Chapter 31: A Hurricane of Love!!

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Translator: Soafp

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Sakura panted her mouth open and closed like a goldfish short on oxygen.

“Eh? Hatsukade, so that means—”

“Stop using that fake-sounding way of calling me. Just call me Subaru.”

“…Subaru.”

She lightly pinched the sleeve of my raincoat.

“…You know I'm going to take you seriously, right?”

“I'm serious too.”

“You made me fall for you first, so it's your fault. I'm not giving up, and I'll make you fall for me.”

“If you can.”

“I'll explain everything to Nakina too. Don't blame me if I declare war and it turns into a mess.”

“I'm prepared for that…”

For a brief moment, Amanatsu's devastated expression flashed through my mind, but… well, these were fair conditions.

For me, Amanatsu, Shinonome, and Sakura all started on equal footing.

Saying it like that makes me sound arrogant and leaves a bad impression.

But right now, I don't like anyone in particular, so there's nothing I can do about it.

“Well, romance is such an uncertain thing. Even if we're saying all this now, a few months from now Sakura might get sick of me, and I might fall for someone else.”

“You might, but not me. I've had a one-sided crush for seven years, after all.”

She made a bright smile and a tiny fist pump with her right hand so as not to upset Fujimaru-kun.

“But there's no guarantee you're not lying.”

“Well, yeah. For this, you'll just have to trust my word.”

“So I thought I'd check a little.”

Saying that, she took my arm.

Then she slipped her body right in, and I ended up pulling her close.

We stared at each other from so close I could hear even the smallest breath.

“…”
“…”

She gently rested her head on my chest.

Then immediately puffed out her cheeks with a flat look.

“You're not even beating fast at all, liar.”

“I've taken back the part about not doing romance, but I never said I'd definitely fall in love.”

“You're a scammer.”

“If that's what you think, then hurry up and teach me what love is.”

“Don't say something so tragically monster-like in real life.”

She kept rubbing her head against my chest.

When I looked down, her ears were red enough to look burned.

“Aren't you just buying time by complaining so you can keep hugging me?”

I chided her, and Sakura stuck out her tongue.

“Hehe, you caught me.”

And yet she clung to me even tighter.

So that's it… she's completely given up on hiding it.

Well, my boyfriend contract was still active, so I suppose I can let it slide.

I shifted the arm around Sakura's shoulder and patted her head.

“…!!!”

The girl, who had been burying her face in my chest shyly, looked up at me from beneath her lashes.

“W-wait. It's my turn right now.”

Then the headlights of a car shone toward us.

I quickly turned my face away from the brightness.

“!?!?!?”

By pure coincidence, Sakura had just lifted her face too, and we ended up staring at each other from the distance of a single pinky finger.

“～～～～～!?”

“Are you two okay!?”

I heard Toshie-san's voice rushing toward us from behind.

He froze, stunned, and flailed in panic.

“S-sorry. Was I a little early?”

“No, we were just finishing up. Perfect timing.”

“R-really? Subaru, you're bolder than you look.”

“Oh… I guess so.”

Maybe it was just me, but our conversation felt a little off.

I pulled Sakura's arm.

But her face was bright red and she'd frozen solid.

So I gave up and carried Fujimaru-kun, who was my top priority, back to the car.

Phew. That was a rough day.

---

Back at Blue Note, Shizuka-chan thanked me so much it was almost overwhelming.

I kept telling her it was okay, but by the end she was saying, “When I'm in middle school, I'm going to marry Subaru!”

Toshie-san was glaring at me with a complicated expression.

I gently told her, “You can't get married in middle school.”

Exhausted, I collapsed onto the bed and immediately lost consciousness that night.

And then the next morning.

Birds were chirping outside the window, and fresh sunlight poured in.

The typhoon had apparently passed much more quickly than expected.

At this rate, trains should already be running again in the morning.

I went to the living room to have my morning coffee.

There, Sakura in an apron was cooking together with Toshie-san's wife.

“Gooood morning, Subaru! Today's Sakura-chan special—love-injected darling breakfast set!”

She made a heart shape with her thumb and index finger.

“That breakfast name already gives me a headache.”

“It's fine. Hehe, after all, I never got the chance to cook for you before.”

Toshie-san's wife, standing nearby, covered her eyes with both hands and muttered, “Ah, youth is dazzling…”

I had some free hands, so I helped set out the dishes.

Then Sakura held out some kinpira gobo she'd picked up with her chopsticks.

“Here, taste it!”

When I took a bite, Sakura leaned forward eagerly.

“Is it good!?”

“Yeah, I like the seasoning.”

“Yes! I just scored girlfriend points. Hehe, maybe I can actually date Subaru sooner than I thought!”

She said that carelessly, looking ridiculously pleased.

What is wrong with this girl's mental health…? She'd been so depressed just yesterday, and now she'd switched gears way too fast.

“Wait, you two were dating!?”

Toshie-san's wife widened her eyes in shock, and I scratched my cheek, not sure how to explain it.

“Well, it's a bit complicated.”

“Oh, I see, I see. I get it. The complexities of relationships… yes, I myself with that man… ah, youth is dazzling…”

Was it just me, or was she misunderstanding something huge?

But before I could correct it, Toshie-san and Shizuka-chan woke up and the whole thing got muddled.

Well, it should be fine.

After breakfast, I got ready in my room.

Sakura and I had agreed last night that we'd leave once the typhoon had passed.

At last, it was time to say goodbye to Blue Note.

“Subaruuu, are you ready!? ”

Without even knocking, Sakura burst into my room.

“Yeah, I can leave anytime.”

“Hey, before we head back, can we look around town a little? I want to buy souvenirs for my family, and also…”

“What is it?”

“My boyfriend contract still hasn't ended. If I'm being honest, I don't want to waste a single second of this bonus chance.”

“…”

Well, I was the one who told her to make me fall for her.

If she wanted to make the most of the opportunity, I couldn't exactly complain.

From there, Sakura and I said our goodbyes to Toshie-san and the others, and I spent plenty of time messing around with Fujimaru-kun.

I was sad to part with Fujimaru-kun, but I'd exchanged contact info with Shizuka-chan, so she'd promised to send me pictures regularly.

I'd just have to make do with that.

And then, with everyone seeing us off, Sakura and I left Blue Note.

“…I want to hold hands.”

“I see.”

When she said that so sweetly, I walked through the town near the station holding her hand.

So this was the last time I'd see this town for a while.

It felt strangely sentimental.

Still… I felt like I was forgetting something.

Ah, right.

I'd forgotten my usual routine of replying to Amanatsu.

Things had been chaotic, so I hadn't checked my messages.

I unlocked my phone and opened the app…

Then I heard a thud from behind me.

When I turned around, there were two ghosts standing there in broad daylight.

No, wait—if I looked properly, it was Amanatsu and Shinonome.

Why were they here?

And then they shouted at us, while we were still holding hands.

“Ehh!?”

“W-why!?”

That's what I want to know.