Chapter 99: I got a girlfriend

Reading Settings

Translator: Soafp

---

Ginji and the woman called Misa finish ordering with the tablet, and right away, an omurice is placed in front of them.

As she walks away, the server glances suspiciously at Sora and Suzu, who are sitting side by side at the face-to-face table for some reason. But Sora is too preoccupied to care. Suzu, on the other hand, doesn't have the mental space for entirely different reasons.

“…………” → Sora.

The first impact has passed, and as Sora regains her composure, she's practically radiating a visible black aura.

Her pupils are dilated, and although there aren't any actual veins popping, Suzu can almost see them on her forehead. Seeing this, Suzu breaks into a cold sweat. If she prods her the wrong way, Sora might explode.

“S-Sora-chi, it's okay, really. I don't get all the details, but it's probably something for work, right? There's clearly no romantic vibe.”

“…That's what I think too. But if she uses work as an excuse to try something weird with Ginji…”

“Try something weird?”

“She'll do all. sorts. of. things.”

“L-let's just calm down, okay?”

Her tone was dead serious. Just to be safe, Suzu gently moves the cutlery box — containing forks and knives — out of Sora's reach. Oblivious to the scene unfolding behind him, Ginji casually picks up a knife and chopsticks.

“The food'll get cold, so… can we eat before we talk?”

“Of course. The white sauce here is so chic. …Gin-chan, you're eating with a knife and chopsticks, huh?”

“This makes it easier to scoop up the egg… Is that bad manners?”

“Fufufu, not at all. It's just funny because that's how your mom used to eat, too. Touka-san would eat like that as well… Though if it were Touka, she'd probably be shoveling it in straight from the plate.”

“Even if it's my mom, she wouldn't go that far… She really did that?”

“That was a long time ago. Come on, let's eat.”

The two begin eating their omurice. Ginji doesn't seem particularly tense — they act like people who know each other well. Seeing that, Sora and Suzu both start to relax.

“They seem pretty comfortable, so it's probably fine. Want to go talk to them?”

“If it's work, we might be interrupting. I'll wait for now… I feel better, so let's order something too.”

“Yeah, totally. Let's just sit side-by-side and eat. Easier for selfies. Peace sign~”

“Wouldn't it be better to take the picture once the omurice comes?”

They talk in hushed tones, smiling as they scroll through the menu on the tablet.

“I'm thinking classic mushroom sauce~ How about you, Sora?”

“Hmm… I'll go with the beef stew omurice and a salad. Nice that you can order a small portion.”

“That sounds good too~ Okay, let's do it.”

Not long after, their omurice is delivered, and Suzu takes a selfie with Sora.

“Yaaay! Sora, can I post this?”

“I don't really get that stuff, but sure, go ahead.”

“You don't do social media, Sora-chi?”

“Not really interested. Let's just eat. Itadakimasu.”

Unable to wait any longer, Sora plunges her spoon into the omurice.

“Itadakimasu Mmm, it’s delicious. This butter rice is so good.”

While Suzu devours her food energetically, Sora is more methodical, alternating between the beef stew and rice, taking small, thoughtful bites.

“The rice has a strong, slightly sweet flavor… probably to match the egg. I should try making this at home sometime.”

“You say that, but come on, this fluffy texture is tough to pull off.”

“Taste aside, the egg part's actually not that hard. Ginji said he can make soft omurice too.”

“Whaaa—?! If even Ginji beats me in girly skills, I'm doomed…”

As the girls continue eating, Ginji finishes his omurice.

He sets down his spoon and pulls a laptop from his bag.

“Mind if I prep the materials first?”

“You're fast. You should get dessert too. Oh, this place makes its own coffee jelly, and I'm getting grape jelly, so how about we feed each other a bite?”

Sora's spoon freezes in place.

Misa, the woman Ginji is with, may not have a clearly stated age, but she's undeniably beautiful. The age gap adds a certain raw realism to her flirtatious invitation.

With her near-eidetic memory, Sora clearly envisions Misa feeding Ginji a bite of dessert. She almost leaps to her feet — but Ginji speaks first.

“Please don't tease me. I have a girlfriend now, so stuff like that would be a problem.”

Sora sits down with a soft thud.

“Wait, seriously?! Gin-chan, you got a girlfriend? What's she like? Cute? Classy?”

“Uh, well… more cute, I guess. But it's not just that. She's tough, got real backbone. I think she's beautiful too, and just watching her never gets old. She heals me, cheers me up… that kind of thing.”

“I can't believe I'm hearing this from you, Gin-chan. You must really like her.”

“I'm head over heels. You might think it's just puppy love, Misa-san, but I… I truly want to make her happy.”

He doesn't say it with forced passion, but with calm, quiet conviction.

Sora hides her face with her hands and starts steaming, while Suzu quietly orders black coffee from the menu.

“Wow, you're totally smitten. That shaved-head Gin-chan from before… I must be getting old.”

“Please don't bring up middle school… Besides, you're still young, Misa-san.”

“It's just that the average age around here is high. Now tell me more about your girlfriend while we eat dessert. How did Touka-san react to her?”

“I haven't told Mom yet… I plan to bring it up casually next time she is home.”

“Oh? So I'm the first to know? Lucky me~ Got any pictures of her?”

“Let's just talk about work…”

“Don’t want to~ I'm not letting a sweet story like this go. Come on, spill it. I'll even give you a bonus~!”

“Please, have mercy…”

And so, until the dessert plates were clean, Ginji was made to explain what he liked about Sora — while Sora, overwhelmed with happiness, turned bright red and started trembling. Suzu ended up ordering three cups of coffee.