Chapter 25 – A Caring, Overbearing Girlfriend

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College was actually pretty kind to introverts.

That's how it felt.

Everyone stood on equal ground here. If you got into this university, it meant you had brains—and at the start of the semester, no one could pull any elitist bullshit. Which meant, for a loser like me, maybe the only place I could grab some kind of dominance… was in bed.

Not that I minded being pinned down either, if it was on the bed.

『So, Yuya, did you make any friends in college yet?』

Temari's snarky message popped up. Didn't bother me one bit. I fired back.

『Yeah, already made two new acquaintances.』

『Oh? For Yuya to make friends so fast, college really must have a wide heart.』

『What the hell's that supposed to mean.』

Naturally, I ended up chatting with the students who had roll numbers close to mine. One was a girl named Naeki Sara, the other was a guy named Nishida Kaito.

Naeki-san had medium-length hair curled slightly inward, a balanced, clean-cut face, and a quiet, nurturing vibe. The homely, caring type. She liked to cook and often brought homemade lunches.

As for her tits—pretty average. But really, that wasn't the point. What mattered was whether I'd ever get the right to touch them. Big or small, every pair had its own magic.

Then there was Nishida. Laid-back dude, had the vibe of some old rock band member with long brown hair. If he dyed it blond and threw on a red coat, he'd look like some nostalgic hero from an old anime.

He was smart enough to get into this uni, sure, but when you talked to him, it was clear he was kind of a mess in every other area. Still, he never acted superior or fake. Treated me like an equal. Better than most pricks I'd known.

『Well, Yuya, you're kinda hard to read.』

『Look who's talking. So, what about you? You decided on a prep school yet?』

『Yeah. I went with Sundome Prep.』

The name alone felt like a metaphor for never getting to the finish line.

『Guess it's all on you now. A year sounds long, but it'll be over in a flash.』

『Yeah… still, college life sounds fun.』

『Ha! Way freer than high school ever was. Bust your a*s. I'll be waiting next year.』

『Leave it to me.』

Temari sounded fired up. Good. I hoped she made it.

When she did become my junior, though, what would that even feel like? Either way, she was definitely calling me “senpai.” That “I'll do anything” promise she made was still on the table. She better not forget.

***

A month flew by in no time.

“Damn it! I forgot the textbook again!”

“Nishida-kun, seriously? Here, use mine.”

“Whoa, really? Thanks, Naeki!”

There she went again, mothering everyone. Like some affectionate barnacle. Nishida lived on his own, and it showed.

I'd been to his place once, right after we got into college. The whole place stank like dried squid, and trash was everywhere. I ended up cleaning while muttering, “Goddamn, this place is a biohazard.”

Guess that's what happens when you're raised by a single mom—you learn to handle s**t. Cleaning up after a buddy wasn't a big deal. But don't fall for me, Nishida.

Naeki probably thought the same. Between the two of us, we were like Nishida's stand-in parents, fixing his chaotic messes.

After class, when lunch came around, Naeki pulled out a neatly packed bento.

“Here, today's lunch. I made enough for both of you.”

“Hell yeah! Thank you, goddess!”

“Sorry to always trouble you, Naeki-san.”

Twice a week, she fed us.

Because I lived with my single mom and Nishida lived solo, she made sure we were taken care of. It wasn't just helpful—it was the first time a girl had ever done something like that for me.

I didn't know how to feel anything but grateful.

“Don't worry about it. I like cooking. It's fun for me.”

She smiled as she said it. Not just kind, but like she genuinely enjoyed seeing people eat her food. Like it gave her a rush, some wholesome kind of high.

Living with just my mom, I'd gotten used to doing things alone.

Having a girl look out for me like that… it was unfamiliar. But kindness deserved to be accepted.

Even if I hated being lumped together with Nishida like some needy tag-along.

***

『So Yuya really melts over something that simple, huh.』

『Quit making it sound like some attack move. I just never had someone be this kind to me.』

『Not even Mahiro?』

『The only time a childhood friend makes you a bento is in galgames or anime. You really think real life works that way, Temari?』

She must've been bored out of her mind in her gap year, because she kept texting me. I told her about Naeki's bentos, and that was the reply I got. Shouldn't she be studying or something?

『So if I'd made you lunches back in high school, would you have fallen for me?』

『You? You wouldn't cook for a scrawny twig like me even if I begged.』

『I said I was sorry about that! Stop bringing it up forever!』

I tried picturing Temari making me bento like girlfriend in galge… Yeah, no. It was more believable that I'd get hit by a truck and reincarnate in another world.