Instead of asking Ren for help, Nino Nakano gently rubbed her ankle, trying to dull the pain.
A light breeze slipped past and stirred her long hair while she kept her head down. Ren caught the look on her face—slightly wronged, slightly stubborn. Nino didn't seem to notice him watching. She stayed focused on her own clumsy attempt to push the swelling down.
"Nakano," Ren said, "that won't help much."
"I…"
Nino looked up instinctively. Before she could say anything, she realized Ren had already crouched in front of her, his back turned to her—steady, patient, offering it without hesitation.
"Get on," he said. "And carry my bag too."
He didn't even look back. He just stayed still and waited.
"Thank you."
Nino didn't force herself to walk. She leaned onto Ren's back, and she didn't forget the shoulder bag he mentioned. It wasn't heavy, and she lifted it easily.
"Hold on tight," Ren said.
Feeling the weight settle against him, he gave the reminder like it was routine.
Nino's face heated up. To keep from slipping, she wrapped an arm around his neck. Hidden behind her long pink hair, she turned so red it looked like she might melt. This was the kind of situation she'd never once imagined—ridiculous, irrational, and completely outside her normal world.
But it was happening anyway. Reality didn't need permission to be logical.
After he found a bench in the school courtyard and set her down, Ren looked at her, expression serious.
"Nakano, what I'm about to do might be a bit forward. Do you mind?"
He wasn't going to use "helping" as an excuse to act careless. Whether it was kindness or something else, he believed in asking first. If she agreed, fine. If she didn't, that was fine too. He was doing her a favor without expecting anything back, and that made it simple—no pressure, no debt.
"If it's you Katsuragi… it's fine."
Nino didn't really understand why he sounded so formal, but her thoughts were already running in circles. And they were still at school. It wasn't like he could do anything inappropriate out here in broad daylight.
Besides, when she'd been on his back earlier, that faint sandalwood scent from him had left her dizzy in a way she didn't want to admit.
"Alright then," Ren said.
[Wait—!]
As Ren shifted, Nino almost gasped, but she clapped a hand over her mouth in time to keep quiet.
Ren dropped to one knee in front of her. He held her injured calf and slipped off her small leather shoe. Her foot was revealed, wrapped in white stockings that made her skin look even paler by contrast.
Ren frowned slightly, then quietly moved the shoe a little farther away.
Nino's face burned hotter. She knew exactly why he'd done that.
Ren didn't stop. He rested her foot against his knee. His hand slid upward until it reached the point where the stocking's edge pressed into her thigh. He hooked two fingers into the inner edge and slowly pulled the fabric down. When the stocking finally slipped free, her foot was bare in his hand.
In the short time since the sprain, the swelling had already become obvious. Ren looked it over, then began pressing with the pad of his thumb—steady pressure, starting from the center of the swelling and working outward to ease it down.
"Nakano," Ren asked, looking up, "does that feel better?"
"Ah… it still hurts a lot…"
Nino had been drifting in the sensation of being cared for, but she snapped back and told a small lie. This was her first time alone with him like this. She wanted it to last just a little longer.
Ren glanced at her ankle. It clearly wasn't as bad anymore as she claimed. He looked faintly amused.
"Nakano," he said, "to be honest, there's something I've wanted to tell you for a long time…"
He lifted his gaze with an expression so sincere it could've fooled anyone.
"Nakano, do you believe in love at first sight? Because I liked you the moment I first saw you."
"You're such a cute—so cute that…"
While Ren delivered the smoothest confession imaginable, he kept watching her reaction. By now, Nino looked like she might overheat. It was almost like steam could rise from her head.
Hearing that kind of confession—especially from someone she already liked—sent her into pure happiness. Still, pride made her try to keep it from showing too much.
"Um… Katsuragi-kun…"
Just as she was about to accept—
Crack!
A sharp, crisp sound snapped through the air.
"Nngh!!!!!"
The sudden pain hit so hard Nino froze. She slapped a hand over her mouth, forcing the scream back down. She didn't want attention. She didn't want anyone looking over.
Ren lowered her leg, now stretched straight and properly aligned. He stood up, brushed his hands off, and looked satisfied.
As expected, the simple method was the most effective.
"Nakano," he asked, "how about now?"
He went to wash his hands at a nearby sink. When he looked back, Nino had already put her shoe on again. Ren grinned slightly, like this was all routine.
But Nino's reaction wasn't what he expected.
She stood up—her ankle no longer hurting—and looked at him with an expression so serious it was almost intimidating.
"Katsuragi-kun… was what you said just now real?"
The moment her ankle had been set was brutal, but once the pain passed, she realized she was completely fine. Now she needed an answer. And even her choice of words—switching from "Katsuragi" to "Katsuragi-kun"—said everything.
"Nakano," Ren said, "that was just a distraction. If you'd been paying attention to my hands, it wouldn't have worked as cleanly."
Ren wasn't the type to fall for everyone he saw. Love at first sight? He didn't buy it. It had been a tactic to keep her from tensing up, nothing more.
"But I really did fall in love with you at first sight, Katsuragi-kun."
Instead of being disappointed, Nino stepped forward.
"Nakano," Ren said, "love at first sight doesn't exist. Even if it did, you'd be falling for my face, not me."
"Then fall for my face," Nino shot back, not backing down.
"Nakano," Ren replied, "any relationship needs time to develop."
He kept sidestepping. Nino kept pressing.
"Then can I at least be friends with you?"
She switched tactics—less direct, more practical.
"Of course," Ren said. "But you still need ice for that."
He pointed at her ankle. The pain was gone, but the swelling hadn't fully disappeared. Then he pointed toward the nearby convenience store.
----------------
Currently on Patreon: 450 chapters available.
You can also read 2 chapters ahead for free on my Patreon.
https://www.patreon.com/cw/LIZBETH1242