I Was Hired As A Tutor By A Cute Little Devilish Junior - Chapter 30 Result

Shiina was fanning me using a paper fan as I was lying down, exhausted after getting out of the open-air spring.

“Senpai, are you alright?”
“Yeah… Sorry about that, Shiina.”
“N-No. It’s partly my fault…”

Shiina averted her gaze with a slight tint on her cheeks.
Shiina seemed to be aware that the atmosphere in the open air spring was strange, and after getting out, she seemed somewhat distant.
The thought of doing this at night with that kind of atmosphere made me feel like I was in danger.

As I lay there for a while, Satsuki and Kanade, who had gone to the bathhouse, came back.

“I’m back~ Eh? What’s wrong with Riku?”
“Nii-san, are you alright?”

Kanade came running up to me, looking surprised as I lay down on the futon.
Satsuki also came close to me while wiping her hair with a towel.

“What’s the matter, Riku? You don’t look so good.”
“W-Well. I took a bath…”
“Did you get carried away in the bath, by any chance? Goodness, what are you doing? You’re already a high schooler.”
“R-Right. Haha…”

Satsuki lectured me with an exaggerated sigh.
I thought about saying something back, but I couldn’t say that I was inflamed because I went in with Shiina.
I feel like I’ve lost, but I’ll just pretend that I was overpowered by the bath.

“Nii–san, how are you feeling?”
“Ahh, it’s not so bad now. I just need to rest a little.”
“Do you want me to get you a drink or something?”
“It’s not that bad. Thank you for worrying about me.”
“Don’t worry about it, I’m your little sister after all.”

I patted my sister on the head with my slightly trembling arm.
I was sorry that I worried everyone on this fun trip. I would get up after a little more rest.
With that thought in mind, I fell into a slumber with the anxious Kanade holding my hand.

　＊　＊　＊

Suddenly, I woke up.
I felt a warm touch on my right hand. I looked over to see Kanade still holding my hand.

“Ah, Riku, are you awake?”

A voice called from above my head. I turned my gaze back from my right hand and saw my childhood friend’s face upside down in front of me.

“What are you doing, Satsuki?”
“Don’t you know, Riku? It’s called a lap pillow.”
“That’s not what I meant. What time is it?”
“Here.”

Satsuki thrusted her cell phone in front of me. The time displayed was eleven o’clock.
Unknowingly, I guess I slept more than I thought I would.

“Riku slept so much, so Kana-chan fell asleep too.”

When I looked again at Kanade holding my right hand, I saw that she had closed her eyes and was quietly sleeping.
Had she been holding my hand the whole time?
I stroked her head again, feeling my heart swell with joy.

I quickly got up from Satsuki’s lap and gently moved the sleeping Kanade to the futon so as not to wake her up.

“By the way, where’s Shiina? I don’t see her.”
“Uh, Shiina, she lost her bet with me and is now in the restroom.”
“What bet? What game?”
“Rock, paper, scissors.”
“What’s the reward?”
“Winner gets to give Riku a lap pillow.”
“…”

These two really never learn, do they?
What’s the deal with a lap pillow? I don’t care about that. I’d rather not have it.
…Well, I don’t feel uncomfortable with it.

“Ah, Senpai. You’re awake.”

A little while later, Shiina, who lost the game, came back into the room.

“Did she do anything strange to you? Imai-senpai.”
“Well, other than a lap pillow, nothing?”
“Really? Well, then I’m glad.”
“Hey. Did you suspect me, Shiina-chan?”
“Of course. Since it is Imai-senpai, I have every right to be suspecious.”
“Ouch. I was worried about Riku too.”

Shiina and Satsuki started arguing again. I didn’t get why they were so heated.
Kanade was sleeping right next to me, and I didn’t want the two of them to make a scene here.

“You two, please be quiet. You’ll wake up Kanade.”
“Please be quiet, Senpai.”
“Yes, this is Riku’s fault too.”
“That’s unreasonable…”

The two of them stared at each other again, as if to say, “Don’t interrupt me.”

“I think it’s his childhood friend who should be giving Riku a lap pillow in the first place.”
“I was given a lap pillow by Senpai before, so I have the right to do it in return.”
“H-Hmm? But just now Riku was sleeping comfortably on my lap. Isn’t the point to have a comfortable sleep?”
“Imai-senpai works out for the tennis club. Isn’t it because of her muscles that Senpai finds it uncomfortable to sleep?”
“Uh. T-That’s right. Shiina-chan doesn’t exercise, and her thighs are so flabby.”

Then they started to argue with each other.
They both threw around words like “mushy daikon” and “fat winter melon.”
To be honest, I didn’t want to get involved with them anymore, but as expected, they started to flare up at me.

“Riku, what do you think? Wasn’t my lap pillow comfortable?”
“Of course, you find my lap pillow more attractive, don’t you?”
“I don’t know…”
“Ah, that’s right! We had Riku grade us on our girliness!”
“That’s right! How was our girliness, Senpai?”
“Ah…”

I can’t say. To be honest, it got hectic recently and I forgot it even existed…What can I say?
No, no. I’m sorry, but I can’t remember the score or anything like that.

In the first place, what exactly is girliness?
I have a vague image of a person’s own feminine charm…
But if I just go by that view, it seemed like the conclusion has already been decided.

“All right, I’ll announce it then. The result of their contest of girliness…”

Shiina gulped quietly.
Satsuki slowly exhaled.

“Shiina got 100 points. And Satsuki is also 100 points.”
“”…Eh?””

What do Shiina and Satsuki have to say about that? Then they both tilted their heads.

“Does that mean…it’s a tie?”
“Hey! I don’t agree with a tie!”
“Wait, who said anything about a tie?”
“You didn’t…?”

The two of them nod their heads again.
I said, “Yeah,” and then continued.

“You both get a perfect score of 100… There’s nothing more you can do. So the result is that you both win.”
“We both win…?”
“I don’t know anything about girliness, but I know more about your charms than anyone else.”

Shiina was always trying to tease me about something.
But she was studious and homey, and the way she smiled and laughed in everyday life was the cutest thing of all.

Satsuki, who seduced me and talked down to me every time we met.
However, she was serious and hardworking in everything she does, and the relationship that we could talk about without hesitation was comfortable from the bottom of my heart.

No matter what the people around me say, Shiina and Satsuki are the most attractive and cute girls to me.
That’s why they both win. There was no way I can say whether they were good or bad.
I’ll explain that to both of them as well.

“…Not fair, Senpai.”
“That’s right. We can’t say anything if we’re told that.”

Shiina turned her face away in embarrassment but pouted her lips, while Satsuki complained with red cheeks.
In the end, there was nothing more to be said from the two of them, and the unfamiliar battle about the softness of the lap pillow was over.

I couldn’t let Kanade sleep in the room with the lights on forever.
I persuaded the two of them to get under the covers and turn off the light.

It was too late now, but I wondered how it would be for a man and a woman of our age to sleep in the same room.
Neither Shiina nor Satsuki said anything in particular, so I forgot about it, but I wondered if I would be able to sleep under such circumstances…

I closed my eyes in the midst of such anxiety and faint palpitations.

　＊　＊　＊

“(I-I can’t sleep…)”

It has been an hour since we went to bed.
I’ve spent the day going around the hot spring resort and nearly fell asleep in the open-air bath.
Naturally, I was tired and sleepy, but somehow my consciousness remained awake.

I gave up and decided to get up.
I went out to the terrace, which was separate from the open-air spring, and sat down on a chair there.

This was my third view of the mountains today.
There was not a cloud in the sky, the stars were twinkling, and the trees were shining as if illuminated by them.

The wind caressed my cheeks as it shook the shining trees, and a pleasant sensation calmed my mind.
I wondered if I should just sleep here. I was so exhausted that I even thought about it.

“…Senpai?”

Suddenly, a voice came from behind me.
I leaned back in my chair and replied to the voice.

“Sorry Shiina, did I wake you?”
“No, you didn’t. I was kind of awake. What about Senpai?”
“I couldn’t get back to sleep. I was getting some night air.”
“I see.”

As I was answering with my eyes closed and weak, Shiina walked right up to me and sat down on the chair next to me.

“You can’t sleep in a room with a girl, can you?”
“Shut up. I’m a healthy high schoolboy. Sorry about that.”
“Fufu. You don’t have to apologize. I’m just glad that Senpai’s aware of it.”
“I’m a petty man anyway.”
“Fufufu.”

The sound of happy laughter came from my side…
I don’t know what was so funny about that.

“…Hey, Senpai.”
“What?”
“Senpai. You told me a while ago that I was special.”
“Yeah, I did.”
“I muddled it up at the time, but I’ll say it right this time.”

Then Shiina broke off.
After hearing the rustling of the trees, the wind shook her bangs.

“I’ve been thinking about Senpai—”

The words are broken once again.
I wonder how many seconds, or even minutes, I waited for the next words.
In an unbelievable amount of time, her bangs, swaying in the wind, gently returned to their original position.

The next words that came out of her mouth were…

“…Senpai as a tutor, I have great respect for you.”

Something fell in my heart, and for some reason, I felt relieved.
What had I been expecting? What was I relieved about?
My feelings remained unorganized, and I spoke back to Shiina.

“…I see. Thank you, that’s very helpful to hear.”
“Ehehe. I’d like to ask for your continued support, Murakami-sensei?”
“Yeah, of course.”

Shiina looked at me and asked me a question with a smile, and I answered.

Shiina’s smile at me was as beautiful as the full moon shining in a dark sky.