Chapter 71: Deredere Kaede
A few days have passed since White Day, and the morning arrived when the test results would be returned. I felt confident that I had done well and scored better than usual, but I was also worried that I might be wrong and not be good as I expected.
“There’s no point in worrying about it now. And no matter what the result is, I’ve seen how hard you’ve been working. Even if you don’t make it this time, I’m sure you’ll be successful next time.”
Kaede claimed that just because you didn’t make it once didn’t mean that what you studied was useless. You can think about what went wrong and improvise it next time. The most important step was to find what you wanted to study while building on the basics. That was what truly mattered, Kaede concluded.
“Fufu. Tonight I’ll cook a meal for you, so please cheer up. Do you want me to go all out and make roast beef or something?”
Roast beef? Wasn’t that hard to make? But since it was Kaede, I’m sure she would make it earnestly. It was definitely going to be absolutely delicious. If that was the case, I should help her by making a pot-au-feu with lots of vegetables.
“Then dinner will be a joint effort! I’m looking forward to it!”
“If I think about it like that, I’ll be able to make it through the day. Thank you, Kaede.”
“Yes! Let’s work hard for the day! Well then, let’s get going. But before that—”
Kaede wrapped her hands around my neck as she whispered my name. If there was an ‘I’m home’ kiss, there naturally had to be a ‘I’m off’ kiss. That was what Kaede was looking for. So I gently kissed her beautiful cherry-colored lips.
“Oh… why are you leaving me so soon… I wanted to kiss you more…”
“Because any more would be bad! And it makes me not want to go to school…”
I averted my gaze from Kaede’s pouting mouth and gently let go of her body, which was getting even closer to me. I’m happy to stay at home and hug and kiss her, but we have to leave soon or we would be late. If we do, Shinji would definitely make fun of us.
“Come on, don’t sulk forever. I’m off, Kaede. I’ll give you a welcome home kiss when I get back, and put you in a better mood.”
“Yes! This would really make me feel better! Let’s go quickly, Yuya-kun! Let’s have lots of kisses on the way home!”
Kaede smiled as if a flower had bloomed and took me by the hand as we left the house. I felt warmth in my heart when I saw the pink gold cat watch shining in her hand.
By the way, it looked too good on Kaede. It was a good decision to choose it because it matched well with the uniform. Thanks a lot, clerk, for helping me choose it!
＊＊＊＊＊
All the final exam results were to be returned in the morning. While the classroom echoed with voices of joy and sorrow, I calmly picked up my answer sheet, while in my heart I made a series of grand gut-punches of joy.
“Looking at your face, it seems like your studies have paid off properly, Yuya.”
“Ah. That’s already the best result I’ve ever gotten. I didn’t expect it to be this good, though. I’m trembling for a totally different reason now.”
My scores were in the high 70’s to low 80’s across the board. I put the most effort into English and received a 95, which was surprisingly high even for me. Still, I regretted that I didn’t get a perfect score. Incidentally, the mistakes I made were in elementary English words. I guess it was because during that topic, Kaede had kissed me so passionately. If it hadn’t been for that, I’m sure I would have gotten a perfect score.
“But it’s really great, Yuya. I’m sure this will put you in the top five, if not, the top ten.”
“I’m not so sure about that. Kaede’s probably got a perfect score on all of them, and to get into the top five, that’s what’s going to be hard, unless your average is in the low 80s. They’re all so good.”
I did a quick calculation and my average score for this test was a little over 80. I think I could be in the top five, but the barrier to the top three was still very high. I might have to carry that challenge over to the second year and beyond.
“I never expected Yuya to study seriously. Is it still Hitotsuba-san’s influence?”
“Of course. I’ll have to work hard as Kaede’s boyfriend, right? It wouldn’t be balanced if Kaede’s boyfriend, the top student in the grade, didn’t have great grades, would it?”
“I don’t think Hitotsuba-san cares about that kind of thing… but you worked hard for it and achieved great results, so her love for you has probably reached its peak.”
Shinji nodded to himself with deep emotion. Well, what he said was generally correct. If it wasn’t for Kaede’s help, I wouldn’t have been able to become as successful in school like this. It was my duty to be a worthy boyfriend for Kaede, and at the same time do my best to repay this favor.
“I hope we get to be in the same class next year. I wouldn’t want to be in the same class as you two, though.”
“Don’t be so lonely, Shinji. The four of us together with Otsuki-san are more fun, right? What about that double date we were talking about before?”
“Hahahaha! You’ve got to be kidding me, Yuya. Are you trying to make me and Akiho suffer from sugar overdose? I can’t let you two interfere with our date.”
“Hey, hey. You’re the one who said you wanted to have a double date. And sugaring you? I guess you and Otsuki-san are a similar kind of a super lovely couple.”
“Shut up, you meotoppuru! The difference between the lovey-dovey stuff between Akiho and me and your lovey-doveyness is about the same as the difference between a cup of cheap coffee and a caramel Frappuccino! That’s why I’m not going on a double date with you!”
What was with that analogy? Wasn’t there too much of a difference between a sugar-free coffee and a caramel Frappuccino?
“I-I-I’m in trouble, Shin-kun! I mean, help me, Shin-kun!”
As I was about to call out to Shinji to protest again, I heard Otsuki-san’s voice from the hallway, barging in and screaming for help. What was with all the noise? The end of the day meeting was going to start soon, couldn’t you wait until then?
“Akiho? Are you done with class? I’m not finished here yet, can you wait a little longer?”
“I can’t wait! Because Kaede is smiling and swooning all the time, staring at and touching her watch!”
I see. Kaede, you’re taking such good care of the watch I gave you. I’m glad to hear that you’re doing that even without me here.
“… I didn’t need to ask who gave it to her. But, I still asked her. Sure enough, ‘Yuya-kun gave me a present for White Day. Ehehe. He chose a cat-shaped watch because it was cute like a kitten. What do you think? Isn’t it very pretty?’ That’s what she said! Kaede’s silly smile is adorable, though! She’s in love with that watch so much, I’m about to get overloaded by sugar!”
Wasn’t it Otsuki-san’s fault for daring to ask something that didn’t need to be asked? Hey, Shinji. Why are you staring at me there? Isn’t it wrong of you to look at me accusingly?
“A watch as a gift on White Day… I see. So that’s why you didn’t go to karaoke with us after the exam. That Yuya gave her a present… you really love Hitotsuba-san, don’t you, Yuya?”
“… What the heck. It’s Kaede, and of course I love her, so what’s the problem?”
“Haa… I don’t like it when you say such things so naturally. But does that make you happy, Hitotsuba-san?”
Why does Kaede’s name come up there? I turned around and saw her standing there, out of breath and with a red face.
“Akiho-chan! What are you blabbering on about when I thought you suddenly disappeared! It’s supposed to be a secret that I was dere-derely looking at my watch!”
What, you were not smiling and swooning, you were dere-derely? Well, I’m happy either way.
“B-b-but anyways, Yuya-kun! I love you a lot too, Yuya-kun! But it’s embarrassing, so please don’t say it in public!”
No, that was going to boomerang back on you, Kaede. I’m sure that was what all of my classmates thought, except for me. But she didn’t notice, and grabbed Otsuki-san by the neck, who still didn’t want to leave, and dragged her away. Like a storm.
“S***w you, you meotoppuru.”
“That’s an exaggeration, you bakappuru.”
Just as we both sighed, the homeroom teacher arrived and the end-of-term meeting began.
When I got home and met up with Kaede, she was even more red in the face than before. She seemed to have realized that what she had said was a public confession.
“If there was a hole, I’d go in it. Yuya-kun… can I spoil you a lot today?”
“Today, too? But well, of course it’s fine. Come on, let’s go home.”
Taking Kaede’s slumped hand, we went home.
By the way, I was ranked ninth in the exam.
Chapter 71: Deredere Kaede
A few days have passed since White Day, and the morning arrived when the test results would be returned. I felt confident that I had done well and scored better than usual, but I was also worried that I might be wrong and not be good as I expected.
“There’s no point in worrying about it now. And no matter what the result is, I’ve seen how hard you’ve been working. Even if you don’t make it this time, I’m sure you’ll be successful next time.”
Kaede claimed that just because you didn’t make it once didn’t mean that what you studied was useless. You can think about what went wrong and improvise it next time. The most important step was to find what you wanted to study while building on the basics. That was what truly mattered, Kaede concluded.
“Fufu. Tonight I’ll cook a meal for you, so please cheer up. Do you want me to go all out and make roast beef or something?”
Roast beef? Wasn’t that hard to make? But since it was Kaede, I’m sure she would make it earnestly. It was definitely going to be absolutely delicious. If that was the case, I should help her by making a pot-au-feu with lots of vegetables.
“Then dinner will be a joint effort! I’m looking forward to it!”
“If I think about it like that, I’ll be able to make it through the day. Thank you, Kaede.”
“Yes! Let’s work hard for the day! Well then, let’s get going. But before that—”
Kaede wrapped her hands around my neck as she whispered my name. If there was an ‘I’m home’ kiss, there naturally had to be a ‘I’m off’ kiss. That was what Kaede was looking for. So I gently kissed her beautiful cherry-colored lips.
“Oh… why are you leaving me so soon… I wanted to kiss you more…”
“Because any more would be bad! And it makes me not want to go to school…”
I averted my gaze from Kaede’s pouting mouth and gently let go of her body, which was getting even closer to me. I’m happy to stay at home and hug and kiss her, but we have to leave soon or we would be late. If we do, Shinji would definitely make fun of us.
“Come on, don’t sulk forever. I’m off, Kaede. I’ll give you a welcome home kiss when I get back, and put you in a better mood.”
“Yes! This would really make me feel better! Let’s go quickly, Yuya-kun! Let’s have lots of kisses on the way home!”
Kaede smiled as if a flower had bloomed and took me by the hand as we left the house. I felt warmth in my heart when I saw the pink gold cat watch shining in her hand.
By the way, it looked too good on Kaede. It was a good decision to choose it because it matched well with the uniform. Thanks a lot, clerk, for helping me choose it!
＊＊＊＊＊
All the final exam results were to be returned in the morning. While the classroom echoed with voices of joy and sorrow, I calmly picked up my answer sheet, while in my heart I made a series of grand gut-punches of joy.
“Looking at your face, it seems like your studies have paid off properly, Yuya.”
“Ah. That’s already the best result I’ve ever gotten. I didn’t expect it to be this good, though. I’m trembling for a totally different reason now.”
My scores were in the high 70’s to low 80’s across the board. I put the most effort into English and received a 95, which was surprisingly high even for me. Still, I regretted that I didn’t get a perfect score. Incidentally, the mistakes I made were in elementary English words. I guess it was because during that topic, Kaede had kissed me so passionately. If it hadn’t been for that, I’m sure I would have gotten a perfect score.
“But it’s really great, Yuya. I’m sure this will put you in the top five, if not, the top ten.”
“I’m not so sure about that. Kaede’s probably got a perfect score on all of them, and to get into the top five, that’s what’s going to be hard, unless your average is in the low 80s. They’re all so good.”
I did a quick calculation and my average score for this test was a little over 80. I think I could be in the top five, but the barrier to the top three was still very high. I might have to carry that challenge over to the second year and beyond.
“I never expected Yuya to study seriously. Is it still Hitotsuba-san’s influence?”
“Of course. I’ll have to work hard as Kaede’s boyfriend, right? It wouldn’t be balanced if Kaede’s boyfriend, the top student in the grade, didn’t have great grades, would it?”
“I don’t think Hitotsuba-san cares about that kind of thing… but you worked hard for it and achieved great results, so her love for you has probably reached its peak.”
Shinji nodded to himself with deep emotion. Well, what he said was generally correct. If it wasn’t for Kaede’s help, I wouldn’t have been able to become as successful in school like this. It was my duty to be a worthy boyfriend for Kaede, and at the same time do my best to repay this favor.
“I hope we get to be in the same class next year. I wouldn’t want to be in the same class as you two, though.”
“Don’t be so lonely, Shinji. The four of us together with Otsuki-san are more fun, right? What about that double date we were talking about before?”
“Hahahaha! You’ve got to be kidding me, Yuya. Are you trying to make me and Akiho suffer from sugar overdose? I can’t let you two interfere with our date.”
“Hey, hey. You’re the one who said you wanted to have a double date. And sugaring you? I guess you and Otsuki-san are a similar kind of a super lovely couple.”
“Shut up, you meotoppuru! The difference between the lovey-dovey stuff between Akiho and me and your lovey-doveyness is about the same as the difference between a cup of cheap coffee and a caramel Frappuccino! That’s why I’m not going on a double date with you!”
What was with that analogy? Wasn’t there too much of a difference between a sugar-free coffee and a caramel Frappuccino?
“I-I-I’m in trouble, Shin-kun! I mean, help me, Shin-kun!”
As I was about to call out to Shinji to protest again, I heard Otsuki-san’s voice from the hallway, barging in and screaming for help. What was with all the noise? The end of the day meeting was going to start soon, couldn’t you wait until then?
“Akiho? Are you done with class? I’m not finished here yet, can you wait a little longer?”
“I can’t wait! Because Kaede is smiling and swooning all the time, staring at and touching her watch!”
I see. Kaede, you’re taking such good care of the watch I gave you. I’m glad to hear that you’re doing that even without me here.
“… I didn’t need to ask who gave it to her. But, I still asked her. Sure enough, ‘Yuya-kun gave me a present for White Day. Ehehe. He chose a cat-shaped watch because it was cute like a kitten. What do you think? Isn’t it very pretty?’ That’s what she said! Kaede’s silly smile is adorable, though! She’s in love with that watch so much, I’m about to get overloaded by sugar!”
Wasn’t it Otsuki-san’s fault for daring to ask something that didn’t need to be asked? Hey, Shinji. Why are you staring at me there? Isn’t it wrong of you to look at me accusingly?
“A watch as a gift on White Day… I see. So that’s why you didn’t go to karaoke with us after the exam. That Yuya gave her a present… you really love Hitotsuba-san, don’t you, Yuya?”
“… What the heck. It’s Kaede, and of course I love her, so what’s the problem?”
“Haa… I don’t like it when you say such things so naturally. But does that make you happy, Hitotsuba-san?”
Why does Kaede’s name come up there? I turned around and saw her standing there, out of breath and with a red face.
“Akiho-chan! What are you blabbering on about when I thought you suddenly disappeared! It’s supposed to be a secret that I was dere-derely looking at my watch!”
What, you were not smiling and swooning, you were dere-derely? Well, I’m happy either way.
“B-b-but anyways, Yuya-kun! I love you a lot too, Yuya-kun! But it’s embarrassing, so please don’t say it in public!”
No, that was going to boomerang back on you, Kaede. I’m sure that was what all of my classmates thought, except for me. But she didn’t notice, and grabbed Otsuki-san by the neck, who still didn’t want to leave, and dragged her away. Like a storm.
“S***w you, you meotoppuru.”
“That’s an exaggeration, you bakappuru.”
Just as we both sighed, the homeroom teacher arrived and the end-of-term meeting began.
When I got home and met up with Kaede, she was even more red in the face than before. She seemed to have realized that what she had said was a public confession.
“If there was a hole, I’d go in it. Yuya-kun… can I spoil you a lot today?”
“Today, too? But well, of course it’s fine. Come on, let’s go home.”
Taking Kaede’s slumped hand, we went home.
By the way, I was ranked ninth in the exam.
