Chapter 3: Perfect Lipstick Gets Messy with Love?

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After finishing my part-time job and stepping out the back door, I noticed that the rain, which had been falling since morning, had finally stopped.

Holding a worn-out plastic umbrella that even umbrella thieves wouldn’t touch, I headed home. The muggy air after the rain felt sticky, raising the discomfort level instantly.

When I reached the apartment, I saw Nanase standing in front of my door. When she noticed me, she waved with a smile, “Welcome back!”

…What’s she doing out here at this time of night, dressed like that…?

Even though it was 10 PM, Nanase had her makeup perfectly done, her hair meticulously curled, and she was wearing a stylish outfit. Could it be that she saw another cockroach and couldn’t go back to her room?

Climbing the stairs, I asked her, “Is something wrong?”

“Um… So-Shouhei-kun!”

“Huh? Who?”

Suddenly, Nanase called out an unfamiliar name. She quickly corrected herself, “N-No! Souhei-kun!” Apparently, she just stumbled over her words.

“Souhei-kun! I made dinner, so do you want to eat?”

…Was she waiting for me? In this sweltering heat? Without taking off her makeup?

“Uh… yeah, I’ll eat.”

Despite my confusion, I answered, and Nanase looked relieved.

“Great! Come on in!”

She pushed me into her room. She had prepared a tomato sauce hamburger steak with cheese inside. I don’t know anything about cooking, but it looked pretty elaborate.

“There’s more if you want seconds, so eat a lot!”

Nanase, with her flawless makeup, said with a smile. Why doesn’t she take off her makeup at home?

The other day, she brought over karaage while fully made up. Recently, she’s been making bento for me every day. Besides that, she’s been doing everything she can to take care of me. While I appreciate it… something seems off.

“Nanase, has something happened recently?”

“Eh! N-No! Nothing at all!”

She shook her head vigorously at my question. If nothing’s wrong, I wish she’d just act naturally…

After finishing the hamburger steak, I tried to do the dishes, but Nanase snatched the sponge from me, saying fiercely, “I’ll do it, so just sit!”

With nothing to do, I sat idly. After finishing the dishes, Nanase suddenly said,

“Souhei-kun! I’ll give you a massage!”

Seeing her wave her hands eagerly, I replied, “H-Huh?”

“W-What are you saying all of a sudden…”

“Souhei-kun, you’re always standing at your part-time job, and you’ve been studying hard lately, right? I thought your neck, shoulders, and back must be stiff!”

Nanase smiled innocently, saying, “I looked up how to give a proper massage.”

Before I could react, she quickly moved behind me. Her speed was impressive; if she were an assassin, I would have been dead in an instant.

Before I could stop her, she placed her hands on my shoulders and pressed her thumbs into them. Though a bit weak, it was surprisingly pleasant. As she said, my body might have been quite stiff. I closed my eyes and focused on the sensation of her fingers.

While pressing near the back of my neck, Nanase whispered, her breath tickling my ear.

“There’s a pressure point here that helps relieve shoulder stiffness. Does it feel good?”

“Yeah…”

“And it’s good to massage the scalp too…”

Nanase changed her position, placing her fingers on my temples. In the process, something soft brushed against my back, making me tense up.

…Wait a minute. Is this on purpose!?

“Pressing here gently helps with eye fatigue. And then…”

Nanase continued massaging diligently, showing no signs of embarrassment. She probably had no ulterior motives, and I was just overthinking it. Meanwhile, her soft chest pressed against my back.

Trying to focus on anything but the strange thoughts, I told myself it was nothing. But I couldn’t concentrate on the massage anymore.

“Nanase, sorry, thank you, that’s enough.”

I quickly stopped her. She looked disappointed.

“But… I haven’t done your back yet.”

No way. If she massages my back in this state, it’ll make things worse.

“I-It’s fine! I’m good!”

When I insisted, Nanase sighed, “Oh… okay.” After a while, she sat down and patted her lap.

“Souhei-kun! How about a lap pillow?”

“I-I’ll pass…”

…She’s definitely acting strange.

***

“Curry and ramen are both delicious. So naturally, the expectations for curry ramen are high. But every time I try it, I’m disappointed. It’s not that it’s bad, it’s just not as good as I expected.”

“I don’t care.”

I dismissed Kinami’s rant and pulled out my bento.

Even in the noisy cafeteria, his voice carried well. Kinami, who sat across from me, was complaining about the new curry ramen menu while eating it.

After the second-period language class, I was about to eat my bento alone when Kinami caught me. “Hey, Sagara, let’s eat lunch,” he said, grabbing me by the neck and dragging me to the cafeteria.

“Hey, is that a love bento from Nanase?”

Noticing my bento, Kinami remarked.

As he pointed out, it was indeed a homemade bento from Nanase. This morning, she insisted, “It’s no trouble since I’m making mine too!” while giving it to me. I appreciated it, but I felt guilty for always receiving her kindness.

Ignoring Kinami’s gaze, I opened the bento box and quickly closed it again. But it was too late; Kinami had already seen the contents and burst out laughing.

“Wow! She really put a lot of effort into that!”

“S-Shut up. Don’t stare.”

Glaring at Kinami, I cautiously opened the lid again.

The bento contained chicken tsukune, bacon-wrapped asparagus, simmered hijiki, and tamagoyaki. There were many dishes, and the colors were vibrant. The tsukune and tamagoyaki were shaped like hearts, and there was a heart-shaped ham on the rice. On top of that, “LOVE” was spelled out with black seaweed. I appreciated it, but it was so embarrassing…!

“Love, huh… Nanase is so funny.”

Kinami laughed hysterically. Ignoring him, I popped a heart-shaped tamagoyaki into my mouth. It was slightly sweet, probably because of the sugar.

But seriously, did she have to go this far with the bento?

Nanase had always been a bit overzealous, but recently she seemed especially out of control. While I appreciated her gestures, it felt somewhat off…

“Man, I wish I could eat Nanase’s love bento too! Can I have one of the tsukune?” (tln :Tsukune (Japanese Chicken Meatball Skewers) )

“No way.”

“Don’t be stingy! Share some of your happiness!”

“No. Besides, don’t you have a girlfriend?”

I vaguely remembered him mentioning he started dating a first-year literature student. But Kinami casually replied, “We broke up.”

“…Already?”

I didn’t know his entire dating history, but in the past few months, he seemed to have been with a lot of different girls. He claimed, “I don’t date multiple girls at once,” but I wasn’t sure I believed him.

“Yeah. We’d been together for almost a month, but she wouldn’t let me, you know… And then she was like, ‘Is that all you want?’ So I figured, if that’s what she thinks, it’s not worth it.”

“Wow. You’re the worst…”

I couldn’t help but give him a look of disdain. Kinami didn’t seem bothered, shrugging, “It’s just a difference in direction, I guess?” It’s not like breaking up a rock band…

“By the way, you and Nanase have been dating for a while now, right? Have you guys done it yet?”

“…”

Ignoring his intrusive question, I drank my water. Seeing my reaction, Kinami seemed to figure it out, his eyes widening.

“Wait, you haven’t done it yet!? Unbelievable!”

“S-Shut up. Don’t say that out loud.”

I didn’t want rumors about Nanase to spread. Kinami apologized, “Oh, sorry,” lowering his voice.

“Still, I don’t get it. You’ve had plenty of chances. Don’t you want to?”

Of course, since I started dating Nanase, I had thought about it. Wanting to kiss when we’re together and wanting to go further after kissing is a natural progression.

But honestly, how much does Nanase understand about that?

For Nanase, boyfriend-girlfriend activities include sitting by the Kamo River together, swinging at the park, and blowing bubbles on the university lawn. A year had passed, and maybe her awareness had changed, but… forcing things when her emotions weren’t ready and having her think “Is that all you want?” would be horrible.

…There’s also the question of whether I’m really good enough for her.

“Seems like you’re overthinking. You’re such a heavy guy, Sagara.”

Seeing me lost in thought, Kinami commented. Leave me alone; I’m not as carefree as you.

Finishing his curry ramen, Kinami rubbed his satisfied belly and stood up with his tray.

“Alright, I’m heading home.”

“Huh? Don’t we have a seminar after this?”

“Yeah, but I didn’t do the homework due today. It’d be awkward, so I’m leaving!”

With that, Kinami waved and left. He’s so carefree. I might be a little envious of his laid-back attitude. But I definitely don’t want to be like him.