CH 42

Shizuku rushed over to Kaede’s side and kept bowing her head in apology several times towards the employee.

Due to extreme embarrassment, Kaede buried her face in Shizuku’s chest and hugged her. No one could disagree that they looked like sisters.

“She seems more like family than you”

“……Is that so, huh”

Why did this girl have to put other people’s worries into words?

It’s not that it had started recently, but it was the first time in a long while that I had been told so up front. It felt a tad bit complicated.

I was really glad that Kaede didn’t enrol at my school.

If I was told every day that we didn’t look alike, it would most likely break myheart.

“Leaving that aside, would it be better to do something, so that the two of them could be together today?”

“The two of them?”

At the receiving end of Kirasaka’s gaze was Yuuto who had followed after the girls.

Yuuto was handing over Kaede’s ticket to the employee.

“I’m talking about Kanzaki-san and Handsome-kun”

“Ahh, those two, huh”

If my memory serves me right, I had not mentioned a thing about the two of them to Kirasaka.

Well, if you look at it a bit carefully, it’s easy to figure out that Yuuto held feelings of affection towards Shizuku.

That was why, I wouldn’t play the fool and pretend that I didn’t know what she was talking about.

“It seems like Yuuto has such intentions too……even if we didn’t do anything, he would do something so that he could be alone with Shizuku”

“Ara, that would be convenient”

Be that as it may, it was rare, her paying attention to Yuuto’s matters that is……even if only it was just a little.

“I don’t want to be with that Handsome-kun for an entire day, I wish that the two of them would just go off to somewhere”

“Right?……I knew it, you’re that type of person after all”

It must have been my imagination.

She was through and through a cold woman towards Yuuto.

It took us a while to get to where the three of them were at. After we had caught up to them, the five of us entered the amusement park together.

“Oo—”

“Oo—”

As soon as we entered, Kaede and Shizuku let out excited voices. Numerous souvenirs were being sold along the street that laid before us. They had already been taken prisoners by the excitement.

There hadn’t been much of a change in Kirasaka’s expression, but she seemed to be in a somewhat better mood compared to when she was at school.

Even in the morning, she had said that she was looking forward to today, so she might be excited on the inside.

While I was looking at the three girls in front of me, Yuuto walked up to me and whispered in a voice that the three girls couldn’t hear,

“Today, I will try and slip away from the group with Shizuku, I am counting on you”

“Can I at least ask you the time……?”

I returned such words while looking at my wristwatch, trying to check the time. Yuuto retrieved the pamphlet and started explaining.

“I want to be alone with her at the parade that starts at night”

“Then……before 7, huh”

I thought we would be parting ways a bit earlier, but unexpectedly, that was not the case.

However, if it was that time slot, it would be convenient to make up an excuse. Even if one were to say that they had strayed from the right path because it had become dark, it wouldn’t sound like a lie.

Instead of replying, I gently nodded. Yuuto showed me a wide smile, then he increased his pace trying to catch up to the three girls walking ahead of us.

However, as if to switch positions with Yuuto, Shizuku shifted back a little.

It looked like their gazes met for a moment there, but Yuuto didn’t stop in his tracks. Though, since he was curious, he kept anxiously looking back.

“Minato-kun, it looks like there is a parade today!”

She pointed her finger at a large pillar. The details of the parade that Yuuto had mentioned earlier were written in big words and displayed on a post.

“So it seems”

“Shall we watch it together?”

Uh-oh……

How should I go about answering this question……?

Yuuto had probably heard her too, since he was making an interesting face.

His mouth was wide open, but he could not let out his voice. It was a face that displayed bewilderment, as to how he should go about reacting to the situation that unfolded before him.

“Right……hmm, well, if the situation permits us so”

“Yes!”

She let out a smile and seemed extremely happy. Seeing her like that, I felt a little guilty.

It was not because I had lied, but since I would be cooperating with Yuuto, I wouldn’t be able to grant her wish.

Later, if she gets angry at me, I will just come out honestly and say that Yuuto was the one at fault.

As for the reason, I can just make one up when the time comes.

Anyways, it will be A-OK as long I pin all the blame onto Yuuto.

I thought that I could finally take a break and have a look around. However right then, I saw that Kaede was looking at me with her face beaming with joy.

“What? The parade?” (Shinra)

“Eh? How did you know?” (Kaede)

“You want to watch it together, right? Fine by me” (Shinra)

I had guessed even before she had spoken up.

Before long, Kirasaka would say something similar too. I just know it.

“It’s a promise, you know?”

“Got it……it’s a promise”

She did a pinky promise with me and it was so adorable. Instead of chasing after the others in front of us, she clung to my arm and walked in a good mood.

This place was not a location I usually went to, so I was not embarrassed by it that much.

It was just that, I couldn’t bring myself to retract my arm from my sister, who was in such a good mood. I reluctantly kept on walking like that, and then as I had expected, Kirasaka too had shifted back to where we were.

“You too, huh?……It is that thing, right? The parade, right? I got it already, we can all just go toge——”

“I want to eat crepes over there”

“I was wrong?……”

It would seem that it was tough for me to predict her actions and words.

The usual course of events, or even how the story had developed so far – everything seemed irrelevant to her.

Or rather, her good mood was because she was looking at a Crepe shop?……