Tsun'na Megami-sama to Darenimoienai Himitsu no Kankei Chapter 1 part 1
After saying goodbye to the others at the intersection, I went alone to a cheap supermarket to do some shopping.
Once I bought everything I needed, I still had to walk another twenty minutes to get home. In a quiet neighborhood, there was a new apartment building—so new, it still had that fresh-built feel.
Room 202. That’s where I’ve been living since spring.
My school got merged with another, and traveling from home took way too long. So even though I’m still in my second year of high school, I ended up living by myself.
Apparently, I’m not the only one doing this. Some of my classmates live alone too. Junya, for example, said his family’s pretty strict, so he travels an hour both ways just to get to school.
Honestly, my parents were barely ever home anyway, always busy with work. So even before moving out, I pretty much lived alone.
When I told them I wanted to live on my own, they didn’t even react. Just kept working like always. It stung a little.
…Ugh, am I being too childish? I mean, I’m not some lonely little kid anymore.
“I’m home…”
Even though nobody’s here, I always say it out loud. Guess it’s a habit by now.
During spring break, I unpacked everything and set up my room. I used dark-colored furniture—my favorite—and made the space feel cozy.
My parents did spend a decent amount of money on it. They’ve always been quick to pay for things… just not good at showing care.
Alright, let’s change out of this uniform. And… man, I’m hungry. My stomach’s starting to complain.
“Hunger always wins, whether you're tired or lonely.”
That’s life. Annoying, but gotta eat.
Okay! Today’s dinner… the king of solo meals—curry.
The ingredients were simple: onions, potatoes, carrots, and chicken. But that’s what makes it great—simple and delicious.
I actually wanted to mix the spices myself, but since I just moved in, I didn’t have anything prepared. So today I’ll settle for instant curry roux from the supermarket.
By the way, I prefer countryside-style curry, with rich chunks and a bold taste. That watery, city-style stuff where everything melts together? Not my thing.
While I cooked the rice and curry, the delicious smell slowly filled the room.
Oh yeah… this is it. That mouthwatering curry aroma. So good.
A bit more time and it’ll be done. The rice is almost ready too. I plopped down on the sofa and pulled out my phone to scroll SNS while I waited.
I quietly liked an illustration from one of my favorite artists, and then—
“…Hmm?”
Wait… was that a noise from next door? This might be the first time I’ve heard anything from that room. Oh right—my neighbor was away during spring break.
I haven’t greeted them yet. Maybe I should do that now.
…Do I have anything to bring? Oh, shoot. I ate all the cookies I had the other day. Nothing left…
Oh well. I’ll bring them some curry. No idea if they’ll like it, but it’s better than showing up empty-handed, right?
I added some Worcestershire sauce and ketchup to balance the flavor, then let it simmer for another 20 minutes. The curry was done.
Since I didn’t know if a whole family lived there or just one person, I packed a slightly larger portion into a Tupperware container.
I started feeling nervous. Who is my neighbor anyway? What if they’re super scary?
But if I just avoid them now, it might cause awkward problems later… Better to just say hi and get it over with.
After checking myself in the mirror, I stepped into the hallway and walked to the door next to mine.
Room 201. It's in the corner. No name on the door.
I took a deep breath. Once… twice… okay, here goes.
Ding-dong—
The doorbell echoed through the hallway.
I heard quick footsteps inside. Oh no… is this dinner time? Maybe I came at a bad time…
“Coming~!”
…A girl’s voice? She sounds young. And… cute?
Wait, wait, wait—hold on. A high school guy living alone… and the neighbor is a cute girl? This feels like the start of a romcom.
After a few seconds, the lock clicked, and the door slowly opened.
Alright. Let me greet her properly first—
“Hi! I just moved in next door a little while ago. Sorry I didn’t say hello earlier… wait… huh?”
“Oh, thank you for the curry… and, wait… huh?”
The moment I saw her face, my mind froze.
Long, silky hair that sparkled under the hallway light. Sharp, beautiful eyes, wide with surprise. Her usually serious lips slightly open in shock.
“…Eh…?”
“…………”
If this were our first time meeting, I might’ve fallen for her instantly.
Too bad it’s not.
And worse, if I remember right… we left a terrible impression on each other.
That gorgeous girl standing there?
She was at the student council meeting earlier today. We’d been at the same table just a few hours ago.
—Yukimiya Hyouka.
“…Y-Yukimiya?”
That’s all I could manage, too shocked to say anything else.
“…President Yatsuhashi…?”
Yukimiya looked just as surprised and called out my name.
“… … … …”
We stared at each other in silence.
Or rather—I was frozen. My brain was in chaos.
Why is Yukimiya here?
Why did she come out of the apartment next door?
Didn’t she check the intercom?
I was just trying to greet my new neighbor.
And now…
What the heck is going on?
Shiramine Girls’ High School is pretty famous. I heard that during entrance exams, they sometimes ask about your family background. So most of the girls there come from rich families. I figured Yukimiya was one of them too.
But here she is—not in some big mansion or fancy high-rise, but right next door in the apartment beside mine.
“Uh… what about your family?”
“I don’t have one. I live alone.”
“Oh… me too.”
“R-Really…”
What kind of weird small talk was this?
But I did get something from it: Yukimiya lives alone. Maybe her family situation forced her to. I don’t really know.
Before I could think more, Yukimiya shook off her frozen stare and gave me her usual cold look.
Ugh, stop that! It’s only spring, and I’m already freezing from your glare.
“Why are you here? Stalker? Pervert? Suspicious person?”
“All those mean about the same thing. Like I said, I moved in next door this spring.”
“You moved here knowing I lived here? Gross.”
“Hey, if I’d known, I wouldn’t have moved here.”
I’ve been treated coldly at school today, and now here too? Does she think I’m some kind of masochist?
No way. I’m not. Maybe I was shivering a bit, but that’s just because of her cold eyes.
I sighed and noticed the curry in my hand had cooled down. I’d been standing here too long.
“So… I guess we’re neighbors now. Since we go to the same school and live next door, let’s help each other out and be friends.”
That’s just polite words. Honestly, I just want a quiet life with no trouble.
But if I say that straight, things would get even more awkward. Our relationship is already sharp like a knife. If this keeps up, it’ll be like walking on a bed of swords. I don’t want my stomach pierced.
So, even if it’s just on the surface, I want to show some good intentions. It’s important. After all, I’m an adult now.
“Gross. You’re hiding something, right?”
What an idiot.
—No, calm down, me. Getting mad here will ruin everything. I have to show that I’m mature.
“No hidden motives. I’m just being honest.”
“Is that so?”
Well, if I were her, I wouldn’t believe me either.
“Ahem. By the way…”
“Hmm? What is it?”
Yukimiya looked at the Tupperware in my hand. She seemed curious.
“Oh, this? I didn’t bring cookies to say hello, so I brought curry instead. I just made it for dinner. You like curry?”
“Curry…”
She stared at it. Suddenly, I heard a weird noise from the hallway.
A rumbling… like grrrrrr.
Was that her stomach? Or was I imagining things?
“You hungry?”
“No.”
“But just now…”
“No.”
“.........”
“No.”
I hadn’t said anything.
When I lifted the Tupperware, her eyes followed every move—like a cat waiting for food. Honestly, it was kind of cute.
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