Volume 1 Chapter 5

Embarrassing Line

“It just snapped and went dark.”

“It must have fallen somewhere. That’s why the power went out. I wonder what time …… will be restored.”

“Hopefully it’ll be back on soon……”

“They say the typhoon is going to last until mid-morning, so it can’t be too soon, can it?”

“We were in the middle of a game.”

It was dark and I could see only dimly, but somehow I could tell by the atmosphere that Shino’s cheeks were puffed out.

She wanted to play more games.

However, no matter how much we want to play, we cannot use the game console without electricity. There is no other way but to give up.

“……Well, it was a little after midnight, so maybe it was just as well. I’d better get to bed.”

“I wanted to play some more. …… huh.”

“Give it up. You can use my bed at …… for now.”

“If you’re going to lend me your bed, where is Fujiwara going to sleep?”

“I’ll sleep on the couch or on the floor.”

“…… It’s fine, you don’t have to worry about it. I’ll sleep on the couch.”

“I don’t remember being such a devil that I let a girl sleep there and let myself sleep in the bed.”

Saying this, Sandai looked at Shino.

The darkness made it impossible to see her expression, but he could follow the movement of her silhouette.

Shino was holding her knees.

“I understand ……. I can’t make Fujiwara a villain.

Shino chuckled.

I didn’t do anything to be laughed at – and Sandai was dubious, but he couldn’t get his head around what the gal was thinking.

So, he decided not to worry about it.

“I’m glad you understand. And the bed, it’s in that room.”

“I can’t see it, even if you say it’s in that room. It is dark. It’s …… so take my hand and show me.

Even though he didn’t know where the room was, he knew where the hand was because it was right next door.

Shino held my hand.

It was a small, thin, soft, and slightly cold hand.

“I don’t mind if you show me around, but …… by the way, your hands are kind of a little cold.”

“…… you know what they say about people with cold hands being kind?”

“I do.”

I don’t remember where I heard it, but I certainly heard such a superstition.

People with cold hands have warm or gentle hearts, or so the world seems to say.

However, Sandai did not believe in this story. He thought it was nothing more than a spell, fortune-telling, or the like.

But just now, that perception has changed. I now believe that the superstition must be true.

“Thanks, Yuzaki.”

“What? What happened all of a sudden?”

“You’re sweet. You’re a very kind, gentle, good woman.”

“……you can’t get anything out of me by praising me, right?”

“I didn’t say that because I wanted something. I just said what was on my mind.”

When Sandai said this, Shino suddenly became silent.

Then the silence continued.

When they reached the bed, Shino lay down and began to wriggle and curl up and breathe in her sleep.

–Did she get pulled over?　

The fact that he received no response at all made him worry. He was aware that he had said something quite embarrassing.

However, I had no regrets.

I had no regrets at all because I knew that it was better to tell them than not to say to them.

☆

Back in the living room, Sandai took out his phone and checked the time.

“Today……You can watch late-night anime”

Shino has gone to sleep, so from here on out I am on my own.

So I thought I would watch some late-night anime I was looking forward to, but the …… power outage is still going on.

I waited and watched until the broadcasting time, but the electricity was not restored by then, and unfortunately, I could not watch it.

“I would have liked to watch it in real-time if I could have, but the situation at …… is what it is, so it can’t be helped. I’ll watch it on the Internet later.”

Lying on the sofa with a sore throat, Sandai falls asleep with his eyelids closed. Surprisingly, the sofa was comfortable and he slept pretty soundly.

The following day, Sandai could not wake up on his own.

He was finally able to wake up thanks to the good smell of breakfast and a tap on his forehead with the ladle.