June ended and July began.
The final barrier, the tests, were over, and it felt like everything was now settled.
I drank water from the cooler installed next to the sink, sighed at the presence that had been following me, and reluctantly turned around.
「What.」
「The tests are over, aren’t they?」
「Yeah.」
「That’s what I mean.」
「What do you mean?」
Today too, it’s the literature girl with a sturdy exoskeleton, Sakasegawa Miho.
She grabs the sleeves of her blouse, which have become shorter as summer approaches.
「You see, we’ve been busy with studying lately.」
「Yeah.」
「And now we’re free.」
「Exam study starts now, you know.」
「Are you going to start talking about “third year minus six semesters”?」
I wouldn’t go that far.
University entrance is two years and a few months away. They often say high school life is short, and I want to do what I can while I’m still a student.
So I need the monsters to leave quickly.
Because I can’t have a normal romance.
Miho lets out an exaggerated “Haah…”, acting as if I’m the one who’s slow on the uptake. To top it off, she shrugs her shoulders in an over-the-top reaction, like a Westerner. I didn’t understand what she wanted to say.
「Let’s go out.」
「No way.」
「Thank you very much.」
There’s a pasta place I’ve been wanting to try, she smiles. Of course, being an insect, I can’t read her expressions like a human. But she probably smiled. Judging by her behavior.
She seems to have developed a pushiness like Yuna.
She was supposed to be a shy literature girl originally.
Where did the quiet Miho go?
◇
「This is the place known for its delicious rich tomato cream pasta.」
「Fuun.」
「Unfortunately, they don’t do toppings…」
「Well, it’s a pasta place.」
It would be weird if they offered seaweed toppings.
It’s not a ramen shop.
Chasing after Miho, who had started saying incomprehensible things, we lined up at a seemingly popular restaurant located on the top floor of a fashion building adjacent to the station.
Indeed, people attract people, and a line has formed.
I don’t know about the turnover rate, but we’ll probably have to wait about twenty minutes.
「You-kun.」
「Nn.」
「It’s boring, isn’t it?」
I wouldn’t mind killing time by fiddling with my smartphone, but she seems to be the type of animal in the order Hymenoptera, family Sphecidae, that values communication, so I shook my head, giving off a “you don’t get it, do you?” vibe.
──Light Novels──
──Read Here──
「Let’s play a game.」
「Unn.」
「This is a game I came up with, and I’m sure it will be fun.」
Miho held up one finger with a “fufufu”.
Well, she’s an insect, so it’s hard to call it a finger.
Anyway, she held up that mysterious thing.
「It’s the invention of the century.」
「You’re setting the bar pretty high.」
「It’ll be easier when you go under it, right?」
「Usually, people expect you to clear it.」
「I’m not bound by common sense.」
Well, just by looking at her, she’s defying common sense.
Creating an atmosphere where she’d be sent to the guillotine unless she did something really interesting, she put her hands on her hips and puffed out her chest. Being a mud dauber, her waist is thin. The drop from her thorax to her abdomen is astonishing, creating a large slack in her clothes.
「──Do you know the game “All Times and Places”?」
「Okay, we’re done here.」
「Why!?」
There’s no why.
It’s a phrase I’ve heard before.
Specifically, during a university visit.
「T-This is a game where we take turns naming monsters and spirits…」
「I’ve played the same game before.」
「I thought it was an original, on-demand, gadget-free innovative game.」
The world is small, isn’t it?
She said, dropping her shoulders.
A frog in a well doesn’t know the ocean.
After spending some more time chatting about trivial things, a staff member who couldn’t quite hide their fatigue from constant work looked at the waiting list and called out, “Adashino-sama, party of two”.
I thought she’d use her own name since she went to write it down, but apparently she used mine without asking. This seems like it could be some kind of crime. Like romantic comedy fraud.
「Doesn’t it feel like we both have the same last name this way?」
「Shut up.」
Oya. It seems I accidentally said what I was thinking.
As someone who prides himself on being a gentlemanly high school boy, I need to refrain from using words that might hurt others.
I’ll try to use softer language from now on. But it’s hard to change my behavior immediately. The basics of learning are imitation, so I’ll aim for someone who speaks and acts gracefully. Specifically, British people and people from Kyoto.
I’m gently pulled by the sleeve and dragged along by Miho, who is skipping happily.
I feel like a carry-on suitcase.
As we pass through the noren hanging at the door, a mouth-watering scent hits my nostrils. As she mentioned, the tomato cream pasta seems to be famous, and the aroma is of that kind.
It’s impolite, but I take a quick peek at the tables. Judging by the color, it’s all tomato cream pasta. If I had come here with Nanaka, it would have been hell.
「Muu, are you thinking about another girl?」
「Not really.」
Miho asked discontentedly as we sat down, but I confidently denied it.
I’m definitely not thinking about a “girl”.
It’s not a girl, but a lump of meat.