18 (Side) Chapter 14.5
(A/N Notes: Was too busy to publish it earlier)
After school on the day of the results of the tests
"Ara... Isn't that Yuriko-chan?"
"And that one is Take-kun, isn't it?"
" "Hm?" "
The elderly couple, who didn't look that old at all, were looking at Yuriko who was hugging Takeru's arm, from inside a cafe and they both reacted to what they just said
"You know who's the girl hugging Take-kun is?"
"And you know who is the boy getting hugged by Yuriko-chan?"
" "..." "
"Together?"
"Together"
" "Why yes, I do in fact" "
They both said that at the same time and began to laugh in a lighthearted way
"So how do you know that Yuriko-chan?"
"I always find her training at the park, and what about you? How do you know that Take-kun?"
"We sometimes share the equipment at the gym"
"I see, and seeing the two like that really makes me feel nostalgic"
"Me too, I still remember that cute embarrassed face of yours when I confessed to you with a kabedon"
"Mou *pouts*... You know that I wasn't very used to getting confessed by the person I love"
"*Chuckles* And I know you're not angry when you make that cute pouting face of yours"
"..." *Blushing*
The two began to flirt with each other, to the misfortune of all the other single males in there, as they saw the old man who was handsome and his wife who was a cool beauty
--------------------------------
The day after they kissed during lunchtime
The two were sharing their usual spot for lunch
"Hmm... T, Takeru-kun?"
"? What is it, Yuriko-san?"
"E, ermmm... H, how a, are you so calm t, talking to me a, after yesterday..."
"How I'm calm?... Hmmm... I don't know, I just don't feel embarrassed talking to you now"
"I, I see..."
Yuriko's cheeks were slightly red as she talked to him
"... Why did you ask me that?"
"Eh!? Ah! I, I was just c, curious!"
"Is that so? Okay"
" "..." "
A silence formed between, and Yuriko kept glancing at him
"Do you want to kiss my cheek?"
"Fueeeh!... ... ...Y, yesh *cheeks blushing intensely*..."
"*Happy sigh* Then feel free to kiss my cheeks anytime you want, because getting kissed by the girl I love who loves me back is a privilege that I can have"
"*Blushing intensifies* I, I see..."
She said that with a low and embarrassed voice. Takeru made a sleepy sigh and closed his eyes as he rested his right cheek on his right hand because the warmth of the sunlight was making him sleepy, she kept looking at him while fidgeting
"..."
Then she slowly approached her lips to his left cheek, but when her lips were about to touch his cheek, she stopped moving and her face slowly became red as she closed her eyes
Takeru opened his left eye and turned to see what she was doing, then Yuriko leaned slightly forward making their lips overlap
"!?"
Yuriko who felt something soft touching her lips backed away in surprise and saw Takeru looking at her with his usual half-closed eyes and a soft smile
"I also don't my you kissing me on the lips, you know"
". . . !!! I, I, I, I, I, I, I'LL BE L, L, L, L, L, L, LEAVING F, FOR N, NOW, T, T, T, T, TAKERU-KUN!"
Yuriko who understood what just happened picked her lunch box and ran away with a very cute and extremely embarrassed face, while Takeru saw her running away without changing his expression
"..." *Punching the table while covering his face* <THAT WAS TOO CLOSE!!!... THERE'S NO WAY I'M CALM BY HER SIDE AFTER YESTERDAY!!! AND WHAT WERE THOSE LINES THAT I SAID!?!?!?
Everything that Takeru said and expressed to Yuriko just now was only top-notch acting that he was forced to learn because of his siblings because in truth he was screaming out of embarrassment inside his mind. And now that Yuriko wasn't around his poker face disappeared, making his face immediately turn into a bright shade of red, as he felt like dying from embarrassment
----------------------------
Tanaka Takeru specs, because nobody asked:
He has a pretty much plain look, he can look a little cute when he's using his glasses, and very handsome when he tries to (needs to use make-up and some other cosmetics, and can't be using his glasses);
Capable of keeping slightly above average grades only by cramming everything one day before;
He has 168 cm in height with a healthy and slim body, a left hazel eye and a right black eye, and he has short dark brown hair, that can be mistaken as black, with a single streak of red hair near his left eye;
Has an aloof, but serious personality, though not socially proactive he's quite friendly and social when talking to someone, he can get angry somewhat easily, but usually, it only goes to the extent of making a vein pop up on his head (when it doesn't involve his siblings and some of his relatives, that is), and he's always trying to give a calm feeling when he's around Yuriko, with varying degrees of success;
People treat him like they treat everyone else;
Only good at basketball, when it comes to defense, and at dashing, he could do pretty well if he actively tried to get better at sports. He's not good at sports that have a long duration, but will usually be able to keep up through sheer willpower;
Doesn't really have any childhood friends, has quite some friends from elementary and junior high schools, and is friends with a few male classmates while being acquainted with the other boys in his class. And he's in love with Yuriko but is giving her time to prepare her heart, before going out with her
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Two days after Daichi saw the events in the library, evening
"..."
He was dropped dead on his bed as he looked at nothing
"..."
*Sounds of a door opening*
"Oi, aniki, can you go bu- Keh! What's wrong with you?"
His younger sister had entered his room, to ask him to go to the convenience store for her, and when she saw him like that, she immediately regretted entering his room
"Nee, Chie... Why am I not going out with Yuriko-san?"
"Because you're a coward who didn't try to get closer to Nanami-senpai when you had the chance *jab*, and because you're a pervert who kept those photos of her with you *jab*..."
"Gofuh! Bufoh!"
Her words kept jabbing into his body hurting him emotionally, since what she said was the very truth that he didn't want to acknowledge
"By the way, aniki"
"What is it, Chie..."
"I paired up with that Tanaka, that you're always complaining about, for art class"
"And..." *Sobbing*
"And he's a very nice and friendly guy for someone you hate, and even I asked him about Nanami-senpai"
"Aaaaaaand..." *Sobbing blood*
"And it's not a surprise that Nanami-senpai likes him, he actually put some effort at getting closer to her whenever he could *jab* and different from you who only kept fleeing whenever she tried to talk to you *jab* he said that it just ended up happening for them falling in love with each other *jab*"
"..."
Daichi took too much damage from his sister's words that he appeared that he had actually died
"... Haa... I guess, I'll go to the convenience store myself then, do you want something?"
"..."
"I'll take that as a no"
Some minutes later
"Ara! If it isn't Chie-chan, good evening"
"N, N, Nanami-senpai... G, Good evening" *Cheeks slightly red*
The two already knew each other since last year, and they coincidentally met at a convenience store near their homes
"It has been quite some time since we last saw each other"
"Y, yeah... B, by the way, Nanami-senpai... A, are you going out w, with Tanaka-san?"
"!" *Twitch*
"Nanami-senpai?...!?"
When Chie saw Yuriko blushing very cutely, she turned quiet and very surprised while her nose started bleeding
"N, no... M, my heart isn't ready for that yet" *blushing more*
"..." *Nosebleed intensifies*
"C, Chie-chan?"
*Hiding her nosebleed* "Nanami-senpai"
Chie grabbed one of Yuriko's shoulder with her hand, as she tried to hide her nose bleed with her other hand
"I'm rooting for you and Tanaka-san to be happy together" *Thumbs up*
"! T, Thanks... Hm? C, Chie-chan! Your nose is bleeding!"
"Tis is a small price to pay for the treasure I just saw" *In pure bliss*
"I don't get what you mean by that! We need to treat you right now!"
Chie was hurriedly taken to a nearby clinic that was still open by Yuriko and got treated, she ended up apologizing a lot to Yuriko for the trouble she caused her
(A/N Notes: Takeru in a nutshell: Literally a normal person, and not that extremely antisocial characters in recent rom-com novels)
