After deciding to give up, I became popular

“……” The boy seemed startled by her reaction. He stood up and apologized sincerely, “I'm sorry. I was presumptuous, thinking that being by your side might make you feel better…”

“I just hope you understand that you should never hurt yourself. There will always be someone in this world who will be saddened by your sorrow.”

“……” Shiina Mahiru remained silent.

What do you even know about her? Even her own mother barely gives her a second glance! How can you expect her to believe you?

“I'm sorry, I'm meddling too much… As an apology, please take this umbrella. I live nearby, so I'll be home soon.” Seeing Shiina Mahiru's impatience, the boy forcefully handed her the umbrella and ran into the rain.

“Liar…” Shiina Mahiru muttered as she took the umbrella.

Saying his home is nearby when he's her next-door neighbor.

She had seen the boy use a key to open the door to the apartment next to hers more than once, but they had never met face-to-face and spoken.

“Awful, frivolous, self-righteous guy…”

The cold raindrops no longer relentlessly assaulted her, and the warmth from the umbrella handle gradually warmed her heart.

“Thank you…”

The next day, as expected, he caught a cold. But his stubborn personality compelled him to come to class despite his exhaustion, ultimately collapsing in front of his door and falling unconscious.

Of course, she wouldn't stand idly by.

She wouldn't abandon a stray cat or dog in need, let alone this meddlesome, frivolous guy.

So she took him into his home, boiled water, lowered his temperature, cooked porridge, and fed him, using all the skills she had learned from her family's nanny to nurse the boy back to health.

“The debt I owed you is now cleared.” That's what she thought.

But through a twist of fate, they became involved in various incidents, and their relationship eventually grew closer.

Supporting each other, helping each other, and giving each other emotional support, she always thought they would be good friends for life, until that day arrived—

“Shiina, I love you.”

“Eh? This…”

Wasn't he supposed to be approaching her without any ulterior motives? Why… why would he say something like that?

“You might not be able to accept it right away, but I still want to express my feelings. I don't want you to continue misunderstanding me!”

“Don't…”

Don't say anymore! If you keep talking, we'll… we'll…

“Please believe me, I sincerely love you. I will never…”

“Stop talking!” Shiina Mahiru shouted for the first time, her heart filled with panic.

Fear, self-blame, guilt—all sorts of negative emotions flooded her brain. She was about to break down! The only thing left was to run… Yes! She could run away!

“S-Sorry, I want to be alone.”

So she fled back to her own territory, as if that would make her feel safer.

If she just gave him some time… Yes… if she gave him some time to think, he would realize that she wasn't the best choice, and she could continue to enjoy his concern…

………………

After dealing with the students who came to greet her, Shiina Mahiru habitually looked at Kanesada Nariaki's seat.

Since entering the second year, they had been in the same class, but apart from that rainy evening the day before yesterday, she had never dared to approach him. Usually, she could only stare blankly at his empty seat from afar.

“Eh? Kanesada, he didn't come to class today…”

Could it be because he lent her his umbrella again?…

Shiina Mahiru thought back to their first encounter, and a hint of worry surfaced in her heart, but so did a small, unnoticed joy.

Like a precious treasure that had been lost for a long time reappearing before her eyes, within reach.

011. The Angel's Visit

“Excuse me…”

Using her key to open the door to Kanesada Nariaki's apartment, Shiina Mahiru carefully closed the door, trying not to make any loud noises.

As soon as school ended today, she went straight home, thinking of visiting Kanesada Nariaki next door to ask him why he hadn't come to class today.

He would never skip school, so something must have happened to him.

Out of concern for… for a classmate, she came to check on him, thinking that perhaps she could help in some way.

However, after ringing the doorbell for a long time, there was no response from inside, and she began to panic.

Could it really be another cold and fever? He must be feeling terrible all alone right now…

Kanesada Nariaki lived alone, just like her, and she knew it well.

When they were close, they always helped and supported each other. Kanesada thought it was troublesome to keep opening the door, so he gave her a spare key, which was why she was able to enter his home like this.

The usually messy living room was very tidy, and the whole apartment was quiet, as if no one was home.

Was he resting in the bedroom? That was probably the only option.

If he had gone out, Kanesada would never go a whole day without replying to messages.

Gently pushing open the bedroom door, Shiina Mahiru tiptoed inside.

She immediately saw Kanesada Nariaki lying asleep in bed.

His broad chest rose and fell rhythmically with his breathing, a few strands of sweat trickled through his short hair, his chiseled, perfect face, his slightly furrowed eyebrows, and his eyes, which always held a hint of sadness, were now tightly closed.

He seemed to live a very tiring life, even in his sleep his brow would furrow from time to time, making it hard for him to relax.

It made Shiina Mahiru feel a little sorry for him.

If she hadn't chosen to run away, perhaps she could have been by his side as a matter of course?

But there was no turning back time, and everyone had to bear the consequences of their actions, even the “Angel”.

“Grumble…”

An inappropriate noise suddenly echoed in the quiet room, and Shiina Mahiru's face flushed red. She quickly covered her stomach, afraid to move.

“Thank goodness it wasn't heard…”

She hadn't had much of an appetite at noon because she was worried about Kanesada Nariaki's condition, and hadn't eaten much, so her stomach was now staging a small protest.

“Right, right! I need to hurry up and cook something. Kanesada definitely needs to eat something now.”

Her own hunger reminded her that Kanesada, who was sick in bed, needed to eat even more than she did. Maybe he hadn't eaten anything all day.

“Be a good boy and wait for me here, Kanesada. I'm going to make something to eat…”

As she spoke, she gently hooked her finger around Kanesada Nariaki's exposed finger, then quickly pulled her hand back.

Like a child who had secretly done something mischievous behind her mother's back, Shiina Mahiru's face was red, and she didn't dare to look at Kanesada Nariaki, even though he was completely unconscious.

Perhaps only in this situation could she dare to make such intimate gestures and call him so intimately again.

“Don't go…”

“!”

Shiina Mahiru was startled, almost crying out.

When she turned her head stiffly, she found that Kanesada Nariaki showed no signs of waking up and remained fast asleep.

“So he's talking in his sleep…”

Shiina Mahiru was relieved. She thought her little action had accidentally woken Kanesada Nariaki, and she was wondering how to explain it, but it wasn't necessary at all.

“I won't go. I'm just going to cook something, I'll be right back.”

Perhaps her gentle comforting voice had worked, Kanesada Nariaki's brow gradually relaxed, and his complexion seemed to have improved.

Now Shiina Mahiru could leave with peace of mind.

………………

Kanesada Nariaki slowly woke up, and the first thing he saw was the familiar ceiling.

He had dreamed again.

In his dream, he had once again spent some pleasant days with the heroines, followed by the ending where he confessed to them and was rejected.

But this time seemed different. The other party… seemed to have agreed?

“I won't go. Let's date.”

She actually agreed?!

Just as Kanesada Nariaki was wondering if he was dreaming, he woke up.

“It was just a dream after all…”

It was only natural. Only in dreams could he realize his dreams, while reality would only strike his head hard and warn him not to daydream all day long.

Kanesada Nariaki shook his head, trying to get rid of the heavy feeling of oppression in his mind, but with little success.

“Pat pat…”

Faint footsteps suddenly came from outside the room. Although the sound was soft, it didn't escape his ears.

Was he being robbed? At a time like this? This was bad, he had no fighting strength right now…

Just as Kanesada Nariaki was considering whether to confess the hiding place of his valuables to ensure his personal safety, the bedroom door opened.

Of course, it was Shiina Mahiru who came in, carrying a casserole dish, a small bowl, and a spoon.

“Kanesada… Kanesada-kun, you're awake.”

A hint of joy appeared on Shiina Mahiru's face, but it was quickly replaced by a touch of worry.

Would Kanesada blame her for breaking into his home?

Perhaps she could have stayed here with peace of mind before, but after that incident, she was no longer qualified.

“Um, I made some porridge…”

“……” After a long silence, Kanesada slowly uttered two words, “Thank you.”

“Thank you for your trouble.”

He had imagined all sorts of situations, his house being robbed, or his parents coming to visit, but the only thing he didn't expect was that Shiina Mahiru would appear here.

So she hadn't thrown away his house key? Kanesada thought.

As for why Shiina Mahiru appeared here, he didn't think much about it—the “Angel” was a kind girl, and even when facing someone who had once rejected her, she wouldn't just leave that person alone.

As for how she knew he was sick… it must have been the teacher who told her. After all, they lived in the same apartment, and they were neighbors, so it was possible that the teacher had asked her to deliver handouts.

The “Angel” shook her head, not saying anything.

These little things were not a problem for her at all. Rather, she was happy to do these things for him.

“Are you feeling better now? Have you recovered your strength? Do you need me to feed… feed you…”

Shiina Mahiru was now sitting on the edge of Kanesada Nariaki's bed, like a young wife worrying about her sick husband, nervously wringing her hands.

Heaven knows how she managed to say the words “feed you porridge”. She was completely frozen and didn't dare to look at Kanesada Nariaki's face.

Wuwuwu, what am I doing? How could I say such shameless things? What if he rejects me? I definitely won't be able to sleep all night!

Unlike Shiina Mahiru, whose heart was brewing a storm, Kanesada Nariaki didn't think so much at the moment.

If he were in a normal state, he would definitely lament that even when they were at their best, he hadn't been able to enjoy such feeding treatment, but now that they had “broken up”, he could still enjoy this benefit.

However, he was currently in a weakened state due to his illness, which made him lose his usual keen awareness and only left him with the desire to follow his instincts—his body was so heavy, he didn't want to move. Since someone was willing to feed him, that was great.

“Okay, thank you.”

“Ah? Eh?!” Shiina Mahiru exclaimed softly.

He actually agreed? He used to reject such intimate contact!

“What's wrong? Is it too much trouble?”

“No, not at all! I'll come right away…” Shiina Mahiru said quickly.

She felt like today was her lucky day.