Liar's Lips Fall Apart in Love - Volume 1 Chapter 4.4

The Winter When We Take a Step Forward 4

When i almost reach my apartment, I heard the sound of a man and woman arguing. Perhaps a lovers’ quarrel at this hour, I thought, feeling exasperated.

I intended to just walk past them, pretending not to notice.

“No, I can’t. Please, just go home.”

However, the desperate tone in the woman’s voice sounded familiar.

Immediately, my heart started to race with a bad premonition. I hurried toward my apartment, only to find under the streetlight a man with his arm around a woman’s shoulder.

My worst fears were confirmed. There stood Nanase, desperately trying to turn her face away and escape from the man. The moment I saw this, a wave of anger surged within me.

“Nanase!!”

I called her name louder than I ever had before.

Upon seeing me, Nanase’s eyes widened, and her expression softened with relief. Her lips moved, seemingly mouthing “Sagara-kun.”

“What are you doing here?”

The appearance of a third party made the man hesitate. Nanase shook off his hand and ran to me, quickly hiding behind my back. The man clicked his tongue in annoyance.

“…A friend of Nanase-chan? Or her boyfriend?”

I hesitated on how to answer. I am neither Nanase’s friend nor her boyfriend. Just a mere neighbor who happened to pass by.

Nanase clung to the hem of my down jacket as if seeking salvation, her fingertips turning white. Seeing this, I made up my mind.

“…I’m her boyfriend.”

The man seemed intimidated and took a step back. Seizing the opportunity, I slipped past him, took Nanase’s hand, and climbed the stairs to my apartment.

Feeling it would be bad for Nanase’s room to be discovered, I pushed her into my room instead. After locking the door behind us, I finally let out a breath of relief.

In the dim room, Nanase was trembling. It surely wasn’t just from the cold.

“Who was that earlier?”

“A senior… from work…”

“Was he hitting on you?”

“No, it’s not like that, but…”

If it wasn’t like that, then what was it? The way he touched her clearly had ulterior motives. Just recalling the scene made my blood boil.

“Nanase, you’re always smiling, making you an easy target for those types. You should brush them off more firmly.”

At my words, Nanase’s eyes welled up with tears. She looked down, biting her lower lip hard.

I realized I had gone too far. It sounded as if the problem lay with Nanase, but the fault was entirely that man’s.

“…Ah, no, sorry. It’s not that Nanase is to blame.”

As I spoke, Nanase wiped her eyes and slowly began to talk.

“We were eating dinner, the three of us from work. It wasn’t just the two of us. He was walking me home, but then suddenly, he said he wanted to come into my room.”

“What?”

“I wanted to refuse, but he grabbed my arm. He was so strong, I couldn’t shake him off…”

…That damn bastard.

Just hearing about it made my anger boil over again. Maybe I should have called the police.

Nanase, looking up with red eyes, sniffled.

“I was scared… Thank you for saving me…”

I didn’t want to see her crying, especially since it had been a while since we last faced each other directly. Come to think of it, I’ve only been seeing Nanase cry lately.

No, last time, it was me who made her cry. Remembering that, my chest hurt with guilt.

Do I even have the right to comfort her now?

Slowly reaching out to Nanase’s back, I gently patted her. Her fragile body was still trembling slightly. After a while, Nanase looked up at me with tearful eyes.

“…Sagara-kun. I have a request.”

“Depends on what it is.”

“…Can I hug you?”

“…W-What!?!”

I inadvertently stepped back and hit the back of my head hard against the door. A loud “Gon!” sound echoed, followed by a dull pain.

…What is she thinking?

It’s late at night, we’re alone in my room, and she was almost attacked by a man just moments ago. She’s seriously lacking in self-preservation.

“Don’t say something so stupid!”

“But, I won’t be able to sleep feeling grossed out if I go back to my room now. I kind of want to… overwrite those feelings with you, Sagara-kun…”

Wait a minute, she’s saying something outrageous. Does she understand the meaning of her own words?

How does she think I’d react? My head started to spin from the implications.

Nanase looked down dejectedly, seeing my panic.

“…Sorry. I know it’s troubling for you to hear this…”

…That’s the problem, it’s not troubling at all.

I pondered. It was an unreasonable request, but it seemed cruel to send her back still trembling.

Damn it, what am I even thinking? Just think of it as a stroke of luck and go for it.

My reason and instincts were at war inside my head. Enough, be quiet.

“…Then, just for ten seconds.”

I had succumbed to my own desires. But strictly ten seconds. Any longer, and I wouldn’t trust my own restraint.

As I spread my arms, Nanase’s face lit up.

“Really? Can I?”

“Just hurry up. This is embarrassing.”

“Yes, excuse me!”

After politely saying so, Nanase threw herself into my embrace.

Her slender arms wrapped around my back. Even through the thick down jacket, I could feel the softness of her body. A sweet scent tickled my nose, causing my body temperature to soar and my heartbeat to quicken.

I could feel my blood rushing from the top of my head to my toes at breakneck speed.

Nanase closed her eyes and rested her head against my chest. Unconsciously, my arms moved.

I wanted to hug her.

I forcibly expelled such instincts from my mind. Grabbing Nanase’s shoulders, I roughly pulled her away.

“Time’s up, ten seconds have passed. It’s over.”

Trying to sound calm, Nanase reluctantly pulled away. Her cheeks flushed, she shyly looked at me.

“Thank you, Sagara-kun. I managed to overwrite it.”

…As if she knows what the guy she just hugged was thinking. She has the nerve to thank me.

The heat in my cheeks wouldn’t cool down. The sound of my own heart was deafening.

The thought of someone else holding her, so soft and sweet-smelling, filled me with an unbearable sense of distress.

At that moment, I became painfully aware of my own selfish desires. Yet, I swallowed them and picked up a convenience store bag.

“…Nanase. Let’s eat Christmas cake together. It’s just the leftovers from work, though.”

“Yes, I want to! I’d love to!”

Nanase said, smiling without any hesitation.

I turned on the room’s light and switched on the old electric heater in the corner.

The cold was harsh as ever, but perhaps being together made it slightly warmer.

Nanase neatly sliced the cake and placed it on plates. On the table, there were just convenience store cakes and two cups of tea.

It was a far from a Christmas party. I should have at least bought some drinks.

Nanase took a bite of the cake and her expression brightened.

“It’s delicious!”

“…It’s just a convenience store cake, sorry.”

“No, I’m happy. Convenience store sweets these days are amazing!”

Nanase, with graceful movements, brought the fork to her mouth. Her lips, curved into a happy smile, were as red as the strawberries on the cake.

As I was mesmerized by her, our eyes met, and my heart threatened to race again.

“Sagara-kun… Thank you for today. I’m sorry for saying strange things. I’ll try to sort out my feelings quickly.”

Nanase said, awkwardly lifting the corners of her mouth. The painful smile stabbed at my conscience.

To be honest, there’s nothing wrong with Nanase. The only reason I can’t accept her feelings is because of my own troublesome nature.

“…It’s not that you’re at fault, Nanase. This is… my problem.”

“What problem?”

I couldn’t say anything more. I had never revealed my inner feelings to anyone, so I couldn’t find the right words.

Nanase seemed to give up on my answer and started eating the cake again. “It’s delicious,” she smiled at me, and I nodded honestly.

Why does a leftover convenience store cake eaten in a rundown apartment late at night taste so good? I already know the answer.

“Is it snowing? No wonder it felt so cold.”

Nanase stood up and looked out the window. In the darkness of the night, white snowflakes were gently falling. It was already past midnight, so it was a called White Christmas.

“It’s the first time I’ve seen snow falling since I came to Kyoto. It’s the first snow of the year.”

Nanase turned to me with a soft smile. The moment I saw that expression, the selfish desire I had just acknowledged resurfaced.

…I don’t want Nanase to be with any other guy.

If I said that out loud, Sudo would probably punch me. With inner turmoil and the sweet and sour taste of strawberries, I swallowed.