12. The bear's advice

As I finished my studies, I noticed that my cell phone had a notification.

Sender: Girlfriend

"..."

Thinking back to the situation a few hours ago, I looked over to the new decoration that was taking up an entire corner of my bedroom.

Accepting the fact that I would be living together with a giant stuffed animal, I couldn't help but be distracted by the fact that it gave off a sweet scent.

It must be the fact that it's always been in Shibata's room, and seeing the picture she sent me yesterday of her hugging Kuma-san that made me especially mindful of its presence.

After leaving me with an extra tenant, Shibata quietly decided to go back to her place.

... It's not surprising since the structure of the apartments is the same and there was nothing special about my house.

But her promise to return was worrying me. A lot.

Putting my worries aside, I opened the message.

"Are you done studying? (๑-﹏-) "

... Why was it the same message as yesterday?

In that case, I would have replied the same way too.

"I just finished."

"Perfect! Then I can distract you in this way! (；^ω^）"

Confused by what she was typing, it took a few seconds that I felt my phone vibrate again.

Shibata had sent me a picture.

... Why was she in her pajamas and her hair was wet, as if she had just come out of the bathroom...?

"Useful? (；^ω^）"

"... What would I need it for?"

"To relieve the stress you've accumulated during the day! ♡(ӦｖӦ｡)"

"You are the primary cause of all my stress!"

Without realizing it, half an hour had passed since I had started the discussion with Shibata.

Most of what she had tried to discuss was of no interest to me, but slowly it seemed that she was starting to figure out the right topics to create a pleasant chat.

Not for nothing is she the Princess of the school, always at the center of attention.

Yet, I noticed that her speed of response was getting slower and slower.

"It's time to go to sleep."

"Huh!? But I want to talk more! (๑-﹏-) "

Unexpectedly, this response of hers was immediate.

Checking the time, it was almost 1am.

Thinking back to the incident this morning, I knew that Shibata was not a morning person, and I sensed that she was making an effort to stay up late to chat with me.

... So, there must be some way I can repay her...?

I asked Kuma-san for visual aid.

"I'm a stuffed animal. I just keep people company. What else do you want me to do?"

Somehow, I felt that was its answer.

Smiling, I knew it was right.

"If you don't wake up tomorrow, I won't accompany you to school."

"I'm going straight to sleep, good night! ♡(ӦｖӦ｡) "

Responding with my "good night," I saw that Shibata hadn't even noticed it.

... I didn't expect it to be so effective....

Leaving my cell phone on the desk, I approached my new tenant.

"... Thanks for the advice."

Stroking Kuma-san's head, I felt its texture for the first time.

Soft to the touch, it felt like it was about to draw me into its arms.

"You're welcome."

"..."

I must have been really tired since there was no way a stuffed animal could answer me.

Before I laid down under the covers, I noticed the bag of cookies Shibata had left for me on the nightstand next to the bed.

Breaking my rule of not eating anything after brushing my teeth, I opened the package and smelled the sweet scent of the cookies.

Their irregular shape was the proof that they were handmade and the intensity of the scent that they had been baked recently.

... Is that why she was waiting for me outside the house...?

Tasting a cookie, I noticed that there was something unusually hard inside of it.

"This is... a block of chocolate?"

Surprised by the unexpected ingredient, I finished the cookie and resealed the bag.

"I'll finish them tomorrow for breakfast."

The flavor was surprisingly bland, but there was something about them that made them extremely delicious.

Smiling, I couldn't wait for the sun to rise.