Shiho wasn’t completely unaware of what might lie ahead.
“What would happen if Kotaro and I started dating?”
She often pondered this at night, lying in bed. For almost a year now, she found herself thinking about him more and more.
Usually, her fantasies led to outcomes so embarrassing they were hard to put into words.
“Ugh!”
She pressed her face into her pillow and screamed. Even though she was careful not to wake her sleeping parents, she couldn’t help but let out a small cry.
Kotaro probably didn’t know Shiho was feeling this way. He had no idea that she liked him so much she ended up doing something so embarrassing.
Shiho loved Kotaro more than he imagined. And she was overwhelmed, unsure how to handle these feelings, just standing there helplessly.
“For example, let’s say Kotaro and I started dating.”
Kotaro had confessed at his house. Shiho had told him she liked him, but continued the conversation without giving him an answer.
“So, Kotaro, what would you want to do if we were dating?”
“Well, I know we have to take things step by step, but I’d like to go on a trip.”
“A trip?”
“Yeah. Not immediately, but eventually, I’d like to travel somewhere with you.”
A trip.
Hearing that word, Shiho imagined it in her mind.
(If I went on a trip with Kotaro… I might die.)
She might get so excited and overwhelmed that she would feel like she was ascending to heaven.
Just thinking about it made her heart race.
Actually going on the trip could be too much to handle.
“Is Kotaro trying to kill me?”
“No, no, Shiho, you’re saying weird things. Are you okay?”
“I’m not okay! If we went on a trip, there’s no way I’d stay sane! I’d be so happy I’d probably end up causing trouble for you.”
“I wouldn’t mind if you did.”
“Huh? You’re saying such cool things again… Are you trying to raise my affection level even more? If I fall any more in love, I might really die. Could you hold back a little?”
“I don’t think I’ve said anything that strange.”
Kotaro laughed awkwardly.
Shiho found even that smile endearing and clenched her fists tightly to stop herself from clinging to him.
Being alone together was both a joy and a trial for Shiho.
She never knew when she might lose control, so she had to work hard to restrain herself.
“If we started dating, I’d probably explode from holding back so much…”
That was her answer to his confession.
Normally, people would say, “I don’t want to date because I don’t like you,” but…
“I love you so much that I can’t sort out my feelings yet. If we dated now, I’d probably mess something up… Can you wait until I’ve got my feelings and resolve sorted out?”
She couldn’t accept his confession because she loved him too much.
Kotaro had always seen Shiho as a passionate, straightforward girl in love.
However, she also had a surprisingly timid side. She wasn’t just a reckless girl in love.
She thought about the future and acted cautiously and rationally.
(I never want to make a mistake in my relationship with Kotaro.)
To her, he was an irreplaceable, precious person.
Shiho never wanted to lose Kotaro, whom she loved so dearly.
