10. The wait of the Princess

As I climbed the stairs to the apartment building, I saw that Shibata was in comfortable clothes, but different from the previous evening.

The only major difference was that she was wearing a light coffee-colored coat that allowed her to withstand the autumn wind.

Although it was tolerable in the morning, the lack of sunshine lowered the temperature quite a lot.

"..."

Observing her figure from around the corner, I saw that she was absorbed in her cell phone.

Sighing, I went down one floor and put my shoes back on.

That done, I walked back up the stairs, this time in a normal manner, with my footsteps audible.

"Good evening, Fujita!"

"... Good evening, Shibata.

Without the gloomy air she had before, her mood seemed to have a total changeover.

"... Are you stalking me?"

Waving her cell phone, Shibata admitted it.

"That's what the building's cameras are for! So I can appear at the right time, without fearing the cold!"

"...Liar..."

"Huh? Did you say something?"

Sighing, I was thinking what to do with the girl in front of me.

Even though there are security cameras placed at the entrance of the apartment building, thanks to Asakura, I noticed that Shibata was waiting for me well before I was in the field of view of the cameras.

Also, if she really had access to security, I wouldn't have seen her with that gloomy aura in front of my door.

Was that her normal personality and is she making an effort to be cheerful with me?

... I don't like it at all.

"Um... Forgive me!"

Suddenly, Shibata lowered her head and apologized to me.

Surprised, I couldn't help but ask her what was wrong.

Looking into my eyes for a moment, she quickly looked away.

"Your expression was really dark.... I didn't think you'd get so angry.... That's why I'm apologizing."

My expression...was it angry?

"I don't want to do anything that would bother you."

"Ah..."

In that instant, I realized what I didn't like.

The fact that she wasn't being honest with me.

Seeing the contrast between her gloomy personality and her cheerfully personality in front of me reminded me of... myself.

"You don't need to make an effort in front of me."

"Huh?"

"It must be hard to maintain that energetic atmosphere, right?"

"???"

"So you don't need to wait for me to..."

"Hold on a second!"

Raising her voice, Shibata was asking me to withhold my imagination.

"Are you saying that my happiness at seeing you is false?"

"Aren't you?"

"What.made.you.think.that?"

Unexpectedly, it seemed I had touched on something I shouldn't have.

"Um... I saw you waiting for me in front of the door, and your aura was completely different, so I thought..."

Expecting a reaction from Shibata, I was surprised when she didn't say anything.

Looking at her face, I saw that she was completely red.

Noticing my gaze, she quickly turned around.

"Oh no, he saw me in that indecent state.... I knew that keep reading that web novel while waiting for someone is totally rude, but I had to read the end of the chapter..."

Not realizing that she was babbling everything out loud, it seemed that her aura had changed because she was immersed in reading.

"E-ven-so!"

Turning around, her index finger was almost touching my nose.

"My happiness at seeing you is pure and genuine!"

At the center of her attention, I was paralyzed.

"What girl wouldn't be happy to see her boyfriend?"

With a smile that I couldn't at all doubt its authenticity, I surrendered to the passion of the girl in front of me.

Without realizing it, the temperature of my face rose so that I no longer felt the night breeze.