Chapter 120: You Said You'd Do Anything, Right?

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Translator: Soafp

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The second day of summer break.

Sora had woken up early, gotten herself ready, and eaten a simple breakfast of a small chicken salad and orange juice. She had a message from Ginji—it was a “let's do our homework outside today” kind of day. She replied with a stamp of a robot being launched to show her approval.

“Hmm… what should I do…”

Although they'd planned to meet to work on summer homework again, Sora had one dilemma on her mind.

“How do I bring this up…?”

On her desk sat a stylish little pouch. Inside was a belt-style choker she had bought during a recent shopping trip with Suzu. Sora puzzled over it for a while, twisting her neck this way and that, but finally mustered up some resolve and stuffed the pouch into her bag along with her study materials before heading out to meet Ginji.

At their meeting spot in front of the shopping street, Ginji was looking up at the sky.

“Good morning, Ginji. Sorry for the wait.”

Dressed casually in jeans and a shirt, Ginji turned to her with a bright smile. No matter how many times she saw it, that smile still made her heart skip a beat.

“Morning. Not really—was just thinking about something.”

Sora tucked her bag into the basket of Ginji's bike and stood next to him.

“What were you thinking about?”

“I'll tell you later. It's hot out here—let's get going.”

“Aww, now I'm curious.”

Sora hopped onto the padded rear seat of the bike, and Ginji started pedaling. They passed through the shopping street toward the station, their destination a book café that had opened a few years back. Rather than a desperate attempt to revive a failing rural bookstore, it felt more like the owner's personal whim. Since it was far from the station, it didn't attract many people. Attached to the old wooden bookstore was a trendy café space with a sleek black theme—an odd contrast, but the place was clean and cozy.

“So this is the place. I asked Tetsuya if he knew a good spot. First time here, but it's got a good vibe. Hey, they've even got light novels.”

“Today is for studying. I do like retro cafés, but this kind of place is nice too. Feels easier to focus. Though—are we even allowed to study here?”

“Probably, but I'll ask just in case.”

Since Sora tended to get shy around strangers, Ginji rang the bell at the counter for her. A middle-aged man emerged from the neighboring bookstore—it seemed he ran both places by himself. Ginji asked a few questions, and the man answered kindly. Peeking out from behind Ginji, Sora looked away the moment their eyes met.

“What do you want to drink, Sora?”

“Uh, um, is this the menu? …Hmm, I just had breakfast, so I'll have a blend coffee and those egg cookies.”

“I'll go with a blend too. And a sandwich.”

The owner told them it would take a bit of time and disappeared into the back.

“He said studying is totally fine. No other customers, either. Let's get started.”

“Okay.”

They settled at a back table away from the sunlight and opened their workbooks. Soft Western music started playing, maybe as a courtesy from the owner, and the two of them dove into their studies.

By late morning, Ginji stretched out with a groan. Sora had already finished her problem sets, her English assignment, and even her essay—she was nearly done with her summer homework.

“Almost done. Just gotta wrap up the rest at home.”

“In that case, maybe you should pick out the book for your report here.”

“Good idea. But before that, there's something I wanted to say. We've used this place for a while, and we're eating here too. Let's talk while we eat.”

“Sure, this is about that thing from this morning, right?”

“Yeah.”

Today's lunch was a daily special—curry rice.

After ordering, Ginji pulled a metal pencil holder from his bag and placed it in front of Sora.

“Take a look at this.”

“A pencil holder… I like the metallic feel. But the joints are kinda uneven.”

“Made it back in middle school when I was practicing welding.”

“You made this, Ginji!?”

Sora leaned in, inspecting it from various angles, amazed. Ginji scratched his cheek, looking a little embarrassed.

“Dad taught me. You know the factory across from our house? It mostly does line production, but there's a workshop too.”

“Don't you need a license to weld?”

“If you're doing it for work, yeah. But just for practice, you don't need one. Otherwise you couldn't even practice to get the license. Some places have specific rules or regulations, but I don't need one for what I'm doing. I do want to get certified eventually, though.”

“Wow… That's really amazing.”

“It's not that impressive. My grandpa used to work in the factory too, so when Mom was out doing sales, they'd leave me there. I got used to the sound of grinders like lullabies. Anyway, remember the art festival we talked about yesterday? What if I made something based on a design you came up with?”

Sora froze up, her eyes sparkling more than he expected.

“…Is that a no?”

Just as Ginji began to worry, Sora restarted like a rebooted machine, shaking her head hard and leaning over the table.

“I love it! That sounds like so much fun! You're a genius, Ginji!”

Seeing her beaming face up close, Ginji sighed in relief and gently patted her head.

“Well, I'm a total amateur compared to the factory guys. But I'll do my best. I've got a few ideas about where we could work, too. Once I've made arrangements, we can check it out together.”

“A 3D motif… sometimes a simple shape looks smartest. I like the idea of mathematical beauty—like kabbalah symbols, or mandalas…”

“Nothing too complicated, okay?”

Sora started scribbling frantically on a page torn from her workbook while Ginji chuckled. Soon after, their curry arrived, so she paused her brainstorming.

It was a classic curry, nothing fancy, topped with a soft-fried egg. Ginji's portion was large, while Sora's was small.

“Tastes great. Bet they put coffee in here.”

“Hmm, maybe? But I think the veggie flavor stands out more.”

After finishing their meal, they sipped post-lunch coffee and relaxed.

“I should be able to book us a workshop space in two or three days. In the meantime, let's reset our mood and go to the beach up north, like we planned.”

“You bet! Actually, there's something I want to buy later today. Will you come with me?”

“Of course.”

Ginji's quick reply made Sora beam.

“A-and, since I got the top score on that test… I'd kinda like a reward…”

“Sure. I've been thinking about a few ideas, but if there's anything you want—just say it. Anything.”

The moment he said it, Ginji felt a shiver run down his spine—like an invisible pressure hit him.

“Did you just say ‘anything'?”

“…Within reason.”

A jolt of electricity shot through Sora's brain. If she played her cards right… maybe she could get Ginji to put the choker on her after their shopping trip!?

As Sora ran calculations in her head at full speed, Ginji called over the shop owner to pay the bill—smiling wryly at her intense silence.