As I Know Anything About You, I'll Be The One To Your Girlfriend, Aren't I? - Volume 1 Chapter 2.7

I Hope You Understand 7

My current living expenses are covered by drawing from the assets left by my parents. I can’t afford to be careless or extravagant.

Buying expensive items that aren’t absolutely necessary for living makes me hesitant.

──But, if it helps with health management, it’d be useful for painting…

With that thought, it felt regrettable to give up.

What about second-hand options? I searched on a flea market app, but the prices hadn’t dropped much.

I guess I have no choice but to give up. As I thought this, I refreshed the listing page on the app before closing it, and then…

“…Oh, there’s one more listing… eh!?”

A bargain.

There was one listing at an incredibly low price at the very top of the page.

…It’s suspiciously cheap, …or maybe not? It’s really cheap, but not suspiciously so… What’s the deal with this…?

Ah! What should I do!

If I hesitate, someone else will definitely buy it.

Looking at the seller’s description, it said, “I need money urgently, so I’m offering it at a low price.”

“…Here goes!”

I exclaimed as I tapped the purchase button, and with that momentum, tapped several more times to complete the purchase.

This is all about momentum.

The perfect timing of the listing must be some sort of fate. If I end up buying something strange, I’ll just consider it as part of that fate.

…Fate, huh? I wonder if Kujo-san would say it’s unscientific.

Imagining how she would say it, I closed the app.

According to a notification I received shortly after, the smartwatch will arrive tomorrow night. The seller must live nearby and is quick with their work.

I’ll wear it to school on Monday since I got it. With that plan in mind, I turned off the lights in my room and closed my eyes.

◇◆◇

“Ah, Kuuya, did you buy that?”

Monday morning.

On the way to school, Suika immediately noticed it.

Nodding to her, I tapped the smartwatch wrapped around my wrist as I answered.

“Yeah, it just arrived last night.”

“Doesn’t it collect various data for you?”

“It seems so. I plan to keep wearing it for now. The battery seems to last quite a while too.”

It seems I only need to take it off and charge it when I’m in the bath, and it can be used all day long. I’m impressed by how far technology has come.

“Wow, it’s rare for you to buy such… gadgets?”

“I thought about managing my health. It seems useful for understanding patterns in my physical condition.”

“Wow, that’s great! It’s really good!”

Suika always has a bright smile that could be seen from a hundred meters away. Just seeing her smile makes me feel healthier.

“Please, take good care of Kuuya’s health…! Please watch over him carefully…!”

“I didn’t expect you to start sending prayers.”

“If it could also tell you to take breaks while painting… And scold you if you haven’t eaten properly, and when you go to sleep at night, make sure you’re not cold by covering you with a blanket…”

“That’s asking for too much. Plus, I don’t sleep that badly.”

Even if I did, a smartwatch couldn’t help. Maybe a few generations down the line.

“Ah, but, it does seem to warn you if you’ve been sitting for too long.”

“Oh! …It really feels like it’s always with you, watching over you.”

“Technology has really advanced, hasn’t it?”

The model was expensive, but I got it for much cheaper second-hand. The exterior is pristine, almost like new.

“…Suika?”

“…”

She was staring intently at my smartwatch. No, her gaze was a bit…

“Suika? What’s wrong?”

“Eh? Oh, sorry, …I was just thinking I want one too!”

“Do you also need a machine to put a blanket on you?”

“I always sleep properly, so I don’t need one!”

“Really…?”

“Eh, when you put it that way… I, I might not know…?”

As we chatted, the school came into view.

Since Suika enrolled in the same high school in April, we’ve been commuting together every morning. My house is on the way from the Ado residence to the school.

“Are you going to draw at school today too, Kuuya?”

“Yeah, that’s the plan.”

“I’ll probably be late because of student council work, so let’s go home together!”

“…Hey, Suika.”

“What is it?”

Looking into her large eyes, I said,

“Is it really okay for you to be with me all the time during our high school life?”

“…..eh~, what are you talking about? That’s an exaggeration!”

After a brief silence, she laughed and said that.

“We’re only together for the commute, and when our schedules match for going home. We’re in different grades, different clubs, and we don’t even eat lunch together or anything.”

“That’s true, but… You know, when we commute together often, there could be rumors, right? I don’t mind, but it might be tough for you to get a boyfriend or something.”

For me, romance is more terrifying than desirable. Suika knows all about my past, that I can “see” colors, and my fear of red and love.

“But you’re different, Suika.”

“Different…?”

“You don’t have the same reasons as me for not being able to find someone. Plus, you’re really popular.”

“Super cute new student!” …Such talk was quite the topic in my class and others in April, just after the school year started.

Since then, with her natural sociability and star quality, she’s become a well-known figure in the school.

“No, I’m not that popular. I just show up in many places, so I have a lot of acquaintances.”

“No way. I hear quite a bit.”

“What do you hear?”

“Talks like someone confessed to Suika.”

“……”

“Though it always ends with them being shot down. …Ah, but that’s just what I’ve heard…”

There might be guys who weren’t shot down.

“Hey, Suika, if you’re already seeing someone…”

“Kuuya.”

Her voice, cutting me off, was calm.

Calm, polite, yet somehow filled with a certain force.

“I’m not interested in that sort of thing right now. And of course, I don’t have anyone.”

Suika continued to smile gently.

“It’s okay for me to be with you, no matter what anyone thinks.”

“…Really? If that’s the case, then it’s fine.”

“Yes.”