Chapter 72: After-School Date

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Translator: Soafp

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Thanks to his midday nap, Ginji made it through the afternoon classes and was now cleaning the school. At this school, cleaning duties were assigned to groups after homeroom. Ginji, who actually liked cleaning, diligently swept the hallway and was now moving on to mopping. As he worked, a girl from the same cleaning group spoke to him.

“Hey, Momoi-kun. Can I ask you something?”

“…Sorry, I'm in the middle of cleaning right now.”

“It's fine, you can keep cleaning. Um… it's about Takagi-san… like, she's not the type to snitch on us, right? Like posting stuff on social media, or telling the teachers…”

Ginji looked at the girl. He thought she might have been one of the ones who had said mean things to Sora when she was dressed as a boy, but he couldn't quite remember.

Now that Sora had become popular, it seemed she was afraid her past actions would be exposed. Aika hadn't directly attacked Sora herself, but had subtly encouraged the other girls to direct their hate toward her. Because of that, the girls who followed Aika's lead and bullied Sora were now afraid of retaliation.

“Sora wouldn't do something that petty. Now clean.”

“…Ugh, you're such a goody-goody.”

“Hah. Better than being half-assed. You should try taking it seriously once—it actually feels good, better than slacking off.”

“…”

As he rinsed the mop again, Ginji realized that the girl from this morning must've been feeling the same fear. He resumed mopping the hallway. The girl, left with nothing to do, still didn't clean—she just walked away from Ginji in silence.

When cleaning time ended, Ginji went to rinse the bucket outside (since using the indoor sinks would make a mess), and that's when Sora came running toward him, looking intense.

“Ginji!”

“Oh, Sora. What's with that face?”

“Hah… hah… Weren't you just talking to a girl in the hallway? Was that… a confession or something?”

Apparently, Sora had been cleaning windows in the courtyard and had seen Ginji talking to the girl in the hallway.

“…It wasn't. I'm not that popular, you know.”

“Good… So, what were you talking about?”

Seeing Sora's full-on jealousy with a gloomy aura swirling around her, Ginji burst into laughter.

“Ahahaha! Seeing your face made me forget. Anyway, want to stop somewhere on the way home?”

“Stop somewhere? Sure! I don't have any student council errands today, and we're having dinner at my place tonight. Let's grab something on the way.”

Sora immediately brightened, and Ginji gave her a pat on the head.

“W-what was that for?”

“Sora, you're cute.”

“Wha—what are you saying all of a sudden!?”

After putting away the cleaning supplies, the two returned to the classroom to grab their bags. They changed shoes at the lockers and headed to the bike rack. From there, they could see the baseball team shouting energetically on the field.

“They're at it.”

“The baseball team? Are you interested in them?”

Sora looked curiously at Ginji, who was wearing a nostalgic expression she hadn't seen before.

“…I know a lot of them, like Saito. I'm planning to help out with their training camp, too.”

“Oh, the rice ball thing, right? I'll help too!”

“They'll love that. Their team manager's a guy, after all.”

Ginji got on his bike, and Sora, with practiced ease, sat sideways on the cushioned rear rack and clung to him. Ginji pushed off and pedaled downhill.

“Let's grab some snacks at the shopping street.”

“Good idea. Actually, I've only ever gone there for art supplies or tools. I usually get food at the supermarket. But let's not eat too much or I won't have room for dinner.”

“I know, I know. Around this time of year, the cake shop sells ice cream crepes. I've been coming to this shopping street since I was little—I know it pretty well.”

“Oh, really?”

They coasted downhill and entered the familiar shopping street nestled between a residential area and an industrial zone.

As they walked their bikes, they passed in front of a butcher shop, where they were suddenly called out to.

“Hey there, Gin-chan! Got a cute girl with you today!”

The man behind the counter, who was plump and had a friendly smile, seemed to know Ginji.

“Hey there. Sora, this is Sasaki-san from the butcher shop. Their minced meat cutlets are awesome.”

“I know them—they're delicious. Hello, Sasaki-san.”

“What? You've had our cutlets before? Wow, I'm usually good with faces, but to forget such a cute girl like you… I must be getting senile.”

He didn't recognize Sora because she looked different from before, but Ginji didn't bother explaining.

From behind the man, a similarly plump lady emerged from the store.

“Hey, don't bother the students too much. Ara! If it isn't Gin-chan! Long time no see. Is this your girlfriend?”

“Good to see you again. Um, Sora and I are…”

“…”

Seeing Ginji hesitate, the woman's eyes lit up.

“Ah, I see! Leave this to your auntie. Mind if I borrow her for a moment?”

“Wah—”

She stepped out of the shop, took Sora by the arm, turned her away from Ginji, and began whispering in her ear.

“S-Sora's just shy around strangers…”

“Sorry, Gin-chan. She gets like this and won't stop. I'll treat you to a cutlet. Though I don't know who's the one bothering whom here.”

“…I'll just buy some. Two halves, please.”

As the two guys stood awkwardly, the auntie leaned in to speak closely with Sora.

“Sweetheart, Gin-chan's a real catch. He might look a bit scary because he takes after his mom, but he's a good kid. If you're dating him, I totally approve.”

Apparently, she thought Ginji had asked Sora out and decided to butt in.

“Um, well… I like Ginji too… I mean…”

Seeing Sora blushing, the auntie's smile became extra greasy with delight.

“Aww, you're totally into him, huh? That's great! He helps out with our local volunteer events, you know. Used to come by with his mom when he was little. Gin-chan would carry her bags and even give his croquette to his little brother.”

“Wow, he's always loved Tetsu that much, huh? He really is kind—I know that, too. He's always looking out for people. He's helped me, too. I want to hear more about what Ginji was like back then.”

Excited by the topic, Sora started asking the auntie more questions herself.

“Totally head over heels! Okay then, let me tell you about the time Gin-chan was in middle school—”

Just as the ladies were getting into it, the two guys approached, and Sasaki-san placed a hand on his wife's shoulder.

“That's enough now. The kids probably have stuff to do.”

“Sora, we gotta go. Also, I can hear you. I'd rather you didn't talk about the past.”

Embarrassed, Ginji pulled Sora away by the hand. They sat down on a bench next to a vending machine, and Ginji handed her one of the cutlets from the bag.

“Here.”

“Thanks. How much was it?”

“No need. Consider it thanks for the bento.”

“You already pay for those, though… munch… it's delicious.”

As they ate the cutlets, Sora suddenly reached over, plucked a crumb from Ginji's cheek, and popped it into her mouth.

“You had something on your face.”

“People'll see, you know.”

“I don't care. Do you?”

“Not really.”

Blushing a little, Ginji's reaction made Sora swing her legs happily.

“Hehe, the cutlet's so good. Even better than last time.”

“Yeah. After this, wanna hit the cake shop?”

“Sure. But I still want to hear more about your past, too.”

“I'll tell you all about it.”

“Then I'll talk about myself too. I want you to know everything, so please listen, okay?”

This weekend, she would show him her art and finally explain what had happened to her.

And… she wanted to talk about what comes next.

“Yeah, I'll listen. I've got things I want to tell you too.”

“…You do?”

As they shared a meal that was far more delicious than anything eaten alone, the two of them basked in a sweet and slightly ticklish atmosphere.