Chapter 156 | Flirting and Frustration

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[Shinji's Point of View]

A bullying incident occurred at school. I asked my grandfather from the main family branch to take action and impose some consequences on them.

…But I don’t feel any sense of relief at all.

Because no matter what consequences they face, Rika’s emotional wounds won’t heal…

“Shin-chan…”

We were at my family’s apartment. Rika was lying down next to me.

After returning from school, we came to the Ueda family apartment. Rika seemed to be in a lot of pain. Overwhelmed by intense negative emotions.

…So, we made love. Being intimate together significantly reduced the stress.

Rika, whose face had been pale at first, was now a little calmer.

“Hm? What’s wrong?”

“…I’m sorry.”

Rika murmured, her back still turned to me. Her tone was filled with apology.

Unable to bear seeing her in such a pained state, I embraced her from behind. Rika’s body… soft and warm…

“Don’t worry about it. I’m your boyfriend.”

“But… I’m causing trouble again…”

“I don’t think it’s trouble at all. I’ll support you, and you’ll support me. We decided to support each other, remember? Just the other day.”

“Yeah… That’s why…”

That’s why, huh? This incident probably made her feel apologetic again.

“Don’t worry. I’m fine. I mean, you were the one who was bullied.”

“Yeah… but because of this, Shin-chan might become outcasted…”

Ah, I see. Rika didn’t know.

“It’s okay. There’s absolutely no way I’ll be outcasted.”

“What do you mean…?”

“Well, don’t worry about it.”

I had glanced at the report from my grandfather on my phone earlier. It listed the consequences faced by my classmates.

Most of them involved their parents losing their jobs, which would, in turn, cause misfortune for their children (my classmates). There was no need to tell Rika all that.

…The content was a bit extreme, and besides, Rika is kind. Even if the punished ones were scum, she would still feel bad.

It’s better for Rika not to know.

“I am worried.”

“It’s okay.”

“Worri…mmmph.”

I sealed Rika’s mouth with my lips. Her eyes widened in surprise, but her gaze softened.

When I parted my lips, she pouted and said,

“Shin-chan, when did you become such a playboy?”

“? What do you mean?”

“You tried to smooth things over with a kiss.”

“Ahaha, but, look, it’s something you don’t need to know.”

“Geez…mmmph.”

This time, Rika kissed me.

“There, I paid you back!”

“Rika…”

With a slightly lonely look, Rika smiled a little and said,

“Your consideration makes me happy, Shin-chan. And it came through. The feeling that you didn’t want to hurt me. So… I’ll let you off with a kiss for now.”

“Rika…”

She understood my intentions. Thank you.

“But why a kiss?”

“It’s a thank-you kiss! I worked hard, didn’t I?”

“No, not really…”

It was my grandfather from the main family who did all the work…

Buzz!

Hm? A message… from my grandfather.

‘Does Grandpa get a thank-you kiss too? GG.’

…I pretended not to see the message. He’s not a bad person, but he has a seriously high chance of showing his creepy side.

“Who’s it from?”

“My grandfather.”

He’s eavesdropping again… It’s so annoying.

I’ll warn him again later. Though it probably won’t have any effect.

Buzz!

“Grandfather again…? ………”

[Nakatsugawa Imoko]

…It was a message from someone unpleasant.

[Ueda Shinji-sama, would you please listen to what I have to say? There’s something I want to apologize for in person. Please, even just for 5 minutes, I beg you.]

…I ignored it, but the messages kept coming, and it was incredibly annoying. The annoyance I feel towards my grandfather and this negative feeling towards Imoko are different kinds of annoyance.

Even if I ignore her, she’ll probably keep sending annoying messages. It can’t be helped…

“Rika.”

“Hm? What?”

“I’m going out for a bit.”

She didn’t ask where I was going. Her eyebrows drooped, and she looked sad for a moment, but then she smiled and said,

“Okay. See you later. I’ll be waiting, keeping the futon warm for you.”

“Rika…”

She probably thought I’d be coming back feeling down. She probably sensed it from the atmosphere.

She’s perceptive. She probably has a vague idea about who sent the messages.

She didn’t try to stop me or ask weird questions. That’s because she knows it would burden me.

So, I was happy that she chose not to say anything unnecessary and just wait for my return.

“Thanks. I’ll be back soon.”

I changed into my uniform and headed out into the night. The meeting place was my school.

The rooftop. With a bad feeling, I made my way towards Imoko.

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