CH 96.1

The date is planned for the following Sunday.

Although there are no classes that Friday because of the exam break, the date is too sudden and there is a school festival committee meeting in a few days, so this date was decided on that day.

『Girls...? Is she cute?』

『Yes. I think she's cute』

It was only because of this exchange that Hana agreed to Izumi Chihiro's proposal. If the words "she's not cute" or "it's a guy" had been uttered here, Hana would not have agreed to go on a date.

And now, "this girl" had arrived at the rendezvous point that Chihiro and Hana had promised - a park close to the school and Maria's apartment, ten minutes before the appointed time.

Hana also had already arrived.

She is standing under the clock in the park.

She was dressed in a long-sleeved, frilly dress with a long skirt. On her chest, a ribbon accentuated her pretty image. On her feet, she was wearing black tights and brown short boots. And in her hand was a small handbag.

As usual, she wore her trademark black-rimmed glasses.

The outfit was a little flirtatious, or people might think she was trying to shoot men down, but it suited Hana's quiet image. 

「I'm sorry, I'm late」

Hurriedly, she ran up to Hana, calling out to her, careful not to toss the edge of her skirt, and she looked her and smiled at her.

「Don't worry about it. It's not time yet」

Then Hana stared at "her".

When Hana looked at her intently, it made her feel uncomfortable, and she involuntarily gave a little jerk.

「Um, do you think I'm strange?」

"This girl" was wearing a pale cream sweater, a dark gray scarf, and a burgundy skirt. On her legs, she wore black stockings and long boots. And there's a small bag slung over her shoulder.

Her semi-long hair is lightly tousled, and he wears a small amount of makeup.

"This girl" don't think herself look bad, but...

「Don't worry. You look great」

「Oh... I'm glad」

A sigh of relief escapes from "her", and a smile appears on "her" face.

Hana smiled back at "her" and spoke.

「Then, may I ask your name first?」

☆　　　☆　　　☆

Misumi Chisato. That's her name.

She's Chihiro's cousin and the same age. Although she is not a [Lost Item], she has a faint longing for the [Lost Item] and the environment of Shibahou Academy.

So, she asked Chihiro to set up an outing with the students of the academy.

「But, are you sure? He said it was a "date", but it's between women」

「Yes. I'm embarrassed to go out with boys... I'm more comfortable with girls」

"Because I'm shy", Chisato replied with a downcast look in her eyes.

After talking, the two of them went to the station to take the train.

Chisato wanted to take a look at the school, but it was decided that it was not a good idea to let outsiders in without permission.

『Don't worry, there'll be a school festival in a little while, so we'll definitely go then』

『Oh, that's right. Well then, I'll leave you to it for today』

Mishuku Hana.

Even Chihiro, the initiator of this conversation, did not know much about her personal life.

The impression of a literary girl that he got from her appearance was not a misunderstanding; in fact, she seemed to like books, she was not interested in men at all, and she could do housework, including cooking, to a certain extent.

There are not that many opportunities for conversation.

Anyway, he knew that she was not a difficult girl.

Now, as they walk to the station without hesitation, Chisato follow her, half a step behind, and she occasionally looks back at her, paying attention to her. She would talk to her about the weather, her route to school, and other trivial things.

「By the way, is it okay if I call you Chisato-chan?」

「Of course. Oh... what should I call you?」

They talked as they stood side by side on the station platform.

Hana giggles and says to Chisato.

「You can call me Hana. Don't pay too much attention to it」

「Oh, thank you very much」

...Huh, is she this easy to talk to?

While responding to Hana with a smile, Chisato tilted her head inwardly.

She's not a bad girl, but she's difficult and difficult to deal with.

She has a tendency to choose any means to achieve her goals, which makes her a bit dangerous.

It may be biased towards Chihiro, but now the impression toward Chisato was quite different from Chihiro. It seems that Hana treats girls differently from boys.

So, she really likes girls.

That's what Chisato’s thought.

「Chisato-chan wants to know about our school, right?」

「Yes. Then can I ask you some questions?」

「Yes, please」

While waiting for the train and on the way to school, Chisato took Hana's advice and asked her a lot of questions.

About the class schedule, the content of the classes, what kind of teachers are there, what kind of students are there, how are the facilities, is the school cafeteria good, etc...

Hana answered all the questions with a smile on her face.

It was as if she was enjoying talking with Chisato.

「But, wouldn't Izumi-kun be able to tell you about these things?」

「You see, Chihiro is a boy, right? So, I wanted to hear from a girl's point of view」

「Fufu, I see」

In fact, when listening to it, there were many opinions from different angles from Chihiro's subjective view.

For example, the school cafeteria was cheap and had a wide variety of dishes, but the portions were too large and there were not enough vegetables. The school building also suddenly smells sweaty in the afternoon.

「It must be hard to change clothes. So many classes have to change...」

「Well, it's a war in the changing room. Although it's spacious and clean, it's filled with the smell of sweat and spray after class. So, there are people who change as fast as they can and leave immediately」

「Oh, I understand」

As they talked, the train arrived at the station.

It's a very prosperous city in the neighborhood. It was a place that Chisato had visited several times.

As the meeting time was ten o'clock, so it was still a little early for lunch.

「Well, what shall we do now?」

「Umm, let's see...」

The question made their head spin.

However, neither of them is very active.

The only thing Chisato can think of is shopping, but it's a bit unconventional, and it seems wrong to lead the person who was invited to spend a lot of money.

「Hana-san, is there anything you want to do?」

Chisato felt guilty, but tried to talk to Hana.

She tilted her head and made a thoughtful face.

「Well... by the way, there's a movie I'm interested in」

「Oh, a movie. I haven't seen any in theaters lately」

「Then, it's decided」

Hana held the bag in one hand and gently touched Chisato's hand with the other.

「Let's go」

When she smiled at her, Chisato's heart felt an unexpectedly faint flutter.