Chapter 15: What is this feeling…?

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Translator: Soafp

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Yesterday was exhausting.

Who knew Katsurama had that kind of nerve in him? He actually threw punches.

Because the police got involved, I was questioned until late at night. There were calls to the school and other matters to deal with too, so I barely had time to rest.

We would find out on Monday what would happen to Katsurama.

It wasn't my decision to make, so all I could do was let things proceed as they would.

That was what I told Shinonome.

She looked at me with an exasperated expression.

“…Hey, Hatsukade.”

“What?”

“Why are you casually here eating ramen after everything that happened yesterday?”

I stopped moving my chopsticks as I slurped my tan-tan noodles.

“What's wrong with coming to a ramen shop to eat ramen?”

“No, that's not what I mean. I thought about a lot of things. Like what I should say when I saw you on Monday, or what kind of face I should make. You've completely ruined all of it. What kind of nerve do you have?”

“If you have a complaint, take it up with your dad.”

I looked toward the kitchen, but nobody was there now.

Last orders had already passed, so we were the only ones in the shop.

“Your parents wouldn't stop talking about bringing a gift box to my house or getting down on their knees to apologize.”

Right after the Katsurama incident yesterday, Shinonome's parents thanked me so much that I got sick of hearing it.

And when they found out Shinonome had set up the fake confession, they turned pale and bowed their heads again.

Honestly, that was harder for me than dealing with Katsurama.

“I tried to persuade them, but they looked ready to actually come to my house. So I came here to collect my thanks. Your family's tan-tan noodles are more delicious and exciting than any ordinary sweets. You should be prouder of them.”

“Is it possible to be praised this much and still not feel happy at all?”

Her dad had made the ramen, then left saying, “I'm going out for a smoke.” Was he trying to leave Shinonome and me alone together? Unnecessary consideration.

Then Shinonome started fidgeting with her fingers, looking embarrassed.

“…You were right, Hatsukade. After I told them everything, Dad and Mom got really mad and worried, but I feel relieved. And…”

She glanced at me from the corner of her eye and quietly said:

“I think I'll properly apologize to Nakina at school tomorrow. When I apologized before, it was vague, like I was just trying to smooth things over.”

“Fine. Do what you want.”

Having finished my tan-tan noodles, I stood.

“Tell your dad I said thanks for the meal. I'm heading home.”

Shinonome puffed her cheeks in dissatisfaction.

“You could say at least one thing… Though I know that's just what you're like, Hatsukade.”

She grumbled and looked away.

Hmm. We had been through a lot, but I had let all of it go.

“Shinonome.”

“What?”

“…I hope you can make up.”

“Gah!?”

I left the shop.

Today's tan-tan noodles had been as delicious as ever.

Her dad's skill really was first-rate.

---

After leaving the shop, I went to a park a little way from my home.

Despite being in the middle of the city, its wide, green grounds were bustling with people because it was the weekend.

Even I was worried about eating tan-tan noodles two days in a row.

Given the state of modern Japanese diets, even young people faced an incalculable risk of lifestyle-related diseases.

I wanted to keep eating good food until I died, so I planned to take a longer walk today to compensate.

“Heyyy, Hatsukade! Hi! What a coincidence!”

That voice instantly made my head hurt.

When I turned around, the blonde gyaru, Sakura Hiiragi, was smiling and waving in running clothes.

I had earphones in, so I deliberately pretended not to hear and tried to walk past.

But she had absolutely no intention of reading the room and firmly grabbed my arm.

“Hellooo? You didn't notice me? It's dangerous to walk around listening to music that loudly!”

“Tch.”

I really could not deal with this girl.

I understood that she was not bad at heart.

She was simply an extreme criminal with no malicious intent.

In terms of being troublesome, she was unmatched.

I resentfully took out my earphones.

“What do you want?”

“Hehe. Since we're here, let's take a walk together.”

“No th—”

At that moment—

Something soft and heavy landed against my waist.

A fluffy Siberian husky had placed both paws on me and leaned against my body.

“Ah, hey! Rooney, calm down!”

Rooney wagged his tail wildly. He pulled away, slipped beneath my legs, came back, sat on my toes, and looked up at me with round eyes and his head tilted.

What was this pounding, fluttering feeling in my chest…?

Unable to move, I watched as Hiiragi misunderstood something and forcibly pulled Rooney away by the leash.

A pathetic little “Ah…” slipped out of me.

“Sorry! Are you scared of dogs? Then it's annoying to be together, isn't it?”

“…Not.”

“Huh? What did you say?”

“…I don't dislike them.”

---

Hiiragi let me hold Rooney's leash, and I walked through the park while Rooney occasionally looked up at my face.

He was a bit wild, it seemed. Whenever he saw another dog or a friendly-looking person, he happily tried to run over to them, so it was quite a task.

“Ahaha, maybe he takes after his owner. People always say Rooney has the exact same personality as me.”

Who had made such an insulting evaluation?

They should get down on their knees and apologize to Rooney.

This would have been the perfect day off if Hiiragi were not here.

“He's so energetic that it's hard work. I walk him for an hour every day before school and again at night.”

“…That's surprising.”

I had assumed she was the type to adore him at first, get bored, and force her parents to take care of him.

“Right? I actually like exercising quite a bit!”

“Yeah…”

Please be quiet.

Stop interfering with my time with Rooney.

Then Hiiragi suddenly hugged Rooney and rubbed her cheek against him.

“Who's adorable today? You are!”

“Woof!”

That was unfair. I wanted to do that too…

“Oh, right, Hatsukade. Do you know where Shi-chan lives? At the trekking trip, you said you knew her dad.”

“Why do you want to know?”

“Because she won't tell me. You know she's been down lately, right? She's barely replied when I message her these past few days. So I want to bring her out of the house, do something fun, and listen to what's on her mind.”

“She'll get better on her own eventually.”

“Aww, you're as cold as ever. Well, you and Shi-chan aren't friends, so there's no way you'd know.”

Hiiragi stood and gave me a sly smile.

“So, how are things with Nakina? You two look pretty close at school every day.”

“Nothing's going on.”

“Sure, sure. You're just embarrassed.”

“You really haven't learned anything, have you? Didn't Amanatsu tell you to stop doing this kind of thing?”

“But Nakina says she's fine with just being friends with you. Isn't that a lie? She already told you she likes you, but you don't return her feelings, so she's staying by your side as a friend. To me, that just sounds like running away. If she keeps doing that, she'll only hurt herself.”

“…”

She might be right.

Of course, this was the girl who had exposed Amanatsu's feelings in the first place.

Hiiragi clenched both fists in front of her chest and put on a perfectly cloudless smile.

“I want my friends to be happy, so I'll keep supporting Nakina!”

“…Do what you want.”

“Honestly, everyone should just fall in love openly. Nakina and Shi-chan are both so roundabout. The times call for a single-minded, all-out confession!”

“People are free to do what they want, but I think your meddling will destroy you someday.”

“Ahaha. I want to say I'll be fine, but I already caused trouble for Nakina. Hearing you say that makes me lose confidence.”

Hiiragi gave a small laugh and rummaged through her pouch.

“Oh no—I forgot Rooney's treats.”

Seriously. This was why she was such a problem.

“I know a place that sells dog ice cream. Come with me. I'll pay.”

“You're the best, Hatsukade!”

---

I watched Rooney happily eating ice cream at an outdoor table, a smile spreading across my face.

Across from me, Hiiragi muttered with a deep sigh:

“When you said you'd pay, you meant only Rooney's ice cream?”

Obviously.

Why would I buy you anything?

She had given me a discount voucher for trekking equipment, but that had merely been compensation for all the trouble she caused me.

So I had no obligation to be kind to her.

I took a bite of my own ice cream.

The cool freshness, bright citrus flavor, and silky milkiness filled my mouth.

I had come out to work off the excessive salt from the tan-tan noodles, but now I was consuming plenty of sugar. Still, after seeing Rooney's sweet smile, worrying about sugar intake was pointless.

Then I voiced something I had been wondering.

“Hey, from the outside, this looks like a date. Is that okay when you have a boyfriend?”

“Huh? Oh, totally fine. I make my love for my darling clear on social media every day.”

Social media had become impressive. Since when did it have a feature like that?

“I made my social-media account in the first place to tell my darling how much I love him!”

“You don't need to announce that to the world. Why not tell him directly?”

“There are unavoidable circumstances, Hatsukade. It'll take a while, but will you listen?”

“No. I'm busy giving my Rooney ice cream.”

“He's my dog!”

After Rooney finished licking the ice cream, I held out my hand. He placed his chin on it and looked up at me.

“Hehe.”

“That's creepy. Hatsukade, you can smile?”

What did people think I was?

It was a wonderful time, and I was reluctant to leave, but it was about time to go home.

When I looked up, I met a familiar pair of eyes.

“No way…”

Amanatsu stood there, pale-faced.

Her leash slipped from her hand. Hulk, the German shepherd, picked it up in his mouth and pushed it back toward her with an exasperated expression.

Thinking things were about to get complicated, I headed toward the shop to order ice cream for Hulk first.