The Choco Frappé of Destiny
So...
I changed my clothes roughly and stepped out of the house, walking down the street.
Of course, Harin was right beside me, holding my hand as we walked together.
"Do we really have to hold hands like this?"
"Why? What about it?"
-Pfft.
Harin stopped in her tracks, tilted her head, and looked at me with a strange smile.
It felt like she was thinking, 'So what are you even going to do?' or 'What are you capable of, anyway?'
"Yeah, I can suck it like crazy. Satisfied?"
"Idiot."
Harin muttered a short curse, then slowly started walking again.
Her hand stayed firmly clasped in mine the whole time.
The words were a bit... no, pretty harsh, but I could tell right away that she wasn't being completely sincere.
What could I say? It reminded me of how guys mock each other for no reason.
Even though the genders were different, the closeness we shared was that deep.
Ever since back when we were kids.
And even as childhood friends, holding hands while walking around...
Wasn't that rare?
I honestly couldn't say for sure.
After all, in this world, how many childhood friends from that exact time were still around?
Especially one who was once a magical girl and a Demon King's Army executive.
Still, considering the period when we weren't close, coming back together like this and getting this close again... did that mean we were really close?
"So, what are we going to eat?"
While I was lost in thought, Harin asked.
Figuring out what to eat was the only thing I needed to worry about for now.
I'd set aside the aftermath of rejecting Nightmare's offer for later.
What to eat... hmm.
If I'd followed my original plan, I'd probably just finish the leftover choco pie from Harin and call it a day.
Since we were already out, I might as well go for something tastier.
Otherwise, there was no point in coming out at all.
"Do you want to eat anything specific?"
"I..."
Harin lowered her head a little and started thinking.
Still, I already knew what she liked best, so the image was already forming in my head.
Probably something sweet like a choco-flavored snack or cake at a nearby café.
Or if not, something less sweet, like cheese or peach-flavored things.
Yeah, that kind of snack, I figured.
"...Choco pie."
And, as always, that's exactly what she did.
Harin took a bite of the choco pie the moment we stepped outside.
Just the sight of her out here hunting down choco pie made me wonder how much she really loved it.
I still couldn't understand why she was so obsessed with it.
Even if you loved it, eating it 365 days a year, every month, every week, twenty-four hours a day... didn't you get sick of it?
I asked her that thought.
"Aren't you tired of choco pie?"
"Of course not."
"...?"
That didn't make any sense at all.
She got sick of it, yet she ate whole boxes without even blinking.
Why?
"But choco pie is the least tiring and the most delicious, so..."
"Ah."
It was all about value for money.
Of course, buying whole boxes instead of single pies was inefficient, but I decided to let it go.
Since Harin liked it... well, that was that.
"And..."
While I was thinking that, Harin spoke up again.
I listened carefully, thinking she had something left to say, but there was no immediate answer.
She just paused for a moment, or maybe she almost opened her mouth by accident.
That was the only thing that crossed her face.
"And what?"
Frustrated, I asked her, but Harin ruffled the hair on the side opposite our clasped hands, then spoke in a voice mixed with irritation.
"...Sigh. Fine. Even if I say it, you probably won't understand."
"What kind of nonsense is that?"
Harin blurted out something I couldn't understand, then pointed ahead with her chin and started walking, pulling me along.
I kept asking what she meant as we followed her, but she gave no reply.
She just kept walking wherever her feet took her.
Before I knew it, we had stopped in front of a café that smelled faintly of sweetness.
I looked around to see why she'd stopped, and there was Harin staring intently at the menu board hanging outside.
"Hmm."
I peeked at the board from the side, and her eyes were fixed on a line that read 'Limited Menu'.
Choco Frappé with Strawberry Cream Cake Set...
Eating that alone would probably exceed the daily recommended sugar intake by 1,000%.
It wasn't even regular; it was a special menu, so the sugar content was probably even higher.
Still...
"Frappé..."
Harin seemed really hungry for it, so I figured that's what we'd get.
"Let's go eat."
"...For real?"
Harin licked her lips and carefully stepped inside the café.
I watched Harin sit in the corner as I went to the counter and placed our order.
A moment later the notification bell rang, and I carried a tray with the choco Frappé, strawberry cake, and an Americano toward our seats.
"Why Americano?"
"I don't want to end up with diabetes if I keep eating only sweets."
That was my honest thought.
It wasn't some joke about Americans getting free health insurance.
Diabetes was one of the scariest diseases, especially when it hit young.
"...Hmph. Whatever."
"Whatever?!"
Harin didn't care and took a small sip of her Frappé, then picked up her fork to cut the cake.
"...I can just fix it with magic."
She immediately speared a piece with her fork, brought it to her mouth, and started eating with obvious delight.
-Glurp, glurp.
A faint smile appeared on her lips as if she was happy.
I took a sip of my coffee only after I saw that.
"Tastes good?"
"...Yeah. Really good."
Harin answered shortly and gave a clearer smile.
Her bleached-blond hair and reddish eyes looked cool from the outside.
But inside, the Harin I knew was still there.
-Swish.
I speared a piece of cake too, took a bite, and felt the soft bread and sweet cream fill my mouth.
The sugar rush made my brain cells start working hard again.
"Whoa..."
I sipped my Americano lightly through the straw and kept thinking.
Good. I definitely needed to handle my own stuff now.
After rejecting Nightmare's request, I didn't know what kind of storm would hit, but...
Combining what Mina had said last time with what Nightmare had told me, it was clear it wouldn't end normally.
Fortunately, Harin was right here with me.
The class president and Mina were too.
Still, it worried me that Nightmare could tighten my heart at any moment...
If she was going to kill me right away just because I refused, she wouldn't have said she would grant me a nightmare.
Of course, if it was the pain of a heart attack, struggling and dying without resistance, or not knowing when my heart would stop and calling that a nightmare, then whatever.
...Come to think of it, that was also insanely scary?
How the hell was I supposed to live now?
"...Hey."
While I was lost in those thoughts, Harin called out to me.
"Huh? What?"
"...Give me just one sip of your coffee."
"Heh, it's too sweet?"
"..."
Harin nodded without saying anything.
I slid the coffee cup I'd been drinking toward the strangely flushed Harin.
She grabbed it and took a sip right away.
"...Bitter."
Her expression twisted instantly.
"You didn't put syrup in it?"
"It didn't feel like I should."
"Tch..."
Harin handed the cup back to me with an annoyed sound.
I took it and sipped lightly again, then went back to thinking in silence.
But.
"...Why."
While I sipped my coffee quietly and ate cake, I kept glancing at Harin dozens of times.
Each time, Harin would look at me, then glance at the coffee cup I was holding, and quickly look away as if she hadn't seen it.
Even the legendary Harin seemed overwhelmed by the sugar rush she couldn't handle without coffee.
"...Want some more?"
"...No."
-Slurp.
Harin answered that way and kept sipping her Frappé.
Just watching her made me think she was about to fall asleep from the sugar overload, yet she was eating it so well.
"...Hey."
While I was still thinking that, Harin spoke up.
"...Do you have any worries?"
"Huh? W-what do you mean..."
"I've known you since kindergarten. How could I not know you had worries?"
She tilted her head, then frowned slightly and stared straight at me.
There was a feeling like she could see straight into my heart.
I shivered.
"What's wrong? Is it because of me?"
"Ah, no... It's not because of you?"
Because of the other executives, though I couldn't say it out loud...
"...Right now I'm a little clear-headed, so I'm saying this."
Harin continued.
"If you need help, tell me anytime. I can... probably do something like that."
She gave a light smile and looked at me with eyes full of warmth and red.
"...Yeah. Okay."
I answered with a light laugh and nodded.
Even if I rejected her, I'd be fine somehow.
With Harin, the class president, and Mina believing they'd save me.
I hardened my resolve again.