Part 2
"That's fine! It's not like I want to see her again or anything!"
"Hmm. Not even trying to cover up being a virgin, huh? I like that about you, Yuu."
"For starters! It's because you keep clinging to me at school that people assume I already have a girlfriend!"
That was my heartfelt rebuttal.
But Himari just covered her mouth, grinning, and lightly patted my chest.
"Eh? I mean, I do get boyfriends now and then, you know? Maybe you're just lacking in the pheromone department. Don't pin it on me."
"Yet those guys you dump keep spreading weird rumors. Why is it that the fake story going around makes it seem like I stole you from your boyfriend?"
"Isn't that because I only ever talk about you in front of them?"
"Please stop doing that! You're seriously making my life miserable! I don't even know where the next landmine is going to blow up at school anymore!"
"It's not like I even date those guys because I like them or anything."
"Then why bother dating them at all?"
"Eh? Just to kill time?" (T/N: Bruh)
"Wow. That part of you is seriously off-putting."
"Ahaha. I still don't really get this whole 'love' or 'romantic feelings' thing, you know?"
Two years had passed since that junior high school cultural festival.
When it came to romance, the two of us were as clueless as ever.
"Well, staying as we are now works, I guess. I mean, I'd be in trouble if no one wanted me when I hit 30."
"Are you seriously planning on staying single until you open your shop?"
"I don't even plan to get married, honestly. But if you get hitched before me, I'm probably going to be forced into some matchmaking setup. That, I definitely can't handle."
"Don't use me as a cover. Just go get married already, whether through matchmaking or whatever."
"The guy would be an old dude, you know? Yuu, are you okay with me marrying someone as old as my dad?"
"Wait, seriously?"
"Yeah. My young body, sullied by the greasy hands of an old man..."
"Y-yeah. Sometimes you throw out these dirty lines that are so shocking, even I, as a guy, get freaked out..."
"Sorry for being such a naughty girl?"
"That's not really the cute vibe you're giving off, though..."
If anything, you're more like a junior high school boy picking up a dirty magazine in a rundown park.
Like one of those male friends who's unusually sharp when it comes to overhearing stuff like, 'You know, that senior and his girlfriend had sex at such-and-such place.' That's the kind of vibe you're giving off. …Even though you're such a beautiful girl, you're seriously not making my heart race.
"By the way, do arranged marriages still happen these days?"
"Yeah, totally. If you go down a level, it's common for people to have back-to-back matches right after graduating high school. I think my photo’s probably already circulating among acquaintances or something. That’s why I haven’t decided on my career path yet, you know?"
"Oh yeah, now that I think about it, didn’t you submit your future plans sheet blank in first year and get scolded for it?"
"Yeah, they told me to just write something, so I wrote 'Yuu's bride,' and they got even angrier instead..."
"Well, yeah, you totally deserved that."
"Don’t just go around using someone else’s name without permission!"
No wonder ever since then, the teacher has been asking me stuff like, 'Are you keeping your phone secure?' all the time. Sorry, but as of now, I don’t have any plans to use it.
"...But even in this Reiwa era, do rich families still do arranged marriages?"
I seriously think it’s outdated. I wouldn’t want my life decided like that.
And the partner being 20 years older? No way…
"Well then, when that time comes, I’ll be your cover. …We’re best friends, after all."
Saying something cool like that, I turned around with a confident smirk.
And then I saw Himari, her face bright red, desperately holding back her laughter. Like a chipmunk puffing out its cheeks, trembling as she tried not to burst out.
Yeah, I figured it out. …I was being teased.
"Puhaha! Just kidding♪"
"You’re asking to get smacked, aren’t you!?"
"As if arranged marriages like that exist anymore. Have you been reading too many trashy romance novels?"
"And who was the one who started saying stuff about greasy hands, huh!?"
After laughing her heart out, Himari reached out and ruffled my hair wildly.
"Don’t worry, I’m not going to ditch you halfway through. I’m planning to enjoy this special seat for a while longer, you know?"
The arms she wrapped around my neck tightened with a firm squeeze.
I started smacking her arms in protest.
"My neck—! This special seat is choking me—!"
"The man with the most huggable neck in Japan~"
"What kind of title is that? There's nothing to be happy about!"
"The woman with the most huggable arms in Japan~"
"Not so sure about that. You're a bit too thin to claim that ti—ugh, hey, stop squeezing my arm so hard!"
As we messed around like usual, the 6 PM chime rang.
Sports clubs can keep going until 8 PM, but for cultural clubs, this is the cutoff. The other building starts getting locked up one by one. We have to leave before then.
"Guess we’ll wrap up here for today."
"Yup, sounds good."
"‘Sounds good’? No, help out, will you?"
Also, get off my neck already. Stand on your own two feet. Don’t hang off me, laughing and giggling like a child. If you keep dragging down, my neck’s seriously going to get squeezed.
"Alright then, Miss Himari. Let’s do the closing checklist. Tools—check."
"Flowers—check."
"Keys—check."
"And feeling like McDonald's for dinner—check?"
"Hmm, actually, I kinda feel like sushi today."
"Oh, really? Okay, I’ll text my big brother then. 'Yuu says he’s craving sushi today, so make sure to bring back the expensive kind, okay?' Sent."
"Just Sushiro on the way home is fine! Okay? Please!?"
"…Sigh. My dear little brother-in-law is so cold-hearted."
Who are you calling little brother-in-law?
Locking up the science room, we headed home together.
This is the daily life of me and Himari Hina.
The little world we’ve built over the past two years.
And it was working perfectly, without a hitch.
That is, until the next day, when the gears started to shift, just a little.
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