Chapter 160: I Prefer Overalls to Dresses

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Translator: Soafp

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The morning after, Ginji and Sora were riding a bus through early-morning Kyoto.

“Are you sure it's okay to leave without saying goodbye?”

“I left a message at the front desk, so it's fine. If we'd stayed any longer, they'd just keep bothering us.”

“I guess so… yawn… Still sleepy.”

As someone with a rather modest upbringing, Ginji felt uneasy about leaving without properly thanking them after being treated to such a lavish room. But Sora had come to wake him up at dawn, urging him along—and here they were now.

“Just a hunch, but I think Leona-san really likes you, Ginji. If we'd stayed, you might've gotten swept up in something. And Aika-chan's no slouch either.”

“Shiki probably hates me, and if Leona-san's thinking about the future, being liked is better than being disliked. I'm glad I met them. At least I know now they're not people you can afford to be careless around.”

“…So what? You've got some business with Shiki's family or something? Is it ’cause she's pretty? Huh!?”

Sora's head got a rough pat from Ginji.

“Idiot. She's your relative. Boundaries matter, but being hostile doesn't help anyone. I came all this way because facing things—even the ones I'm bad at—is important.”

Even though she knew it was for her, hearing it so bluntly still made Sora secretly happy. She turned her head to hide her blush.

“…Ginji, are you really a high schooler?”

“Yeah, still just a kid.”

“You act so grown-up it's annoying… But I like that.”

“What kind of emotional rollercoaster are you on?”

Seeing Sora pouting childishly after all that made Ginji chuckle softly.

When they arrived at Kyoto Station, the shops were already open, so they picked up some souvenirs before boarding the shinkansen. Ginji dozed off hard next to her, while Sora held her phone, hesitating.

“…I-It's just so Ginji won't leave me behind, that's all.”

Muttering to herself, she finally sent a formal thank-you message. She knew Aika cared deeply about her mother, and while Sora wasn't eager to get involved, refusing to make an effort felt childish. She glanced beside her at Ginji, sleeping with his mouth open. I want to be a woman worthy of him.

“I won't lose to Aika-chan.”

Sora had never seen Aika show emotion in front of a guy. Even with what happened, Ginji was likely the only exception. Ginji would deny it, but the fact that she'd even considered the possibility meant Aika had transformed from an enemy into a rival to overcome. She had to protect her place—right beside Ginji—at all costs. And she imagined Aika would vehemently deny everything if she heard that.

After transferring from the shinkansen to the local train, they arrived at their usual station. It was well past noon.

“It's gotten pretty late. What now?”

“Well, we've got the souvenirs. I'll whip something up while we're at it and hand them over to Tetsuya-kun.”

“Sounds good. We'll be busy starting tomorrow, working on our art festival piece.”

“Yeah, I'm looking forward to it.”

Back at the Momoi house, Tetsuya greeted them with a blank expression.

“Welcome back.”

“We're home, Tetsu. Sorry for being gone for two days. It was a whole thing.”

“I get it.”

He turned back around smoothly. Ginji nodded with brotherly pride.

“…I'll smooth things over with Mom.”

“You're reading into this all wrong! And don't act all grown-up, you're just a middle schooler!”

“Look who's talking.”

“Ah, Tetsu-kun. Here's a Kyoto souvenir. We bought a bunch, so feel free to share it with the student council folks.”

“Thank you, Sora-senpai.”

“Alright, I'm borrowing the kitchen.”

With practiced ease, Sora entered the kitchen and put on her apron. Ginji was about to help, but a message about his part-time job had come while they were away, so he booted up his laptop and sat with Tetsuya to do some studying. About thirty minutes later, a sweet-and-savory aroma began wafting through the house.

“Lunch is ready!”

Sora brought in a hearty meal: stir-fried summer vegetables in thick sauce and a fluffy, egg-filled bitter melon champuru.

“There was some goya in the fridge, so I figured I'd use it. I made something easy on the stomach.”

“Much appreciated.”

“Sorry for leaving everything to you.”

Ginji closed his laptop and rubbed the bridge of his nose.

“I was concentrating.”

“You should wear blue-light glasses or something… Ginji with glasses… not a bad look…”

“Don't just start buying things, jeez. I've never even worn glasses. Man, I'm starving. Looks like we've got a lotta veggies.”

“They were cheap. Figured you or Sora-senpai would cook with them.”

Tetsuya had thought ahead to include ingredients for Sora as well.

“You've got a good eye for vegetables. Impressive as always, Tetsu-kun.”

“Lucky to have such a great little brother.”

“…It's nothing special.”

Still expressionless, Tetsuya began eating, followed by Ginji and Sora. After cleaning up together, Tetsuya returned to his room to continue studying. Meanwhile, Ginji and Sora shifted gears and started planning their art festival piece. With their CAD software open, they reviewed their schematics and tightened their schedule.

“We've got the factory workshop booked tomorrow, so we'll do the welding then. I'm counting on you for the finer details.”

“Got it. We've got spare parts too, so we'll see how it all fits together—check the angles and positioning. Welding angles are gonna be crucial.”

“Angles, huh? We're welding at a slant to the support pillars.”

“Yeah, but I want to get creative with it. I want the heart-shaped part to float visually. Since it's a 3D piece, it should look interesting from every angle. Maybe we can even bend some parts a little.”

With a serious look, Sora studied the schematics. She quickly pulled out a sketchbook and began roughing out ideas.

“Keep the structure simple. I want something that looks unstable but is actually really strong. That's always been the goal—and your design reflects that too.”

“The way the bubbles float up to form a heart—it represents instability giving way to form. It's like capturing uncertain feelings turning into something real.”

“Let's test the original plan first and go from there.”

Sora began rapidly sketching alternate ideas. She could mentally manipulate parts faster than using CAD. Her sketches were precise enough to match real-world scale, which was undeniably impressive. Ginji couldn't help but chuckle as he watched her working so intently.

“What's funny?”

“You just look way happier than when you're in a dress.”

“Of course I do. I'm building something with you, Ginji. This is a piece filled with our summer memories. It's exciting. I definitely prefer overalls to dresses.”

“Same here. Alright, let's hash out a bit more.”

“You got it!”

They continued their creative session until Tetsuya emerged from his room. In the living room, he found the two fast asleep atop a mountain of sketches, clearly exhausted from their travels.

“Grrr…”

“…zzzz…”

“…Good work, you two. But you'll catch a cold like that.”

Tetsuya gently covered them with light blankets and let them rest for another hour before waking them.