『────I love you, Natsuki.』

…

…

When I woke up, it was already morning. It seemed I had fallen asleep while still holding my smartphone. Since it was still earlier than my usual wake-up time, I felt a little relieved, but then I realized my heart was racing like I had just finished a short-distance run.

“…………That was some crazy dream.”

The first thing that came to mind in my groggy state was the dream I had just experienced. I couldn’t remember the details, but I think I was talking alone with Tachibana-san. That was fine, but my subconscious mind had made Tachibana-san do something outrageous.

『────I love you, Natsuki.』

The words still echoed in my head, and they had enough power to completely wake me from the dream. What I needed to think about now was why on earth I had that kind of dream.

“I wonder if I… like Tachibana-san.”

Even saying it out loud didn’t make it feel real. There was no satisfaction from neatly labeling my feelings. I probably felt this way because I had a strong ‘admiration’ for Tachibana-san. I didn’t have enough information to decide whether this feeling was ‘love’ or ‘admiration.’

“This is troubling… I don’t think I can look Tachibana-san in the eye properly.”

I couldn’t possibly tell her, “I had a dream where you confessed to me, and now I’m too embarrassed to look at you.” Tachibana-san is sharp, so hiding this feeling from her would be tough, but I had to try my best not to let it show.

◆

“Natsuki, you seem a bit off today?”

Busted.

I was immediately found out. It had barely been five minutes since the morning assembly ended.

“R-Really? Do you think so…?”

I was trying to escape the situation by focusing on washing my hands. I wasn’t nervous even though Tachibana-san was standing next to me. Wait, where was I in the process of washing my hands?

“You’re definitely acting weird. You won’t make eye contact at all.”

“That’s because I’m concentrating on washing my hands.”

Forget it, I don’t know what I’m doing anymore, so I’ll just start over. I can wash my hands as much as I want, right? As someone in the food industry, I want to pay careful attention to hygiene.

『────I love you, Natsuki.』

Stop.

Please stop it now.

The more I try to stop thinking about it, the more my brain keeps returning to those thoughts. It feels like a flaw in the human body. My heart was about to overheat. I was worried Tachibana-san might hear my heartbeat.

“Your face is kind of red?”

“…………Maybe it’s because I’m wearing a maid outfit. I’m still too embarrassed to shake it off.”

That was a pretty good excuse, if I do say so myself. Normally, it would be embarrassing to wear a maid outfit and be seen in public. It’s just that I’m weird for not being embarrassed.

“I see. Let’s go with that explanation.”

Tachibana-san finished washing her hands first and walked to the hall. I let out a sigh, my whole body loosening up as sweat poured from me.

…Just how nervous was I?

◆

Natsuki’s behavior was off.

I wondered if I had done something to make him dislike me, but he didn’t seem to be acting like that at all.

If anything, it seemed like the opposite.

“…………This is troubling.”

…Is he… starting to notice me?

I had thought I had been making an effort to get his attention all along. But now that he was starting to notice me, it was actually making me feel embarrassed.

This idiot, he hasn’t realized it until now. I wonder what made him change his mind all of a sudden.

“…………Could he have heard me?”

It’s unfair to eavesdrop like that. I had said it thinking he was asleep.

I, too, feel embarrassed sometimes. Confessing my feelings directly to someone I like is nerve-wracking, you know?

…Ah, my emotions are a mess.

Whenever I’m with Natsuki, it’s always like this.