I’m fine with being the second girlfriend - CH 3.5

Hikari Tachibana was lying in bed, playing with her tablet, when her mother knocked on the door and came in.

-What are you doing?

-I’m looking at sandals.

Hikari opens the mail order page of a major fashion website.

-Isn’t that where you bought them the other day?

-I need a lower heel.

-That’s unusual. You always wear high heels. Do you want to be shorter?

-Something like that.

-All right, try not to waste so much money.

-Yeah.

-Speaking of which…

Hikari scratches her head in embarrassment and looks at the screen of her tablet. It shows her e-book purchase history. There are several bulk purchases of shoujo manga series.

-I didn’t think you’d be so interested in that sort of thing.

-It’s a recent interest.

-It’s like I’ve gone back to a time when I was a teenager interested in love.

Hikari’s mother begins to laugh at such a discovery and continues speaking.

-Don’t worry about it, thanks to your father, the company’s business is going well. You don’t have to worry about money. You are still a child, so you can afford to be more lenient.

-Mom, I’m not a child anymore.

-Oh well, I’ve learned to understand people’s feelings. So I can get an idea of what you’re going through.

-They’re just manga.

-And how are things going with Shun-kun?

-I usually talk to him a bit by message, and sometimes we have dinner together.

After those words, Hiraki frowned and continued.

-Although, Shun-kun at school is very annoying.

-Why?

-Everyone thinks he’s my boyfriend.

-He’s just trying to push away all those people who have ulterior motives with you.

-I don’t want that.

-But you have to be nice to him. He’s your cousin.

-I know, but…

-I’m having dinner with his parents. You should come too.

-I’m busy with club activities.

-I see.

Hikari’s mother left the room after those words.

At the same time, her phone starts vibrating. Shun had sent her a message.

Hikari doesn’t open it and throws the phone away. Next, she lies down on the bed and grabs a receipt that was on her bedside table.

It’s from the coffee shop. The date was from when she had been with Kirishima, and he paid Tachibana and Hayasaka’s bill, but for some reason, he hadn’t wanted to keep the paper, and gave it to Tachibana.

Next, she presses her face against the pillow.

He continues to press his face against the pillow and whispers

-President…

She mumbles as she shakes her feet.

-President, president, president, president, president, president, president, president, president.

After a while, Hikari raises her head.

-I’m going to run out of oxygen.