CH 37

Chapter 37 Practice Date with Touko-senpai (Part 4)

February 21, 2022

Touko-senpai asked the boy.

“What’s your name, boy?”

“Shota.”

“Why were you in that place?

“There was a crab.”

“Crabs?”

“But I couldn’t catch it.”

So this is what happened?

I don’t know why this boy was there, but he was alone on that boardwalk.

He saw a crab there, so he chased after it to catch it, and ended up on a rocky beach near the shore, where he fell down and cried.

Suddenly, the boy at her back spoke up.

“Are you and big sister ‘dating’?”

Touko senpai and I looked at each other for a moment.

“Are you on a ‘date’?”

The boy asked again.

“Hmmm, well, something like that?”

When Touko answered that, the boy went further into it.

“So, you and your brother are lovers?”

“Eh?”

Both Touko-senpai and I raised our voices at the same time.

We both shouted at the same time. The tone of voice was slurred until a moment ago, but why did she say these words so smoothly?

When I was confused, Touko-senpai responded.

“Well, what do you think?”

“I don’t know. I don’t know. But they say that ‘dating’ is ‘lovers’.”

“Who told you that?”

“Mi-chan.”

We don’t know the proper names, even if they are mentioned there.

But Touko senpai smiled and answered.

“That’s right. If Mi-chan said so, then we might be lovers.”

Then, she gave a small “chuckle”.

After that, Touko senpai continued to nurse the boy.

I was mostly silent, though.

It was also surprising to me.

I was surprised that the normally cool and intelligent Touko-senpai was so fond of children.

I secretly operated my phone with one hand and took a hidden picture of Toko-senpai.

Whether she noticed or not, I’m not sure.

“Oh, it’s mom.”

In the direction the boy pointed from behind his back, there stood a mother holding a baby, pulling an even smaller girl by the hand.

I walked straight up to the mother and set the boy down.

When Touko senpai explained what happened, the mother bowed her head to us again and again.

Apparently, the mother was taking her younger daughter to the bathroom.

Finally, Touko senpai squatted down in front of the boy and said

“So long, Shota-kun. Don’t leave your mother’s side alone anymore.”

Then she gently placed her hand on his head.

I quickly took a picture of Toko-senpai with my camera.

When we were far away from the parents and children, I said, “You like children, don’t you?

“What? What’s with that unexpected tone?”

“No, no, it’s not like that.”

I hurriedly corrected her, but Touko-senpai smiled while glaring at me.

“I like children. I like kids, and I’ve always wanted a little brother.”

“Do you have any siblings?”

“I have one younger sister, three years younger than me.”

If it’s Touko-senpai’s sister, she’ s probably pretty, right?

“Actually, the one I wanted the most was an older brother.”

While we were talking, we came to a car.

“It’s already past lunchtime. Why don’t we go somewhere to eat?”

We headed north on Route 410.

This time the route took us along the eastern side of the Boso Peninsula.

Eventually we arrived at “Roadside Station WA-O”.

It is located near Wadaura Station, and has a giant full-body skeleton model of a blue whale on display.

We entered this restaurant.

I said, looking at the menu.

“Wadaura is a place where whaling takes place, which is rare in modern times. Taiji in Wakayama Prefecture is famous for whaling, though.”

This is another thing I’ve learned from the internet. ( TL : Me too )

“I’ve heard that there are some whale fishermen in Minamiboso. I heard that they sell whale bacon.”

“I wanted to try whale meat to see what it was like.”

As I said that, I had already decided on my order.

I knew what I wanted to order: a special whale bowl.

This is a bowl of rice topped with whale sashimi, fried whale tatsuta and whale cutlet.

“I think I’ll just have the ‘Seasonal Local Fish Sashimi Set Meal’. I don’t think I could eat whale meat if it had any peculiarities.”

“But since we’ve come all this way, don’t you want to try some of it? We won’t be able to eat whale meat if the anti-whaling movement goes ahead.”

Even so, Touko-senpai was still confused.

“Then let’s order one of these ‘whale sashimi’. Why don’t we share it between us?”

“Okay. I’ll do that.

The food we ordered was brought in.

The meat was much redder and blacker than beef.

It looked like horse meat.

When I tried it, the meat was more normal than I expected.

Was it like imported meat with a strong lean meat?

It seems that Touko-senpai had the same impression.

“It has a bit of a distinctive smell, but it’s pretty normal meat.”

“That’s right. The color is horse meat, but the taste is like imported thigh meat.”

“But whales are originally from the same family of even-toed ungulates as cows and pigs. It’s only natural that they taste similar. Nowadays, whales, cows, pigs, and deer are all classified together as ‘whale-eaters.”

“Huh.”

“By the way, the closest land animal to the whale is the hippopotamus.”

“As expected of the ‘Goddess of the Library’. You are very knowledgeable.”

Then Touko senpai glared up at me.

“I don’t like that nickname.”

“Why is that? I think people are using this in a good way.”

“I’m not an ornament, and I’m not a goddess. I was just a normal high school girl and now I’m a normal college girl.”

“That’s true, but…”

“At least, I don’t want Isshiki-kun, who should know me to some extent, to call me that.”

Touko-senpai said with a slightly sad look on her face.

“I understand. I’m sorry.”

When I said I was sorry, Touko-senpai smiled again in a teasing way.

“Then buy me a soft-serve ice cream later as an apology. I saw it for sale outside earlier.”

There’s something cute about wanting soft serve ice cream, isn’t there?

“Yes, sir. Please buy two or three!”

“Oh, you said that? Then I’ll take two soft-serve ice creams, one with honey and milk and the other with peanuts!”

When we finished eating, it was already around three in the afternoon.

In the end, we both bought one different kind of soft serve ice cream and exchanged them on the way.

It was my “first indirect kiss” with Touko-senpai.

I also took a picture of Toko-senpai eating the soft ice cream.

“Why are you even taking pictures of us eating like this?”

She looked a little unhappy, but I thought it was a good idea because she was eating in a surprisingly childish way.