He is an idol and a childhood sweetheart.

"Hey."

"kindness?"

"You seemed to have a lot of fun lying to me just now."

Higuchi Enka frowned slightly, her dissatisfaction evident.

"What, is it funny to see me panic?"

"...a little bit."

Listening to Higuchi Enka's tone, which was a bit colder than usual, Watanabe Kento didn't panic at all.

"Because Enka always looks cool, so the expression just now is quite new to me."

"This hobby is really bad."

Seeing Kento Watanabe's smiling face, Enka Higuchi's expression suddenly became even more unhappy.

"So...are you finally willing to take off the disguise of 'producer' and show me your true face?"

"I haven't taken it off yet. I still have the consciousness of being a 'producer' now."

As Kento Watanabe spoke, he sat next to Enka Higuchi.

"It's just that it's off work time, so I'm a little relaxed mentally."

"It can be seen..."

Higuchi Enka glanced at the two people's shoulders that were almost touching, and the cold expression on his face melted instantly.

Probably because he had just taken a shower, at this distance, through two layers of thin pajamas, Higuchi Enka could completely feel the heat radiating from his body.

Turning around, I saw that even though I had dried my hair properly with a hair dryer, I could still see a little dampness at the tips of my hair because I was too sloppy.

The smells of shampoo and shower gel were intertwined into a complex fragrance that made people feel comfortable and itchy. At the same time, because the two of them were using the same bath products, the two identical scents were in close proximity. They blended together again, making the atmosphere a little more ambiguous.

"About what you said before, my expression when I was lonely..."

While Higuchi Enka was still feeling her heart beat faster due to the delicate atmosphere between the two, Watanabe Kento was the first to speak:

"Is it really that obvious?"

"It's not obvious at all...otherwise, Fuyu Yuko and Du Ye would definitely be able to notice it with their observation skills."

Higuchi Enka shook her head.

"It's just because I know you very well, and I've seen you at the end of July, that I can tell."

"That means only you can see it."

Kento Watanabe sighed slightly.

"My emotions are quite complicated right now. I feel ashamed that you have seen through my inner thoughts, but I am also touched by your concern... Of course, touching takes up a larger proportion."

"If Asakura was here, she would definitely be able to see it."

Higuchi Enka pursed her lips slightly.

"But...she is not with you now, so I can only take care of you."

"Is that why you said those lines that make me rely on you a little bit..."

Kento Watanabe looked at Enka Higuchi with a smile.

"Is it really okay? I might be very coquettish for you."

"……up to you."

Higuchi Enka looked away and slightly tightened the corners of her clothes without leaving any trace.

"Rather...that's exactly why I'm here."

"Then... I'm not polite?"

Having said that, Kento Watanabe moved his body closer to Higuchi Enka's direction again, and moved his body slightly downward so that his head could rest on Higuchi Enka's shoulder——

"...It turned out that I was leaning on someone else's shoulders.

Is this how it feels? "

Feeling the warmth and softness so close at hand, Kento Watanabe slowly closed his eyes.

This feeling should be said to be fulfilling...or at ease.

You can see her as long as you open your eyes, and you can feel her presence even if you close your eyes.

As long as you open your mouth, you will get a response from her, and she will listen patiently no matter how useless your words are.

"I feel like I understand a little bit more."

“…………………………”

Although Higuchi Enka's expression did not change at all, huge waves were already surging in her heart.

In fact, her heartbeat had begun to accelerate uncontrollably from the moment she heard Kento Watanabe say the word "act like a spoiled child". However, when he actually leaned on his shoulder, in addition to this ability to hold her The warm touch melted his brain, and what was even more terrible was his voice, which was weaker than before.

(...Ah! Damn it! It sucks!)

In order to overcome the urge to hug him directly, Higuchi Enka pinched his flank hard with his other hand.

The lethality is astonishing.

This guy who had always been so reliable and strong was now cuddling up to her like a little animal...

"Is this the first time you've leaned on someone's shoulder like this?"

"……yes."

Kento Watanabe nodded slightly.

"This is my first time doing this."

"Is that so..."

Is this the first time? Is this the first time?

……

How could there be such a simple yet unsettling word in this world!

Higuchi Enka screamed silently in her heart.

The friction she felt when Kento Watanabe nodded just now made her almost make a sound subconsciously, and after hearing Kento Watanabe's answer of "first time", she almost couldn't suppress the rising corners of her mouth. .

It's no longer possible...it's hopeless.

She could feel that she was developing towards Asakura at an alarming speed.

If Kento Watanabe continues to behave in such an "indiscreet" way, then she will have no choice but to respond in an even more "indiscreet" way!

"Not only have I never done this to you...even to my mother."

"..."

After hearing these words, Higuchi Enka's brain, which was already boiling, instantly cooled down.

"Ms. Mai..."

After calming down, she once again remembered the reason why Watanabe Kento showed such vulnerability.

"Is it really because I heard about her from Mr. Chatani?"

"kindness."

Kento Watanabe nodded again.

"We haven't seen each other for almost ten years, and she only sends me a bunch of postcards without writing anything... Even if she suddenly asks Mr. Kitani to take care of me, I don't know what kind of expression she should show. To face her concern."

In front of his closest childhood sweetheart and his most trusted idol, Kento Watanabe finally said the words he had hidden deep in his heart:

"If you really care about me...you should tell me nicely..."

The murmur, like gibbering, broke through the independence and strength he had built over ten years.

And Higuchi Enka, who had grown up with him since childhood, felt the emotion called loneliness for the first time from the most important person to her.

Maybe it's not time to say good night to him yet.

Chapter 65: The night the first kiss ended

Mai Watanabe is a very magical woman.

At work, she is an even more extreme workaholic than Kento Watanabe, and she is also very outstanding in terms of work ability and efficiency.

In terms of life... it is a little hard to describe, because for Mai Watanabe, work is her life, and she does devote herself to her work and enjoys it in her own way. With all this.

It is precisely because of Mai Watanabe's extreme lifestyle that Kento Watanabe can only try to understand this woman from her work status. She is always in a hurry and can only make various kinds of toppings when cooking at home. The job of rice is superhuman.

She speaks quickly and her way of speaking is always as lively and humorous as a young person's.

She has a wealth of experience, and no problem seems to trouble her.

Busy and happy, self-sufficient and enjoying.

This is Kento Watanabe’s impression of his mother, Mai Watanabe.

"I don't even understand how such a person can get married and have children. There was a time when I seriously doubted whether I was an orphan she adopted from somewhere... But with her various assurances, I finally I still believe that I do have a father who was no longer around when I was very young."

Kento Watanabe laughed and shook his head.

"What if she doesn't value me at all... She did stay in Japan well before I was completely sensible, and helped me develop correct values. But what if she values ​​me... She stays with me at home The time was pitifully short, and they didn’t even call me much after high school.”

Once asked about her father, she would look embarrassed and say that they would meet him later. Once the topic about her work came up, she would say that he would meet her later.

She will be vague and confused, but if she talks about her ideal of becoming a producer, she will immediately express her approval and support.

Kento Watanabe grew up in this completely incomprehensible environment.

At the same time, as Higuchi Enka knows, it was in this strange environment that Watanabe Kento learned to accept loneliness and work alone.

However, today, Kento Watanabe, who has been fighting alone so far and finally made some progress, suddenly received the concern from his mother Mai Watanabe that he had given up for a long time without any warning or reason...

"That's why I don't understand..."

Kento Watanabe expressed his confusion in a confused tone:

"If she cares about me, why has she ignored me all this time? If she doesn't care about me, then why did she ask Mr. Chatani to take care of me now... What on earth is this person thinking?"

"…………"

Kento Watanabe has not been so strong since birth.

He just made a helpless compromise to the unchangeable facts after countless lonely days and nights, and countless times of depression and patience.

The result of this compromise is his current style of doing everything by himself and his subconscious way of thinking.

However, just when he had accepted the facts, accepted loneliness, and was mentally prepared to continue to be like this in the future, his mother's name suddenly broke into his field of vision, and overturned the acceptance that he had spent nearly ten years on. fact.

What a willful and inexplicable person this is...

"...Have you ever resented Ms. Mai?"

"No. Because I really like her cheerful smile when she talks to me, so I can't dislike her at all."

"Have you ever missed Ms. Mai?"

"I miss her very much. When I was in high school, I always looked forward to her coming home during the New Year, but... the fact is as you know, I basically spent the New Year at your house or Asakura's house."

Having said this, Kento Watanabe couldn't help but exhale a long breath.

"Now that so many years have passed, even if I were to see her, I probably wouldn't know what kind of expression to show."

"...That's right."

Recalling the scene when the two reunited after a year and a half, Higuchi Enka also fully understood what Kento Watanabe said.

Just a year and a half was enough to create a gap and timidity between the two as if they were meeting for the first time, let alone nearly ten years of separation.

Thinking of this, Higuchi Enka also pressed her cheek to Kento Watanabe, trying to use her presence to dispel the confusion in the other person's heart.

Enka Higuchi, who has only met Watanabe Mai a few times, is naturally unable to understand this mysterious woman.

She couldn't make any comment on Mai Watanabe's character, and she couldn't answer Kento Watanabe's doubts that had been buried deep in his heart for nearly ten years.