Chapter 726 - Nia, Love It
—Apparently, she got worried when she saw that I was clearly unable to hide my exhaustion.
That said, it was a live broadcast to the entire world. I had been trying my best not to show such an unseemly side of myself, so I shouldn't have been making an expression that could be so easily read through the screen.
In fact, it seems Hiyo-chan, Mitsueda-san, even said something like, "Is he really that bad?" But to Nia's eyes, it was apparently 'obvious'.
So, as she was endlessly fidgeting and worrying about whether I was okay or not…
「I see, she just gave up on you…」
『I think that's a bit of a harsh way to put it.』
She was delivered here by the hands of her best friend, whose annoyance had reached a critical point.
…………………………Well, I guess that's fine, but…?
「—What is this?」
『What do you mean? It's a lap pillow.』
「I'm not asking what it is, I'm asking why you're doing it.」
While she was just as confused as I was the moment she was forcibly brought here, the instant I tilted my head, wondering what was going on, and invited her into the room, she seemed to come to terms with it or something and regained her energy. Before I knew it, I was pushed down onto the sofa by Nia, and here we are.
What is this, a reward?
If she wanted to comfort me, I would have preferred to be allowed to spend my break time in peace and quiet…
『You've been on edge this whole time, you must be super tired, right?』
「Well, yeah.」
『So, I'll be your pillow and your alarm clock. Rest easy, now.』
「That 'so' isn't really functioning as a conjunction.」
And that's her reasoning. I mean, I get what she's trying to say, and I can more than appreciate the gesture, but even so, a 'pillow' is unnecessary.
Besides, when she says rest… even if I were to take a nap, I only have about an hour until the next venue entry, so I had no intention of sleeping in the first place—
「Mm…」
Just as I was about to state my intentions, my mouth was covered by her index finger.
『You don't have to sleep, just close your eyes.』
Then, the complaint I was about to voice after she removed her finger was dammed up by her gentle voice.
『You don't have to worry about accidentally oversleeping or anything like that anymore, right?』
「……」
『Just relax and laze around without a care in the world. I'll watch over you.』
The feeling of her slender fingers brushing the hair from my forehead, and the soft expression raining down from above… easily robbed my thoughts of any will to resist.
「…You've been playing dirty lately.」
So, instead of complaining about the present, I complained about her recent behavior.
But, as if to say, 'Stop talking and rest,' she tossed her phone aside and simply tilted her head with a natural expression, without a word.
Seriously, she's so unfair.
「You're doing that on purpose now, aren't you?」
As I said that and glared up at her with half-lidded eyes, she returned a dazed smile that seemed to say, 'I have no idea what you're talking about.'
Judging by the mischievous glint in her eyes, she was a completely willful offender.
—Sora, who has started to show her age-appropriate selfishness and rely on me more honestly. And Ashe, who has been escalating her relentless assaults by the day, looking for any opening to put me in check.
It's only natural that not just me, but those around me, are gradually changing.
So, how has Nia changed? Well… she hasn't. Or more accurately, she's added another facet to her personality in her attempts to win me over.
And this is it. Treating me like a complete child.
The gap between this and her usual boisterous self is just too much, and it's not good for my heart. It's a side she's shown bits and pieces of before, but recently, Nia seems to be intentionally using this duality… or rather, at this point, it's a certainty.
Damn her, she's become aware of her weapon. And that means—
「Ah, geez, you're really… ugh…」
That means she's figured out that it's incredibly effective on me.
It's pure bashfulness. I turned my face toward her lap, looking away. I could feel her presence, smiling as she watched over me. I had neither the will nor the energy to escape the hand gently stroking my hair.
「……………………………………………… Nia.」
After tens of seconds of deep contemplation, the meeting in my brain, attended by various emotions like reservation, reason, and guilt, reached a decision. Caught somewhere between willingness and reluctance, I squeezed out her name.
In response, she stroked my head as if to prompt me to continue.
「I might… fall asleep, so. Just in case, I'm counting on you for the alarm.」
I waved the white flag, completely defeated. A satisfied sigh reached my ears.
I closed my eyelids, accepting the warmth of the fingers combing through my hair—and as for when, exactly, I lost consciousness in that peaceful state, I, of course, would never know.