Liar's Lips Fall Apart in Love - Volume 1 Chapter 4.7

The Winter When We Take a Step Forward 7

About five minutes by bus from my family home, Nanase said,

“This is where we get off.”

On our way to her house, we passed an elderly woman. It seemed like they knew each other

Nanase greeted her with a smile, saying, “Good evening.” Thinking it rude to just pass by, I also nodded silently in greeting.

The woman returned the greeting with a “Good evening,” but her expression was somewhat puzzled.

She probably didn’t recognize Nanase. Given how different Nanase looks compared to her high school days, it’s no surprise.

Nanase, however, didn’t seem to mind and kept walking.

She stopped in front of a small single-family house in the middle of a residential area.

“…Hey. Is it really okay for me to come here so suddenly?”

When I think about it calmly, it’s incredibly impertinent. If I had a daughter who suddenly brought home a stranger, I might punch him.

“Don’t worry. I’ll explain everything properly,” Nanase said with a smile, but my anxiety wasn’t eased at all.

How exactly is she planning to explain?

“This guy kept giving me mixed signals, eventually turned me down, and on top of that, whined about not wanting to go back to his family home, so I brought him here”?

If it were me, I wouldn’t stop at just punching such a guy.

Nanase unlocked the door, calling out, “I’m home!” The house was dimly lit, and there was no response from anyone.

“Huh, that’s odd… maybe they went shopping?”

“Nanase… did you actually tell your parents you’d be coming home today?”

When I asked, Nanase pressed a hand to her mouth and said, “Ah.”

“Come to think of it, I got carried away and forgot to tell them about it.”

“Ha!? You, you should’ve said something about that…!”

“I’ll give them a call now! For now, come inside!”

Pushing on my back, Nanase urged me into the living room. The lights were off, and it was chilly inside. Clearly, no one was home.

I took off my down jacket and hesitantly sat down on the sofa. Nanase took out her smartphone and started calling her parents.

“…Ah, Mom? Actually, I’m back home right now… Oh, really? Okay, got it. Um, I brought a friend with me, it’s okay to let him stay over, right?”

After a while, Nanase hung up, her eyebrows furrowed in slight trouble.

“Um… my dad and mom are at my grandma’s in Mikawa.”

“Ah.”

“They said they’re staying over, so they won’t be coming home today.”

…Which means, we’ll be alone here tonight.

I stood up, saying, “I’m going home,” and started putting my down jacket back on. Nanase, in a fluster, tried to stop me.

“Wa, wait! That’s not okay! After coming all this way.”

Nanase gripped the hem of my down jacket firmly, refusing to let go. Cutting off my “But,” she spoke rapidly.

“It’s okay. I got permission from my mom. You should stay. We have a guest room too. You can sleep there after laying out the futon. Okay?”

Nanase’s desperate demeanor made me wonder what exactly was “okay” about this. However, the truth was, I had no other option.

“…Okay.”

As I reluctantly agreed, Nanase breathed a sigh of relief, then flushed and tugged at the collar of her mud-stained dress.

“…So, can I take a bath first? I got all dirty when I fell earlier…”

…Perhaps I should have left immediately. But it was already too late.

◇◇◇

Haruko’s PoV

Despite being in the familiar changing room, I felt a slight tension the moment I started undressing. I knew why. Sagara-kun was under the same roof.

I had shoved Sagara-kun into my room on the second floor. Physically speaking, the distance might be closer than in our usual apartment.

Yet, getting completely undressed in this situation made me nervous. Not that I was worried about anything in particular, but I locked the door to the changing room just in case.

With a determined effort, I stripped off my clothes and tossed them into the laundry basket. I entered the bathroom, twisted the faucet, and waited for the water to warm up.

After ensuring it was sufficiently hot, I first removed my makeup, then showered from head to toe. I lathered up with a foaming net, washing my body.

When the hot water hit the scraped knee, it stung a bit, making me frown slightly.

Could it be… that I’m doing something outrageous?

The thought of my own forcefulness hitting me now made me cringe and squat down on the spot.

To think I dragged him all the way to Nagoya and then to my family home on a whim. Perhaps Sagara-kun is completely put off by me right now.

But I just couldn’t leave him alone.

When I saw Sagara-kun’s pale face fleeing from his family home, gasping, “I can’t go back,” I thought I couldn’t leave this person alone.

There might be nothing I can do for Sagara-kun right now. Yet, I wanted to be by his side.

…Turns out, I’m far more assertive than I thought.

I had never realized this side of myself until I fell in love with Sagara-kun. I used to be passive and timid, unable to even invite friends over to play.

Or rather. Tonight, I’m going to spend the night alone with Sagara-kun here.

I never imagined my “first sleepover” would turn out like this. After all, he turned me down, and I’m not expecting anything to happen. But still, I found myself washing more carefully than usual.

When I cleared the steamed-up mirror with the shower, my naked reflection appeared. Suddenly, I started worrying about my figure.

My chest is naturally decent-sized, not particularly small, but I’ve never compared it to others, so I’m not sure. I wonder if my stomach looks okay, if my makeup-free face is too plain and unremarkable.

…Ah. I should’ve prepared some cute pajamas at least.

With such minor regrets, I left the bathroom.