It seems that Shimotsuki has been following me.?

    ?

    It’s quite a stalker that I didn’t notice ……. There was no sign of her, which was a little scary.?

    ?

    “So, may I come in? Oh, are your parents here? I’d like to say hello to them. I’m not …… shy when it comes to people around my parent’s age! I’m a little nervous in front of people, but I can talk to people around my mom and dad’s age just fine, you know?”?

    ?

    She said she’s shy.?

    ?

    Anyway, she seems to be polite. The way she speaks, her gestures and her attitude all have a certain elegance to them. …… Her parents seem to have taken good care of her and she probably had a good upbringing.?

    ?

    The more I learn about Shiho Shimotsuki, the more attractive she becomes.?

    ?

    It’s rare to find a person with such deep feelings.?

    ?

    “No, it’s okay. My parents are both on a business trip overseas.”?

    ?

    Well, they’re not here, so there’s no need to worry about it.?

    ?

    I unlocked the door and invited her in.?

    ?

    “Well, that’s …… very disappointing. I would have loved to have seen Nakayama’s mom and dad. I would have liked to have seen your childhood albums and talked with you about the past.”?

    ?

    “I don’t think you’d enjoy looking at my albums, …… and please don’t embarrass me.”?

    ?

    It’s as strange as ever.?

    ?

    It’s really boring to look at my albums as a mob character.?

    ?

    But Shimotsuki is very curious.?

    ?

    She’s itching to know more about me.?

    ?

    “I’m sorry to bother you. Hmm, I see. …… You were born and raised here, weren’t you? It’s a little bit bigger than our house. But it’s nice to have a house this big where you can see your family.”?

    ?

    Shimotsuki looked around the house, looking curious.?

    ?

    Really, I don’t think there’s anything to see since it’s just a typical house.?

    ?

    Anyway, I welcomed her to the living room instead of my room. As for me, I thought I’d just serve her some tea and sweets and chat with her over some random food. …… But it looks like that was a failure.?

    ?

    “Huh? Why don’t you take me to your room, Nakayama-kun? I’m your friend. …… It’s a common practice to invite friends, who come to visit you to your room. Do you know anything about the world, Nakayama-kun? You’re a strange person.”?

    ?

    She looked at me with a puzzled look on her face, like she was speaking common sense.?

    ?

    No, that’s not right. It’s not common sense to force your way into the home of a person of the opposite sex on the second day after becoming friends and moreover, it’s a mystery why she wants to go to my room. I think it’s better to be more …… cautious.?

    ?

    Shimotsuki has a rather defenseless side to her. I don’t know why she trusts me so much, when she is usually so cautious and gets nervous at the mere presence of others.?

    ?

    Yeah, that’s right.?

    ?

    What’s even stranger is the fact that she’s so curious about me.?

    ?

    I wonder if it’s because it’s always been in the corner of my mind.?

    ?

    Since it was a good opportunity, I couldn’t help but ask her.?

    ?

    “My room is really not that interesting, you know. I mean, I’m a boring person myself. …… Don’t you think it’s a little weird that you want to know about this mob character?”?

    ?

    Shimotsuki’s mouth widened at my words.?

    ?

    Her face was like that of an annoying person who talks about the universe while inviting people to join a mysterious religion.?

    ?

    “Mob characters? Nakayama-kun? What do you mean? I don’t know what you mean. …… I don’t think you’re a mob character. I’ve never found you boring or dull. It’s a strange thing to say. …… I’ve shown so many signs of affection and yet Nakayama still doesn’t get it.”?

    ?

    Then she sighed and smiled.?

    ?

    With an adorable smile that seemed to make everyone who saw her happy, Shimotsuki said this.?

    ?

    “You’re special to me. Don’t be sad about being a mob character. It’s not bad to be humble, but you shouldn’t be so humble. Don’t be sad about denying who you are. …… It hurts me, your friend.”?

    ?

    –That was the first time I had heard that.?

    ?

    He acknowledged me as one of the many others and said that I was “special”.?

    ?

    Rather than being happy, I think it would be more accurate to say that I was …… surprised.?

    ?

    So, to this girl, I was special.