I like you too

She'd said it...

She'd actually said it...

The moment she confessed her feelings, Kobeni Higashiyama felt as though she could barely breathe.

She was filled with anticipation and fear, eager to hear Asaba's answer yet terrified that he would reject her or even come to hate her.

She lowered her head and looked away, not daring to see the expression on Asaba Kotone's face.

Asaba Kotone looked a little surprised. He hadn't quite expected Kobeni to actually confess to him.

"I like you too."

Asaba Kotone froze for only a moment before giving his answer.

Of course, he meant it. He had already liked Kobeni when he read the original manga before coming to this world.

Hearing that, Kobeni Higiyama immediately raised her head, disbelief spreading across her flushed face.

She had imagined Asaba rejecting her with a look of disgust, or perhaps reluctantly accepting her feelings. The one thing she hadn't imagined was him simply saying he liked her too.

[Kobeni Higashiyama's affection +20%]

[Kobeni Higashiyama's affection progress has reached 60%. Achievement reward obtained: Constitution +1]

[Kobeni Higashiyama's affection progress has reached 70%. Achievement reward obtained: Constitution +1]

At that moment, Kobeni Higashiyama's affection surged.

Her low self-esteem had always made her suppress her feelings, afraid to let herself like Asaba too much.

When Asaba Kotone said, "I like you too," all those pent-up feelings came pouring out.

Even Asaba Kotone was surprised by how much Kobeni Higashiyama's affection had increased.

"See? I told you. Little Kobeni is so cute, there was no way Asaba would turn her down."

Rika Matsumoto nodded with satisfaction.

Little Kobeni and Asaba had finally gotten together.

She hoped Asaba could help little Kobeni deal with her problems at home.

Although little Kobeni had never volunteered anything about her family, spending time with her made it clear that things at home couldn't be easy for her.

Now that she had such a capable boyfriend, little Kobeni finally had someone to lean on.

It was still time for club activities, but Kobeni Higashiyama could no longer settle down to read.

She had confessed in the heat of the moment, without thinking about what she should do if she and Asaba actually became a couple.

All she remembered was that, in books and on TV, couples held hands and kissed, and even did those naughty things.

Holding hands seemed manageable, but kissing was a little embarrassing. Doing anything naughty would be even harder.

Those thoughts filled Kobeni Higashiyama's head, and the blush on her face hadn't faded for even a moment. She couldn't focus on reading at all.

"What's wrong, Kobeni? Is something on your mind?"

Seeing her like that, Asaba Kotone couldn't help asking.

The sudden sound of Asaba Kotone's voice nearly made Kobeni Higashiyama jump.

"N-no! It's just, um... I'm so happy that I'm having a little trouble calming down!"

Kobeni Higashiyama hurriedly explained.

There was no way she could tell him what she was really thinking. If she did, Asaba might think she was a promiscuous girl, and that was the last thing she wanted.

"Oh, okay."

Asaba Kotone didn't give it much more thought.

He had thought Kobeni might be worrying about her family.

Whatever the case, though, he felt it was time to start thinking about how to deal with Kobeni Higashiyama's problems at home.

Before today, he had been an outsider, with no right to force his way into someone else's family affairs.

But now, he was Kobeni's boyfriend.

Even if he couldn't forcibly intervene, he at least had the right to help her resolve those problems.

After that.

Kobeni Higashiyama did her best to push those jumbled thoughts out of her head and finally managed to more or less read normally.

Rika Matsumoto, meanwhile, wasn't particularly interested in reading. She had only joined the Reading Club for little Kobeni.

Now that she had accomplished her goal, there wasn't even any real need for her to stay in the Reading Club.

Still, she wasn't going to quit over it. There was nothing wrong with staying in the Reading Club, and she didn't want to join any other clubs.

So Rika Matsumoto alternated between reading and staring into space.

As for Asaba Kotone, he read while thinking about how to handle Kobeni's family situation.

When Asaba Kotone went to the restroom, Kobeni Higashiyama took the opportunity to quietly ask Rika Matsumoto beside her, "Um... Matsumoto, do you know what couples are supposed to do?"

Although she was terribly embarrassed, she had no better option than asking Matsumoto.

Of all the classmates she knew, she was closest to Matsumoto. There was no computer at home for her to search online, either. Her only other option was to go to the library and specifically look for books on the subject, which seemed like too much trouble.

For a moment, Rika Matsumoto almost failed to process the question. A second later, she realized why little Kobeni was asking.

Unable to resist, she reached out and pinched little Kobeni's cheek. "You're just too cute, little Kobeni!"

"Couples don't have to go out of their way to do anything. You can walk together on the way to school or back home, hold hands when you want to, or go on dates when you feel like it. Just let things happen naturally."

"Oh, right!"

Kobeni Higashiyama suddenly understood.

At the same time, she felt a little ashamed that she had actually been thinking about those naughty things.

"Of course, if you want to, little Kobeni, you can do some naughty things too~"

Just then, Rika Matsumoto teased her.

Kobeni Higashiyama's face instantly turned bright red.

Before they knew it, their club time seemed to have flown by.

It was about time for the three members of the Reading Club to go home.

As she walked out of the school gates with Asaba Kotone, Kobeni Higashiyama agonized over whether she should walk home with him.

It would be awful if someone from her family happened to see them on the way. She certainly couldn't let Asaba walk her all the way to her front door before they parted, either. They would definitely be discovered.

Seeing how troubled Kobeni Higashiyama looked, Asaba Kotone deliberately asked, "Kobeni... are you thinking about your family?"

"Mm... huh?! How did you know, Asaba?!"

Kobeni Higashiyama hadn't wanted to discuss her family with Asaba, but she hadn't expected him to know what she was thinking.

"After spending enough time together, I could more or less tell. You don't get along very well with your family, do you, Kobeni?"

Asaba Kotone seized the opportunity to bring up the subject.

"Not really... I get along with Xiao Qian, but everyone else..."

Now that Asaba had brought it up himself, Kobeni Higashiyama couldn't help talking about it.

"Can you tell me what's going on?"

"Huh...? Well..."

Kobeni Higashiyama hesitated.

"You're my girlfriend now, after all. I should help shoulder some of your worries."

Asaba Kotone smiled.

Hearing those words, Kobeni Higashiyama's eyes widened slightly, and her heart gave a sudden thump. She was deeply moved.

At that moment, she couldn't hold back anymore. She wanted to tell him about every hurt she had been keeping inside.