Chapter 1
During the break, a sudden impact struck my back while I was reading a light novel. Wondering what had just hit me so hard, I closed my book and turned around.
At the exact same time, I heard a voice.
"S-Sorry, Higashino-kun."
"...Ah, Nishimiya."
The one who had crashed into me was a girl from my class. Her name was Nishimiya Hinata. She was the tallest person in the class and was often treated like a boy by everyone.
Nishimiya put her hands together and closed her eyes apologetically.
"What are you doing, Nishimiya~?"
"For real, dude. I barely even tapped you, you're overreacting."
"Sorry about that, Higashino. Nishimiya just overreacted."
Behind her, a few boys from our class casually laughed it off and it didn’t seem like they had bad intentions. From the looks of it, Nishimiya had been chatting with them when one of them pushed her as part of a joke or a playful retort, sending her stumbling straight into me. At least it wasn't some new form of bullying.
"...But I wasn’t overreacting," Nishimiya muttered under her breath, so quietly that no one else could hear.
Then she immediately looked up at me.
"A-Are you okay? You didn't get hurt anywhere, did you?"
Her eyes wavered anxiously, as though she thought she had actually injured me.
Avoiding her gaze, I answered curtly.
"I'm fine. Don't worry about it."
Leaving it at that short answer, I returned to reading my book.
"B-But..."
"Hey, Nishimiya! Hurry up and come back already!"
"A-Alright! Again, I'm really sorry."
I didn't want her worrying over it any longer, so I simply nodded in response. It felt like she still had something she wanted to say, but after seeing my reaction, she quietly went back to the others.
By the time school was over, I'd finished packing my things and left the classroom without wasting any time. It wasn't like I had anything waiting for me at home. Then again, there wasn't anything worth staying at school for either.
If those were my options, I'd much rather head home, laze around, and give my body a chance to rest.
...At least, that's how I justified it.
The truth was, I was just a loner with no friends to hang out with. Haha… how fun—not.
"Ah, H-Higashino-kun."
"Huh?"
As I headed toward the shoe lockers to change my shoes, someone called out to me. Looking around, I found Nishimiya waving me over.
…Huh?
What does she want?
She still hadn't changed into her outdoor shoes and was standing off to the side of the hallway, almost as if she were hiding from everyone. I couldn't think of any reason she'd want to talk to me, but I headed over anyway.
"What's up?"
"Um... I wanted to apologize properly for what happened today."
"Today...? Oh, you mean during the break."
Apparently, she was still bothered about her bumping into me earlier. Since I wasn't hurt and my light novel hadn't been damaged, I had completely forgotten about it. As far as I was concerned, it was already over.
"I told you before. You really don't need to worry about it."
"I can't just leave it at that. You must still be mad at me, Higashino-kun."
"I was surprised when you suddenly bumped into me, but I'm not mad."
If my light novel had been bent or torn because of it, I might've asked her to replace it. But both I and my book had come away completely unharmed.
Which meant I had no reason to be upset.
"...But you were kind of cold to me, Higashino-kun."
"That's... u-uh… Anyway, I really, really am not mad at you. You didn't do it on purpose, did you?"
"Of course not."
"See? That means it was just an accident. You just happened to bump into me. There's nothing to be angry about. So, you should forget about it. See ya."
Even though she'd just told me she was bothered by how cold I'd been, I once again responded in the same manner before trying to leave.
There was a reason I acted that way towards her. It wasn't because I was angry about being bumped into, nor was it because I disliked her. It was just too embarrassing to say out loud, so I tried to hurry away from the spot.
However, my escape was thwarted when Nishimiya grabbed my hand. The sudden contact caught me completely off guard. Startled, I instinctively pulled my hand away a little more forcefully than I meant to.
This time, it was Nishimiya who froze in surprise at my overreaction. A moment later, she lowered her eyes, looking utterly dejected.
...I had a bad feeling I'd just made the worst possible choice.
"I-I knew it. You're so mad you can't even stand me touching you..."
"N-No, that's really not it!"
"I-It's okay. I'm the one at fault here anyway. I'll keep apologizing until you're satisfied, Higashino-kun."
Completely misunderstanding the situation, Nishimiya bowed deeply, her long black hair falling all the way down her back.
"N-no, that's not it. Please, just let me explain."
It felt incredibly uncomfortable to receive an apology from someone who hadn't done anything wrong, so I told her to lift her head up. As she slowly raised her face, she looked completely drained of energy and looked utterly dejected.
"I'm really not mad at you, Nishimiya. It's just... I'm nervous. Even right now."
"...Huh? Nervous?"
"Yeah. It's embarrassing to admit, but this is the first time I've talked to a girl in a week. My heart's been pounding the whole time. I didn't want you to notice, so I ended up acting cold..."
Scratching my head, I awkwardly explained myself. It was honestly embarrassing. I could feel my cheeks growing hot.
Man…
This is so embarrassing.
But what else could I do? It's not like I normally have any reason to talk to girls.
"B-but... it's me."
Pointing at herself, Nishimiya stared at me with wide eyes, as if she couldn't believe what she'd just heard.
"So what if it's you?"
"There’s no way anyone would get nervous talking to someone like me, you know?"
"Huh? But I do, though? I mean, I'm literally nervous right now. What about it?"
Since I had already admitted something this embarrassing, there was no point trying to hide it anymore. The moment I answered honestly, Nishimiya's cheeks turned bright red at an unbelievable speed. It was weird, considering I was the one who was supposed to be embarrassed. As I thought that, Nishimiya began shaking her head frantically.
"N-No way, no way. You're kidding. You have to be. I mean... it's me."
"You keep saying 'it's me,' but you're still a girl, no?"
"T-That might be true, but... it's me, you know? Everyone treats me like a boy."
"But you're still a girl."
"I-I'm tall, and m-my chest is flat... I'm not girly at all, right?"
She wasn't wrong. She was the tallest student in the class, and her chest was on the smaller side compared to other high school girls, I suppose. She was someone the guys could casually hang out with and someone the girls looked up to, so she was often treated like a boy.
"But you are a girl, Nishimiya."
If anything, I'd say she was cute.
Her hair was long enough to reach the middle of her back. As far as I was concerned, she was undeniably a girl.
There was no way I wouldn't get nervous around her.
"...Nishimiya?"
She had gone completely still. Wondering what was wrong, I called her name.
She suddenly jumped backward as though she'd been startled awake. Then she pointed a trembling finger at me.
"Ah, uh... I-I'm going home!"
With that, she turned and hurried away without waiting for a response.
"What was that all about... Ah."
Maybe she'd been creeped out because some guy she barely knew had basically admitted he saw her as a girl.
...Yeah.
That seemed entirely possible.
If that was the case, it made perfect sense that she'd want nothing to do with me anymore.
But hey, what else could I do? I can't help it if I get nervous.
...Man, that really had me on edge. My heart is still pounding.
