07 The After-School Rendezvous
After school, the time of liberation from the confines of school.
“Alright, Suzuna. Let’s go home.”
Shindo-kun turned around and called out to me.
My next shackle appeared right before my eyes.
“Ah, no—”
I started to say, “I have something to do today,” when—
—BAM!!
“Onii-chan, let’s go home!!”
Kokona-chan appeared.
“K-Kokona… Listen, Onii-chan has something to do—”
“No, you don’t! You’re just going home!”
“No… Suzu—”
“You don’t need to go home with Amatsuki Suzuna! Kokona’s here!”
Kokona-chan’s vehemence clearly won out.
Normally, Amatsuki Suzuna would join the fray here, and the situation would descend into chaos, but…
“Be careful going home, you two.”
“Amatsuki Suzuna, are you giving this up too?!”
Kokona-chan seemed deflated by my easy acceptance.
“Yeah, I have something to do today…”
I glanced towards the center of the classroom.
There was Hinase-san, chatting and laughing with her friends.
I knew that interacting with her more in class would only draw more unwanted attention.
“See you tomorrow then. Shindo-kun, Kokona-chan.”
I said goodbye to the two of them and quickly left the classroom.
“…Onii-chan, did you do something to Amatsuki Suzuna?”
“I didn’t do anything!”
“…Your popularity streak is over, huh, Onii-chan.”
“When did I even have one?!”
◇◇◇
I waited for Hinase-san in the corner of the hallway, near the entrance.
The setting sun streamed through the window, dyeing the scenery crimson.
Students heading to club activities and those going straight home passed by.
Either way, their footsteps seemed light.
Meanwhile, I fidgeted restlessly.
“Thinking about it calmly… going somewhere after school with Hinase-san also seems like a pretty bold move…”
Spending time after school with Hinase Riri, a beautiful girl who even adults would hesitate to approach…
Is such a thing possible for me?
Wouldn’t I end up doing something strange?
“…M-Maybe I should go home.”
The more I thought about it, the more uneasy I became.
It’s not too late.
I could still go home and pretend this never happened.
Yes, that’s what I’ll do.
Once I decided, my feet started moving towards the entrance on their own.
“Ah, there you are, Amatsuki-san! Don’t go ahead without me, I was looking for you!”
…But unfortunately, Hinase-san, coming down the stairs, spotted me.
God seems to be telling me to keep my promise.
“S-Sorry…. I thought I’d wait here since you were talking, Hinase-san.”
“Then you should have waited in the classroom. I didn’t know where you were.”
“…I should have told you.”
Even if I didn’t want to be in the classroom with her, I should have at least done that much.
I guess my desire to escape made me rush.
“Ah, let’s exchange contact information.”
“…Eh?”
Hinase-san took out her phone.
It had a pale pink cover with a character illustration.
I thought it suited her.
“Here.”
She opened her messaging app, ready to exchange contact information.
It felt like she was closing the distance between us more and more.
“…Um.”
But I wasn’t keen on it.
“This way, it doesn’t matter who’s around, right?”
“…Yeah.”
But I didn’t have a clear reason to refuse.
Overwhelmed by Hinase-san’s momentum, I exchanged contact information.
I stared at her phone, frozen.
Hinase-san’s profile picture was of her sitting in a loose hoodie and shorts against a backdrop of a pure white wall and antique furniture reminiscent of Scandinavia.
…Cute.
She didn’t look out of place in such a stylish setting.
Or rather, why does she look so cute even in such simple clothes?
The hoodie was gray, and the shorts were black.
A completely ordinary outfit, yet cute.
It could only be explained by her beautiful features and good figure.
“Um, Amatsuki-san? What’s wrong? Why are you staring at my phone so much?”
“…No, it’s just, you’re cheating, Hinase-san.”
“Eh, what is?”
“Looking this cute in such normal clothes… Give me a break. If I wore that, it would just be pajamas.”
“Ah, uh… you saw that.”
“And is this picture edited? It’s not, is it?”
“Eh, what are you talking about all of a sudden?”
“There’s natural beauty, and then there’s this. No one can compete with this.”
Now I was starting to feel sorry for the popular girls who hung out with Hinase-san.
Trying to stand next to such a radiant girl would probably crush your pride.
“Well, look. I did edit my legs to make them thinner.”
“Ehh…?”
At her words, I swiped and zoomed in on the picture.
“Hey, don’t zoom in on just my legs… It’s embarrassing.”
I compared the picture with her actual legs peeking out from her short school uniform skirt.
“They’re the same.”
Long, slender, beautiful legs.
Basically, her legs were so long, they were on a different level from ordinary people.
“A-Are you… complimenting me?”
Hinase-san’s cheeks seemed slightly flushed.
I wonder why.
She must be used to hearing this kind of thing, and there’s no reason for her to be shy about my words.
Maybe it’s so obvious that she’s thinking, “Don’t state the obvious.”
◇◇◇
I walked through the after-school streets alongside the naturally beautiful Hinase-san.
…It was probably because I saw that picture.
I was reminded once again of the vast distance between us, and felt uncomfortable.
“Is there anything you want to eat, Amatsuki-san?”
“…Hmm. Nothing in particular.”
“Anything you want to drink?”
“…I’m not really thirsty.”
Hinase-san gave a clearly troubled laugh.
“Well, I can’t do anything with that.”
“That’s true, so…”
I tried to think, but I couldn’t concentrate.
The reason was the stares from those around us.
As expected, Hinase Riri stands out.
As always, the gazes of passersby (mostly men) were focused on her, and I felt awkward standing next to her.
“…Is something bothering you?”
Hinase-san noticed my state and spoke to me in a rather concerned voice.
“No, I just feel bad that a mob character like me is walking next to you, Hinase-san…”
“Mob character…?”
“An unremarkable girl.”
Good grief.
Anyway, let’s go into a store, quickly finish what we need to do, and say goodbye.
“You’re cute, Amatsuki-san.”
But Hinase-san said that in a rather serious voice.
“…Are you just being nice? I appreciate the sentiment, but I understand my own limitations, so it’s okay.”
Hinase-san is kind, so she’s probably just trying to compliment me.
But it’s not an accurate assessment.
“Cute” refers to girls like Hinase-san, with beautiful features and who take care of themselves.
It definitely doesn’t refer to an unremarkable girl like me.
“I mean it.”
…Hm?
Her words, spoken with more intensity than before, reached my ears, and I couldn’t ignore them. I looked at Hinase-san.
Her lips were pressed firmly together, and her eyes were fixed on me.
“I seriously think you’re cute, Amatsuki-san.”
…Putting it in Hinase-san’s terms, she was being super serious.
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