Chapter 24

Good morning!」

It has been two days since I heard Kouhai-chan’s voice, which is a day after the weekend. Ah, but was it also a three day break at that time too?

In that case, this might be the first time. Since she always took me out somewhere in one of the weekends.

「I’m really jealous that you can be that energetic in the morning.」

「Senpai is still as usual, huh. But I feel relieved instead.」

「Right?」

We got into our usual place in the train today as well.

「By the way, I noticed something.」

Stop speaking like that, it is really disturbing. After all, I don’t know what kind of difficult challenges she will impose on me this time.

「Even though I know which is the nearest station for senpai, but I don’t know how senpai come to that station every morning.」

Hoo.

In other words, she wants to know where my house is. I’m sure she at least knows the direction though.

Uwahhh, I don’t want to tell her. She will surely come to my house next time… But, she will drag me out using LINE in the end at this moment (my integrity is also at fault here), so maybe it won’t be really different from what we are doing now.

Ah, but somehow, I don’t want my parents to know about her.

Rather than wanting to keep it a secret, it’s more that I’m embarrassed?

「And that is my『today’s question』, senpai. How do you come to the station every morning?」

I thought that she would ask me to pinpoint my address to her, but it’s this, I see.「How do you come」, huh.

She already knows my means of transportation（although the choices are only walking or cycling）, but she doesn’t know the exact location. So she is playing it like that. While trying to keep my privacy as much as possible, she wants to pull information from me, so she didn’t ask it directly.

Well, I’ll just tell her my morning routine for the time being.

「Of course I will wake up, eat breakfast, and change my clothes, right? And then, I’ll take my bicycle out from the entrance, and greet the cat next door while stroking them.」

「Yes…」

The main subject is from now on――eh? Apparently, Kouhai-chan is making a delicately severe face.

Did I step over a mine? No way, what part made her angry? Me changing clothes? As if. The one that will make her feel bothered is… maybe the cat. By the way, we haven’t talked about preferences in animals, but does Kouhai-chan hate cats?

While thinking about those unimportant things, I continue my explanation.

It was something like turn left, cross a big road, and pass a convenience store. I know the place since I pass through it everyday, but is Kouhai-chan currently envisioning the place inside her head? Well, let’s just leave her to work hard.

It’s unreasonable that there is no card I can play to counter her from tickling me. To stop her, I think she won’t be angry if I hold on one of her weak points.

Cat, huh.

Is it the cat?

But if she doesn’t like cats, she would just end it with「Is that so?」, right?

But if it’s not cat… There’s no way it’s that, right?

Maybe I should try asking her about it?

It’s boring to ask her the same question all over, and I feel like she plans to tease me as a stalker if I just ask her「What is your address?」. If I want to ask her jokingly, LINE will be enough. I don’t have to ask her now.

And then, there’s also no rule that「I have to ask Kouhai-chan a question that will respond to hers」anyway. I can decide on my question according to my own will.

「My『today’s question』. Kouhai-chan, when did you last ride a bicycle?」

How about this?

＊　＊　＊

I was completely unprepared for that one.

It was still alright when I asked about the rough hint of where senpai’s house is. What’s bad is when the「bicycle」word mixes in senpai’s answer.

In the first place, I didn’t even know that senpai was riding a bicycle every morning, but that is not the problem now.

I can’t ride a bicycle.

Thinking about it, it was because I didn’t have the opportunity to practice riding a bicycle when I was still young.

That’s why it keeps dragging on like that until I became a high school student, but it really sounds unlike me, right. But then, I don’t really feel troubled by being unable to ride a bicycle.

Now, I am really troubled with senpai’s question.

I thought he would ask about my house. In fact, the previous senpai would definitely ask that. So this means senpai is changing?

I am very happy that he is changing (perhaps due to my influence), but I still want to stay honest with his questions as long as I can. I don’t know if senpai is actually gentle or severe. He also designed this question to crush my escape route.

If he asked me「Can you ride it?」, I can answer with「I can (but just in one second)」and many other excuses, but his is not possible. There is also no option to not answer.

「I never ride it before…」

Unable to think of a way to avoid senpai’s trap, I raise a white flag.

＃　＃　＃

Yay! Here she comes!

S h e c a n ‘ t r i d e b i c y c l e !

To think that easy going Maharu Yoneyama-san who looks like she is in the top of school caste and keeps using abusive words towards me can’t ride a bicycle is just unbelievable.

I didn’t believe it for a second, but I’m glad that I checked whether it is true or not just in case. With this, I hope I won’t be the one suffering the damage one-sidedly from her.

「Hee, so you can’t ride itー」

「Is there anything wrong with being unable to ride a bicycle? In the first place, how can that unstable thing even move independently? It should fall down right away, right? It’s just weird.」

「I heard that it could be stable as long as you move it dynamically.」

「The people who can control that thing are the one with special training. I haven’t done it ever since I was a child, so it is impossible for me.」

「How much of a special skill is riding a bicycle in your mind?」

「Isn’t it something done by the expert?」

「It is something even a robot can do though」

「Eh?」

「If I’m not wrong, it is Murata Seisaku-kun from Murata Manufacturing?」

I remember that in『Children’s Science』, there was a robot that could ride a bicycle, even though only with a very low speed.

「I never heard about that.」

「Even though robot is man’s romance…?」

「I am a girl.」

「Yes, yes. Cute, really cute.」

「Senpai could say something like cute quite naturally now, eh.」

「Ah, I shouldn’t?」

「No, I’m glad, but for you to suddenly say that, it’s…」

I’ll keep it a secret as well that I was surprised how the「cute」word just suddenly came out from my mouth.

「Sorry.」

「No, no.」

A mysterious silence filled between Kouhai-chan and me.

Uhn.

Well, let’s mess with her today. She usually abuses me so much anyway.

I’m sure God will forgive me for catching her weak points that come out occasionally.

「Yosh. Then, let’s go cycling next weekend. I’ll willingly accompany you if you want to.」

「Then I’ll use a taxi, so senpai, please do your best to follow me from behind, okay? The taxi fare will also be senpai’s treat.」

「There’s no meaning in cycling, then.」

「Senpai is teasing me all along anyway.」

When she said it like that, I feel that I am being mean.

「Ah, then senpai, please teach me how to ride a bicycle.」

「Eh? After such a long time, you will learn now?」

「Yes. I’ll learn starting now. If I leave it as it is, I feel like senpai will keep making fun of me forever. Let’s nip it in the bud soon.」

「Why should I be the one to teach you?」

Kouhai-chan casted her eyes down, and mumbled something.

「What?」

「There’s no one else but senpai who I can ask to help me on that, okay!」

Her face turned red, as I thought, it is really cute.

The things I knew about my senpai㉔

Next time, it seems like he will teach me how to ride a bicycle.