Chapter 6 After-school Flirting with Shirasaki-san
#Rabu Kome ga HajimattaAfter-school Flirting with Shirasaki-san
In the classroom after school, the soft light of the setting sun streamed through the windows, bathing the room in a warm orange glow. With desks and chairs neatly arranged, I was erasing the blackboard as part of my cleaning duties.
“Amagi-kun, should I wipe the windows too?”
A girl’s voice came from beside me. For some reason, Shirasaki-san was smiling and helping me, even though it wasn’t her turn to clean. She had stayed behind just to lend a hand.
“Thank you, Shirasaki-san. But are you sure you’re okay helping me out?”
I asked, a little uncertain.
“Of course. It’ll be faster if we do it together, and I still owe you for covering my cleaning duty before.”
Shirasaki-san smiled, pulled out a window-cleaning rag, and began wiping the windows.
Outside the classroom, the schoolyard was painted in the warm hues of the sunset. Faint voices of club members drifted from a distance, and the breeze whispered softly through the trees.
“This time of day in the classroom feels so calming, doesn’t it? The sunset is beautiful, and it’s so quiet.”
Shirasaki murmured while wiping the window.
“Yeah, and there aren’t any spectators around like last time.”
The last time Shirasaki-san was on cleaning duty, a crowd of students had gathered by the hallway windows just to catch a glimpse of her. Despite merely cleaning, her presence attracted so much attention—a clear reminder of her status as an active idol.
“I guess since I was suddenly on cleaning duty today, no one noticed.”
Shirasaki muttered that, and we cleaned in silence for a while. Then, she suddenly stopped and spoke to me.
“Amagi-kun, have things settled down a bit between you and Aoyama-san?”
Her question caught me off guard, but when I looked at her, her expression was warm and kind.
“Yeah, I’m still not completely over it, but I think I’m slowly moving forward.”
“That’s good to hear. Don’t push yourself too hard, okay? I just want you to feel more positive again. By the way, Amagi-kun, can you come over here? I need help fixing this curtain—it’s tricky by myself.”
“Yeah, okay.”
As I approached the curtain, I noticed the top part was partially detached from the rail.
While I was figuring out how to fix it, Shirasaki-san moved.
“Eiy!”
The next moment, something unexpected happened—the curtain wrapped around us, enclosing both of us together.
What on earth just happened?
I blinked in surprise, only to find Shirasaki-san’s face suddenly inches from mine. Trapped within the curtain, I could feel my heart pounding wildly at the sight of her so close.
On top of that, our bodies were almost pressed together.
“Um, Shirasaki-san? You’re, uh… really close…”
I could feel her breath near me, its warmth brushing against my face.
She blushed slightly at my words but gave a playful smile and said,
“Well, we’re dating now, aren’t we? This much is normal. Besides, I think you won’t escape your ex’s shadow unless we do things like this.”
“Even if we’re hidden by the curtain, it’d be bad if someone saw us.”
“Yeah, that’d be bad… I’m an idol, after all, so this could be a huge scandal. But school is kind of like a safe haven for me. There aren’t any annoying reporters here.”
Her reasoning made sense for a moment, but I still couldn’t relax.
“Still, with smartphones, anything can go viral in seconds…”
I said with a wry smile, hoping to ground her in reality.
She raised her eyebrows slightly.
“Hmm, you’re no fun.”
She muttered that and then flashed a devilish grin.
“Then how about getting excited over the fact that I’m taking this risk for you?”
Shirasaki leaned closer to me, her face drawing near.
What is she planning to do…?
My heart began to race even faster.
No way—was she about to kiss me?
As I instinctively shut my eyes, she leaned in closer to my ear and softly exhaled.
Her warm, gentle breath brushed against my ear, sending a shiver through me. It tickled my earlobe, and I couldn’t stop my body from reacting.
In the end, the kiss I thought was coming turned out to be a complete misunderstanding.
“Fufu, you were so startled.”
Shirasaki giggled softly by my ear, clearly amused by my reaction.
When our playful moment in the curtain ended, she slowly began to unwrap it.
“Phew, I thought I was going to die.”
Finally, I felt like I could breathe properly again.
Staying calm in that close space was impossible.
In contrast, Shirasaki just smiled innocently.
“Sorry, I just wanted to tease you a little. Your reactions are just too cute, Amagi-kun.”
“You’re such a troublemaker, Shirasaki-san.”
When I said that honestly, she responded,
“Hey, Amagi-kun, don’t you think calling me ‘Shirasaki-san’ feels too formal? When it’s just the two of us, I want you to call me Kanade.”
“I-I’ll think about it…”
“Why not now? Just once, say, ‘Good morning, Kanade.’”
“G-Good morning, Kanade… Is that okay?”
Reflexively responding to her sudden request, I had no idea what her intention was.
Before I knew it, she had taken out her smartphone and was fiddling with it.
“Thanks. I’ll use that as my morning alarm sound.”
“W-Wait, alarm sound!?”
“Fufu, just kidding! You’re so fun to tease, Amagi-kun. You make everything so entertaining.”
Seeing Shirasaki-san’s mischievous smile, I realized I didn’t stand a chance against her anytime soon.