Chapter 84: Karuizawa Kei's Confession!
"Huu... huu..."
Standing on the rooftop of the school building, Karuizawa Kei kept breathing to calm the nervousness and shyness in her heart. She was about to confess to the boy she liked.
At first, when Kei met Yuto, she had indeed intended to make him pretend to be her boyfriend. But as she spent time with him, that thought gradually underwent a tremendous change.
It could even be called a qualitative transformation.
Every time Kei noticed Yuto looking at her, she could not help feeling happy. When she pretended to touch him by accident, her cheeks and body would heat up for no reason.
Although Kei had never dated anyone and had never fallen for someone before, her girlish instincts told her this was what it meant to have feelings for a boy.
She had her first love.
Whether that first love could go smoothly depended on this afternoon's confession.
"I hope everything goes well..." Kei whispered, clasping her hands tightly.
Kei glanced at her phone and saw that there were still more than ten minutes before five o'clock. She quickly took out the mirror from her bag and checked whether her hairstyle had become messy.
Right now, Kei looked exactly like an inexperienced girl about to confess to the person she secretly loved. Her entire body gave off a shy and nervous air.
As Kei used her pale fingers to adjust the bangs on her forehead, the rooftop door was suddenly pushed open.
Startled, Kei let out a small "yah" and hurriedly turned toward the rooftop door. There, she saw the figure she had been thinking about constantly.
"Yuto..."
Yuto looked at Kei, whose eyes had widened slightly, and said softly, "So it really was you, Kei."
"You..."
Kei quickly put away her mirror. Her cheeks reddened, and her eyes flickered as she asked quietly, "Yuto, you already guessed?"
"Mm."
"How did you guess?"
"From the handwriting on the letter. I recognized your writing," Yuto said without changing his expression.
Of course, Yuto had to lie. Was he supposed to tell Kei that he had recognized the scent left on the confession letter?
That answer would sound a little too suspicious.
Kei was very happy, and a delighted, shy smile naturally appeared on her pretty face.
Because Yuto could identify her through the handwriting on the confession letter, it meant he had noticed and cared about her. Otherwise, how could he recognize her handwriting?
Most importantly, after recognizing that the confession letter came from her, Yuto had still come to the rooftop. Did that mean her confession had hope?
Now, Kei's heart began to throb.
She walked toward Yuto in small steps, her delicate face beneath her honey-colored hair as red and lovely as the evening glow.
Kei stopped in front of Yuto.
At this distance, she could already hear the rapid pounding inside her chest. Her accelerating blood flow made her head feel faintly dizzy.
Yuto looked hesitantly at Kei, whose whole body radiated shyness and nervousness.
Now he was starting to doubt whether the girl in front of him truly intended to confess, rather than ask him to pretend to be her boyfriend.
If Kei only wanted him to pretend to be her boyfriend, would she really need to be this shy?
Yuto's emotional intelligence was not low, and his observation skills were quite good. From Kei's current expression, he could tell that she really intended to confess.
Since Yuto was no longer certain whether Kei truly wanted to confess or merely wanted him to pretend to be her boyfriend, he used his mind-reading ability.
[So nervous! So nervous! So nervous!]
[Don't be nervous! It's just confessing to Yuto! Didn't I already practice in front of the mirror in the dorm hundreds of times?!]
[As long as I say it... As long as I say it to Yuto!]
Kei's heart, now filled with nervousness and shyness, made Yuto's mouth twitch.
This girl's confession seemed to be serious.
What happened to the fake boyfriend plan?
"Yuto... I... I like you!"
After gathering all her courage and saying those words, Kei's pure shyness made her suddenly cover her burning face with both hands.
But because she wanted to see Yuto's expression, the deeply embarrassed Kei secretly moved one finger aside, leaving a small gap to look at him.
Through that tiny gap between Kei's fingers, Yuto saw eyes filled with shyness and expectation.
Troublesome...
Those were the only three words in Yuto's mind.
If Kei only wanted him to pretend to be her boyfriend, then Yuto could reject her without hesitation. But Kei seemed serious.
She was serious about wanting him to become her boyfriend.
The evening breeze blew across the rooftop and brushed past Yuto and Kei.
The subtle silence between them made Kei's nervousness, shyness, and expectation quietly fade away. Perhaps she had already received his answer from Yuto's silence.
Kei slowly lowered the hands covering her face, revealing her pretty features.
The shy blush on her face had faded, replaced by an anxious, fragile look that made one's heart ache.
"Yuto..."
Under Kei's pitiful gaze, Yuto answered seriously, "Kei, I'm sorry. I already have a girlfriend."
"No... I don't believe it!"
Kei shook her head hard, her smooth honey-colored hair swaying messily.
"Yuto, aside from me and Kushida, there aren't any other girls around you. You don't have a girlfriend at all!"
Well...
That was true.
If Yuto had a girlfriend, then his girlfriend definitely would not let Kushida Kikyo and Karuizawa Kei get close to him. But Sakura Airi was completely different from ordinary girls.
Kei blinked, trying hard not to let the tears in her eyes fall. She choked out, "Yuto, you're only saying you have a girlfriend because you don't like me, right?"
"Sigh. That really isn't it."
Yuto glanced at his pocket.
His girlfriend was currently eavesdropping on their conversation.
Although Kei tried very hard not to let the tears in her eyes fall, the tears that had gathered could no longer be held back. Clear tears slid down her cheeks, leaving obvious traces.
Feeling wronged and hurt, Kei wiped away the tears on her face.
"Then who is your girlfriend?"
"My girlfriend is rather shy, so I can't tell you..."
Kei glared at Yuto with slightly reddened eyes.
"So she doesn't exist at all, right?!"
Yuto helplessly nodded, meaning, "You guessed right."
Since Airi was shy and did not dare reveal herself, Yuto could only help her hide it.
Seeing Yuto admit that he did not have a girlfriend and simply did not want her to become his girlfriend, Kei bit her lip.
"What's wrong with me... Does Yuto like girls with big breasts like Kushida better?!"
"Of course not!"
Yuto refuted her righteously. "I love my girlfriend because it's her, not because she has a great body!"
Airi, who was secretly listening through the phone, felt her heart grow sweet.
So even if her figure were completely ordinary, Yuto would still like her?
"Come on. Yuto, you don't have a girlfriend at all. You clearly just like girls with better figures..."
Karuizawa Kei lightly pressed her small, slender chest. She still had a chance to develop—after all, she was only sixteen! Every book she'd read said girls didn't stop growing until they were eighteen or nineteen!
"In any case, Kei, I understand your feelings, but I can't accept your confession. I'm sorry."
After leaving those words behind, Yuto turned to leave the rooftop.
Kei watched his back, and the remaining courage in her heart flared up again. She stepped forward and directly hugged Yuto around the waist from behind.
She held him tightly, as if she were embracing her very first love.
"?"
A soft, sweet-scented impact struck him from behind. Yuto-kun turned his head in surprise, catching a glimpse of Kei's beautiful, honey-blonde hair.
"Kei..."
"Yuto, even if you rejected me, I won't give up!"
Yuto sighed helplessly. This girl had not given up on him.
Was it because he had said he did not have a girlfriend?
Kei breathed in Yuto's scent. Feeling warmth and peace in her heart, she bit her lip and whispered, "Yuto, we're... friends, right?"
"More or less."
"Then I want to ask you for something. Please, you have to promise me!"
Kei's tone was full of pleading, like someone drowning in despair who had finally grabbed onto a lifeline.
Yuto raised an eyebrow. Even without using mind-reading, he knew what Kei wanted to ask him.
If nothing unexpected happened, she probably wanted him to pretend to be her boyfriend.
"I don't even know what you want to ask. How can I casually promise you?"
"In any case, let go of me first. Otherwise, we can't continue this conversation." Yuto patted Kei's slender hands, which were wrapped tightly around his waist.
"Oh..."
Kei reluctantly let go of Yuto.
When she had leaned against his back just now, her heart had felt a sense of peace she had never experienced before.
It was as if, as long as she held onto Yuto, she would no longer fear any disaster or bullying. It felt as though she had embraced her whole world.
Kei looked at Yuto with reddened eyes.
Her lively, fawn-like eyes were filled with a pitiful look, one that could soften any boy's heart. Yuto was no exception.
Ever since Yuto had learned through Kei's thoughts that she had suffered terrible bullying in the past, he could not help feeling some pity for her.
Because Sakura Airi had once been frightened by others too.
"Tell me. What do you want me to do?" Yuto asked.
Kei's hands twisted together, and she lowered her voice anxiously. "Yuto, don't look at how strong I seem in class. The truth is... I'm very weak."
"Mm. And?"
Yuto's calm, steady tone seemed to possess a strange magic, gradually soothing the unease and fear rising in Kei's heart.
But it could not completely erase them.
The bullying of the past had carved an indelible despair deep into Kei's soul. Forget talking about those memories; even recalling them was enough to stir up her old unease, fear, and hopelessness.
Kei could not say aloud the bullying that had once happened to her.
Yuto looked at Kei, whose pupils and body were trembling slightly, and sighed. Then he stretched out his hand.
"If you're scared, hold my hand."
"Eh..."
Kei, who had been caught in fear of her past, opened her eyes slightly. She looked at Yuto's sincere and handsome face, then suddenly grabbed his outstretched hand.
Yuto's hand was broad and warm. Kei, who had been affected by fear and despair, felt warmth and support from his hand.
Gradually, Kei stopped trembling from fear. She raised her eyes and glanced at Yuto's handsome face, then quietly tightened her grip around his hand.
So warm...
If only he were willing to become her boyfriend.
Unfortunately, he had rejected her for some reason and even lied that he already had a girlfriend.
So cruel...
Yuto looked at Kei, who was holding his hand tightly, and asked, "Kei, how do you feel now?"
"I'm much better..."
Kei lowered her head as she answered, her voice soft and fragile.
If the girls in Class D saw her like this and heard her current tone, they would surely look as if they had seen a ghost.
Was this really that strong-willed gyaru, Karuizawa Kei?
In truth, weakness was Kei's real personality. She only pretended to be strong so she would never be bullied again.
Kei quietly stepped closer to Yuto.
Then, naturally, she hugged his arm like a koala, holding on tightly.
Although Yuto had rejected her as his girlfriend, she had no intention of giving up.
Feeling Kei cling to him, Yuto said helplessly, "Kei..."
"Let's continue what we were talking about!"
Kei changed the topic while holding onto Yuto's arm. She said softly, "Yuto, during my nine years in elementary and middle school, I was severely bullied the entire time."
"They'd put thumbtacks in my indoor shoe locker."
"They'd leave dead frogs in my desk drawer."
"They'd splash dirty water on me in the restrooms."
"My uniform and desk were defaced with slurs like 'whore' and 'slut'."
"Being punched, kicked, and having my hair pulled was routine... and there were even worse things than that."
…
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