Chapter 36: Interesting date

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Translator: Soafp

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The day after the strategy meeting, Ginji stood in front of the fountain at the station street, dressed casually in jeans and a shirt. Realizing that it would be a bad idea to go out into town in his school uniform, he had rushed home to change.

About 50 meters behind him, hidden among the roadside trees, was a shadowy figure. Wearing round-lensed sunglasses and a large cap, with an oversized shirt draped like a skirt and short shorts peeking out underneath, the person boldly revealed slender legs. Chunky shoes gave off a faintly masculine vibe.

Though slightly boyish in appearance, there was no mistaking that it was a girl's outfit—Sora’s.

Usually dressed as a boy, Sora had taken up Suzu's suggestion that dressing like a girl would ironically make her less recognizable. Though still uncomfortable, she had reached a compromise with herself and managed to put on her best version of “girly clothes.”

…For the record, by Sora's standards, it was just barely girly, but if Suzu saw her, she’d snap, “What do you mean barely girly!? You're obviously aiming to look cute!” She coordinates all Aika’s clothes, so she has good taste. Sora squinted behind her sunglasses, keeping watch on Ginji.

“It's about time… But seriously, why did Suzu choose such a crowded place for the meeting spot?”

Of course, to make it harder for Sora to get caught tailing them.

“Yoo-hoo, Ginji! So that's what your casual clothes look like. Been waiting long?”

Still in her school uniform, Suzu ran up to Ginji.

“I got here just a bit ago. Let's go somewhere we can talk.”

With hands in his pockets, Ginji turned on his heel.

“Hey, wait up! Girls walk slower, you know.”

“Ah, sorry.”

Sora watched them, gripping the tree as if trying to break it in half.

“…It's a date.”

Private Ginji and uniformed Suzu. She couldn't hear the conversation, but it looked like a date. With spiraling eyes, Sora began tailing them.

“Hey, you there.”

“F-Fweh!?”

She was suddenly spoken to. It was a man, probably a high schooler, and likely older than her. He looked clean and well-kept. Stiffening up, Sora had no idea why she was being addressed.

“You're clinging to that tree—are you okay? Want something to drink?”

“Ah, I-I'm fine, thanks.”

Was he worried about her? But right now, Ginji was the priority.

“Well, to be honest, I just thought you looked really cute, so I came over to talk.”

“……”

Ah—this is flirting. I'm being hit on. It took her a full three seconds to process the thought.

“I-I'm good, thank you!”

She bolted, running away. Luckily, the man didn't chase her. What kind of weirdo hits on someone like me? she wondered. Despite the crowd, her sharp observational skills quickly spotted Ginji and Suzu again, and she resumed tailing them.

The two seemed to have entered a family restaurant. Sora followed and managed to sit two seats behind them—just within earshot.

“My treat. Order anything within reason.”

“Then I'll have a drink bar and a sandwich.”

“I'll just get the drink bar.”

They went to get their drinks. Despite the warm weather outside, Ginji had chosen hot coffee.

“…Not tea, huh?”

“What about it?”

“Well, Sora said you liked tea.”

“After getting used to the good tea Sora brews, the stuff you get outside feels off, you know?”

“He's got your stomach in his grip, huh.”

“Don't know about that.”

Two seats behind, Sora listened with her hands on her cheeks, smiling dreamily. She was eating a mini matcha parfait, by the way.

In a way, Sora had also been influenced by Ginji. With drinks ready, the two settled in again.

“So, Ginji, what do you want to know?”

“…Let's get to the point.”

“To the point?”

Sora leaned in toward her seat to hear better.

“Are you and Sora dating or something?”

WHAM!!

Something slammed into a table behind Ginji.

“Whoa, what was that?!”

Suzu grabbed Ginji by the collar to stop him from turning around.

“The ‘whoa' is my line!”

“Well, I encouraged him to start drawing again, but he seems to be having a hard time. I can guess something happened between him and Shiki…”

He let go and sat down again.

“For the record, I don't know much about what happened with Hime either. But why would that lead you to think I'm dating Sora?”

She had actually heard about Aika yesterday, but wasn't planning to bring it up now.

“This is usually the part where the heroine steps in. Classic story setup.”

“…‘Heroine'? We're not even dating, though.”

“Hmm, I think you two have good chemistry.”

From Suzu's perspective, that ominous aura she'd seen yesterday was rising again behind Ginji. That wasn't good. She decided to steer the conversation elsewhere.

“So basically, you want to learn about Hime and Sora's past for Sora's sake?”

“I'm going to wait for Sora to tell me that story himself. What I do want to know is what he was like in middle school. Someone with that much talent—why does he lack confidence now? I want to understand the background.”

“Why not ask Sora directly?”

“Bombarding him with all that at once would overwhelm him. I'll wait for him to open up about the important stuff… But things have been feeling tense lately, so I want to gather info just in case.”

“Heh, so you are thinking about this seriously. You really care about Sora, huh? What does he mean to you?”

From Suzu's perspective, Ginji's head had a little ping-ping radar going off. It was obvious he was deeply concerned about Sora.

Relieved that the dark aura had subsided, Suzu took a sip of her orange juice.

“What he means to me… Honestly, I just respect him. I don't know anyone else who works as hard as he does, or who pays such close attention to details. The more time I've spent with him, the more I've come to appreciate how much effort he puts in. I want to cheer him on.”

It was a straightforward and unpretentious confession. Suzu had never met anyone who could praise someone so honestly. Meanwhile, Sora had her hands pressed to her flushed cheeks, shaking her head.

“And, well… he's got a cute side, too. Though saying this might piss him off…”

“Yeah yeah, go on. What is it?”

“He's kind of like… a little brother to me.”

Blushing, Ginji muttered that out. Suzu's jaw dropped.

Behind Ginji, a voice rose:

“Customer, your face is completely pale—are you okay!?”

“Huh? Something going on?”

“No, no, let's just keep talking! Totally salvageable! In fact, this is where it gets good, so let's keep going!”

Suzu encouraged him loudly, trying to keep the momentum going.