Chapter 86: Shock…run!!

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Translator: Soafp

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Sora, who had been asleep, finally woke up, bringing their date to an end. She looked a little groggy as she saw him to the door.

“Yawn… take care, okay? See you tomorrow.”

“You too. You're clearly tired, so try not to get a fever from overthinking and skip school.”

“Yeah… see you tomorrow…”

Ginji chuckled at the half-asleep Sora and turned to leave—when he suddenly felt a soft sensation. Sora had hugged him from behind.

“Sora?”

“Just 10 more seconds. Then I'll be able to hold back for today.”

Sora ended up hugging him for a full 20 seconds before finally letting go. Ginji turned to pat her head, got on his bike, and rode off. Sora stood there watching him until he disappeared from view.

“Before bed… I gotta take care of myself.”

Even though she was exhausted from earlier, she still pushed herself for Ginji's sake. After all, cuteness takes effort. She pulled out a mirror and carefully applied night cream and lip balm.

Once she was done, she stared at the container. It was something she'd picked out for Aika. Like Sora, Aika had sensitive skin, so she could only use very gentle products.

“I wonder if Aika-chan's doing her skincare too… Well, she knows the list, so probably.”

At that point, her energy gave out. She drank a cup of milk and dived into bed.

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The next morning.

As always, Ginji rode his bike to their usual meeting spot. Sure enough, Sora was there, waiting with her signature lunch box. When she spotted him, she waved her arms excitedly, and Ginji picked up his pace.

“I hope she actually slept last night…”

Ginji smiled wryly at the intimidating size of the lunch box. Is it too much to think my girlfriend is just too cute?

“Good morning, Ginji.”

“Morning, Sora. Did you change your hairstyle?”

Sora's short hair was flipped outward at the ends. It was normally straight, so just that little change made her look different—more feminine, Ginji thought.

“Bedhead. I didn't have time, so I just went with the messy parts and styled it around them.”

She turned her eyes away and touched her bangs, looking embarrassed.

“Haha, well, if you got good sleep, that's what matters. I think it looks cute.”

“Ugh, and it's our first day going to school as a couple too…”

He gently patted her shoulder, took the lunch box, and placed it in his bike basket. The two started walking.

“By the way, I got a message—your phone case might be ready soon.”

“Oh, can't wait! Matching ones, right?”

“Ehehe, yeah!”

It felt like a typical morning between them, but with a subtle, sweet difference. Sora's expression was noticeably softer. She felt accepted just as she was—but that wasn't enough. She wanted Ginji to like her even more, to know her better, to be with her longer. It was a strong yet calm, grounded feeling that gave her strength and quietly radiated charm. Not that Sora realized any of this—she was just happily caught up in the moment.

“You've got nice eyes.”

Ginji summed it up plainly.

“…I mean, I do have good eyesight?”

“I know.”

Sora tilted her head, confused, while Ginji laughed out loud. Soon they arrived at the slope in front of the school.

More students appeared around them. Ginji noticed that while eyes were definitely on them—mostly Sora—there was a lot less hostility in the stares than before.

“Looks like the student council isn't doing morning greetings today.”

“They usually do them weekly. Maybe we should do it today.”

“Of course! Time to show them this is the new me!”

“I like that energy.”

Sora confidently puffed out her chest. While she was still shy around strangers, she'd gotten used to the boys in her class. And being with Ginji gave her extra confidence.

They parked Ginji's bike and returned to the school gate, where Sora stood ready to greet familiar faces.

But then—someone unexpected called out.

“Hey, it's Takagi-san! Good morning!”

“Oh wow, it is! You're so cute! Did you change your hair?”

Two senior girls—the ones they'd seen on their date Sunday—had spotted Sora and came over.

“……”

Sora silently moved behind Ginji.

“What happened to being the new you?”

“I'm not good with strangers.”

She clung to Ginji's shirt and averted her eyes, but Ginji wasn't letting her off the hook.

“Come on. They said hi, didn't they? Say good morning.”

“Ugh… Good morning.”

As soon as she said it, the two girls squealed and got closer.

“Good morning, Takagi-chan! Can I hug you?”

“No.”

Sora quickly hid behind Ginji again, making the girls glance at each other and laugh.

“Haha, still glued to your ‘boyfriend,' huh? Jealous. I wanna hide behind you too, Takagi-chan.”

“Right? And you guys were on a ‘date' yesterday too.”

Freeze. Time seemed to stop. Students stopped in their tracks. Something crashed—bikes, doors, lockers—from all directions.

“B-because I'm his girlfriend…”

Sora mumbled, clearly overwhelmed. Ginji, meanwhile, felt cold sweat from the heavy atmosphere around them.

A few seconds later, time resumed. The two seniors looked around, confused.

“Uhh… what's going on?”

“Ohh, I get it. Everyone's just realizing Takagi-chan is dating someone—”

Before she could finish, several third-years (you could tell from their scarf colors) suddenly whisked the girls away like a gust of wind.

“Wha—what's happening?”

“They're so strong… And why does everyone have canned coffee?”

As the girls were pulled behind a corner, Ginji was approached by Saito and Tanaka, classmates who always greeted him—and now wore greasy grins.

“Ah, good morning, Saito, Tanaka.”

“Morning, Takagi… and you too, Ginji.”

“Morning, Takagi-san. And Ginjiiii…”

“Where the hell did you two come from…”

If they'd been visible, Sora would've noticed them earlier. Ginji took a step back, wary.

“Ginji, we need to talk. Don't worry—we just want to know the ‘current situation.' It's important.”

“We get it. We decided to watch over you… but still, we gotta celebrate a friend's happiness, right?”

Saito's muscles strained his summer shirt. Tanaka stared him down like a delinquent. Both held cans of coffee.

“So you heard. I'm not hiding it… I'm dating Sora.”

“Y-yeah! We're together!”

Ginji said it proudly. Sora, overjoyed, gently hooked her pinky and ring finger around his. Seeing her blush, Saito relaxed his muscles, and Tanaka looked up at the sky.

“…Then we've got nothing more to say. We're happy for you two. We'll be cheering you on.”

“Glad we heard it from you directly. Congrats, Takagi-san.”

The two turned and walked toward the bike racks, disappearing around the corner.

“W-were they really celebrating?”

“Honestly, I was bracing to get smacked as a joke… That was anticlimactic.”

Ginji let out a sigh. They still had time before class, but maybe not enough to keep greeting people. They decided to head to the classroom.

As for Saito and Tanaka, who had left their sight…

“Someone bring something bitter for these warriors! They've burned out completely!”

“Medic! Morning-duty comrades down! The coffee in school won't cut it!”

Leaning against a wall, knees buckled, pale and lifeless, they—and many others—were too emotionally destroyed to function. Several students ended up being late for homeroom. Some teachers even made them write reflection essays. A few wrote just one word: “Precious,” and while some were rejected, others surprisingly got accepted.

Of course, Ginji and Sora knew nothing about these rumors.