──side Hinata──
──Ding-dong.
「Comiiing.」
Why do people respond when the doorbell rings? It’s not like anyone outside can hear them. Thinking such things, I hurried towards the entrance. Looking at the clock, it’s exactly the promised time.
Impressed, I open the door and welcome my two new friends into my home.
「Hello, Hinata-chan!!」
「Thank you for having us.」
The energetic greeting came from Hikari-chan, and the polite one from Asaki-chan.
I thought there must be some reason why they both transferred in at the same time, just a little over a month after the entrance ceremony. But when I talked to them, I found them very easy to get along with, and even someone like me who considers herself a bit shy didn’t need much time to become friends.
It seems Hikari-chan and Asaki-chan knew each other before, and they are often together in class. However, I’ve noticed that during break times, one or both of them often disappear. I worry a bit that they might not be fitting in with the class.
「Welcome, Hikari-chan, Asaki-chan. Thank you for coming.」
I return their greetings and invite them inside.
「Oh my, you must be Hina’s friends. I’m her mother, Nanami Kaname. Nice to meet you.」
「Ohh, your mom is super beautiful!!」
Hikari-chan stared at Kaname-okaasan with wide eyes.
「Thank you. Now, all three of you, don’t just stand there, come on in.」
「Yes─, thank you for having us─!!」
「Thank you for having us.」
Following Kaname-okaasan’s lead, we head towards the living room.
「Now then, I want you three to relax… but do you have any plans for today?」
As soon as we sit down on the sofa, Kaname-okaasan asks about our plans for the day.
「We don’t have any specific plans, but I thought we’d chat for a bit and then I could show them around the area around lunchtime.」
A well-informed classmate mentioned that Asaki-chan is the daughter of the chairman of Kujou Academy, so she might already be familiar with the area. On the other hand, Hikari-chan’s house is a few stations away, so she’s living in the dormitory provided by the academy.
That’s why I was thinking of taking a walk around the school area today, especially for Hikari-chan’s sake.
──Light Novels──
──Read Here──
「I see. If you don’t mind, there’s somewhere I’d like to take you all.」
「Somewhere you want to take us?」
「It’s a place Hina knows well, though.」
I’ve lived in this town since I was little, so it’s not an exaggeration to say I know it well.
However, when it comes to a special place, nothing particular comes to mind. Maybe the shopping district at best?
「What do you think? It’s not like I’m forcing you, so if you three want to go out on your own, that’s fine too.」
「It sounds interesting, so I want to go!!」
「I’ll accompany you if Hikari-san is okay with it.」
It seems Hikari-chan and Asaki-chan are up for it. I’m also not opposed to Kaname-okaasan’s suggestion if the two of them don’t mind.
「Is that okay with you, Hina?」
「Yeah, I’m fine with it if they are.」
Kaname-okaasan grinned at my response, which left an impression on me. Huh? Okaasan, are you planning something mischievous?
「Alright then, since you two just arrived, let’s take a little break before we go. We can have lunch there too. I’ll go prepare.」
Saying so, Kaname-okaasan prepared a slightly large bag and started packing ingredients into it.
Huh? By having lunch, doesn’t she mean eating out?
Various questions arise, but I can’t just leave the two who have come to visit, so I shift my focus away from my Okaasan and talk to the two about things at the academy.
In less than an hour, Kaname-okaasan seemed to have finished her preparations, and we drank up the remaining orange juice in our glasses and got ready to go out.
「Kaname-okaasan, where are we going?」
「Fufu, it’s a secret.」
Kaname-okaasan chuckled meaningfully, twirling a keychain with a key attached to it on her fingertip. Huh, that key is…
Seeing Kaname-okaasan spin a familiar key, I could guess where we were going.
But why? The question was strong in my mind, and I thought about asking Kaname-okaasan for the reason, but she had just said it was a secret, so she probably wouldn’t answer.
「Well then, shall we go?」
At Kaname-okaasan’s words, we all got up from the sofa.
──And at the place we visited afterwards, I would have an unexpected reunion.