CH 40

Now, what has come to my mind is that I want to thank Aoi for always supporting me by doing something.

I wonder if there is something that Aoi wants?

Logically speaking, E-rank Aoi should have much more income than me. I can’t possibly afford the things that she might want. With that in mind, I embarked on the way home.

Having arrived, I was about to part with Aoi in front of my room. It was then –

“Ah, umm……”

“Right, good night.”

“N-No, good night. B-By the way, Rin-kun, are you free this Friday?”

“Eh? I am free as always. It is the day of the closing ceremony, right?”

“That, that’s right. Then, please leave your schedule open that evening.”

“Ok. Actually, my schedule is so empty that I can’t be more free.”

“I understand. Besides, I’ll also go all out with my cooking, so please look forward to it.”

When the closing ceremony is over……

Aoi seemed to be different from usual. I wonder if something happened?

Well, nevermind. Dismissing my thoughts, I parted with Aoi and returned to my room without confirming anything. However, considering that she always came to make dinner every day, there seemed to be some meaning when she deliberately made an appointment for this Friday. So, I opened the terminal calendar and checked Friday. It was December 24th, but apparently, it wasn’t a particular holiday or anything.

Just like that, I fell asleep with my uncleared doubts, but I understood the reason the next day. It was because December 24th, Christmas Eve, happened to be this Friday.

In the classroom, I finally realized that when I heard my classmates talking about how they were preparing Christmas presents or who to invite.

This is the right opportunity to repay Aoi for taking care of me so far. Of course, I’ve never bought any presents for girls before. Moreover, I don’t even have the time to go shopping alone since I am almost always together with Aoi outside school.

This is probably a good chance to surprise her. But, if someone like me, who knows nothing about such things, were to surprise her, it feels like something will definitely go awry no matter how hard I try. So, this is my conclusion after careful consideration—I will let Aoi choose by herself.

When the classes were over, Aoi turned up in my classroom just like usual.

“Rin-kun, let’s go home.”

Strangely enough, either Aoi coming to my classroom or Aoi going home together with me gradually became common occurrences.

Even the surroundings’ gazes can no longer make me feel as uneasy as before.

It isn’t that the surroundings’ gazes have lessened, but talking with Aoi is more fun, and I became less conscious about it.

Talking about what happened at the school while walking side by side on our way home became the daily routine for the two of us. Well, since I don’t usually have anything to say, Aoi is the one talking most of the time.