Chapter 12 - 12. Happy Housekeeper, Happy Life.

"I'm going home with Maki today, but if Sato-kun is alone, I want us all to go home together. I mean, it's daytime, but it might be dangerous for a boy to go alone."I wonder if what I said yesterday was just lip service. Sasai-san really did invite me.But such a suggestion could lead me to misunderstand things. It's my template to fall in love with a girl who talks to me even a little, and then quickly find out the reality.The fact that we decided to go home together was merely a coincidence that occurred in the flow of the conversation. Still, I couldn't think of any reason to refuse, so I accepted, nervously. Yamamoto-san joined us, and the three of us left the classroom.I was in the middle, Sasai-san and Yamamoto-san on either side. With my mother and Yuki the day before yesterday, and Sasai-san and Yamamoto-san today, I was in a situation where I could call it a blessing in disguise, and it was starting to frighten me.Looking at the two of them, Sasai-san seemed to be having fun, while Yamamoto-san just glanced at me from time to time. I was close to the two of them, so I did my best to avoid touching them with my arm, but even so, I couldn't help but imagine Yamamoto-san's body through her uniform.The two of them were talking to me about random things. That said, Sasai-san was mainly driving the conversation about 80% of the time. They were talking about things like not being very confident about their studies, which club they were going to join, whether they should get a part-time job, and so on, the kind of conversations high school girls have, which I had never heard of in real life.As I was somehow managing to respond to their conversation, Sasai-san suddenly stopped and turned towards me."...Um, Sato-kun, do you have a preference for a certain type of woman?"I've been asked this question before in real life. But it was from someone who was bullying me.When I answered, "a quiet girl," she shouted at a gloomy girl in my class, "She says she likes girls like you." In the end, the girl also frightened me, so ever since then, I've seen this question as nothing more than a way to deceive and trap people.However, I couldn't predict the situation this time. In a manga or romance novel, this would be said by someone who has feelings for me, but the person in question is me, after all. On the other hand, I'm not being bullied by her at the moment.If that's the case, she must be genuinely interested in what kind of person I am, and that I'm a boy in my class. But I can't think of a suitable answer.I feel like in this world, I often answer questions in a desperate manner, but in the end, I have no choice. This is because I don't have enough experience in conversation or anything like that."...Well, maybe she has a bright smile and it's fun to talk to her... but more than anything, if she's a girl who gets along with me... that would be nice..."The first half may be normal, but people with low self-esteem like me tend to have abnormally strong feelings for girls who are nice to me, like the second half. Naturally, this is true even though the other person doesn't mean it that way.Sasai, who heard those words, which seemed like a bit of an overstatement to me, muttered, "I see... hehe."Now that I think about it, it seems that what I said was completely aimed at Sasai. For me, it was a really creepy comment because I was grateful to the two of them for talking to me.Of course, Sasai probably didn't have those feelings, so she probably just thought I was a conceited guy. Just as I was starting to think that I'd made a mistake, Yamamoto-san came into the conversation for the first time in a while."Ohhh, well, I'm not good at talking either, but... I'd be happy if I could become friends with Sato-kun..."She suddenly spoke in a strong voice, and my body trembled. I was happy to hear her say that, but the fact that she said that to me felt strange, or something strange."Hehe, I think so too."For some reason, Sasai also declared to me in response. What kind of situation is this? It's too elaborate for a prank, and there's no benefit to her for setting it up in the first place.If she was serious, I'd be extremely happy, but that's just not possible for me. Anyway, she might be joking, but I didn't know how to respond in that case."I, I might have said this yesterday, but... I'd appreciate if I could become friends with you two..."They both looked at me as I spoke in a trembling voice. Then, Sasai-san, with a look of surprise on her face, suddenly took my left arm and entangled it with her right arm."Well, if we're good friends... I thought maybe we'd do this much... You wouldn't mind, would you...?"I'd never heard of such standards for friendship. But I couldn't shake off the girl's arm. Surely, in this world, good friends, even between a man and a woman, would do something like this?On the other hand, Yamamoto-san even looked frightened. But then, her eyes sharpened a little, she came near me and entangled her left arm with my right arm.I wonder if I was dreaming within a dream. The two of them looked at each other with me in between, and it looked like they were burning with a competitive spirit. Though Yamamoto-san didn't seem that confident.And so, for the rest of the way home, we ended up walking through the residential area, closely packed together. For some reason, Sasai not only pressed her arms against mine but also her whole body, moving as if a couple were showing off.Even though they weren't huge, the soft feel of her breasts definitely took a toll on my spirit. I couldn't help but suspect that she was trying to stop me from getting excited.On the other hand, Yamamoto didn't get as close as Sasai did, and she had her arms entwined with mine with a shy air. Still, her enormous breasts brushed against my arms many times, and my arms were trying to memorize their elasticity and even memorize it.Sasai had a somewhat satisfied look on her face, while Yamamoto's face was red and she looked down a little. However, she wouldn't let go of my arm. Not understanding why this had happened, I did all I could to keep my sanity.Then, after we had walked for a while, Sasai slipped her arm out. Yamamoto, seeing this, slowly removed her own arm as well. Even then, her huge breasts were touching my arm, stimulating my lust.Sasai-san asked me with a more serious look in her eyes than usual."Sato-kun, we want to be friends with you... I'd be happy if you could understand that. Um, since yesterday, I felt like you were being a little reserved with us, but there's no need to be so considerate, you know? Of course, you might not like a girl getting along with you, and if that's really the case, I want you to tell me right away."She continued speaking to me."But maybe, even though you're a boy, you're not holding back. Um, we don't have any intention of harming you, and we wanted you to believe that, so we did this... If you'd shake us off, it would be over, and I never thought Maki would go along with it, you know?"I looked at Yamamoto-san, and she still seemed embarrassed. To begin with, it was my first time having such a serious conversation with a girl, and I couldn't even keep up with what was being said."Well, Sato-kun and I are of different genders, but... if you'd like, I'd like us to get along."Sasai-san smiled and said this, and I thought that maybe she would really get along with me, and that it wasn't just a superficial lie."...Thank you, too..."I answered, though I was troubled, and Sasai-san smiled cutely. "...It's okay if you don't use honorifics like that, you know?" she added happily.Yamamoto-san was watching our exchange with a unease. Noticing this, I timidly said, "Y-Yamamoto-san... please, please..." and, although it was a luxury, I ended up asking for some interaction with her."Thank you for coming... I'll be careful not to cause Sato-kun any trouble..." said Yamamoto-san modestly, to which Sasai-san scolded her a little, saying "Maki, you're being too negative, aren't you?".To be honest, I don't know what the two of them really think. But maybe, by some miracle, the two of them will become friends. I was harboring such a faint hope.The atmosphere was starting to get a little tense, but then Sasai-san told us, "...Well, my house is this way! Thanks for today!" and ran off. Her expression looked like she was smiling a little shyly.Left behind, Yamamoto-san and I seemed to be heading in the same direction, so we decided to walk together. As usual, Yamamoto-san would only glance at me out of the corner of her eye, and we never met. But it felt like we were a little closer than when we first walked. After walking for a while, my house was getting closer. Yamamoto-san's house seemed to be really close to mine.I thought maybe it would be good to make a promise to go home together, which is a bit excessive for me, but I quickly shook it off. With Yuki there, I couldn't afford such a luxury.I somehow managed to say goodbye to Yamamoto-san by saying, "Well, see you tomorrow...". After giving a big bow, she jogged off. After watching her leave, I went into the house.