CH 81

–I was embarrassed

I sat down on the bench and sighed loudly, remembering what had just happened.

Have you ever seen a guy and a girl making out at a station before the last train?

Many people sigh at the sight of those people who don’t care about being seen.

When I saw them, I always thought, “You should choose your place better.”

However, this backfired.

That’s exactly what we were doing just now.

We are not a couple, but depending on who saw us, they could have mistaken us for that.

Ah, ……, just remembering it makes my face burn. …….

At least no one walked by.

I fanned my hot face with my hand.

My face was hot and it was hot outside.

The combination of the two made me sweat profusely.

Unlike me, Rin didn’t seem to be particularly bothered by this, and kept her face so cool that it seemed like the temperature was different in that area.

However, the corners of her mouth were slightly raised, so she didn’t seem to be in a bad mood, and she didn’t seem as gloomy as before.

Well, that’s fine. ……

–Am I the only one who cares about this?

I exhaled deeply and lifted my back.

“Rin, do you ever go out and have fun much? You just said that you were a child when you went to this festival.”

“Yes, ……. I think it’s only recently that I’ve started going out. The amusement park, the swimming pool, and the festival…”

“You didn’t want to go?”

“I had a desire to, but I couldn’t bring myself to go, considering the potential trouble.”

“Oh …… I see ……”

Rin attracts the attention of the people around her even if she doesn’t want to.

This inevitably increases the chances of getting into problems.

Especially in a place where there are a lot of people and everyone is excited. There may have been some kind of “flirting” that led to her being approached.

I think Rin has avoided that as much as possible.

I don’t want to get ourselves into trouble. ……

Considering that, it’s not a good idea to stand out too much.

However, I don’t have any experience with this, so I can’t 100% understand how she feels.

…… That’s what makes me a little …… frustrated.

Perhaps sensing my feelings, she murmured, “There’s no need to worry, okay?”

She smiled at me, giving me a gentle gaze.

“So going out like this is all new to me and I’ve never done it before.”

“I don’t go out either, so we’re the same in that respect. ……”

“I want to go out every day with you, Towa-kun. There are so many places I want to go.”

“You want to go somewhere? Well, I’ll go with you as long as I can…… as far as I can go.”

“Hmm. Thank you very much. So from now on, Towa-kun and I will experience many ‘firsts’ every time we go out.”

The words from Rin made me nervous in two ways.

One is due to misunderstanding and expectation.

The other is the worry that, “No one is listening, right?”

The sky, which had been bright earlier, was now cloudy and the breeze that blew between us felt a little chilly, even though it was the middle of summer.

“Hey Rin ……. That’s a very misleading thing to say, so don’t ever say it in public. ……?”

“But it’s true, right?”

“Even if it is true!”

Rin’s face turns red and she looks mesmerized.　

If someone were to see it, they would definitely misunderstand it.

Huh?

I’ve got a very bad feeling about this. ……

“Hey, Rin, I just want to check something. ……”

“What is it?”

“You’re not talking to anyone else like this ……, are you?”

Fuji or Kenichi would still be fine.

But–

“I told mom and dad, okay?”

“Well …… and ……?”

“But don’t worry. I said what I did with Towa-kun in mind, so as to not cause any misunderstanding.”

“Really?”

I stared at Rin’s face suspiciously.

Then, for some reason, Rin’s face turned red and her expression relaxed, “Ehehe~”.

But with a small shake of her head to the left and right, she cleared her throat and immediately returned to her usual expression.

“Well, Towa-kun is still strangely suspicious, aren’t you? Even though they are my parents, I’m a little embarrassed to talk about these things, so I won’t say anything unnecessary, okay?”

“Is that how it is? ……”

I was worried that Rin would do something rather outlandish at these times, but I guess my fears were unfounded. ……

It’s a good thing, then.

“Yes. That’s why I kept it simple.”

“Hmm? I’ve got a really bad feeling about this. …… Tell me what you said.”

“I said, ‘I had my first time’.”

“What are you talking about!?!?”

What do you mean, “so as not to cause a misunderstanding”!?

You’re dropping the sparks of fire as hard as you can …….

Give me back the feeling of relief I had for a moment!!

“Are you surprised? I’ve never been to an amusement park before, so all the attractions are new to me.”

“You….”

“I don’t know what you’re freaking out about, but I didn’t say anything …… strange.”

“Where do you get this confidence? There’s nothing but strange things!”

I hold my head and look up to the sky.

I can only sigh when I imagine what might happen in the future…….

Rin’s behavior, that she occasionally puts into action….　

She’s usually very firm, so why can’t she be good at these things?

“I don’t know what you’re worried about, but my dad wasn’t mad at me, so I’m sure everything will be fine.”

“Oh, …… I doubt that.”

“Yes! He said he’d like to talk to you next time, man to man, so I’m pretty sure.”

“I’m pretty sure I’m going to be seeing a lot of blood when we meet. ……”

I sighed and shrugged my shoulders.

Should I train my body while I still can……?

To make a body that can withstand …… no matter how much it gets hit…….

“Haaaa…….”

“Don’t worry so much. I’m sure you’ll be fine. He’s a very kind father.”

“By the way, how kind is he?”

“It’s hard to say how kind he is. …… Mom says he carries around pictures of us all the time in secret.”

“Oh, …… you’ve been raised with such care. ……”

“Fufu. It’s a little embarrassing, though.”

Rin smiles wryly.

From the looks of it, they must be a really close family.

This means that they love their daughter very much…….　

If they find out that their daughter has been messed with by a stranger……, even I can predict what will happen.

“I don’t know.”

“What can I do for you? If there’s anything I can do, I’ll help you.”

“No. I’m not going to let Rin do it because it might add fuel to the fire. ……”

As Rin tilted her head in a cute way, I looked up at the sky.

I’m not sure if I’ll ever get the chance to see her again, but I’m praying that I will.

“So, shall we get going?”

“Oh, yeah. We need to do some shopping, right? Rin, do you know where it is?”

” Of course. I think Katou-san contacted Towa-kun as well, right?”

“The message that says …… ‘I need you to buy something for the barbecue?’ I don’t think they told us about the location. ……”

“Since it’s Katou-san, I think he sent it as a ‘P.S.'”

I scrolled down to the bottom of the message as Rin urged me.

…… Oh, it’s true.

It’s true, the text does exist.

But it wasn’t the location.

“I’ll pick you up later, but for now, please have a shopping date!”

That was all it said.

“Haaaa…….”

A huge sigh escaped from my mouth.

What does he want from me ……?

“What’s wrong? I don’t think he wrote anything worth sighing about. ……”

“Oh, it’s nothing. I’m going to follow you, Rin. I think I’m going to get lost on my own. ……”

“Leave it to me. Though, from the map, we should be there soon.”

“I’m glad it’s close by. It’s hard to walk in this hot sun. ……”

There were no large buildings to provide shade or shelter from the heat.

So, the situation is unbearable for me.

“It’s hot, isn’t it ……? But I’ve brought a lot of stuff with me, so I’m well prepared for heat strokes.”

“That’s why you had so much luggage. ……”

“It’s always better to be prepared. I’m prepared for almost anything, no matter what happens.”

“Well, that’s encouraging. If something happens, I’ll ask.”

“You can count on me! I’ll do my best.”

Rin folded her hands in front of her and seemed to be very enthusiastic.　 It may sound nice to be prepared, but too much of it is just worrying~.

I mean, isn’t that last statement strange?

No, that may be the way to look at it, considering the usual …….

Well, let’s not think too much about it.

I grabbed Rin’s luggage and put one of the several bags over my shoulder.

“I’ll hold it for now. I’ve been working out at least a little bit.”

“No, that’s bad. Besides, you carried it for me before I got on the train. ……”

Rin shook her head and reached out to grab her own luggage.

But because I twisted my body and ducked, she cut through the air without grabbing anything.

She blinked and looked at me with a slightly annoyed expression.

Her appearance reminded me of a Chihuahua with moist eyes, and I almost felt guilty even though I was just avoiding her.

“Towa-kun. It’s really heavy, isn’t it?”

“I don’t mind this much.”

“I like to have a lot of luggage and I carry it all on my own. ……”

“Then I’ll just take it without permission.”

“……………………”

Rin stares at me with fierce eyes.

Her cheeks puffed out in frustration like a child in a bad mood.

However, her cheeks turned red.

“You’re surprisingly stubborn, Towa-kun.”

“I don’t want Rin to tell me that.”

I looked at Rin as if I was staring at her.

Then her mouth loosened and she let out a small laugh.

“I’m going to take your word for it. Thank you very much.”

“Well, don’t worry about it. It’s just my meddling.”

Rin rolled her eyes at my words for a moment and then her lips gradually parted, like a flower blooming.

And then…

“‘It’s just meddling.’ ……. It brings back memories of, when I first heard it.”

She muttered and turned her face away in embarrassment.

Rin’s expression was obscured, but her reddened ears could be seen through her hair, which was fluttering in the wind.

“Well, yeah, …….”

I scratch my head in embarrassment and chuckled.

“Well, let’s just go for now.”

“Sure.”

The two of us walked side by side.

When I remembered the time when I was alarmed a few months ago, I naturally began to smile.

Now, we are about a shoulder’s distance away from each other.

Things have changed a lot, haven’t they? ……

Before I knew it, the clouds had disappeared and the summer sun was shining down on us instead.