CH 11

“..Is this the place?”

I’m currently in front of a fancy coffee shop, which I would never normally visit, while looking at the single note I have.

I think it would be fun to come to a place like this as a couple.

“Let’s just get in.”

I opened the door with determination…

…Then, a waitress, dressed in a cute frilly outfit that would be perfect for a restaurant like this, cheerfully welcomed me! 

As I thought, there were only quite a few customers, and most of them were women.

“Are you alone?”

“Erm… I’m actually here for a meet up.”

It’s too difficult to come to a place like this alone.

But well, as I said earlier, I won’t be alone here.

I was actually following the note, which had the location of this place written on it, and of course the note was written by someone.

“Oh, this way, Hayato-kun!”

“… Ah, it’s those beautiful ladies over there, isn’t it? Well then, please take your time!”

The waitress nodded approvingly at the girl waving at us in the back.

Prompted by the waitress, I then walked over to the owner of the voice.

I can already tell that the two girls sitting at the table I arrived at were…

“Sorry, I kept you waiting.”

“It’s totally fine~”

“I’m rather glad you’re here.”

Yes, Arisa and Aina.

After that confession on Aina was over, which took quite a while, they then asked me if I would like to go to a coffee shop together with them. I agreed because I had nothing special to do, but just as I was about to leave with them, a teacher then asked me to do something for him.

“I see… Oh, yes. Then I’d appreciate it if you’d take a closer look at your locker on the way home.”

I wondered what Aina was talking about when she said that, but it turns out that she left a note on the locker which was indicating the location of this coffee shop. It was written in beautiful handwriting with an easy-to-understand picture and a message saying that she would be happy if I could come to the cafe if I felt like it.

“It takes a lot of courage to refuse something written like that.”(E/N: Mc fell for the effort on writing the letter lol. Welp same.)

“Haha, I knew you would be come because you’re too kind♪”

“…Seriously, this girl. But thank you so much, Hayato-kun.”

Either way, I had a lot of free time anyway, so I really don’t need to be thanked for it.

They are sitting facing each other, and each seat next to them is empty. I was pondering which one I should sit next to. Then Arisa noticed me just standing there and suddenly got up and sat next to Aina.

“Please, Hayato-kun.”

“Oh… thanks.”

I thought she doesn’t want to sit next to me even if she dies, but I was relieved to see from Arisa’s expression that she didn’t seem to think so.

Perhaps Arisa was just being considerate.

We sat down facing each other and I ordered a cup of coffee.

“I’m really glad you came with just that message. Didn’t you get lost?”

“It was easy to find, so I didn’t get lost. I was a little nervous going in, though, since I don’t usually come to these kinds of places.”

“I see. We come here a lot.”

“Yes. Thanks to the atmosphere, too, because there are a lot of women here.”

… I see, I noticed that too.

Looking around again, there are only a few male customers. It is true that there are not many male customers as Arisa said.

As I watched, coffee was brought to me and I slurped it down. To tell the truth, I was a little nervous about being in a restaurant like this in front of two girls. The moderate bitterness of the coffee stimulated my nerves and reduced the tension I was feeling.

“Hehehe♪”

“Fufu♪”

…What’s with those profound smiles?

Neither of them had touched the drink and cake at hand, and they were both staring at me so intensely that even I was at a loss of words. I then ended up devoting my attention to drinking the coffee, before Aina mentioned something like this.

“Since we’ve come this far to talk, let’s exchange contacts.”

“Are you sure…?”

When I asked, Aina smiled and nodded. Then Arisa quickly took out her phone and buzzed around, shaking her head vigorously. Incidentally, Aina, who was the one who started the conversation, was also a little taken back by Arisa’s gesture, and the expression on her face was a little fresh.

I also picked up my phone and exchanged contact information with both of them… but unlike Aina, Arisa stared at my newly added contact information intensely and didn’t move an inch.

“… With this… now… I have… thing…”

“Don’t worry, sometimes Nee-san can be this stupid.”

No, that’s obviously not it!

Arisa then continued to stare at the screen of her phone for a while, but then came to herself and put it away in her pocket as if in a huff. At that moment, her cheeks then became a little red, it looked like she was a little embarrassed, I couldn’t detect any of the eeriness that I had felt earlier from her after that.

Aina giggled at my concern for Arisa, and then suddenly, she prefaced the conversation with a new topic.

“What do you want to do in the future, Hayato-kun?”

“I’m not sure what the future holds for… I don’t think I’ve decided on anything in particular yet.”

I was suddenly asked about my future plans, and I told her exactly what I was thinking. Next year I will be in my third year, and I will have to think about whether to get a job or go on to higher education and other things. My grandparents on my mother’s side have told me that I don’t have to worry about money if I head off to college, but it’s a quandary.

“What about you Aina?”

“I wonder, maybe I want to have a baby first.”

Oh… that’s simple and girly thinking… I think it’s good that she’s so positive about having children, because it seems to be very difficult these days with the declining birthrate and so on. But then she would need a partner to win over… I wonder what kind of partner he would be.

“I thought it would be kind of funny.”

“It’s not something that even I would laugh at. I’m sure Aina will have a happy family, and the baby will surely be adorable.”

“Really? Do you really think so?”

“? Yeah.”

“I see… Fufu… I see… I’m glad to hear that♪”

What was that? For a moment I felt something strange coming from Aina … but as always, she’s just smiling, so I guess that was just me.

I always thought that she had a really cute smile. But like Arisa, her smile also has a tremendous destructive power.

I then asked Arisa the same thing I asked Aina.

“I want to be useful. I want to stay close to the person I love and watch over them forever. I want to be theirs and theirs alone.”

She wants to be helpful, it’s a really simple concept.

I guess she wants to be that person’s only thing… I mean, being.

“What do you think, Hayato-kun? Do you think it’s creepy?”

“No? I think it’s totally fine. I mean, isn’t it admirable that you can say those words straight out like that, that you want to help that special someone of your’s?” 

I don’t know that much about Arisa or even Aina. There are far more things that I don’t know about them. Even so, at the least I know each of these girls has a reputation for being good looking, getting good grades, and being trusted by their teachers.

“I’m so relieved. Thank you, Hayato-kun.”

I didn’t say anything to be thanked for though.

Then we talked for quite a while, asking questions like what we wanted to do in the future, higher education and so on, and their response was so quick but I was able to at least listen to it.

“I’m sorry. I’m going to go pick flowers.”

“Understand~.”

Getting up from her seat, Arisa headed for the restroom.

I wanna warn Aina, who was grinning while watching her back, that it’s a quirky thing to do.(E/N: Probably referring to the picking flowers thingy but I’m not sure,)

“Aina, don’t look at her like that when she goes to the bathroom.”

“What?… Oh, that’s what you mean. Sorry, sorry, you’re right, Hayato-kun.”

… A little different reaction than I was expecting.

Then I was left alone with Aina until Arisa returned. While playing with an empty glass of ice through a straw, Aina blurted out something…

“… Hey Hayato-kun, I know it’s a little late for this, but…”

“What’s up?”

“Why did you help us at that time?”

“……”

That time… that incident.

I didn’t have an immediate answer to that question. When I thought about it, there didn’t seem to be any particular reason why I saved them. It was just a coincidence that I was even there in the first place, and it was a miracle that no one got hurt.

“I guess…–”

“……”

I replied to Aina, who was staring at me intently.

“I honestly thought I had run into a bad situation at that time. I had no intention of running away. And the next thing I knew, I was moving around with that pumpkin on my head.”

“… Is that so.”

Yes, my body just moved on its own.

That’s how I was able to help them. Despite that, I’m really glad that they’re safe, I really am.

“I’m really glad you’re safe.”

I told her then, and I’m telling her now, but now, it came from the heart.

…

“… Ahh~, I can’t stop this~.”

Aina?

“…Stop~… it’s coming…I asked for it but~…”

“Aina-san?”

“…It’s all right. Ehehe, thanks for worrying, Hayato-kun.”

“O-okay…”

From then on, Aina kept touching the lower part of her stomach until Arisa returned. I thought that maybe Aina wanted to go to the bathroom, but it was not right for me to say a word. 

[Postscript]

I am devoting myself to writing romantic comedies properly.

By the way, do you like oyakodon?

I like it and ask for it often.

TLN- Arisa mostly address herself as a thing, so don’t get confused.