Classroom of the Elite:SS Collection

What's wrong with me?

As I was preparing dinner in my kitchen, the doorbell rang. I think the person I had called had arrived.

I went and opened the door. And as expected Ayanokoji-kun was waiting outside.

"Come inside."

I said, but he didn't come in immediately.

"What's wrong?"

"I think I have gone through this very pattern of actions once before and I have a very bad feeling about this."

He said. 

I knew where he was coming from. I had used this strategy twice to make him do the things I had wanted. No wonder he would be suspicious of me.

"If others see you outside my room at this time, rumors are going to fly across the school. So, come inside fast."

He understood that as he came inside.

"Just sit there, till I finish preparing dinner. It won't take long."

He was standing, still suspicious of me.

"Just sit already."

When I put some more force behind my words, he sat down, although reluctantly.

I went to the kitchen and started adding the finishing touches to the dish.

When I took a peek from the kitchen, he was fiddling with his phone.

Was he chatting with someone?

As that crossed my mind, the face of a certain person floated before my eyes.

Karuizawa Kei.

I have noticed that recently she had been giving these looks to Ayanokoji-kun. She, time and again looks at him during classes with longing eyes.

Is there something going on between them?

I knew there definitely was something going on between them. Even when she had been dating Hirata-kun, I felt that there was some sort of string connecting them.

Is it........?

The next words trailed off. 

No way, no way. No way would he be in such sort of relationship. At most, I think he was probably using her.

No, I wanted that to be the case.

After finishing the preparations, I served the dish to him.

"It's good."

He voiced his honest thoughts.

"Of course it will be."

After finishing, I cleaned up. He had offered me to help but I had refused since I wouldn't want the guests to do my chores.

"I have something for you, Ayanokoji-kun."

"I don't have the right to refuse, do I?"

"Of course not."

Saying him to wait for a while, I went inside my bedroom and picked up the bag I had prepared earlier.

"Here."

"What is this?"

He looked a bit puzzled.

"Don't get your hopes high. It's just obligatory chocolate."

What I had given him, was chocolate. 

Today was Valentine's day.

I had never given chocolate to anyone my age before, so I didn't know how to go about it. So, I decided to call him over to my room in the pretense of dinner.

He was holding the bag of chocolate and alternating his gazes between me and the chocolate. And I knew exactly what he was thinking.

"Huh? Do you really think I would do something as poisoning the chocolate?"

He remained quiet. I had hit the mark.

"Is that all it?"

Was that all it?

No, I wanted to ask him about his relationship with Karuizawa-san.

But I stopped.

I pondered.

Why did I even want to know about his relationship with Karuizawa-san?

He was someone, whom I wanted to acknowledge me. Nothing more than that.

But was that really it? Did I expect something else from him?

I didn't know the answer to that question myself.

Lately, I feel like something's wrong with me.

"Nothing. You can go home now."

He slowly got up from his seat.

"Thank you for the meal."

He said. He was about to head outside when something hit me.

"Wait."

He turned around.

"What's wrong?"

I didn't reply, but instead went inside my room and gave him a white bag which I brought along with me.

He didn't understand what I was getting at.

"Put that bag inside this one."

I said that pointing to the flashy and cute bag he was carrying.

The bag was given by the store clerk because it was Valentine's chocolate. 

But if he went around carrying that bag, he was sure to get questioned. And I didn't want others to get any wrong ideas.

I took that bag from him and put it inside the new bag and handed it to him again.

"You said it was just an obligatory one, so I don't think you need to do this."

He guessed what I was thinking.

But what he said was also true.

I had given him chocolate, it was only obligatory chocolate. If anyone did spot him and asked questions, I could have easily said that it was just an obligatory one and brushed it off.

But for some reason, I didn't want others to see this.

I also didn't know why.

"Anyway, I don't think I have any right to refuse anything you said. Good night."

"Good night."

With that, he went and I closed the door.

I went to my bedroom and plopped down on my bed.

I covered my face with my hand and slowly muttered under my breath.

Seriously, what the hell's wrong with me?