35

Quite some time had pa.s.sed since the day we begun to freely take out sweets in the student council room.

Recently, Asuka has been staring at me motionlessly.

When we lock eyes, he turns away. What's up?

.......eh? It seems like there was such a scene in the manga……?

Maybe. But only maybe.

When I was thinking so, Asuka approached me with the resolute face of someone that had made a decision.

Currently, it's only the two of us in the student council room. The other members had left their seats to do various tasks.

“Kaguragi.”

"What is it?"

I asked Asuka with a smile.

However, confusion reigned inside me.

Un, but, it may be that... this is the world of a manga after all. Un, that's why it may be that.

However, to me, Asuka is only a dependable student council member.

That's why, that's a bit…...

"There's something I always wanted to tell you."

Seriously. It's that, after all?

My inner turmoil reached its peak.

However, on the surface, I didn't let it out one bit and tilted my head in wonder.

That's right, I'm an actress, I am an actress! Only on the surface though...

"Something you wanted to tell me?"

"Yes, in reality I……"

Aah, stop it, stop it Asuka!

Don't say the rest!!

I can only think of you as a student council member!

"I've always…...wanted to ask if you'd like to eat this, but would you like to?"

................pardon?

"Well, it's a pretty j.a.panese pastry…...what about it?"

"Actually, I made it."

Asuka said, shyly laughing.

I heard that Asuka's family ran a well-established j.a.panese sweets shop, and Asuka is apparently the heir.

It seems like he is presently in the middle of training, and the sweets he brought out today were his home's commodity that he personally made; and so, he wanted to hear the opinion of a third party.

Why ask me when we were alone? When I asked, he replied that he felt embarra.s.sed by bringing sweets himself. Indeed.

"Kaguragi always eat sweets looking as if they are really delicious, you know? But it's always western sweets. That's why, I wanted to appeal j.a.panese sweets to Kaguragi……."

Indeed.

Somehow, isn't it embarra.s.sing that I was misunderstanding it all by myself? There, don't get shy. Because the most embarra.s.sed one is me, who thought that they were being confessed to!

Ah, it's hot. Don't be deceived anymore…..

I mean, you understand, right? You would have misunderstood too, right? I would never have thought that he wanted to see me eat some j.a.panese pastry!

"At any rate, would you like to try some? Though, I don't want to force you……"

"Thanks for the meal."

That's right! It's self-abandonment!

I bit on a chrysanthemum shaped tea pastry.

At the moment I ate it, the refined sweetness of the red bean paste spread inside my mouth. Usually, I would feel the red bean paste remaining in my throat; however, the pastry that Asuka made didn't leave that sensation. With this, I feel like I can continue eating a number of them.

I am more on the western sweets’ faction but I feel like turning to the j.a.panese sweets’ faction. It was delicious to that point.

"How is it…..?"

"It's really delicious. It's the most delicious j.a.panese pastry I’ve ever eaten."

"I see…...I'm glad. Should I make them again?"

"Of course! Next time, please make everyone's portion too. I'm sure everyone would happily eat them."

".......okay. I'll make more then."

"I look forward to it."

At the moment I smiled at Asuka, Hasumi returned.

After glancing at Asuka and I, then at the s.p.a.ce dividing us; for some reason he looked at Asuka with cold eyes.

"What were you two doing here, alone..."

"We weren't doing anything in particular? I was just talking a little to Kaguragi."

"Hmm…...what were you talking about? Let me hear it too."

"No…..well that's……."

Does Asuka find it difficult to say that he gave me his handmade sweets? It's not like Asuka to falter.

I couldn't continue to look and grabbed Hasumi's arm.

"It's really nothing, just small talks. I don't know what displeased you, but would like you to stop putting strange charges on Asukkun."

"........covering him?"

"What?"

"You're covering for Asuka?"

"Hasumi-sama…….?"

The eyes Hasumi used to look at me are cold. Till now, he never looked at me with such eyes.

I didn't know. To think, that Hasumi could look at a person with such eyes.

Hasumi shook off my hand, as if something dirty touched him.

I, myself, felt shaken by his action.

"Hasumi-sama…..ehm."

"I don't want to listen to you. Sorry, but I'll return home."

"Ah, oh…...thanks for the hard work."

After rejecting me, he gathered his sheet work and stuffed them in his bag, leaving the student council room.

I couldn't do anything but look at him leaving, dumbfounded.

Asuka apologized to me looking really sorry.

"I'm sorry. It's all because I didn't say it clearly…...and so Hasumi may have misunderstood."

"No. It's not Asukkun's fault……."

I frankly tried to endure the trembling in my voice and forced a smile.

"We'll surely make up quickly. Hasumi-sama is an understanding person…...if we talk, then surely……."

"Kaguragi……."

I didn't say that to persuade Asuka, but to persuade myself.

It's all right. It was just a little misunderstanding. We'll make up immediately.

I warned myself to stop trembling and returned to my seat.

"Come on, Asukkun too, if you don't finish this, you won't be able to return home, you know?"

"Ah, oh. Yeah….."

I looked in front of me and concentrated on my work to shake off any thoughts.

However, the tremor of my legs didn't stop at all.

I thought that we would reconcile immediately.

But we didn't, and like that the second semester ended and entered winter vacation.

What should I do?

Miku-sama and Asuka were worried; but, I said obstinately said that it was all right, and this was the result.

It's laughable, the fact that this is a manga's heroine.

If it was the Rinka of the manga, she would have behaved spoiled and immediately reconciled.

For the first time in this life, I felt envious of Rinka [The Heroine].

Tn: Naoriel 

Ed: Aeternatrix 

Nao's lil corner( ○ □ ○ )

 Hmmm so, the story will take a fluffy turn from this chappy to the next 10 chappys or so.....oh, and some relations.h.i.+p will change too.

Soooooo because this chapter didn't end in the usual lighthearted way....without further ado! Here some j.a.panese sweets!!!

This is probably a chrysanthemum pastry? xD

I dunno what this is, probably matcha inside? Since it's green... 

*cough* ok ok I'll stop now, though I could go on posting food pics forever. The last three sweets weren't even related, yes yes, I know. xD