――Come to think of it, there have been many girls who might have liked me.
One thing had been on my mind.
That is… I didn’t understand why they liked me.
Azusa, Kirari, and even Mary and Kururi Kurumizawa… I could sense some affection from them, but everyone’s reasons were unclear.
It’s not like I’m saying that’s a bad thing.
On the contrary, being liked should be something to be happy about, and I understand that rejecting someone’s feelings over such trivial matters would be rude.
There’s even a saying that there’s no reason to fall in love.
However, when you continuously find yourself liked without reasons, it inevitably bothers you.
Perhaps I had a natural talent for being liked by girls — such a thought crossed my mind.
It’s a silly idea, but objectively speaking, I do have that kind of nature.
So, even when someone says they like me… I’ve come to accept it as just that.
Even with Yuzuki, I assumed there wasn’t any significant reason behind it.
But it seems I was wrong.
“Ryoma-san always seemed confident… but there was also a sense of innocence about you, something endearing. So, even though I knew it was meddling, I wanted to help you in various ways… and that’s why I’ve always been by your side.”
In the living room.
She remained standing, slowly sitting down.
“Oh, please have a seat… What drink would you like? We have cocoa, tea, milk, coffee, various options.”
“…No need to worry about it. If anything, you should sit down since I’m standing.”
“…Do you expect me to sit down after hearing something like that?”
She remained unchanged.
From the past till now… Yuzuki has always been a meddlesome, caring girl.
“You don’t have to accommodate me.”
“I’m not accommodating. If you’re concerned about me, I’d rather you say what you mean. That’s just my nature.”
With her saying that, there was nothing I could do.
I obediently took a seat, and Yuzuki prepared a warm drink and placed it on the table.
“It’s tea. You liked it, didn’t you?”
“Yeah, thanks for remembering.”
Among the choices she listed, I thought tea would be the best.
I was surprised that she understood without me saying it.
“I’ve been watching you for a long time, so it’s only natural.”
When I praised her, Yuzuki smiled happily.
That part of her seemed to cater to me… and it pained my chest.
“I don’t need you to flatter me.”
The act of wanting to be liked by someone like me felt wrong.
But that was a misunderstanding.
Her actions, I had thought, were appeals towards me, but…
“I’m not flattering you. It’s just something I want to do, something I’m doing on my own… No, to be honest, I just want to see Ryoma-san happy… wait, that’s not it either.”
And then she said something like this.
“I just want to feel like I’m useful to Ryoma-san.”
A clear reason for her affection towards me.
“I find people who are a little naive and can’t be left alone… likeable.”
She properly explained the reason why she liked me.
