Liar's Lips Fall Apart in Love - Volume 1 Chapter 3.8

The Autumn When Love Begins 8

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Ever since the cultural festival, Nanase’s behavior has been odd.

When I see her at university, she often skips. When I call out to her, she smiles happily. She’s been making elaborate dishes for dinner, and the amount she brings me has increased.

Even when she’s just in her room, she’s been putting on makeup more often. She stares intently but looks away when I look back. It doesn’t make any sense.

…No. To tell the truth, it’s not like I have no idea why.

“Ah, we found Sagara!”

As I was eating lunch alone in the lab, Houjo and Kinami came in. Without asking, they sat down next to me, who was chewing on fried chicken.

“It’s super cold outside today. The cafeteria was super crowded, so we thought, ‘Why not just come to the lab?'”

Kinami chatted away. Since the cultural festival, they’ve become oddly friendly, constantly striking up conversations. They must naturally be the type to close the distance with others.

“Sagara, you’re eating a bento.”

“Whoa, that fried chicken looks super delicious.”

I had leftover fried chicken from Nanase last night, so I stuffed it into a bento box with some rice. Saving on one meal’s worth of lunch money is appreciated.

“Give me a piece.”

When Kinami reached for the fried chicken, I silently knocked his hand away. This fried chicken was made by Nanase. I’m not giving even a single piece to him. He called me a “Stingy!” but i let him say whatever he wants.

Houjo and Kinami began to eat their convenience store bento. Why am I, of all people, eating lunch with the two most socially active guys in our seminar? I decided to eat up and escape quickly.

Ignoring my intentions, Houjo cheerfully started a conversation.

“By the way, Sagara. That Panda Man incident at the cultural festival has become quite the famous, huh?”

I stopped my chopsticks in their tracks. Please, let’s not talk about that.

Just remembering that day makes me want to dig a hole and jump into it. I’m aware that I’ve been pointed at as “Panda Man” around campus since then.

“Right. I was with Sagara back then, and when he suddenly started running, I was so surprised. Nanase seemed a bit off at that time too.”

“Nanase doesn’t seem to like standing out. She must have been really shocked.”

At their words, I just nodded. I’m the only one who needs to understand why she couldn’t raise her face.

After finishing my lunch, I stowed away the empty bento box in my shoulder bag. Just as I was about to stand up, Kinami leaned in and said, “But you know.”

“Nanase’s been looking even cuter lately, right? Right, Sagara?”

“…Not really.”

…I missed my chance to escape. Interested in the continuation, I stayed put.

“Yusuke, you’ve got a girlfriend, right? Stop saying stuff like that about other girls, or you’ll get in trouble.”

“Well, my girlfriend is the cutest to me, but still. Nanase’s face is totally my type. It’s just for admiring, so it’s fine, right?”

As I listened to Kinami, I wondered what his reaction would be if he saw Nanase’s bare face. He’d probably have an incredibly rude reaction, so I don’t want to show him.

“Has Nanase really changed that much? I can’t tell the difference.”

Houjo, tilting his head, was met with Kinami’s enthusiastic argument.

“No way, she’s definitely gotten cuter! Her eyes sparkle, and she’s always smiling.”

“Well, I kinda feel that too. But maybe that’s because Yusuke’s been hanging out with Sagara? Isn’t that it?”

“What?”

Kinami and I exclaimed at the same time. Houjo continued in a calm tone.

“Nanase has always been the cutest when she’s with Sagara. Maybe because Yusuke’s been hanging out with Sagara, Nanase seems cuter as a result?”

Wait, I don’t remember hanging out with Kinami. No, more importantly, “Nanase is the cutest when she’s with me”—

“…What does that mean?”

Kinami asked. That’s what I want to know.

I replied, “I don’t know,” and took a gulp of barley tea from my bottle.

◇◇◇

Haruko’s PoV

“…Eh, a seminar trip?”

“Yeah, yeah, during spring break! It’s in February, so it’s a bit away. Haruko’s going too, right?”

On Friday, after the seminar ended and during lunch break, Sacchan brought it up while we were eating lunch in an empty classroom.

It seems there’s a plan for our seminar group to go on a trip during spring break. It’s an incredibly attractive invitation for someone like me, aiming for a rosy university life… but it’s quite troubling.

…Going on a trip means I’d have to expose my bare face to my friends.

“I, I’m not sure about going on a trip…”

While munching on her yakisoba bread, Sacchan asked with curiosity.

“Really? Don’t you want to go?”

“No, no! I do want to go, but…”

I can’t say I can’t go because I don’t want to show my bare face. As I hesitated, Sacchan smiled at me.

“I’m in charge of planning it with Hiroki. Think about where you want to go. Oh, a hot spring would be nice! I want to eat crab.”

“Yeah… That sounds good.”

I truly want to go on a trip with everyone. I want to enter a hot spring without worry, exposing my bare face, and talk all night.

But still—if I show them my plain face and they get disappointed, what should I do?

As I thought about it, Sacchan grinned, leaned close to my ear, and whispered.

“…You should invite Sagara to the seminar trip. Your first overnight stay together.”

“…! My, my first overnight stay…!”

Going on a trip with Sagara-kun. Being together all day. That would surely, undoubtedly, be wonderful. It’s definitely going to be fun.

“But…maybe Sagara-kun won’t want to come on a seminar trip…”

“No way, if Haruko invites him, he’ll come. Show him a different kind of charm after coming out of the bath, and win him over in one fell swoop!”

Sacchan raised her fist as she said that, but I’ve probably shown him my post-bath jersey-clad bare-faced look a few times. There’s no charm in it. Living next door, it might be difficult to surprise him with an overnight stay.

As I worried, Sacchan took my hands and gripped them tightly.

“Really, do your best. Honestly, it’s a pain to give Haruko to Sagara… but if there’s anything I can do, just say the word!”

I felt like crying at Sacchan’s encouraging words.

Sacchan is fully supporting my love. I never imagined I’d have such a friend before entering university.

Maybe, just maybe, Sacchan would accept the real me, my bare face.

Shaking my head, I brushed off the thought. Sacchan must have been the center of her class since high school, surrounded by many friends. If Sacchan and I had been in the same class in high school, we probably wouldn’t have interacted much.

──Nanase-san is serious, unlike us.

Sacchan and I are from different worlds.

“…? Haruko, what’s wrong?”

Sacchan asked worriedly as I looked down sadly. I forced a smile and said, “It’s nothing.”