Bab 249: You've been sneaking glances at me
Yoshida Saki, startled like a frightened kitten, gave a sudden shiver.
The bangs hanging over her forehead parted, revealing her wide, anxious eyes.
Before she could even register the expression on his face after he turned around, the girl hurriedly retreated, shrinking back into the corner by the door.
Pressing her soft back against the cold wall, Yoshida Saki placed a hand over her chest, trying to calm the rapid beating of her heart beneath her loose school uniform.
Once the embarrassment and nervousness subsided a bit, she began to feel frustrated with herself for being so timid.
That was such a perfect opportunity to call him out, but she wasted it because of her own cowardice.
What should she do now?
Knowing she didn't have much time, the girl fidgeted nervously, rubbing her legs together under her long skirt, clasping her hands in front of her chest to give herself some encouragement.
You can do it, Saki!
All you have to do is call him out in a normal way.
No one will think anything of it, no one will pay attention.
Taking a deep breath and slowly exhaling, just as she was about to clench her fists and give herself one last bit of encouragement, a gentle voice softly inquired beside her.
"Hello, excuse me~ Is there something Yoshida-san needs from me?"
"Eek~!"
Hearing the words, Yoshida Saki let out an adorably small squeak of surprise, almost jumping in fright at the sudden question.
Hunching her shoulders, hands clasped in a prayer-like gesture at her chest, she turned her head in a flustered panic.
"S-Sasaki-kun."
She nodded, confirming that she hadn't mistaken him for someone else.
Sasaki, with a smile, looked at the girl trembling like a little quail before him and repeated his earlier question.
"Is there something Yoshida-san needs from me? I noticed that you've been sneaking glances at me for a while now."
.
.
.
.
Because of her nervousness, Yoshida Saki failed to realize that Sasaki had initially been facing away from her, so how could he have known she had been sneaking glances at him?
Hearing his question, her mind was flooded with an overwhelming sense of embarrassment that felt like it would melt her away.
It was bad enough to be caught sneaking glances, but then the person she had been watching came over and pointed it out...
Could anything be more awkward and humiliating?
'This… Ugh~ I can't stay in this class anymore~'
The more she thought about it, the lower Yoshida Saki's head dropped, and naturally, Sasaki received no response.
Seeing the soft, pale pink hue spreading across her pointed chin, he knew, even without seeing her face, that it must be blushing furiously.
Realizing that his straightforward question had frightened her, he tilted his head, glancing down the hallway.
At this school, everyone changed into indoor shoes after entering the main building.
As long as a bit of care was taken not to litter, the classrooms and hallways would remain relatively clean, with nothing particularly noticeable to dirty them.
This meant that in some classes, the importance of cleaning was downplayed.
As long as the student council didn't deduct points during inspections, it was fine.
Therefore, not every class, like Sasaki's, required students to stay behind daily to sweep, mop, and clean the windows.
It largely depended on the homeroom teacher.
If the teacher had a laid-back attitude, the students naturally wouldn't care much about these things either.
As a result, his class was the only one still cleaning in this hallway.
Naturally, apart from a few scattered students from his class, there was no one else around.
However, to avoid attracting the attention of their classmates, who might notice them whispering, Sasaki cautiously took Yoshida by the wrist and led her to a more secluded spot around the stairwell corner.
"Don't worry, there's no need to be nervous." He released Yoshida's slender wrist and stepped back a bit, smiling to show that he wasn't bothered by her sneaking glances.
Seeing that Sasaki wasn't teasing her, the girl forced herself to suppress her lingering embarrassment and began, haltingly, to tell him what she had overheard:
"Um, just now, I heard…"
When Yoshida finally managed to explain everything more fluently, Sasaki didn't show much reaction but simply smiled and thanked her:
"Thank you, Yoshida-san, for telling me about this."
"Well… there's nothing really to thank me for. How about I treat you to a drink, Yoshida-san?"
Though phrased as a question, his tone made it clear that it was more of a statement.
Obviously, Sasaki didn't intend to give her the option to refuse.
When dealing with someone timid and introverted, continually accommodating their wishes often leads to more refusals.
Excluding the few who genuinely prefer solitude, most introverted people still long to be part of a group and to have someone accompany them.
They refuse out of politeness and a desire not to trouble others.
In such cases, being a bit more assertive is often the better approach.
And that's exactly what Sasaki did.
Before Yoshida could respond, he stood on the steps leading down to the next floor, gesturing for her to follow, "Come on, I don't know what kind of drink you like, Yoshida-san."
"…"
Yoshida didn't dislike talking to Sasaki—in fact, she quite liked it.
But she was afraid he might not be able to stand her timid and gloomy demeanor, so, she suppressed the urge to follow him, bowed her head, and refused softly:
"N-no, it's fine. You still have to finish your duties, right… so…"
Before she could stammer out her refusal, Sasaki took a few steps forward, grabbed her slender wrist again, and began leading her down the stairs,
"It's fine. I'm just cleaning the windows. It's okay to step away for a bit; I'll just say I went to change the water."
"No one will mind about that."
"More importantly, treating Yoshida-san to a drink is more important. If I can't express my gratitude, it would seem very impolite of me."
'More importantly… treating Yoshida-san to a drink is more important…'
After hearing such words for the first time in high school, Yoshida Saki felt as though she were under a spell, allowing Sasaki to lead her down the stairs and out of the school building.
It wasn't until he waved his hand in front of her face that she snapped out of her daze.
Even then, his words kept replaying in her mind.
His gentle, flowing voice echoed in her thoughts, seeping into her heart and spreading warmth throughout her body, making her feel as if she were soaking in a hot spring.
Gently placing her hand over her chest, Yoshida Saki could feel her heart racing and her entire body growing warm and weak.
As she looked at Sasaki, who was frowning slightly as he gazed at her, something inside her—something that had never been touched before—began to stir, as if a seed had been planted in her heart for the first time.
If he wanted, that seed could take root under his care and grow into an unshakable, towering tree within her heart.
But she knew the truth.
He was only expressing gratitude because she had helped him.
His words were just polite; after all, who could possibly like a gloomy girl like her…
Snap!
A sudden pain made her instinctively reach up to her forehead, where she had unknowingly lowered her head again.
Seeing that she had finally focused her gaze on him, Sasaki sighed,
"I've been calling you for a while now. Why don't you ever listen?"
There was no trace of blame in his tone, but to the sensitive and fragile Yoshida Saki, who was prone to overthinking, his words sounded like he was expressing his annoyance with her.
"S-sorry…"
Just as she was about to lower her head again, Sasaki suddenly reached out and pinched her soft, pale chin, lifting her small face, which was mostly hidden behind her bangs.
Looking down at her delicate, snow-white face that rarely saw sunlight, he used his other hand to pinch her cheek and gently lifted the corner of her mouth.
"Sorry if this sounds rude, but I really don't like it when you keep your head down and your mouth turned down like that. It really affects people's mood."
....
Hearing Sasaki's words, Yoshida Saki felt a slight sting in her nose as her eyes, hidden behind her large glasses, began to mist up.
But before she could fully process it, the boy continued:
"Try smiling more and be more confident.
With such a beautiful face, it's really disheartening to see you looking so gloomy…"
The contrast between what she had perceived as "annoyance" earlier and his current "compliment" left Yoshida Saki too focused on his words to realize how bold and inappropriate his actions might seem to another girl.
Her attention was completely captivated by Sasaki's repeated compliments.
"Beautiful… me?"
With her head lifted, her misty eyes reflected Sasaki's face as she murmured uncertainly.
"Am I really beautiful?"
"Mm-hmm."
The boy nodded, giving her a bit of confidence, then mischievously added, "Yes, you're very beautiful, just my type."
Beautiful…
Just his type…
Does this mean…
A sensitive and fragile heart is easily moved.
Yoshida Saki, shy from his words, couldn't help but lower her eyes, unable to meet his gaze any longer.
Sasaki let go of her chin, unbraided her hair that rested on her shoulders, and gently smoothed it out as he said:
"But if you smiled more, fixed your hair a bit, and wore a uniform that suited the season, you'd be even prettier."
"Is that really the case?"
Her growing fondness for Sasaki, or perhaps it was more accurate to say her budding affection, made her overlook his casual handling of her hair.
Instead, she anxiously sought his reassurance.
To be honest, Sasaki had a preference for ponytails, whether they were twin tails or a single ponytail.
However, he knew that Yoshida's current look didn't quite suit either style, so he didn't tie her hair up.
Instead, he gently smoothed her soft, silky strands, letting them fall naturally behind her in a sleek, straight style.
He then carefully brushed aside her long, dense bangs that nearly covered her eyes, removed her large, old-fashioned glasses, and affirmed with a confident nod,
"Yes, it's really the case."
After taking a moment to look her over, Sasaki nodded appreciatively:
"See? You look much better now."
Noticing how she squinted slightly after he removed her glasses, he realized she was genuinely nearsighted, so he placed the glasses back on her delicate nose.
He then pulled out his phone, opened the camera without any beautifying filters, and showed her what she looked like now.
"Look, isn't it pretty?"
"…"
Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone