CH 44

The Most Beautiful Girl Is in A Bad Mood

After finishing the amazake and oshiruko, we headed out to get our fortune.　

The drink made my stomach feel slightly warm, and the cold seemed to have dissipated for a little while.

This time, we arrived safely without getting lost, and immediately paid to draw a fortune.

I opened the fortune with excitement and anticipation, but the result was just Sue-kichi. I smiled at my indescribable fortune. (TN: Sue-kichi is Good Luck.)

I glanced sideways at her and saw that Saito was also about to check her fortune.

She slowly and carefully opened it. She blinked and her face lit up.

[Look at this! It’s Daikichi!] (TN: Daikichi, on the other hand, is great luck)

She smiled cheerfully, a little louder than usual, and showed it to me. The fortune in her hand was indeed written as Daikichi.

[Good for you]

I couldn’t help but smile at her innocent expresion and joy.　

She seemed to realize how I was reacting to her expression, and withdrew her fortune she showed me. She cleared her throat and said [Forget about it], and began to read the fortune.

I laughed again when she seemed to be embarrassed by her unusual behavior and her cheeks blushed a bit.

We’ve done our prayers and received our fortunes, just as I was thinking about leaving, she yawned next to me and opened her mouth.

[Are you sleepy?]

[Yeah, a bit]

The way she was rubbing her eyes sleepily with tears at the corners of her eyes was somewhat cat-like. She really is like a small animal I thought to myself. 　

[Well, let’s go back. I’ll walk you home]

[I can go home by myself though? I’m not a grade schooler]

Apparently, she was unaware that she was a girl. A beautiful one, at that.　

It’d be dangerous to walk alone in the streets at night. Besides, I was the one being taken care of by her, and since I invited her, I think it was only right to take her home.　

Above all, my pride as a man would be tarnished if I let her walk home alone.

[That’s not what I meant. You’re a girl, so it’s dangerous for you. It’s even more dangerous since you’re very pretty]

When I warned her that she was a beautiful girl, she clenched her mouth. [What’s wrong?] I was about to ask, but she turned around and started to walk away.

[Ah, hey!]

When I hurriedly called out to her, she stopped and slowly turned her head to me.

[…That was sly of you]

[What the hell…]

[…It’s nothing]

When I asked her if I did something wrong, she just turned her head away.　

However, she seemed to be willing to go home with me and said [Let’s go]

I chased after her, while wondering what was going on with her.