「Oi, isn’t this a bit weird?」
「Can’t be helped. I don’t want to be found out. Endure it.」
「Don’t want to be found out… No, I think this has the opposite effect?」
Right now, I’m about to put on jet-black sunglasses like the ones bodyguards wear.
When we were about to go shopping, Hoshino insisted that she didn’t want anyone from school to find out she was going with me, so she told me to disguise myself.
And what she handed me were these clothes and sunglasses.
The clothes and sunglasses apparently belong to papa, and she gave me the whole set.
I was visiting Hoshino’s house straight from school in my uniform, so I was grateful for the change of clothes, but I tried to refuse the sunglasses because they stood out too much.
However, Hoshino insisted I wear them, and I refused. We couldn’t agree.
I understand changing out of my uniform, but why does she think wearing sunglasses will solve everything and be a disguise?
If anything, seeing Hoshino walking with a mysterious man in sunglasses would make people worry.
Even when I said that, she wouldn’t listen, so I gave in and put on the sunglasses.
「Puh…」
「Oi, you. You laughed, didn’t you?」
「I-I didn’t laugh… I-It looks, v-very good on you.」
Hoshino immediately turns her back.
And she’s trembling. She’s definitely trying hard to hold back her laughter.
What should I do? I suddenly feel like clenching my fist.
If it were Takiji, this fist might have flown straight at his crown.
I ended up wearing the sunglasses in this unwanted way and stepping out with Machinaka, as expected, we were attracting attention.
「Oi, I feel like I’m going to get reported to the police at this rate.」
「Yeah… everyone on the street is looking at you. What did you really do?」
「Admit it already that it’s because of these sunglasses, okay? Is it fine…? If I get questioned by the police.」
「I don’t mind. I’ll just quietly slip away from you.」
「You think I’ll allow that?」
「Then what can you do to stop me from escaping?」
「Ha? It’s simple.」
With that, I held Hoshino’s hand.
「W-Wait. W-What are you doing!」
「Capturing you.」
「This isn’t what you call capturing!」
「Then, I’m just holding your hand??」
「S-So, why do you need to hold my hand? Let go now!!」
「No way. I’m using physical means to make sure you don’t run away. How is it? You can’t escape now, can you?」
「Y-You’re joking, right!?」
「Nope, I still can’t trust you. Well, I might let go if you say it’s okay to take off the sunglasses.」
「I-I allow it! S-So, let go.」
「Alright.」
With that, I immediately let go of her hand.
Well… it was a forceful strategy, but I doubt Hoshino would have allowed it otherwise.
「I can’t believe it… suddenly holding my hand like that…」
「If I didn’t do that, you’d run away, and I was in danger as it was, so if you want to blame someone, blame yourself.」
「B-But…」
「What? Your face is getting too red? Could it be that you’re not used to having your hand held?」
──Light Novels──
──Read Here──
「S-Shut up! I’m angry here! Besides, I-I get my hand held all the time!」
「How is that even…」
「M-Maybe I exaggerated a bit, but i-it’s not like I’m not used to it!」
「Yes, yes.」
「I-If you do it again, it’ll be like this!」
She says and stomps hard on my toes.
「Ouch… That’s totally different from what you said…」
What exactly did “If you do it again” mean to her?
I thought it was just a warning this time.
It must have been some kind of slang I didn’t know.
After all that, we somehow arrived at the local supermarket.
「I didn’t think I’d be this tired just from getting here.」
「It’s all your fault…」
Hoshino, also looking tired, complained, but I’m the one who wants to complain here.
Knowing that arguing here would be pointless, we quickly grab a shopping basket and move forward.
「Ah, komatsuna is cheap, and so is cabbage.」
「There’s such a thing as cheap? Isn’t it always like this?」
「You don’t get it. It’s usually 40 yen more expensive, you know?」
「That’s just a margin of error.」
She says, but people who don’t cook or the wealthy always say that.
But when you start cooking and shopping, you painfully realize how significant those few yen can be.
Even though I explained this passionately, she only responded with a “fuun”. I felt like I wanted to accompany her on shopping trips and thoroughly instill in her the common value standards of the world.
As I was thinking this, I saw the summer vegetable section.
Even though it was just the beginning of April, for some reason, summer vegetables like green peppers and cucumbers were on sale.
「Oh, let’s get some green peppers too.」
「W-We have green peppers at home, so we don’t need them.」
Hoshino, who hadn’t complained about any of the vegetables I put in the basket so far, suddenly interrupted.
「No, there weren’t any vegetables at your house, right?」
「T-There are peppers! Anyway, we don’t need to buy these!」
As Hoshino tried to take the green peppers out of the basket, I stopped her hand.
「W-What are you doing?」
「You hate green peppers, don’t you?」
「…T-That’s not true at all! T-There’s no way I dislike green peppers…」
「Then, I’ll make a stir-fry with green peppers today, so make sure you eat it, okay?」
「I’m not hungry today, so I’ll pass…」
「Don’t act like a child at your age, saying you don’t like green peppers.」
「Age has nothing to do with it! There are plenty of people in this world who can’t eat them besides me!」
She doesn’t realize it, but she just indirectly confessed that she doesn’t like green peppers.
「Haa…」
「Hey, you have no right to sigh at me like that.」
Hoshino protested, but from my perspective, her brand is gradually crumbling. Don’t say unreasonable things.
「H-Huh? C-Could it be, Yamanaga-kun?」
At that moment, someone called out to me.
When I turned around, there was Samejima Eri standing there with a shopping basket.