Chapter 4

Maharun♪：Good morning!

Maharun♪：Senpai♡

I woke up from the LINE message notification sound.

When I check the clock on the screen, it is two minutes before my alarm will ring. There’s no way I can sleep again now.

Yesterday, in exchange for a little catharsis, I gave her my LINE account.

After all, she will somehow have it one day, and I also managed to protect my three-days weekend break… On the other hand, I couldn’t concentrate on the classes, because I keep wondering what kind of raging message barrage will terrorize me from now on.

Actually, she didn’t send me any message at all.

The only thing on our chat log was just the exchange which she sent the moment we added each other’s account.

Maharun♪：Senpai, please take care of me from now on!

Iguchi Keita：Oh

Iguchi Keita：Yes

It seems like replying with 「Oh」to girls’ LINE message is too crude, no matter what. She demanded a correction on the spot, and it became like this.

However, during lunch break, after school and even at night, I didn’t receive any message from her.

Since she is a very talkative girl, I expected that she would send me texts regardless of day and night, so I was a little disappointed. Well, it’s a secret.

And then, her message came in the morning.

Her timing is too perfect. She didn’t install any small camera or listening device in my room, right? I believe that you didn’t, okay?

It was too bothersome to reply with something decent, so I just leave it after reading the message. This is my heirloom treasured technique, Ignoring After Reading Activation. I only don’t do anything, though.

＊　＊　＊

Even though we exchanged our LINE contact, I didn’t feel like sending him anything yesterday. I also already asked my question anyway.

I just want to contact him at times when there are no classes, but it would also peeve me off if I don’t do anything.

That’s why I tried sending him「Good morning」this morning.

Even though he immediately read it, the reply wouldn’t come at all. He is definitely thinking of something like「Too troublesome」anyway. Really. I am a girl with a weak heart, so I think you should take care of me a little bit more.

＃　＃　＃

When I went to the station at the usual train schedule, as expected, Kouhai-chan was waiting for me.

「Good morning, senpai.」

「Oh, morning.」

I replied to her with a safe greeting.

「By the way, senpai. I’ll ask you one question. Even though this is the second time I told you good morning today, why didn’t senpai reply to my first one?」

She asked me somewhat cynically.

「Even if you asked me why, well… It was troublesome to flick the screen and reply.」

Because she asked me, I answered without fail.

Even though my reason would most likely make her angry, it can’t be helped since it is the truth.

「Please take care of me a little more. Even though I’m like this, I’m still a girl, okay?」

「But I have to reply your LINE messages with something decent, right? You said it yourself yesterday.」

「Uu…… That……」

「And then, it was pretty troublesome to think about it.」

「There are some kind of people who want a reply after they got the ‘Read’ signal, senpai. And I am that kind of person. Even a sticker is alright, so I’ll be glad if you can reply to my messages……」

「So that signal is for the ‘already read’ notification function?」

「That’s right……」

「I disapprove that!!」

「……Senpai, you had a surprisingly childish side, huh. I think I have gotten a better opinion about you.」

Kouhai-chan gave me a pleasant smile.

「I’m still underage after all? Of course I’m a kid.」

Since I’m still a kid, the kouhai (who is definitely a devil!) in front of me is definitely also planning to play a trick on me today as well. After all, yesterday our win-loss record was in a tie.

「That’s what I mean when I said that.」

Kouhai-chan stopped talking just like that, and she started poking on her smartphone that she held with her left hand.

Eh?

That’s all?

Can I read now? Can I start my ‘Super Reading Time’ now?

Today, I brought a pocket edition book that I can hold easily with one hand because of someone’s fault that made my position changed recently, but can I really read it?

We have only passed a station, you know?

Come on, don’t you have a lot more things you want to ask me?

…Oh well. If it’s like that, let’s just leave it like that.

I will also read my book!

＃　＃　＃

In the end, it was no good.

I was wondering when she would start asking me questions, making me nervous and the content of the book won’t enter my mind at all. I shouldn’t have brought a serious book today.

My gaze kept slipping from the top of the page no matter what, and I can’t help but to keep glancing at her.

It’s not like I’m worried about her or something like that, I just look forward to the time when I can outwit her.

Please ask me a question already.

Even though I want to answer you with「I already answered today’s share」using a smug face to your question, and yet…

＊　＊　＊

Fufufu, he’s impatient, eh.

I can easily sense it from your frequent glance since some time ago, senpai.

He is most likely wondering why I’m not asking him any questions, right?

Well, of course it’s because I already asked him「Why didn’t you reply to my LINE message?」just now. If I asked him the second question, this person will definitely reject answering me.

Now then, how far did you notice my scheme?

＃　＃　＃

「Hey…」

The number of stations was decreasing gradually, and finally, when it was only one more station before we reached our destination, I couldn’t endure it anymore.

I called out to her, who was still playing with her smartphone in a good mood as usual.

「Won’t you ask anything today?」

This was no longer a matter of whether this is a trap or not.

The fact that she hasn’t forced me to tell my personal information is somehow uncomfortable.

「Eh?」

For a moment, I felt as if Kouhai-chan was licking her lips, as if saying that I was the one that fell into the trap.

「Senpai, do you want me to ask you that much? I already asked today’s question, right?」

Is she serious…!

She already intended to say that from the start…

She definitely took a step higher than me this time. Now it’s as if I am the one who wants to be asked.

At least, I’ll try to resist……

「Ah, by the way, the second question is not related to the contract anymore, so it doesn’t matter if you answer, don’t answer, or lie. It’s all senpai’s free will, okay?」

Ah, I lost.

Today, it was my loss. No matter what I say, it would only be an excuse now.

＊　＊　＊

「……Just ask me anything. I will answer one more question.」

It seems like he didn’t notice that I was waiting to catch him, huh.

The loot is the privilege to ask senpai another question. It can only be recovered today though. Well, that’s fine.

Let’s forget all of our exchange so far, and ask him a sincere, really normal question.

「Senpai, what is your favourite food?」

「Ha? Food?」

「Yes. You can answer with a drink too.」

「Maybe… strawberry?」

「Hee…」

「I like the sweet and sour taste, together with the texture of the mix of seeds and flesh.」

「As I thought, senpai has a pretty childish side! It’s cute.」

「Hush. What’s wrong with being a child. How about Kouhai-chan? What is your favourite food? Ah, this is my question for today.」

I actually thought about answering his question with「Senpai」or「Conversation with senpai」very much, but I’ll just save it for another time. I wonder what kind of reaction will this person make.

「Me? Nn, I like pancakes, and sweet foods.」

「Sweets, LOL」

「You don’t have to especially pronounce that 『LOL』, right? How mean.」

When we were talking like this, the train arrived at our destination after who-knows-when, the time really felt very fast.

Today’s story will stop here.

The things I knew about my senpai ④

It seems like he likes strawberries.