Kapitel 72: Chapter 72: Miura in Tears
"AAAAH! You're not Hayama!!!"
As their lips parted, Miura stared at Hachiman in stunned disbelief.
Hachiman turned his head, his tone exasperated. "Miura-san, what's going on with you? How could you mistake me for someone else?"
Miura clutched her mouth, her voice trembling. "You… I… Ugh! How could I have mistaken you for Hayama? What is wrong with me…"
Hachiman fell silent. After a brief pause, he spoke. "Maybe, deep down, Miura-san really wanted 'this man' to be Hayama. That's why your mind tricked you."
"I… Ugh!" Miura bit her lip, unable to refute his words.
"Let's just pretend this didn't happen."
Taking a deep breath, Hachiman instinctively tightened his grip on her thighs to ensure she didn't slip.
Miura didn't react. She simply went quiet.
A few minutes later…
"...Sob… sob…"
A faint sound of crying reached Hachiman's ears.
He froze.
Wait! That sound… Don't tell me…
Hachiman immediately turned his head to glance at the blonde girl behind him.
Miura's hands were clenched tightly, gripping his clothes as she buried her face into his back, her shoulders shaking as she wept.
"!!"
Hachiman's pupils contracted, and an ache shot through his chest.
To be honest, he wasn't afraid of most things.
Getting hit, being insulted—none of that mattered to him.
But...
If a girl suddenly started crying in front of him—because of him—that was a pain worse than sitting through an entire day of math lectures.
"Miura-san…"
Hachiman opened his mouth, instinctively wanting to let her down.
But Miura shook her head, her voice trembling. "Don't… Just keep walking."
"But you—"
"I'm fine…"
"..."
Strong on the outside, fragile on the inside.
She's just like Yukinoshita, Hachiman thought.
He could roughly guess why Miura was crying. Her first kiss was taken, and the experience had left her feeling upset and wronged. After all, for a sentimental girl, such a precious moment was meant to be shared with the boy she loved most.
"I'm sorry."
"...Why are you apologizing?"
"Because I'm not Hayama."
Hachiman took a deep breath and continued, his tone calm.
"If it had been Hayama, Miura-san wouldn't be crying right now. You wouldn't feel this hurt. But I'm not him, and I never will be. For that, I'm sorry."
"You..."
Miura's sobs grew louder.
Hachiman said nothing.
Athletic.
Fit.
Beautiful.
Strong on the outside, soft on the inside.
And actively interested in you.
Hayama, man… You don't know how good you've got it.
And what's your response? Offering her that polished, professional fake smile of yours every day?
Seriously, I could punch you right now, Hayama.
After hesitating for a moment, Hachiman added:
"...Miura-san, about what happened just now… You could just think of it as kissing a stuffed toy or something. Uh, you know… Pretend I wasn't even human."
"Huh?"
"If you convince yourself I'm not human, then when you eventually kiss the boy you love, you can still say your first kiss is intact."
"???"
Miura, still sniffling, blinked in confusion.
What kind of comfort was that supposed to be?
But… It kind of made sense.
After all, she never really thought of Hachiman as a normal person to begin with… Ahem.
Seeing her calm down, Hachiman sighed in relief. "Feeling a bit better?"
"I… Hmph! None of your business!"
Her face flushed, Miura turned her head away with a huff.
"Well, I'll keep walking then."
Hachiman chuckled wryly and continued forward.
Miura, meanwhile, quietly observed the boy carrying her so carefully.
From the moment he appeared out of nowhere to save her from those three bullies, to now, as he carried her home, he hadn't said a single gentle word.
He didn't have Hayama's soft tone or kind demeanor.
And yet…
For some inexplicable reason, she found herself thinking that the boy carrying her was incredibly kind.
Her lips tightened, and she murmured to herself, "I think… I might finally understand why that idiot Yui likes you so much…"
"Huh?"
Hachiman stumbled, nearly losing his balance.
Miura's face turned red as she snapped, "Hey! Watch it! And stop gripping my legs so hard!"
"Cough, cough. Miura-san, please don't say such weird things."
"Weird things?"
Miura raised an eyebrow, her tone sharp.
"How is that weird? Hmph! I'm telling you the truth. Yui likes you. She's liked you for a whole year! And you… You ignored her and chose Yukinoshita! Yui is such a good girl…"
Her voice rose with frustration.
"Cough, cough…"
Hachiman's embarrassment was palpable as he stammered, "S-sorry, I didn't know…"
"You didn't know?"
"Really, I didn't…"
"Hmph! Fine. Let's say you didn't know. But from now on, break up with Yukinoshita and go be with Yui! She's a great girl, and you'll definitely be happier with her than Yukinoshita."
"That's… That's impossible!"
"And why not? What does Yukinoshita have that Yui doesn't? Yui's way more gentle!"
"But…"
"..."
Their bickering continued all the way to Miura's doorstep, a surprising feat considering they'd barely exchanged words all of second year.
When they arrived at her house, Miura coughed softly and said, "Just drop me off here. I'll call my mom for help."
Hachiman nodded and gently let her down.
"Well, I'll be heading out then."
"Wait—"
Miura stopped him.
"Hikigaya, about what happened today… I'm really… grateful. But you'd better pretend none of it happened. Got it?"
"Got it."
"And one more thing—don't forget about Yui!"
"Huh?"
"Huh, what? Yui is amazing! She's way too good for someone like you! Consider yourself lucky, you fish-eyed loser!"
"Cough, cough. Let's talk about this later."
Seeing Miura revert to her usual fiery "Queen of Flames" self, Hachiman could only laugh helplessly.
Even if I had to choose, it definitely wouldn't be Yui.
Cough.
Anyway, as a pure-hearted romantic, I'm not about to get involved with Yui.
In this lifetime, Yui and I are destined to remain friends, nothing more.
After bidding Miura farewell, Hachiman started heading home.
But…
For some reason, he paused and glanced over his shoulder at the empty street behind him.
"That's strange… Maybe I'm imagining things."
Muttering to himself, he shook his head and walked on.
For some reason, he couldn't shake the feeling that someone was following him.
---
Meanwhile, inside her house, Miura instinctively touched her lips, her mind dazed.
"Sigh… How am I supposed to pretend that didn't happen…"
"If only he weren't the one Yui likes. Otherwise…"
"Ugh! Wait! What am I even thinking?!"
She slapped her cheeks hard, trying to clear her head.
"I like Hayama! There's no way I'd fall for Hikigaya just because of a kiss! Absolutely not… No way…"
Miura shook her head vigorously, trying to banish the image of the dark-haired, deadpan boy who had saved her, kissed her, and comforted her tonight.
But the harder she tried, the more vividly his face lingered in her mind.
*********************************************
Read advanced chapters ahead of everyone else on my Patreon.
patreon(.)com/GodDragcell
Wöchentlicher Energiestatus
-- Power-
Rangliste 
-- Power-
Stein