When I Asked Her Why the Girl Sitting Next to Me Was So Venomous, She Said, “Because I Want To Marry

You look like a bride.

Sakurako Tojo.

Well-behaved, smart, athletic.

She has a lot of qualities that make her exceptional.

She is even a beautiful girl with an attractive face.

With her long, midnight colored hair, she looks as if she has just stepped out of a comic book.

Plus, she has a good personality.

At school, she is a very popular girl, loved by both men and women alike.

“Hey, Kasuga-kun. Your tie is crooked.”

Today, Tojo was staring at me. She had a stern look and was sitting in the seat next to me.

“I’m sorry…”

“Here, face me.”

I turned my head towards Tojo then she squeaked and tweaked the tie of my uniform.

“There you go. That’s better.”

“Oh, yeah… thank you.”

“Oh, come on, you have to be able to do this yourself, you know.”

While we were having this small exchange—

“What, Sakurako-chan? You look like a bride.” 

— a girl in our class came up to Tojo, with a grin on her face.

“Huh? No, I’m not~”

Tojo smiled deceptively.

“Yeah, I like that too. I’d love to have Sakura-san as my wife.”

“Me too!”

“Hey, don’t make fun of us.”

As everyone was making a commotion, Tojo slowly put on her perfect popular smile which seemed to have the effect of calming everyone down.

Then, it was time for lunch.

I was sitting on a bench in a corner of the schoolyard, just like before.

“Thanks for waiting, Kasuga-kun.”

Tojo came over.

“Oh good. I’m starving.”

“Hold on, give me a second.”

Tojo sat down next to me and let out a half-sigh.

She placed a neatly wrapped bento on the bench and started to unpack it.

When she removed the lid with a quick, fluid motion, I saw…

“Wow, that’s amazing.”

Inside the bento was a sea of colors, representing the plentiful side dishes.

Even the rice was sprinkled with cherry blossom colored fruitcake to make it seem more vibrant.

“Here you go, enjoy~”

“Ah, itadakimasu…”

I began to eat the food hesitantly.

Tojo also began to eat her own lunch.

“Sooo, how does it taste?”

“Umm, it’s… delicious.”

“Hmm… Are you only saying that because the one who made it is here?”

“No, it’s really good. It sort of surprised me.”

“Hmph, thanks.”

“But it’s a lot of work to cook for two people, isn’t it? I’ll pay for the meal.”

I started to reach for my wallet so I could give Tojo some money for the meal when—

 “There’s no need. I enjoy doing this so it’s fine.”

“But, you know…

“It’s bridal training, don’t worry about it.”

Tojo said with a smile.

No, I think I should care about this a lot…

A cherry blossom petal suddenly fluttered down onto my shoulder.

“Hm? The cherry blossoms are beautiful…”

I said.

“Huh?”

Tojo’s cheeks suddenly flushed a shade pink .

“What’s wrong?”

“Oh, I’m sorry. I’m sorry… My name is Sakurako, too…” [ED: 桜 (Sakura) means cherry blossom and 子 (ko) means child]

“Oh…”

I awkwardly scratched my cheek with my finger.

“You’re beautiful, too…”

“Huh!”

Tojo yelped as if she had been shot in the chest.

Then, she gulped and nodded.

“…or are you trying to… kill me, Kasuga-kun?”

“No, no, no, I didn’t mean to…”

“Be careful, okay. Every line from the man you love is like a deadly weapon to a woman.”

“So I can’t talk that way and I can’t speak out of turn. The only way I can talk to you is through a tongue-lashing.”

I coughed and cleared my throat.

“Don’t always talk so high and mighty, you elitist bitch.”

“Ugh…”

Tojo’s eyes teared up softly.

“I’m sorry… I just can’t be honest with the people I love…”

“Wait, no! I’m sorry! It’s a lie!”

“Really? You don’t hate me?”

“I don’t hate you.”

“Do you like me?”

When asked that so directly, I grunted—

“Ugh.”

“So you don’t like me…”

“No, no, I love you. I love you.”

“Hehehe~. I got a compliment from my future husband.”

Damn, this girl.

She really is cute.

My eyes drifted down.

I’m not sure if I’ve ever seen a girl with breasts like this before.

I was expecting her to be more slender.

“Are you curious about my breasts?”

“Oh, uh—no…”

…not yet.

Tojo started laughing from my embarrassed reaction, covering her chest with her hands.

“Oh, hahaha.”

For the time being, I smiled too.