CH 40

Since everyone besides me had already answered, it was finally my turn.

While listening to their conversations, I had been thinking about different stuff, but it was another thing when it came to my own story.

“Now then, finally it is Shinra-kun’s turn”

Among the four people and even more than Kaede, who asked the question, Kirasaka seemed to be having the most fun as she looked at me.

As opposed to that, Kaede’s interest in the topic seems to have dwindled compared to before. Was it because she was satisfied with the answers of the others?

Well, that would make sense.

It is not interesting to hear about your real brother’s love life.

Before that, in the first place, I don’t know the feeling of liking someone of the opposite sex.

It is neither a lie to hide my embarrassment, nor something I am saying to try and act cool, but I seriously have no clue.

Therefore, my answer is a mere ideal in the truest sense.

“It would be so nice if I could be with this kind of person”, that kind of wish.

“Beautiful, rich, can cook well, and who would support me my whole life even if I don’t work”

That is right, this is an ideal.

If so, it should be fine to even say that I like a person who was like a heroine in an anime.

There is no need to answer seriously like the girls.

In reality, there is no way that a perfect person like that would tie the knot with an ordinary person like me, but since I am a guy too, I would also like to go out with a woman who was like a heroine in an anime.

“……”

“Hah……”

At the back, Kaede was looking at me with half open eyes and for some reason, Shizuku heaved a sigh while putting her hand against her forehead.

“Haha! Well, not answering seriously is very Minato-like”

What is so interesting about this? Yuuto shows a refreshing smile.

He was a person who just said that he does not want to be judged by his appearance. You wouldn’t think he could display such an expression right now.

“……”

“Why are you being all quiet?”

What I was most curious about was Kirasaka. She would normally have some kind of reaction towards my words and actions. Right now she was now sitting all quiet without any movements, her chin propped up in her hand.

It is her we are talking about, she must be thinking about some pointless stuff yet again.

It was not only me, but the other three must have had found this silence of hers unusual too as their gazes were concentrated on her.

Did she realize something? After a little while, she suddenly lifted her head and muttered in a low voice.

“In other words, Shinra-kun’s ideal partner is……me?”

……like hell it is.

I wondered if she had some serious concerns, but she had been thinking about something like that?

After hearing her words, I realized something. My ideal partner indeed had many points in common with Kirasaka.

Or should I say, it was her.

Beautiful, good at cooking, from a rich household, and now if only she agrees to support me for a lifetime, it would be a perfect match.

Kirasaka wore a smile. Then as if to tease me, she brought her face close to my ear and told me this,

“Shinra-kun, shall I provide for you for life?”

Her face was so close to mine that if I had moved my face even a little bit, our cheeks would have touched. That face of hers wore the most amused expression I’ve seen so far.

“Don’t get ahead of yourself……”

“Ara, you don’t have to be embarrassed”

I did not turn around. I pushed her head with my right hand as she fell back to her seat without any resistance.

Satisfied, she corrected her posture. Then she put her hand on top of Kaede’s head and with a gentle expression and voice like that of an elder sister, she said this,

“I might become Kaede-chan’s elder sister in the future”

“Not happening!”

“Not happening!”

Hell ya.

Tell her.

Until we reached a rest and service area en route, Kirasaka continued to talk about such things. She was smiling happily at the reactions of the girls.

“Well then, Green tea for me”

“Cola for me”

“Coffee for me, please”

“Yea, yea……”

We had reached the service area. The decisive game of rock, paper and scissor that was held inside the car before we had arrived here required the losers to buy drinks for everybody. That burden had fallen on Shizuku and me who were now headed towards the shop.

We entered the shop, I held on to a shopping basket while Shizuku put the requested drinks in it. She held on to a can of black tea which I assumed she was going to be drinking, and then she asked me this,

“What are you going to have, Minato-kun?”

Instead of answering her, I put a can of coffee milk inside of the basket.

“As expected, you can’t drink it black like Kaede-chan?”

“I am bad with bitter stuff”

She smiled a little, but there was something different about her expression compared to usual.

After the shopping was over, we were heading back to the car. Suddenly, Shizuku started to talk.

“When you heard my answer, you were making a dissatisfied face, weren’t you?”

I sensed a feeling of discomfort from her expression, likewise, she too seemed to have perceived my feelings.

“Well, ya……”

I didn’t make a poor excuse, or even tried to gloss it over, I simply returned a short reply.

Towards the me who was being like that, Shizuku wore a bitter smile and continued,

“If it is Minato-kun, you must be thinking, “not caring about looks is a lie”, right?”

“Correct answer”

As one would expect, it could be seen that she had spent a lot of time with me since childhood.

She understood my thought process very well.

“But it is the truth, you know? I don’t really care about outward appearances”

“……I see”

Shizuku came to a stop and stared fixedly at me with sad eyes.

“……What I care about……is only myself”

She said these profound words as she passed by me with quick steps.