What If I Told Tomori-san, The Girl Who's Cold Only Towards Me, That I Knew Her Secret Account? - V2 Chapter 3.1

I Want to Hold You 1

【It’s sudden, but can I come to Azusa’s apartment today?】

Sunday, 12:56 PM.

I received a message on my smartphone from my childhood friend, Chifuyu.

【The exams start tomorrow, right? But I can’t seem to concentrate on studying alone. Want to study together?】

【Sorry, I have something to do today.】

【Are you going somewhere?】

【Yes.】

【With Azusa’s mom?】

【No, Mom has been in France for about three weeks since yesterday. She’s participating in a patissier competition.】

【Hmm, then Azusa will be home alone for a while… Ah! Does that mean you’re going out with Kagisaka!?】

【There’s no way that’s happening.】

【Ugh! Whatever, I don’t care! If you’re going to put a guy over your best friend, then I’ll spend time with the person I like too! We have this social game we play, and there’s an amazing event costume we need to discuss!】

【I’m telling you, I’m not going out with Kagisaka-kun.】

..Yeah.

I guess I wasn’t lying?

It’s not like we’re going somewhere.

“!”

Immediately after that, the intercom rang.

After releasing the auto-lock on the front door, I returned to my room and checked my outfit in the mirror.

(..Did I go a bit overboard?)

A summery off-shoulder pure white blouse.

A short, red flared skirt.

It feels like I’m putting in the effort as if going on a date, but that analogy is completely off.

I take a deep breath to calm down my heart that’s been pounding since last night.

Just as the door chime rang, I opened the front door.

“I’m surprised. You’re here on time.”

Trying to hide my embarrassment, I unintentionally let out a grumble.

“I’ve never been late before.”

“I see, you value punctuality but have a twisted personality.”

“Meeting someone and immediately being rude. Is that the Tomori family’s way of greeting?”

“Correct. Surprised?”

“Rather, I feel relieved. It’s better than being attacked out of nowhere.”

“Huh? You’re not mistaking my house for a lion’s cage or something, are you?”

“Don’t be ridiculous. It’s more like a gorilla than a lion.”

“Gorilla…!?”

“If you can’t stand it anymore, feel free to drum your chest out, okay?”

“Hahaha, maybe I’d rather bang your side of the head instead of my chest~.”

A playful exchange of teasing remarks.

Just a typical, everyday conversation.

“Come on, hurry up and come inside.”

However, what’s about to begin is an extraordinary event.

Kimitaka Kagisaka.

On a sunny Sunday in July, I invited a male classmate to my house when no one else was around.

*****

“It’s kinda late to ask, but…”

Studying at the table, Kagisaka-kun says while sitting on the cushion in my room, which I had carefully tidied last night.

“Was there a need to study at Tomori’s house?”

“I explained the reason, didn’t I? We always used to study at Hoshimiya Coffee. Going to a café every time isn’t budget-friendly.”

“Why not study in the classroom or the library then?”

“If someone sees us studying together, strange rumors will spread. That’s why I reluctantly… suggested studying at my house. Anyway, it’s normal for friends to do this kind of thing.”

That’s a lie.

To be clear, it’s not normal at all.

(I couldn’t sleep properly last night.)

I tried to change my mood, so I went to the nearby convenience store at night.

《This isn’t normal at all! It’s like a house date with K-kun!》

《I need to buy various things, just in case!》

《Wait… 0.01mm… Isn’t that too thin? I probably won’t even use it with 99% of probability… But what if I do, and it tears? What should I do, K-kun!?》

Along with these anxious tweets from my secret account, I ended up buying various things.

(Calm down.)

I hid those items in my desk drawer, and there’s no way I’ll actually use them. 

The reason I invited him over was that I wanted to get closer to him. All of this… is for that reason.

“…It’s all Kagisaka-kun’s fault.”

As I solved the problem sets, my thoughts accidentally slipped out of my mouth.

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“Ah, um… I mean I’m helping you with your studies. I’m afraid you’re going to fail this semester.”

“Me?”

“Isn’t the student council president’s childhood friend busy with prom dance practice?”

Ah, no. Stop, me.

“But I was surprised. Kagisaka-kun and Seira-san are really close, huh?”

This is just an unreasonable act of anger. 

Since the day we had that conversation in the student council room, I haven’t been able to control my emotions.

“Could it be that you two are already dating?”

I blurted out something I was too scared to ask. That scene is still vivid in my mind.

Seira-san is embracing Kagisaka-kun in the student council room. 

At that moment, they looked just like a couple.

(…I could never do something like that. Even today, I ended up saying mean things as a way to hide my embarrassment.)

After Kagisaka-kun left the student council room, he said that he and Seira were just childhood friends…

《…Idiot.》

I murmured into my phone, which I had put in my pocket.

If you had a childhood friend, you should have told me. After all, we’re partners…

“Let’s talk about that later.”

“Uh, where are you going?”

“I was studying at the café before coming here, but I seem to have forgotten a reference book. I’ll go get it.”

As soon as he said that, Kagisaka-kun left the room.

A few seconds later, I heard the sound of the front door opening and closing.

It seems like he really went outside.

“…What should I do? Did I make him angry?”

It’s not surprising. He came all the way to my house to study, but I said something so sarcastic…

“…I’m such an unpleasant person today…”

A heavy sigh of self-loathing escapes me.

Spending time with the boy I like.

In a shoujo manga, the probability of a romantic comedy event would be 100%, but it seems like reality isn’t that romantic.

“…Seira-san would probably never act like this.”

I understand because we’re friends.

Seira-san is a truly charming person.

She’s the student council president called the ‘Everyone’s admiration’ and does things that I could never do.

(That’s why she won the Aiyu Award two years in a row.)

*****

TN: Changed to Everyone’s admiration