Chapter 5: Boy's Awkwardness
"Hey, Yukinoshita."
After school, Yukinoshita Yukino stayed late.
But just as she was about to put the changed indoor shoes into the shoe cabinet, a boy's voice suddenly came from behind her.
The tone was rough, not because of any malicious intent, but because he wanted to pretend to talk to himself as if nothing had happened.
Although she is only in elementary school, Yukinoshita Yukino already knows how cute she is.
Because since kindergarten, her cuteness has been affirmed by a large group of people such as her mother, sisters, and teachers.
This kind of feeling of being praised for being cute is really pleasant, even a little blissful, but at the same time, it has brought her a lot of trouble.
Harassment from boys, exclusion from girls, and even some male teachers' dirty thoughts.
Although young, Yukinoshita Yukino also precociously understood some things she shouldn't understand because of her cute looks.
But she doesn't think there's anything wrong with being cute.
The fault is only those superficial and weak guys.
Click.....
He opened the shoe cabinet on his own.
The elementary school student Yukino didn't look back; she completely ignored the boy who just approached her.
Because in her eyes, these boys are all naive ghosts who want to attract her attention and always make some funny performances.
"You've had your indoor shoes stolen since last week, right?"
But the little boy behind her didn't seem to care about her ignorance at all, and even raised a topic that she couldn't ignore no matter what.
"How do you know?"
She only told her mother about the stolen indoor shoes, and maybe the head teacher also knew about it, but she didn't spread it in the class.
Yukinoshita Yukino looked back at the boy behind her with some scrutiny, a little boy with a runny nose on his face.
Makoto Amano, the name of the other party quickly appeared in her mind.
The other party is not as cute as her at all; he has a tiger head and a tiger brain, and he is the kind that no one cares about in the class.
However, he can notice my things; it should be because his seat is at the back table of mine, right?
The skeptical look in her scrutiny gradually turned into ordinary indifference.
There may be more than one criminal who stole her shoes, but there is a high probability that Amano Makoto will not be one.
Because even if they have the relationship between the front and back desks, the number of times they chat and speak is only a handful.
Although she was somewhat annoyed by the runny nose on his face, Yukinoshita Yukino thought that this guy should not be one of those childish ghosts who always wanted to attract her attention.
"I overheard... Hasegawa and the others' conversation."
Sniffing, the little Makoto Amano said what he overheard by accident.
Stealing Yukinoshita Yukino's indoor shoes was just a temporary idea of those people, but after stealing more times, a strange habit has formed.
It even became a dispute between children.
"Hasegawa?"
The image of a little girl appeared in Yukinoshita Yukino's mind again.
It was the girl who often gave her bad looks.
If the culprit was her, Yukino would not be surprised, but...
According to Amano Makoto, the girl was not the only one who hid or stole her indoor shoes...
At least five or six accomplices.
"I see, thank you."
Surprisingly, it was a boy who came to help her.
Yukinoshita Yukino thanked very seriously.
But her face did not show the relaxed expression after catching the culprit.
She had harbored doubts about Hasegawa and those people for a long time, and she had even confided in the teacher about it, but...
Even so, her indoor shoes still couldn't avoid the misfortune of being stolen.
The adults seemed to hope that the major incident would be downplayed and reduced to a minor one, and they were unwilling to expose the truth.
The small-scale warning would only make those "culprits" more and more daring.
"Hey, looking at you like this, are you still going to continue bottling up your anger?"
The little boy displayed an undisguised, disgusted expression.
That's right, seven-year-old Amano Makoto didn't start talking to the girl in front of him because she was cute.
He just couldn't get used to it, and at the same time, her behavior... it annoyed him greatly.
He didn't like seeing people like this.
"I... I'll tell the teacher."
It was the first time Yukinoshita Yukino had seen someone express disgust or even repulsion towards her.
Taken by surprise, she took a small step back, feeling scared and wronged.
"Suing the teacher won't help, it's common sense."
The little boy shook his head.
sniff...
His cold hadn't healed yet, and his nose started running again.
His childish voice was slightly nasal.
"Also, why didn't you tell everyone in class 'someone stole my shoes' right from the beginning? "
"Why did you have to hold back your anger for a whole week before reacting?"
It was an unreasonable question coming from a boy.
"I... I thought it wouldn't make a difference even if I said it."
Yukino lowered her head weakly and explained.
In response, she grabbed the corner of her clothes, raised her head, and stared at the boy in front of her.
"Besides, what I do and what does it have to do with you? Don't meddle in my affairs!"
Childish conflict quickly erupted between the boy and the girl.
"I don't want to meddle in your affairs, but you're annoying all day long..."
"Do you hate me? Then why do you keep talking to me, talking to me? You hypocritical brat!"
Yes, he must have talked to me because I am cute.
sniff...
Although little Yukinoshita Yukino didn't understand the idiom "playing hard to get," she already had the meaning in her heart.
"You're the brat! The ugly girl who can't even utter a word when bullied by others!"
This childish quarrel led the boy to unintentionally make personal attacks that he didn't mean to.
"Ugly... Ugly girl? That's you! Snotty brat! Disgusting guy!"
The girl, also blushing and angry from the argument, quickly fought back.
---
Huh... huh...
In the end, the two boys and girls stopped their meaningless quarrel because they couldn't catch their breath.
"Hey, here you go..."
Despite the lingering disgust and disdain on her face, Yukinoshita Yukino took the initiative to retrieve a clean white handkerchief from her pocket and handed it to the boy in front of her.
During their quarrel, snot had reached the boy's mouth.
She couldn't bear it any longer.
"...Thanks."
A blushing Amano Makoto was surprised and carefully accepted the girl's handkerchief.
After hesitating for a moment, he made up his mind and pressed the clean white cloth to his nose.
"I... I'll wash it... and return it to you."
The presence of the handkerchief and the snot had weakened the boy's resolve.
"Um,"
The girl responded with a slight nod.
The handkerchief had been a birthday present from her sister, and she had cherished it dearly.
The impulsive act of lending it to the boy earlier had left her with a hint of regret. However, Yukino swiftly suppressed those feelings.
"Never mind, I'll give it to you as... a reward for informing me about Hasegawa and the others just now."
Although the boy, now rid of his snot, looked more pleasant, Yukino shook her head when she considered what might be left on her handkerchief.
That handkerchief is off-limits, and besides, this sniffling guy needs it more than I do.
"Um, Amano Makoto."
This time, her tone was much softer.
After carefully pocketing the girl's handkerchief, the boy's face still flushed with embarrassment.
It was the first time he had received a gift from someone outside his family, even though it was from Yukinoshita, who wasn't particularly likable.
"I suddenly thought of a good idea,"
The boy exclaimed, a flash of inspiration lighting up his face, causing him to interrupt the girl's plan of placing the indoor shoes back into the shoe cabinet.
"What idea?"
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