Listening to the sound of Yamamoto's steady breathing, I stood frozen for a long moment. For a split second, I couldn't even process what had just happened right in front of me.
I slowly analyzed the information my eyes were feeding me, and then the realization finally hit.
Wait. Did I just get rejected? Did Yamamoto seriously just turn down co-sleeping with me?
...No.
No, there was no way. That couldn't have happened.
Right. Exactly. It was impossible. Ahaha...!
...Am I really that unattractive?
I mean, I’ve been trying so hard, haven't I? I’m meticulous about my skincare, I exercise in my room as much as possible to stay in shape, and I’ve been secretly studying my head off just to learn how to cook so I can win him over through his stomach.
And yet.
Would it have been so much to ask? Just a little co-sleeping...
A boiling frustration began to well up inside me.
This was it.
"Geez! What is wrong with this man...!"
This was anger, plain and simple.
"Hey, Yamamoto! Wake up! Get up!"
I shook him vigorously and raised my voice, but Yamamoto just lay there. He let out a low groan and his face twisted in a grimace, but he showed absolutely no sign of waking up.
...His innocent sleeping face was actually kind of cute.
No! That’s not it!
Get it together, Megumi Hayashi!
Don't get carried away. Look at the situation for what it is.
Just look at this...!
I finally steeled my resolve and invited him to share the bed, only for him to reject me and fall fast asleep. I was the only one even conscious of the tension.
How pathetic!
How utterly foolish!
I couldn't just let this go.
In High School, I was the one they called "The Queen." Guys lined up to talk to me, girls envied my looks, and I used my headstrong attitude to shut them all down...!
I had my own sense of pride!
I couldn't just back down now!
Absolutely not!
"Hey, Yamamoto... Yamamotooo."
Or so I thought, but as I watched him refuse to wake up no matter what I did, I started to feel guilty for disturbing his rest.
Consequently, I felt even more miserable.
I felt like I was on the verge of tears.
...What was with this guy?
What was wrong with him?
He was usually such a meddler—annoying and bothersome in his fussiness—yet when I actually wanted him to be present, he fell asleep instantly...
He was making me so sad...!
He really was a terrible person.
...And yet, my feelings for him didn't change. Not even a little.
I suppose this was what they called the vulnerability of being in love.
Dammit... you Baka Yamamoto!
"Fine. Just sleep all you want, then. Idiot."
I spoke to him, letting my emotions leak out.
"You're always like this. My feelings are always secondary. You only ever think about yourself."
I kept my voice as quiet as possible.
"...Stupid."
I murmured the word so I wouldn't wake him.
I sat down on the edge of the bed and tried stroking his hair. Even though he was a guy, his hair was as smooth as a girl’s. It was honestly irritating.
But spending time like this, stroking his head, was a moment of pure bliss.
Just a little longer...
I wanted to stay like this for just a little while longer.
But if I kept going, would he wake up?
If he did, I wouldn't have any excuse for what I was doing.
If that happened, I wouldn't be able to talk my way out of it ever again.
Even so, I couldn't stop myself.
I couldn't help it...
In the first place, it was Yamamoto's fault for leaving me behind and falling asleep first.
That was right.
It was his fault.
I was sitting here feeling so miserable, and he wasn't doing a single thing to help me. It was all his fault.
In that case...
I had to punish a man like that.
Yes, this was a punishment.
A penalty...
As if being sucked in, or perhaps guided by some force, I lay down, squeezing my body onto the Single Bed beside him.
I could feel his warmth coming from right next to me.
This was crazy.
Totally crazy...
My heart was pounding so hard it hurt, and it wouldn't stop.
If I fell asleep like this, I wondered who would wake up first?
Would it be me?
Or Yamamoto?
...It would probably be him.
I’d seen how much of an early riser he’d been for the past few months, so I already knew the answer.
I mustn't sleep.
I mustn't... fall asleep...
Then, I suddenly noticed something.
Yamamoto's eyelashes were remarkably long.