Chapter 4

Class trudged along like nothing was wrong.

The seat Kinuhata hounded since forever was completely empty.

Maybe it’s just a coincidence…

Either way, I wasn’t about to complain that my bully was absent from school due to a cold or something like that. In fact, he could have stayed home forever for all I cared.

Meanwhile, people continued to swarm over Ai, pestering her about this and that. It was going to be hard to even approach her like this, let alone find a chance to apologize.

And clearly, she was still angry at me. She refused to even greet me, let alone walk with me to and from school. Honestly, I couldn’t fault her for that. The more I thought about the situation, the more I realized just how badly I had fucked up. I tried to find any chance I could to talk with her after school, but she always evaded my attempts by hanging out with someone else.

So, the week rolled on, and by Friday morning, I had basically given up on ever finding a chance to apologize to her.

If she could at least let me speak with her…

When I entered the kitchen to have breakfast, my mom turned to me with the same smile she had had since Sunday.

“Oh, good morning Hiro.” She paused for a few seconds, as if scanning me. “Say, have you lost weight recently?”

“…Huh?”

Now that she mentions it…

I did find it weird that this morning I used the second hole on my belt instead of the first. I didn’t think too much about it, considering I was still half-asleep, but it was weird.

“I guess I have…”

“Whatever diet you’re following, just make sure to not overdo it! It’s important to get all your nutrients!”

“Right…”

I certainly wasn’t following any diet, though. And I didn’t feel like I was eating any less than I used to.

I shrugged.

No point worrying about it. It’s a good thing I’m losing weight. Is it just stress caused by Ai’s situation? Maybe I am eating less without realizing.

As mom gave me breakfast, I noticed the house was unusually quiet.

“Hey, where’s Dad?”

“Oh, didn’t you hear? He’s starting his new job today!”

“Wow, already?” I said as I bit my toast.

Dad had been leaving the house each morning to go job hunting, but he always left after me, to avoid the morning rush.

“Yes! It turns out there was a company that desperately needed someone with his specific skill set, so he got hired right away. Isn’t that great?”

I smiled.

“Yeah, it is.”

Guess if he put his mind to it, he could do it after all.

He had lounged around the house, complaining about the job market and whatnot, for over four months. Turns out he had just been a bum who didn’t even put any effort into searching for a job.

However it happened, this was great news. Things were finally looking up to me and my family. Dad got his shit together and I seemed to be healthier too. No migraines the whole week. I couldn’t even remember when was the last time that happened.

I really wanted to enjoy these good times without worry.

But at the back of my mind, Ai’s situation was still bothering me.

That’s it. No more dillydallying.

That morning, I vowed that would be the day when I’d apologize to her.

⬡⬢⬡⬢⬡

Ai hadn’t showed up to walk to school with me that morning yet again. I was already thinking things were going to continue in the same trajectory as the rest of the week, until another unusual event took place during first break.

The transfer student was still the center of attention in class, but people had gradually started to lose interest and returned to their own groups. As such, Ai had joined a group of girls that she seemed to have made quick friends with, leaving her desk unattended during breaks. I was once again all on my lonesome, but this time, I passed the time by reading a light novel I brought from home.

I usually wouldn’t do this—after all, my bully had a real knack for finding any little thing he could to bother me. However, since he was still absent, I could finally relax in the classroom, put on some earplugs, and enjoy reading in peace.

Or at least, that’s what I thought, when I suddenly felt a pat in the shoulder.

For a moment I assumed the bell had rang, and the teacher was going to confiscate my novel—but instead I found myself face-to-face with one of my classmates. I couldn’t recall his name, though, even though I had seen the class register just a few days ago.

He sits right at the front, so… Amano, maybe?

He was one of the top dogs of the class, a really popular guy with both girls and his own gender; the type of guy you could just tell at a glance was no longer a virgin. I didn’t have much of an opinion on him, and I assumed he didn’t have much of an opinion about me, either. We lived in different worlds and mutually ignored each other, just like we should.

So what the hell did he want from me?

“Hey, Tanaka,” he said with a brilliance reserved for society’s top dog. “Whatcha reading there?”

It was, in fact, the most recent volume of HomuMaid. I wasn’t stupid enough to read such a saucy story in public without a book cover, so it was impossible for Amano to know what I was reading at a glance.

“I-It’s…huh… a light novel.”

“Ah-ah. That much I can tell. Which one, though?”

I narrowed my eyes. What did he want? Perhaps he noticed my suspicion, because he followed up with, “I read them occasionally, so I was wondering if you had any reccs.”

Huh? This guy reads light novels?

It was such an out-of-left-field thing to say. It didn’t feel like it was his vibe, like, at all.

My internal alarm bells began blaring.

Was he going to be just another bully?

But instead of flinching and getting all awkward about it, I found it in me to answer honestly. I don’t exactly know where that came from, but this guy felt safe in a way my bullies didn’t. It felt like entertaining his question wasn’t going to lead to anything bad.

So I pulled out my book cover and showed it to him. In all its maid-covered-in-heavy-cream glory.

“HomuMaid,” I said. “It’s an isekai where—”

“Oh, I’ve heard of it before!” Amano said as he snatched the book from me and browsed it quickly. “Huh… the illustrations are top-notch. Is the story any good?”

“Y-Yeah… it’s pretty sweet… and the girls are cute….”

“Ah-ah. That’s nice. Sounds just like your type of girl. Cute with big boobs, like this girl on the cover. Just like Ai.”

“Hey…!”

“I’m joking, dude,” he said, slapping me on the shoulder. “Maybe I’ll try to read it, too.”

And from there, we just… talked. Like two people who just found out about each other and shared the same hobby. Turns out, he was a bit of a closet otaku, and despite his apparent popularity, still enjoyed the occasional escapist fantasy, much like I did.

It was so weird having someone to talk about my interests with. First Ai, now Amano. I’d never really had anything like this in my life.

Yet another way my life has been improving recently, huh?

“…Tanaka? Are you listening?” Amano asked as my thoughts took over.

“Oh, sorry. I was a bit lost in thought there. Did you say something?”

“I asked what your absolute favorite light novel series is! Geez, you really weren’t listening to me.”

“S-Sorry. That would be—”

Then I stopped.

There’s that stupid question again.

My mouth didn’t produce any sound. It was like the link between my unconscious memories and my conscious awareness of them had been severed. I couldn’t just shrug this off like it was a momentary slip of awareness.

What was my favorite series?

I was sure I had one—but I just couldn’t recall the name or anything about it. An absolute void of information I couldn’t feel—and it was agonizing.

“Tanaka?”

Amano was looking at me, worry spreading through his face. Anyone would be when someone froze like that mid-sentence.

That’s right when the bell rang to signal the end of break and saved me from embarrassment.

“Oh, there’s the bell.”

Strange. I’m sure the break would last a bit longer than this.

“You can tell me later, okay?” Amano said with a practiced wave of his hand, as he returned to his seat.

All I was left with were my doubts and that increasing sense of unease.

⬡⬢⬡⬢⬡

During the remaining classes, the question of my favorite novel basically evaporated from my mind. I just stopped caring about it. All that thinking wasn’t going anywhere, and besides, I had bigger problems to deal with.

I thought of the best way to apologize to Ai, and eventually landed on just slipping her a note asking for us to meet each other after school. She agreed, and so I waited for her behind the school gym for a little while.

“Sorry, did you wait long?” Ai asked, her tone a bit chirpier than I’d expect. “I was still resolving some of the transfer paperwork…”

“N-No, that’s alright. Uhh…”

She took a step closer, her big eyes eagerly waiting for my words.

“So what is it?” She pressed.

Ai didn’t seem particularly annoyed or sad. More like… expectant. Like she knew what I called her here for, and we were just going through the motions.

Well, just gotta go for it, I guess.

“I’m s-sorry!” I said as I bowed deeply. “It was stupid of me to suspect you back at the mall. All you did since moving back in has been so sweet, and I—”

Suddenly, I felt Ai’s arms cradling my head and pulling me onto her chest, as if she were hugging a baby.

That’s her boobs… right? Oh man.

My heart had already been going crazy, but it started beating faster than I thought was humanly possible.

“It’s okay. I understand,” she said softly as she patted my nape. “We’ve only known each other again for a few days. I had no idea you were being bullied… That was my bad. I’m sorry”

“No, no, you did nothing wrong!” I said, still holding my bow. Ai didn’t let me go.

“Still, I could have been more understanding that day… instead of hitting you and bolting away like that. I’m sorry, too.”

I started raising my head so I could look into her eyes, see her expression.

Ai let go of me and stepped back, letting me see her face.

She had a pained smile, like she really was feeling guilty about what happened.

But still, she was so cute, so innocent. It made me feel even worse than I had before.

Can this girl be even more perfect?

“Thanks for the apology. I appreciate it. I hope you accept my apology too.”

“Oh, o-of course—”

I never finished that sentence. Instead, she did something unthinkable. Ai reached her arms up and around my neck, pushing our bodies together. I could feel her petite body pressed against mine, her face so close that our noses were basically touching.

My heart was beating so fast it was almost jumping out of my chest.

She closed her eyes and leaned in close.

I did the same, almost out of instinct.

Then we kissed.

It lasted but a fleeting moment, but it still felt like the world.

I tried my best to focus on the sensation of her warm lips, but I felt not much of anything beyond that. Her mouth didn’t taste of anything at all.

Is this really how kissing should feel?

I had never kissed anyone, so I didn’t know. But I felt it had to be more… visceral, in a way. This was a real person, after all. But I felt none of that.

Just as trying to understand the strange sensation, Ai took a step back, her hands tied behind her back.

Maybe seeing my utterly befuddled face, Ai spoke.

“Sorry, did you not like that? Oh god, I didn’t ask for permission, did I?” She said as she touched her cheeks.

“N-No, that’s not it,” I replied. “Why… did you do that?”

“That’s simple,” she said. “Because I like you.”

The words didn’t register.

Huh? What? A girl this cute liking me?

It didn’t make any sense. What did she see in me? I was ugly, a fatty, not particularly smart, and a loner. Besides, we’d only really known each other for a few days at this point.

Were girls really this forward nowadays?

“Your face is telling me you don’t believe me,” she said with a cute pout.

“…I’m just having a hard time believing that.”

“That just means I’ll have to prove it to you!” She said brightly. “Assuming you like me back, of course… That’s kinda important, isn’t it? Ah-ah.”

“O-Of course I do!” I said without hesitation.

“Great,” she said with a blush on her cheeks. “Then I guess we’re dating now?”

“Uh… sure?”

“You don’t seem too happy about it!” She said, puffing her cheeks.

“N-No, I am!”

I was over the moon. Nah, I was over all the way to like Saturn, at least.

Whatever this random stroke of luck was that brought this girl to my life, I was going to take it.

Before I could even enjoy the feeling or process what was happening, she grabbed my hand tightly.

“I’m so glad I met you, Hiro.”

“Me too, Ai.”