

And at the same time—

Minami stepped out, towel-drying his hair.

Akane instinctively lifted her eyes.

And then—

She realized she couldn't look away.

Even with her usual bias against Minami—

She couldn't help but quietly murmur.

"...Wow."

Yes.

Fresh out of the shower, his skin was slightly flushed from the heat.

His damp black hair clung slightly to his forehead, giving him an unexpected allure.

Under the soft lighting, his sharp features seemed more mature than usual—

Less like the clean-cut, intellectual Minami she was used to—

And more like…

A handsome young man.

If she hadn't been trained to control her expressions—

She might have been drooling by now.

Wait.

Drooling?

Me?!

Me, Shinjo Akane, the perfect, untouchable beauty?!

Over a guy my age?!

Realizing what she was thinking, Akane furiously wiped at her lips—

Even though there was nothing there.

And then—

"Akane."

"Huh?"

"Aren't you cold?"

Still drying his hair, Minami glanced at her.

"...Cold."

The moment he mentioned it—

Akane actually started to feel the chill.

After all, she was still in her damp uniform.

Her long socks, soaked through, clung uncomfortably to her skin.

"Then go shower. Do you need me to beg you?"

Minami gave her an unimpressed look and casually tossed her a set of sportswear.

Before she could even react—

He pushed her toward the bathroom.

"Wha—?! Hey! What's your problem?!"

Akane opened her mouth in protest.

Today had been full of firsts for her, thanks to Minami.

But—

Standing inside the bathroom, she shivered slightly.

It was cold…

She rubbed her hands together and looked at the tub filled with warm water.

After hesitating for a moment—

She sighed and stripped off her wet clothes, tossing them into the laundry basket.

As the hot water ran over her, she reached for the shampoo.

She froze.

...Wait.

Is this… the same shampoo Minami uses?

Holding the bottle in her hands, an inexplicable thought crossed her mind.

Her cheeks, already warmed by the steam, turned a deeper shade of pink.

"N-No! I-It's just shampoo! That's all!"

As if trying to convince herself, she hurriedly lathered the shampoo into her hair.

Then, she quickly grabbed the body wash and scrubbed her skin clean.

After rinsing off, she sank into the warm bath, soaking for a while.

And finally—

She hesitated.

But in the end, she forced herself not to sniff Minami's sportswear before putting it on.

Still—

Wearing his clothes made her feel oddly uncomfortable.

As if—

With every breath she took—

She could smell him.

And that thought alone made her feel restless, unable to sit still.

Her face was burning red as she tiptoed out of the bathroom.

She felt ridiculously guilty—like she'd just done something she wasn't supposed to.

And as soon as she stepped out, she saw Minami sitting at the table, frowning at a stack of papers.

Huh…?

Wait, isn't that…?

Akane blinked in surprise.

She recognized those papers immediately.

It was the manuscript Minami had supposedly used as a table mat.

What was he doing with it now?

Was he really about to mock her writing again?

How mean can this guy be?

Thinking this, Akane carefully crept up behind him—

And then.

She froze.

Because what she saw—

Was not what she expected.

The entire manuscript—

Was covered in Minami's handwriting.

Detailed notes.

Corrections.

Suggestions for improvement.

Every flaw in her story, every scene that could be rewritten, every piece of dialogue that could be enhanced—

He had meticulously analyzed everything.

"..."

Akane's expression shifted into something complicated.

This was the same Minami who constantly criticized her.

The same Minami who looked at her with pure disdain.

And yet—

He had seriously revised her story?

She never once imagined he would do something like this.

She had always thought he was just good at making her angry.

"You done staring, Akane?"

"Uh—"

Minami's voice startled her.

She had been so focused on his notes that she hadn't realized he noticed her.

Her face immediately turned red.

She opened her mouth awkwardly.

"Uhm… Minami, didn't you say you were just using that manuscript as…?"

She trailed off.

She couldn't bring herself to say table mat.

"Obviously, that wasn't true."

Minami replied flatly, closing the manuscript.

"It's something you put effort into, after all."

"...Is that so?"

For some reason—

Despite being constantly chased by guys in class, constantly showered with attention—

Those things had never made her feel anything.

But hearing this from Minami—

There was a strange warmth spreading in her chest.

Maybe it was because he had acknowledged her writing.

Or maybe…

For some other reason.

This feeling is wrong.

Really, really wrong.

She was supposed to be the one at the top of the social chain.

The one everyone was eager to help.

The one boys practically lined up to please.

So why was she feeling happy over something so small from Minami?

She was supposed to be the devilish one—

Not the one getting flustered over some guy.

Her face turned red again.

Without thinking, she stole another glance at Minami.

And then—

Wait, why am I even looking at him?!

Realizing what she was doing, Akane mentally slapped herself.

What the hell am I doing?

Why was she sneaking glances at the guy who bullied her all day?

She scolded herself.

But her gaze kept drifting toward him.

Maybe she had just spent too long in the bath.

Her brain was all foggy.

She grabbed a glass of water and took a sip, trying to clear her head.

She was about to say something to break the awkward atmosphere—

But before she could—

Minami spoke first.

"So, Akane."

"Huh?"

"What's your plan for tonight?"

"Plan?"

Akane tilted her head in confusion.

"..."

Minami sighed.

Seeing the blank look on her face, he shook his head and spelled it out.

"Where are you going to stay tonight?"

"Stay…?"

It took her a moment to process what he meant.

Typhoon.

Heavy rain.

Train services suspended.

The roads flooded.

And she was still a minor.

Which meant—

She couldn't stay at a hotel.

Which meant—

She had to stay over at Minami's place?!

For a brief moment—

Akane's already overloaded brain completely shut down.