Chapter 8 Chapter 8 I'm scared
Jinpei Matsuda felt that Momozawa Airi seemed angry.
The other party had just happily recommended sunglasses to him, but now he was walking silently aside.
As Airi Momozawa walked, she looked down gloomily at the patterns on the mall floor.
Or look at the billboards in front of nearby stores.
Just ignore him.
Matsuda Jinpei: “?”
Just now, Momozawa Airi would slightly tilt her head and talk to him.
At this moment, from his perspective, he could only see the top of the other person's head with a sign that seemed to say "I'm Angry".
There is also a small pear-shaped hairpin in her beautiful long hair.
“…”
Jinpei Matsuda thought about it for a while, but couldn't figure out if he had said anything wrong.
He felt that every word he said after careful consideration was perfect.
There's even a bit of hagi's social grace.
Jinpei Matsuda pondered for a moment and felt that the listless Momozawa Airi might be hungry.
He lowered his head very understandingly and said, "Should we take a shortcut? There's an elevator nearby, and it's less crowded."
There are several new elevators in the mall, but they are all located quite far away.
They could also go up from an old elevator next to the snack bar on the first floor that went directly to the cinema on the seventh floor, which was much closer to their current location.
Matsuda Jinpei stopped and pointed to a place not far away.
The more he thought about it, the more it made sense: Momozawa Airi must be——
Momozawa Airi happened to be walking behind him.
Jinpei Matsuda suddenly stopped, and she couldn't stop and bumped into his strong back.
“Ugh…it hurts…”
Momozawa Airi rubbed her forehead pitifully. Before she could ask Matsuda Jinpei why he stopped suddenly, she happened to hear the second half of his incoherent thoughts.
I'm hungry.
Momozawa Airi: "..."
Momozawa Airi gritted her teeth and unconsciously puffed up her cheeks slightly.
Compared with Jinpei Matsuda's psychological activities, her somewhat unspeakable girlish feelings are simply a joke.
...She couldn't even find a reason to complain about Jinpei Matsuda. Not only did she have no position, she also had no identity.
Momozawa Airi decided——
From now on, no more physical contact with Jinpei Matsuda!
I don’t want to hear childish voices like “I’m hungry” and “Tonkotsu ramen” anymore!
She slowly distanced herself from Matsuda Jinpei and said with some resentment, "I'm sure you can't wait for the tonkotsu ramen."
"?"
Jinpei Matsuda's heart moved slightly.
How did she know that she wanted to order tonkotsu ramen?
Heart...telepathy?
Matsuda Jinpei nodded in a good mood: "Yes."
Then he was dazed to find that Momozawa Airi's cheeks had become even more puffy.
It looks like a round honey pear.
“…”
Momozawa Airi looked at Matsuda Jinpei with mixed feelings, her lips moved slightly, but in the end she said nothing.
Matsuda Jinpei: “?”
In his mind, the difficulty of the question "Momozawa Airi" has soared to the level of an international Olympiad competition.
He looked at Momozawa Airi in even greater bewilderment as she took a step forward and headed in the direction he pointed.
When the other person passed by him, he left a barely perceptible hum in the air.
"……snort."
There was a hint of coquettish complaint mixed in.
This light hum made Matsuda Jinpei, who was originally planning to follow immediately, stunned for a moment.
He felt as if his heart was being gently patted by the soft paw pads of a pampered kitten.
It feels like melting.
“…”
It was just a moment of distraction, and Momozawa Airi had already walked a long distance in a menacing manner.
Leave him far behind.
Matsuda Jinpei paused, then slowly followed with his long legs.
The little cat that pokes at the phone seems to be really angry.
...Well, I guess I'm not hungry.
*
Momozawa Airi stood calmly at the elevator door.
Standing next to him was Jinpei Matsuda, who was holding up a school bag with a cat pendant on it with one hand.
She looked at the elevator that was about to reach the first floor and prayed silently in her heart -
Come on, passerby.
She and Jinpei Matsuda had been standing here for a while.
But it seems like no one else wants to take this elevator...
She was a little nervous being alone in a small, enclosed space with Jinpei Matsuda.
...and a little bit angry.
She herself didn't know what she was angry about.
“…”
Momozawa Airi stared intently at the small elevator floor display screen.
Third floor.
Second floor.
First floor.
With a ding, the elevator door opened.
There were still no passersby wanting to take the elevator.
...It seems that many people don’t know that there is an old elevator in this corner.
Momozawa Airi sighed softly in her heart.
But there was also a flash of inexplicable joy.
“…”
She felt a little confused and pretended to be calm as she walked into the elevator first.
Matsuda Jinpei followed her very gentlemanly and reached out to press the floor button.
The elevator door slowly closed.
In the small, enclosed space, Momozawa Airi and Matsuda Jinpei stood side by side.
The only sound around was the elevator clanging up.
There was also the sound of shallow breathing.
“…”
Momozawa Airi looked at her nose and her heart, silently calculating in her mind how long it would take to reach the seventh floor.
For some particular reason, she always felt a little nervous when riding in an elevator.
There is also a sixth floor.
Fifth floor.
Fourth floor.
…
At this moment, Matsuda Jinpei beside her suddenly turned his head and looked at her: "I just thought you were hungry, so I suggested taking a shortcut."
The look is very sincere.
Jinpei Matsuda thought about it for a long time and felt that the other party could only be angry because of this.
Adding to the sentence "You can't wait for the tonkotsu ramen", Matsuda Jinpei speculated that the other party might have thought that he was in a hurry to eat noodles and suggested taking a shortcut.
...Although he didn't quite understand what made him angry.
However, Matsuda Jinpei, who has seen the male and female protagonists in idol dramas part ways because they didn't open their mouths, felt that it was necessary to explain.
Momozawa Airi, who was concentrating on figuring out how many floors there were, stared at the elevator indicator screen and responded absentmindedly.
...Well, it turns out that I thought she was hungry.
I feel a little better.
Just as she was about to reply, "I'm not hungry yet," the elevator suddenly made a clanging sound.
Then it stopped unexpectedly.
The surroundings became completely quiet.
Matsuda Jinpei: “?”
He observed for a while and concluded that the elevator was broken.
Jinpei Matsuda decisively contacted the staff and reported the location and situation clearly in a few words.
"Okay, they'll be here soon—"
He turned around calmly and was about to say something to comfort Momozawa Airi when he suddenly realized that something was wrong with her.
Although Momozawa Airi seemed a little depressed just now, she was generally full of energy.
At this moment, she lowered her head, her long hair hanging down, covering the expression on her face.
One could only infer her emotions from the way her hands kept twirling at the hem of her skirt and her slightly trembling body.
“…”
Jinpei Matsuda felt that Momozawa Airi seemed to be in some kind of fear.
Just now, through the reflection of the elevator wall, he vaguely saw the other person reaching out to him.
But in the end he withdrew his hand.
Matsuda Jinpei silently lowered his eyes and looked at the trembling Momozawa Airi, and adjusted the position of his schoolbag.
From carrying it in one hand to carrying it on one shoulder.
*
The moment the elevator stopped, Momozawa Airi's face turned pale.
Finally, the thing she feared most happened.
I worry every time before getting into the elevator, but in the end, I never encounter such a thing.
Having seen many news reports about elevator accidents, she felt as if there was an abyss under her feet when she stood in the elevator.
Momozawa Airi subconsciously wanted to reach out and grab the person next to her.
But looking at the back of Jinpei Matsuda who was communicating with the staff through the elevator intercom, rationality suddenly came to him.
Yes, you will hear the other person's voice.
...and she had just lost her temper unreasonably because she had heard the other person's somewhat childish thoughts.
Jinpei Matsuda definitely doesn't want her to touch him.
I have been working in a convenience store since I was a child, and when I grew up a little, I started working everywhere.
Exposed to the complexity of society too early, Momozawa Airi has subconsciously wanted to please others since she was a child.
She felt that she was already panicked and helpless at the moment and could not bear too much emotion.
...It's better not to make things difficult for yourself.
With nothing to rely on, Momozawa Airi silently withdrew her hand, pinching the hem of her skirt heavily with her fingertips.
She lowered her eyes to look at the ground, praying in her heart that time would pass quickly.
Don't fall.
Don't fall.
Don't fall.
...Mom and Dad fell from the sky with the plane.
Then it disappeared completely.
Her grandparents died before she was born.
Her grandfather also died of illness when she was very young.
That plane took away her family, leaving her and her grandmother alone.
Grandma raised and cared for her very carefully, wanting to leave her something more.
Momozawa Airi could sense that her grandmother probably knew she couldn't stay with her for much longer, and wanted to try to make her life alone better in the future.
Ever since she learned that her family had died in a plane crash, Momozawa Airi began to fear the thought of "staying in the air".
She has never ridden any amusement facilities like a Ferris wheel or a roller coaster.
I also feel a little nervous when taking the elevator in my daily life.
But since she had never encountered an elevator stop, she was able to walk out of the elevator safely every time.
Then proceed to the next ride with a little nervousness.
At this moment, Momozawa Airi felt her eyes were sore and seemed about to burst into tears.
Don't cry.
Don't cry.
…
"cough."
A light cough sounded above my head.
It's Jinpei Matsuda.
Momozawa Airi didn't look up, still staring at the ground.
Until a slender and strong hand appeared in her sight.
"The elevator stopped and I was scared."
Jinpei Matsuda's somewhat unnatural voice rang out in the small elevator.
It doesn't sound like he's "scared" at all.
"Can I hold your hand, please?"
Spread your five fingers slightly, palms facing up.
As if waiting for her answer.
“…”
Momozawa Airi lowered her head, staring blankly at the hand that was stretched out towards her.
She didn't believe that Jinpei Matsuda would be afraid.
...But she believed that Jinpei Matsuda already knew who was afraid.
When Momozawa Airi heard this, she felt something cool sliding across her cheek.
Until it drips onto the shoe surface.
...Ah, tears.
*
Momozawa Airi's hair is really long.
Although they were not far away, Jinpei Matsuda could not see the expression of the other person who was lowering his head.
His hand had been stretched out for a moment, but so far he was only grasping air.
Matsuda Jinpei: “…”
He cleared his throat and was about to repeat it again when he suddenly noticed that Momozawa Airi's body was shaking even more violently.
Matsuda Jinpei: “?”
Did you scare her?
Just as he was about to speak, he heard Momozawa Airi sobbing softly.
Jinpei Matsuda was stunned.
Almost at the same time, his outstretched hand was grabbed by Momozawa Airi with both hands.
Momozawa Airi also pulled his hand towards her chest.
The movements were a bit hasty, and their fingers were entwined with each other.
"Matsuda-senpai, you are such a good person."
Momozawa Airi raised her head, tears dripping onto Matsuda Jinpei's palm.
"Yes, yes, yes... I'm sorry."
Momozawa Airi spoke with sobs in her voice.
Matsuda Jinpei: “?”
He was a little stunned by the sudden intertwining of fingers and crying.
But it was still very shocking.
Sorry for what...?
Why are you suddenly giving out the nice guy card...?
"You taught me... to do... homework, and even planned to treat me to a really, really expensive... meal. You even took shortcuts out of fear that I'd be hungry... and you even proactively told... lies to comfort me."
Momozawa Airi was talking to herself.
Matsuda Jinpei's thoughts kept ringing in her mind, but at this moment she had no energy to understand what they were saying.
"And I was... angry at you, when all you wanted was to eat tonkotsu ramen and admire yourself in sunglasses..."
Matsuda Jinpei: “……?”
Wait, how did she know??
Momozawa Airi let go of her hand with a wronged look and wiped away her tears. Then, as if she was afraid that Matsuda Jinpei would run away, she grabbed the other's hand again with both hands.
"I'm really scared that I'll fall down here and die alone... wuwuwu... what should grandma do..."
Although tears continued to fall like beads from a broken string, the overwhelming fear invaded her brain.
But Momozawa Airi cried very quietly.
She has been like this since she was a child.
Because she was afraid that her elderly grandmother would hear her crying, Momozawa Airi was very restrained every time she cried.
She and her grandmother are each other's only support.
Although her grandmother always insisted, "I'm the youngest in the Street Chat Sisters Association" and "What do you know? I'm in good health," Momozawa Airi knew that her gray-haired grandmother couldn't stay with her for very long.
Momozawa Airi didn't want to make her grandma worry.
*
“…”
Feeling the moist and warm touch in my palms and listening to the faint sobs coming from my ears.
Jinpei Matsuda felt as if his heart, which had just been patted by the kitten's paw pads, had melted instantly.
Hot tears seemed to drip onto his heart.
He paused, and instead of pulling away the hand that Momozawa Airi was tightly holding, he stretched out his other hand.
He gently held Momozawa Airi in his arms with one hand.
Momozawa Airi rested her forehead on Matsuda Jinpei's chest, and her tears slowly left a mark on his clothes.
She couldn't tell whether the violent heartbeat at this moment came from her or the person in front of her.
Is it the suspension bridge effect?
"Don't be afraid."
Jinpei Matsuda's chin rested on Momozawa Airi's head, just a little distance away from the small pear-shaped hairpin.
Only when he got closer did he realize that there was a line of small words printed on the small pear-shaped hairpin -
Exclusive to Airi.
The sweet scent of shampoo lingered in his nose.
Feeling the trembling body in his arms, Matsuda Jinpei couldn't help but soften his voice.
"I'm here with you."
Jinpei Matsuda rarely spoke in such a gentle manner, and his tone was a little stiff.
After hearing these words, Momozawa Airi's weak crying stopped for a moment.
Just when Jinpei Matsuda thought Momozawa Airi was going to stop, she started crying again.
Momozawa Airi buried her head in Matsuda Jinpei's chest, and her crying sounded a little muffled.
But the sound was a little louder than before.
Matsuda Jinpei paused, then gently patted Momozawa Airi's back soothingly with the hand that was hugging her.
He rarely comforts others and his movements are a little stiff.
Matsuda Jinpei thought Momozawa Airi was still crying out of fear, so he pretended to be awkward and said, "Don't cry, I'm scared too, and if you're scared too, it will cancel it out."
"I won't laugh at you."
Jinpei Matsuda racked his brains, frantically searching for comforting quotes in his mind.
It took him a long time to utter a few words to comfort her.
“…”
Momozawa Airi sniffed and didn't respond.
Matsuda Jinpei's countless mutterings echoed in her mind, but she could not hear a word.
Only she knows.
The reason for crying this time is different.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
