「Sorry to keep you waiting!」
「Not at all. Did you find something good?」
「Y-Yes…!」
「Look, Onii-chan, Miu got Ayane-chan to pick out clothes for me too!」
After getting my jacket back from Satou, I decided to wait outside the store for the two of them.
Although I was grateful to be allowed to see the fitting, I figured it wouldn’t be right for me to see the actual clothes she might buy to wear regularly.
It’s probably easier for them to shop freely without a guy around.
I pat Miu’s head as she approaches happily and take the paper bag containing her clothes.
「I’ll hold Satou’s too.」
「Ah… thank you very much.」
The bag I received was much heavier than Miu’s, but still not burdensome at all.
Whether she handed it to me because she knew that or because she’s trying not to be shy. Either way, it shows Satou has grown.
I don’t pat her head, but instead, I gently touch Satou’s fingertips with my free hand.
「…Fufu.」
Then, she shyly smiles as if truly happy. Satou’s neatly trimmed nails don’t hurt at all when touched.
I lightly press my fingers against her soft skin, tracing them downward. And when my fingertips move away, Satou reaches out to touch them again as if chasing after them.
「……」
While observing Satou’s breathless state, I gently grasped her four fingers from the pinky to the index.
Soft. And thin.
Delicate fingers that seem like they might hurt if I squeeze too hard. Even though one of them is the familiar pinky, it feels unnaturally soft and warm now.
After a while, I feel a slight pressure returning to her fingertips.
Is this… her way of saying it’s okay?
「…Please do.」
…Just as I was thinking that, Satou affirmed before I could ask. Then, she naturally leans against my shoulder.
From pinky to four fingers.
With her permission granted, I hold them firmly.
「Geez─, this is what happens as soon as we meet up.」
「…It’s not my fault.」
「T-That’s…!?」
「Both of you, okay? Well, if Ayane-chan is fine with it, Miu won’t interfere… but I might get a little jealous… just saying.」
「Uh…」
「Sorry, Miu. But today, Satou’s safety comes first. Miu won’t get lost, right?」
「Of course not, I’m in my second year of middle school!」
「I-I’m a high school student now too… so I won’t get lost…」
「Eh! Then Onii-chan’s hand Miu’ll──」
「Ah… o-on second thought, I might get lost…」
「That’s definitely a lie…! Onii-chan, that’s definitely a lie!」
What suddenly started as a battle for my right arm… sounds dangerous, but of course, there’s no danger at all, it’s just Miu teasing Satou.
Miu smiles faintly while Satou clings to my arm with a somewhat serious atmosphere.
「H-Hinata-kun is for no one…」
「No one~?」
「F-For no one… no one… I won’t give him up.」
「…Hihi, ahaha, I see~! Then Miu will hold hands with Ayane-chan~!」
「Y-Yeah, of course…!」
Satou and I were each other’s first friends in high school. In my case, I had acquaintances from middle school in my class, but for Satou, I’m probably… the first person she feels comfortable with in high school.
So I think it’s natural for her to show a bit of possessiveness, and above all, I also want to hold hands with Satou, who called me her number one friend.
At least for now, I want her by my side.
…And needless to say, Miu settled down by hugging Satou’s free arm.
「So, what should we do next?」
「Let’s see…」
We’ve already finished looking at clothes, which was the main purpose.
Well, Miu could probably keep going on a clothing tour forever, but today it’s not just Miu alone or just Miu and me.
「Satou, is there any store you want to go to?」
「I-I… let’s see…」
As Satou straightened her back and looked around, stretching up on her toes… she stopped her gaze on a shop visible a little way off.
「T-Then, would it be okay if we go to one more place for me to try something on…?」
◇ ◆ ◇
It’s currently 11 AM. At Satou’s request, we arrived at an eyeglass shop located a bit away from the clothing store.
The stylish interior is filled with glasses everywhere you look.
The colors and shapes are all different.
But to an amateur eye, that’s about the only difference I can see.
It would have been reassuring if Miu were here, but as soon as she realized our destination was an eyeglass shop, she said, “This is something only Onii-chan can do…!” and went off to a neighboring clothing store by herself. Since she had informed Satou, I didn’t go after her.
「Are all the glasses on display okay to try on?」
「Y-Yes, I think so. The ones you actually buy are kept separately in boxes…」
「Ahh, these ones.」
Looking around nearby, I see new boxes stacked tightly under the tables where the try-on glasses are placed.
「Hinata-kun, is this your first time in an eyeglass shop?」
「Yeah, first time. Satou… well, it can’t be your first time.」
Since she wears glasses.
That’s what I thought as I muttered, but to my surprise, she smiled wryly and shook her head.
「I-It’s my first time entering by myself too. I’ve been in with Onee-chan… ah, my sister, a few times though.」
「Then, the glasses you’re wearing now are from then?」
「T-These are…」
Satou touched the frame of her glasses with her right hand, the one not holding mine, showing a somewhat nostalgic expression, and slowly looked up at me.
「Um… they’re ones I received from my sister quite a while ago.」
「Hee, from your Onee-san…」
「I was thinking it might be time to change them, and since Hinata-kun invited me today… um, I thought it would be a good opportunity… I wanted you to choose for me.」
「Is it okay for me to choose something so essential?」
「I-I want Hinata-kun to choose precisely because it’s essential…」
「…Got it. If that’s the case, I have to pick the one that suits you best.」
──Light Novels──
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「T-Thank you very much…!」
Satou smiles softly and leans her face against my arm.
「Want me to hold your glasses while you try on?」
「Y-Yes, thank you very much.」
And as expected, Satou’s bare face after taking off her glasses was incredibly cute, just like the last time I saw it.
Honestly, I’m confident that even if I randomly choose glasses for her, it would cause a sensation at school for being “too cute”.
…Conversely, it makes me wonder just how plain her current glasses must be to hide Satou’s charm, which has so much potential, at least at first glance.
「…Hinata-kun?」
「Ah, no, sorry. It’s just that seeing you without glasses is refreshing.」
I can’t say I was mesmerized…
「…I-It’s only the second time Hinata-kun has seen me without glasses, after all.」
「Yeah. Not feeling sleepy today?」
「Fufu, thanks to you, I’m full of energy.」
Satou smiles and lightly clenches her fist, conveying that she’s really energetic.
「…Um, i-if you prefer me without glasses, please let me know, okay…? I usually wear contacts with fake glasses, so I’m fine either way.」
「…Eh, is that so?」
「Y-Yes. You didn’t notice?」
「…Not at all.」
「The size of my eyes doesn’t change between then and now. When there’s a prescription, they can look bigger or smaller… A-And besides, I can’t exactly receive prescription glasses from my sister, can I?」
「Now that you mention it… indeed…」
Come to think of it, Miu did say this morning when she spotted Satou on the train that “it’s like an idol in disguise”. How sharp are her eyes?
「Wa… y-you’re too close.」
「Sorry, sorry. But I was just thinking how they’re really fake glasses. …And you’re so cute.」
「Eh.」
「Satou, do you have a favorite color? Even if I’m choosing, I want to include your preferences.」
「Eh, u-um… yes… I like black… and r-red too.」
If it’s between those two, I guess red.
Since her current ones are black.
「How about these?」
「…I’ll try them on.」
The ones I chose are different in both color and shape from her current black-framed glasses.
The color is, of course, red, but I chose a slightly pale red to match Satou’s hair color, with thin frames that only cover the bottom half. The idea is to support Satou’s natural cuteness, so the glasses themselves don’t make a strong statement.
「……」
「…H-How is it?」
Her vermilion cheeks, black hair.
The pale red glasses positioned between them certainly don’t interfere with Satou’s cuteness as intended…
And yet, for some reason, they make a strong statement, and I can’t look away.
「…H-Hinata-kun?」
「Umm… f-for now, look in the mirror.」
Words fail me, so I point to a nearby mirror, but Satou doesn’t turn her face away.
「I-I want to hear Hinata-kun’s opinion first.」
「……」
「…Is that not okay?」
「…Gu…」
Five centimeters, ten centimeters… Satou, facing me, moves closer to my face.
The distance is so close that our clothes are brushing against each other.
At this point, her sweet scent spreads through my head like anesthesia. And somehow, it’s soft.
「…I might say something weird.」
「…I-It’s okay.」
「Really?」
「…Yes. …I want to hear everything Hinata-kun has to say.」
And so, the little angel gently blocks my escape route.
This is growth… right? Surely.
She’s never been this forward before.
「Then…」
I mutter and bring my lips close to Satou’s ear.
This shop isn’t as spacious as the clothing store.
So, to make sure neither other customers nor staff can hear, I whisper in the softest voice I can manage, mixed with my breath.
「You’re totally… um… my type, maybe.」
「…!!」
Satou’s entire body trembles, and she freezes.
Taking advantage of that moment, I try to step back, but Satou, who had somehow grabbed onto the sleeve of my jacket, firmly prevents me.
「…H-Hinata-kun, does that mean you l-like me… with glasses…?」
「…Yeah.」
「Uah…」
「B-But, of course, I don’t mean it in a weird way…」
「Ah… r-right…」
「I just purely like the look… I mean, anyway, both the Satou with glasses now and the Satou without them earlier, I think both are… cute.」
「…S-So, that means… that way is…」
Satou releases me, spins around.
Then she glances at the mirror for a moment before turning her back to me again.
「…I-I’ll buy these.」
「Eh, but it’s only the first pair…」
「I-It’s fine… I-I want these.」
If she says that, I have no right to stop her.
I wanted to at least pay as an apology for saying something weird, but if I pay here, Satou will never truly own her own glasses.
Ahh…
I just thought during the clothing fitting that I shouldn’t go beyond calling a girl friend “cute”.
But when she accepts everything like this, the lines between things become increasingly blurred.
「…I’m in trouble.」
As I watch Satou head to the checkout alone from a distance, I let out a big sigh.