Volume 7 - CH 2

We changed locations, heading down to the piloti on the first floor. It was a place devoid of people near the bicycle stands, never crowded as long as it wasn’t morning or afternoon. However, it was the perfect spot to watch the inner garden, allowing us to see the colors gradually changing to a brownish-orange. It’s like the garden as a whole is changing into fall, or so Ichinose-san explained as she put her hands together. So adorable.

“So…are you fine with us not eating in the library room…?”

“Yes…I think that’s probably what Senpai would prefer.” Ichinose-san gave a meek response to Natsukawa’s question.

Since we would’ve been four people just us, we decided against going to the material room. On the way here, Ichinose-san stopped by the library room to tell her senior that she wouldn’t eat with her. I was thinking that maybe she’d just get more work pushed onto her, but that senior happily saw her off. After that, Ichinose-san explained that “Whenever she’d bring a friend with her…it’s a bit awkward.” Well, compared to what her brother is up to, she’s probably used to this a lot more.

And as expected, when she added “Well, I’m used to it…” I felt the sudden urge to just hug her tightly. The only thing that stopped me was a vision of Natsukawa protecting the quivering Ichinose-san from me as Ashida called the police and slammed me to the ground.

“This place feels great! It’s so cool despite it being mid-summer!”

“Y-Yes…”

Finally, Ichinose-san responded to Ashida’s praise. Then again, this may be their first direct meeting, but Ashida acts like they’ve been friends for ages. Even I remember responding “Y-Yeah” when she first talked to me. Not to mention that she already went with “Ichinose-chan.” And I don’t think she ever called me Wataru either.

“Then let’s eat here!”

“Yup, let’s do that.”

We walked past the shoe lockers towards the front entrance. To the side was a small elevated area with stairs the perfect height for Natsukawa and the rest of us to use as chairs, but I think that Ichinose-san might be able to dangle her legs a bit. Heading towards those small stairs, Ashida jumped up to the right. She then twirled around on the spot and sat down. This led to her skirt being lifted up a faint bit. Right at that moment, I saw Natsukawa turning her head towards me like a bullet shot from a gun. Erm…what? I did everything I could to not look, you know? Natsukawa kept one half-opened eye straight looking at me, as she sat down next to Ashida. In my mind, I snapped my fingers and grumbled in frustration.

“Guess we’ll sit down here, then?” I turned towards Ichinose-san.

“Ah, yes…”

“…Ah.”

We sat down on the opposite side, as I made sure that Ichinose-san would be sitting close to Natsukawa, facing her. As she sat down, she let out a faint “Hup” mumble which had my inner voice going “My, how adorable” like some elderly lady watching her granddaughter. I’m seriously close to stepping across the line, huh?

“So, tell me. What was Sajocchi like when he was at work?”

“You really gonna drop that bomb right away?” I complained.

“But can you blame me, I’m curious!”

She’s straight to the point, huh…Can’t tell if this is a good or bad trait she has. And what’s crazier is that she has this attitude towards everybody, not just me.

“Um…Sajou-kun seemed very skilled at his work, and he managed to pull it off flawlessly.”

“Oh, please~ You don’t need to praise me like that.”

“Yuck, so annoying!” Ashida grumbled.

“You’re always like this, I swear…” Natsukawa joined in.

Guess being openly flustered about praise was the wrong dialogue choice here? Not only did Ashida snap back immediately, Natsukawa also threw in a complaint. Come on, it’s me, you know? I rarely get praised for anything, I don’t know how to handle it. Whenever Sis would praise me, she’d just slap me on the shoulder.

“…I was jealous.”

“You’ve gotta deal with customers, right? I really can’t see you doing that, Ichinose-chan!”

“We went through a lot of complications, but she’s still working hard even now. Just forget your prejudices and watch her, I tell ya.”

“A lot of complications…? Ah…”

“Ah.”

Oh…Crap. I forgot I told Ashida and Natsukawa about that whole incident of Ichinose-san being on her knees in front of me. I even got advice for that when I went to Natsukawa’s place. There’s no doubt they just imagined Ichinose-san doing exactly that in their minds.

“A-Anyway, let’s eat lunch! We don’t have all day, after all!” I tried to change the topic.

“Ah, yes…”

“…”

“…”

In an attempt to cast aside this awkward mood we were in, I practically ripped open the plastic bag in my hand and took out the sweet bread. Ichinose-san saw this as a signal for herself, too, and removed the faintly pink cloth around her lunch box. I feel like someone on the opposite side of the stairs is giving me a cold stare, but I’ll decide to ignore that for now. I’m on break now.

“…”

“Wh-What’s wrong, Natsukawa?”

Yeah, I couldn’t last a minute. Since Natsukawa gave me such an intense look from the opposite side, I could not focus on my lunch in the slightest. Her face was terrifyingly serious, too. Is she gonna give me an earful because of that whole incident now…?

“Still going with that?”

“…Huh?”

For a second, I didn’t understand what she was referring to, as she kept it fairly vague. However, she made it much clearer because she glared at what was in my hands. Ever since we ate lunch together that last time, she’s really been vocal about her distaste for me eating simple sweet bread.

“What’s the problem? It’s cheap, has a lot of variations, so I like it quite a lot.”

“But it’s got nothing for some nutritional balance.”

“Even someone like me who’s doing sports every day isn’t…y’know. Are you even growing, Sajocchi?”

“Urk…”

I’m definitely no smurf, but I also can’t beat Yamazaki or the handsome bastards from the student council club. Why are they all approximately the same height, anyway? I get that folks from the basketball club gotta be tall, but why are even average students from the student council club all giants like that? I’m gonna sue you for stealing my right to sunshine, you bastards. Also, I miss Yuuki-senpai’s self-made lunch.

“…Not growing either.”

“Urk…!”

I heard a defeated and almost depressed mutter coming from the person next to me, which sent a sharp pain through my body. It’s okay, Ichinose-san! Your high school life has just started, you can still grow!

“A-Anyway, Ichinose-san, you wanted advice on something, right?”

“Ah…Yes.”

It’d be bad if Natsukawa or Ashida got hold of this conversation despite not knowing how Ichinose-san really ticks as it’d just lead to them stepping on one of her many landmines. It’d be best if I bring up the main reason for discussion early.

“Advice…? Really?”

“So we weren’t just gonna eat lunch?”

“Oh, did I not tell you two?”

““You sure didn’t.””

“Oops.”

The way their voices overlapped had me shiver in fear. It was the perfect harmony you would hope for from any duet. Maybe they’d be interested in becoming idols or singers? Personally, being invited by Ichinose-san is a rarity in itself, and I didn’t even need to think about her having a special reason for that. As I explained back in the classroom, inviting a guy out to eat lunch would give him the thought of “Hey, maybe I got a chance with her?” or “Maybe she likes me?” However, that’s just another trap spun by youth itself.

“I thought…wanted to be with him…”

“Wha…Aichi?”

“I-It’s nothing!”

“…?”

Natsukawa just said something, but I couldn’t pick up just what that was…But Ashida heard it? That’s impossible. My ears are 1.5 times more sensitive when it comes to Natsukawa’s voice, and yet it didn’t reach me. Maybe I have to train some more…The goal is to go even further beyond…Haaaaaaaaah!

“A-Anyway! I’m assuming that you…wanted to ask for Wataru’s advice in relation to work, right?”

“Ah, um…not quite…”

“Hm…?”

Up to this point, my connection with Ichinose-san as classmates is clearly being outshined by the fact that we were former colleagues at work, so I figured that’s exactly what this would be about. And in fact, I can’t think of anything else she’d need my opinion on.

“I wanted to…buy a bookshelf…”

“Ahh, I see.”

A bookshelf, huh? Sounds nice. Ichinose-san reads a lot of books, and since she’s been getting used to work, I could see her buying a book each day she went home from her shift…Will that work out money-wise, though? Then again, they’re like 100 yen to 150, which is the same as a can of coffee. In that way, it’s much more reasonable than me buying sweet bread daily. Oh god, now I feel even more depressed about buying that.

“That’s why I looked up all sorts of stuff on my phone, but nothing really clicked with me…”

“I see, I see.”

I totally get it. Ordering something online always leaves you worried about the exact measurements and fitting size. And this fear of regretting a purchase must be doubled if not tripled when buying something major like a bookshelf. At least more than buying a bed, since they’re about equal in size overall.

“So that means…you want me to go to a store with you and pick out a good bookshelf?”

“Ah…W-Would that be too much to ask?”

“Not at all, but…aren’t you much more knowledgeable than me when it comes to that?”

“A-About that…”

“?”

She then explained her reasoning. Shopping in itself is an act that takes a lot of skill, surprisingly enough. Let me paraphrase while using typical gal language. Basically, y’know, talking to the employee is, like, actual hell. Is so ruining my mood, I can’t even right now—or something along those lines. TL;DR is that you gotta talk with employees when buying anything on the level of a bookshelf. And in shojo manga terms, it’d be the scene where the heroine screams “What is happening to meee?!”

But, my lady…aren’t you an employee yourself? Not to mention in a bookstore. But as it seems, Ichinose-san is still far too shy around strangers. Then again, I think I wouldn’t do much better when it comes to buying actual furniture in a store. I sure as hell don’t know good from bad, and if an employee recommended something to me, I might just take out my wallet instantly. Not like I’d actually have the money to waste, anyway.

Seeing that Ichinose-san is quite the avid reader, there’s a good chance she’ll buy a rather large bookshelf. And if she did, she most likely would have no way to even get it home. She’d have to check delivery and all that with the employee on the spot. In that sense, I can see why she’d request help from someone else. She probably wouldn’t get much done otherwise.

“Got it. Then let’s decide on a day. Next Saturday…won’t work, so maybe after the cultural festival?”

“A-Are you sure…?”

“Of course. It’ll be our first date!”

“Wha…Ah…Um…”

I glanced over at Ichinose-san, who wasn’t even trying to hide the fact that she was blushing furiously, her head hanging low. She obviously didn’t invite me out with that intention, but that’s just what we’ll look like to others, so there’s no use beating around the bush. So come on, be more flustered, kekeke…!

“Now hold on a second! Why are you two just flirting around like a couple?! If you wanna play this game, then the two of us are gonna join you!”

“K-Kei?!”

Ah…Wait. Did I just announce that I’ll be going on a date with a girl in front of my crush? Urk, what am I doing…Not to mention that I confessed to Natsukawa before. That’s just awful of me, huh? Also, wait. Did she just say “join”…?

“It’ll be a double date!”

“Huh…What? A double date?”

“Times have changed, and we as a society have progressed! It’s time Aichi and I begin our new life as a yuri couple!”

“Now hold on.”

“Ashida, you better shut up.”

Who’s a yuri couple, you wench…?! I don’t remember agreeing to you two dating. If you want to declare yourself as Natsukawa’s GF, then you gotta defeat all the Sajous in this world. I’m not letting some weakling who can’t even do that take Natsukawa’s hand in marriage. And we Sajous are hella strong! Especially Big Sis, let me tell you.

“Wh-When did we start dating, Kei?!”

“Aichi…you don’t wanna…?”

“Kei, you’re…looking up at me…Pleading like…”

“Hey! Don’t stimulate the older sister inside of her! I’ll do the same!”

“Yuck, gross. You’re not looking up at her, you feel like some pervert looking up at a batch of women’s underwear drying on a balcony.”

“I’m not some underwear thief, you hear me!”

I’m the younger brother in this situation, okay? There’s no way my pleading upwards look won’t work on an older sister like Natsukawa…Now that I think about it, whenever I did that in front of Big Sis, she’d grind her index finger into my forehead…Seriously? So when I do it, it’s that gross…?

“Also, pull the brakes, Ashida. You know Ichinose-san can’t really deal with all of this noise and ruckus.”

“You really gonna say that? Also, why are you only reprimanding me?”

“I’m telling you especially because you’ll get Natsukawa acting up.”

Just let me see more, dang it.

“Wh-What’s that supposed to mean?” Natsukawa blushed furiously and muttered these words as she looked at the fried egg between her chopsticks.

Oho, so there’s something going on, then? Maybe I can tickle her genuine feelings out of her. But more importantly, I want to become that fried egg…No, lemme be the chopsticks!

“What about you, Ichinose-san? Are you fine if more people tag along? …Um, Ichinose-san?”

“…Date…date…”

“Huh?”

Looking over at Ichinose-san, she was blushing even more aggressively than Natsukawa was, as she had her face hanging down. I could even see her ears being beet-red. I knew she was pretty innocent when it came to these things, but this much? I’d get it if it came from some cutie girl that totally outclassed me, but we’re talking about good ol’ Sajou here. Also, thanks to Ashida’s nonsense, I can only think about girls now, dang it.

Then again, I myself would be nervous when I went out somewhere with a girl, not only limited to Natsukawa. And Ichinose-san probably has other worries. That’s why I thought she didn’t think much of it, especially assuming that she went out with her older brother before…

“Oh yeah, why don’t you ask your older brother for help?”

“…Th-That’s because…” Ichinose-san showed an oddly awkward reaction to my question.

Her older brother is a member of the public morals committee, commonly known as Bear-senpai. Some stuff happened last summer break, but I think they both said what they wanted to say to each other. And I bet it’d be easier to invite him instead of me.

“He’ll definitely…bring Yuri-san along…”

“O-Oh…”

I feel like that one statement made everything so clear to me. Ichinose-san declared that she’d become independent from her brother, which is why she started working part-time. Bear-senpai probably gave his consent to that, but that doesn’t mean she suddenly stopped liking him altogether. And to her, Yuri-chansenpai is still the “woman who stole my beloved brother from me.” I thought they’d be getting along a lot more than before. And at the same time, Yuri-chansenpai sees Ichinose-san as someone she has to get along with, as she’s her boyfriend’s younger sister.

“Ichinose-chan, you have an older brother…? Ah—”

“Ah…”

“Enough already. Don’t make that sorta ‘Oh I get it’ look. Just stop.”

My comment had both of them give me a “Whose fault do you think this is?” look paired with a pout. Stop emphasizing your mouths or you’re gonna make it seem like you’re waiting for a kiss god dangit.

“A-And…I was thinking of maybe…getting a small sofa, too…”

“Urk…”

If I remember correctly, there was a time when Ichinose-san would rest her back against her brother’s fluffy tummy to comfortably read her books. And that’s why she now wants a small sofa. Oh man, I’m starting to feel bad for Bear-senpai now. I don’t even have a younger sister and yet I can totally sympathize with him. Maybe it’s because of that dating game I borrowed from Yamazaki where it’s mainly just younger sister heroines…

“I don’t think we’ll find a sofa that’s got the same properties as Senpai’s stomach…”

“Ack…”

Seriously? How good must that have felt? Ichinose-san looks so defeated. Now I kinda wanna try it out for myself. But, I know…! Right around this time, Bear-senpai is probably getting a lap pillow from Yuri-chansenpai…Ah, how frivolous! Devious! I’m so jealous!

“Well, he’s in his third year, so there will be another chance sometime. How about I lend you my tummy?”

“A-Are you sure…?”

“Why, of course! Go ahead and use…Huh?”

I was joking around on the level of “Wanna head to the convenience store?” but Ichinose-san nonchalantly agreed without much hesitation. Um? Isn’t this a bit too different? Should she really be saying okay to this? She’d be sitting on my lap…is this even morally acceptable?

“Then…”

“Wha?”

Before I even knew left from right, Ichinose-san had already placed her lunch box at her side, putting one of her small hands on my lap. Seriously? Is she seriously gonna do that?

“—W-Wait a second! What are you doing?!”

“…?!”

I was immediately pulled back into reality. When I looked to my left, I saw Ichinose-san with her ear already pushed against my chest, who looked over at the opposite side. More specifically, at Natsukawa who had slammed her right hand down on the ground. She seemed oddly desperate, as she had her other hand tightly grasped together in front of her chest.

“I-Ichinose-chan…? You’re still dealing with Sajocchi, remember?”

“? ……Ah…!”

“Whoa!”

Ichinose-san seemingly realized something, as she let out a flustered shriek and practically shot away from me. Immediately after, I realized the danger of the situation. As you’d expect, this whole motion made Ichinose-san lose her balance. I somehow managed to reach for her with my right arm and embrace her from behind to stop her from falling further.

“That was friggin’ close…You okay, Ichinose-san?”

“…Wah…Oh…I…I’m fine, yes!”

“Huh?”

WHAP, Ichinose-san slipped out of my arms, recovered her lunch box at inhumane speed, grabbed all her other belongings, and ran away as if her life depended on it. I reached for her back with my hand, but I completely lost my chance. Was she…always that quick of a runner?

“…”

“…”

“…”

Holy shit, I’m scared. What’s this atmosphere?

*

I’m just glad that we were already through most of our lunch by the time Ichinose-san blasted off. If things continued with an “Okay, let’s eat” type beat, I probably would have rather died and end up in the real hell than this. All of that thankfully was avoided by Ashida saying “Guess we should head back?” Natsukawa also responded with a confused “You’re right,” and that was the end of it. I just looked up at the sky. Or rather, the concrete ceiling of the roof. In the corner, I saw the small nest of a swallow all cramped up. Put up with it, me…Thou shall not die, isn’t that right, Akiko1? Please, save me.

What even is this situation? I feel like I’m being treated like I don’t even belong to their group, just acting like a weird stalker. So I’m basically back to square one? Dang it…Maybe I should keep a bit of distance between us just to make sure—Or so I thought, so I slowed down to drop behind the sulking Natsukawa, when Ashida came towards me. Did she find a way to get out of this situation? Well done, Ashida. Lemme rub your ahoge.

“Sajocchi, are you stupid? Why’d you start flirting around with Ichinose-chan right in front of us…?!”

“Huh…?!”

She turned her voice down only to then drop a bombshell on me like that?!

“Hell no! I was just joking, of course! I didn’t think she’d actually hop on the Sajocchi bus like that!”

“Maybe you’re just spoiling her too much, then?! She seems like the type of girl, so if you’re not careful, you’re gonna reach the point of no return!”

“Grh…!”

She’s gone into full lecturing mode. You impudent cheeky…is what I wanted to say, but I literally had no way to talk myself out of this. Just as she said, it really felt like Ichinose-san had been transcending one too many levels of closeness. Our relationship had the worst possible start when we just started working together, so in my mind, I was still going full “I need her to like me…!” mode. But can you blame me? Who wouldn’t spoil a girl like her?

“It’s all about Ichinose-chan for you. Aren’t you forgetting something important…?”

“Huh…? Something important…?”

“At the end of this month. You remember, right?”

“Kaha, no way in hell I’d forget about that.”

Indeed, a major event is waiting at the end of this month. And I’m not talking about Halloween in Shibuya, nuh-uh. It’s something much, much more important. Asking me if I remember that is the same as asking me for my name.

“It’s the day Natsukawa descended upon our earth, right?”

“Exactly.”

Indeed, we’re looking at October 31st as Natsukawa’s arrival…Or birthday, more commonly known. Then again, it’s pretty much like the descent of an angel at this point. Like a new era began after the Anno Domini. Come on out, Shenlong.

“Are you preparing something?”

“Been doing that since November 1st last year?”

“Gross.”

Hey now, you really shouldn’t be looking down on me like that. Especially to past me, Natsukawa’s birthday legally forced me to give her an offering of my best intentions. What does legally even mean in this context? Anyway, I still remember the time hitting midnight with me already thinking about the following year’s present. I’m pretty sure this isn’t love sickness but a genuine disease at this point. I’m going insane, huh? I still can’t believe Natsukawa is even giving me the time of day.

“H-Hey…!”

“!”

As Ashida and I were both equally disgusted at my past self, Natsukawa suddenly appeared out of nowhere and broke between the two of us. Or rather, she blessed me with her appearance. Thank you very much.

“Wh-What are you two whispering about…?”

“Dead…”

“Huh…?”

“Ah, um…”

That was close…Seeing Natsukawa sulk like that almost insta-killed me. But I can’t help it. That’s just how cute she is.

“Nothing much. Ashida just asked me about your—”

“Gaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!”

“Mgh?! Nggggh?!”

I wanted to give an honest response to Natsukawa, only to be stopped by Ashida slamming her hands on my mouth. Let alone silencing me properly, it felt like she was gonna snap my neck instead. That friggin hurt…I’ll lick your palm, don’t you doubt me. You want me to do it, right? I’ll do it.

In the end, I managed to control my urge and pushed away Ashida’s hands, who grabbed my shoulder and forcefully made me turn away from Natsukawa.

“My guy…You were about to tell her, right? Isn’t that something you should keep quiet about?”

“I mean, why would I make it a surprise after everything we’ve been through? I plan on coming to meet her first thing in the morning to hand over my present.”

“Why do you sound so calm while acting like a stalker…What am I even supposed to say about that?”

“Geez! What are you two up to now…!”

When I turned around, I saw Natsukawa putting her hands together in front of her chest as she grumbled in anger. See, that’s what you get, Ashida! If you keep that up, she’ll feel hurt!

“Awww, don’t be angry, Aichi. There’s an important reason why—”

“…And what reason is that?”

“That’s…well…I was scolding Sajocchi! Saying that he’s way too clingy when it comes to Ichinose-chan!”

“…”

Stop it, moron. Don’t use me as a shield to fend off Natsukawa’s anger. And don’t bring up my relationship with Ichinose-san. If things get awkward between us, too, I might just die. Listening to Ashida’s statement, Natsukawa now gave me a sharp upward gaze. Weird…For once, I can’t fully appreciate this rare expression. Why am I being pushed into a corner like this…

“…I…I shall be careful from now on.”

“…Good.”

Any further arguing would only come to bite me. That’s the feeling I got, which is why I obediently nodded while delivering my promise. After a bit of a short silence, Natsukawa responded with that, turned around, and walked ahead again.

“Bleh.”

“You damn…!”

Ashida stuck out her tongue toward me and jogged up to Natsukawa, clinging to her back. A light shriek escaped Natsukawa’s lips, which almost sent my soul to heaven. I’m so jealous…I also wanna have fun and cling to each other like that. Oh well, no use crying over spilled milk. Then again, Ashida had all the reason to be complaining about my interaction with Ichinose-san, and Natsukawa is still pure in her heart. I can understand why she’d be bothered by such an illicit act happening at school.

“…”

And yet, I’m starting to feel like Natsukwa’s actions and reactions don’t make much sense. I had prepared myself to let her remain the unattainable flower and stay away from her to the best of my ability, and yet we’re still interacting with each other almost like before. With that lucky hug from yesterday, I guess I’m just a bit excited and focused on Natsukawa. Guys are just simple beings, I guess. Though I hope I don’t make her angry again without realizing it. Then again, watching that yuri couple in front of me hitting it off, it felt like all my worries just blasted off into space outside of our familiar galaxy.

Upon returning to the classroom, Shirai-san and Okamocchan fiercely questioned me as to why Ichinose-san wasn’t acting like herself, when Ashida and Natsukawa joined in to get me cornered from all directions, making me feel like I had the same worth as a speck of dirt on the ground. As you’d expect, harsh words from girls like them were especially effective towards a boy, not to mention their multi-hit guaranteed critical-strike cheat attacks. And worst of all, they didn’t even have to clear a horror game in under two hours with no saves to unlock them, they had them as starter equipment. If Big Sis hadn’t trained me so well, I probably would’ve made my way to the rooftop right about now. O Lord—give strength to all of us fragile boys.

Once the fifth period had ended, I immediately stormed into the boys’ toilet. For the first time in my life, I felt awkward staying in a room with girls. Thankfully, I ran into a friend from middle school, and after our idiotic conversation, I started to feel the scars on my heart slowly heal. Sometimes, it doesn’t hurt to return to monke.

“Ah.”

“Eeek?!”

“Why’re you scared of me, Sajocchi?”

Right after stepping out of the toilet, I heard a voice at my side, which turned out to be from Ashida, who equally finished her toilet business. But because of what happened earlier, I just let out a shriek and took a step backward. She apparently didn’t like that, as she stepped forward and glared up at me.

“Girls are scary.”

“You asked for it.”

I didn’t think this much hell would rain down on me just because I was trying to care for Ichinose-san. It’ll make it seem like my jokes weren’t jokes at all.

“Also, why don’t you just treat Aichi the same, kind way?”

“Wouldn’t I just look gross?”

“Well, offering your tummy like that was hilarious, gotta give you that.”

“Hilarious…”

Are you sure about that? Now that I’ve calmed down and thought about it, I feel like that’s pretty crazy of a thing to say to a girl my age. If it was anybody but Ichinose-san, she probably would’ve taken this to the public morals committee, then the school, my parents, the police, and finally Big Sis, who would’ve ended my life in a flash.

“Well, at least you remember Aichi’s birthday…”

“You seriously thought I’d forget?”

“I didn’t…I just thought you’d hold back because of what happened.”

“Hell no. It’s her birthday, so we’re gonna celebrate it. And it’s Natsukawa, so she deserves it. Simple as that.”

“Then what did you give her last year?”

“A necklace.”

“So heavy!”

Why do you sound so grossed out? I believe that a beautiful necklace and its chain was the best possible method to hide Natsukawa’s alluring collar bone from horny onlookers. And just as people are wearing clothes, I see it as necessary that Natsukawa hides her décolleté which peeks out from her collar. All of my messed-up fetishes back in middle school were corrected simply thanks to that. Somebody kill me, what am I even thinking?

“But…you were still in middle school last year, right? Yikes, I bet she didn’t even know how to react.”

“Can you stop saying yikes every time I open my mouth? Well, you’re not wrong about that.”

I wonder, why did I not even consider the fact that she may be troubled with such a massive present. Maybe I was thinking that amount of love = amount of money spent is a thing…That’s just bad. I finally remember Natsukawa’s face she gave me. I don’t wanna ever see that again…But it won’t happen this year.

“And let me guess, you already thought of a present since last year?”

“Up until a few weeks ago. Though it won’t be anything as massive as that.”

Next year I’ll be in high school, so I can buy some brand stuff—is definitely something my middle school self thought about even up to graduation. Gives me the chills when I realize that I was thinking not until not too long ago. A burning love like that sure is crazy, it makes people go mad. I’m just glad I realized what league I’m playing in…

“So you’re gonna buy something a bit more chill this year?”

“Yeah. Can’t be going overboard looking at my current relationship with Natsukawa.”

“W-Well…that’s not really…”

Hm? Why’s she looking so bothered by that? It’s pretty difficult to find something appropriate without crossing the line, don’t you now? It’s gotta have a lot more love packed into it than just some expensive nonsense. And don’t you underestimate my sense.

“And what were you thinking of?”

“A ring.”

“So heavy!”

It’s just three grams, okay?