Chapter 336: An Unexpected Four-Way Confrontation
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 336: An Unexpected Four-Way Confrontation
“Good work today.”
“Piss off.”
Heh. Even when I’m nice, I’m just asking for it.
I let out a dry laugh and stared at Renka, who flinched and quickly looked away, adjusting her clothes.
“Why are you always cursing?”
“Because I want to.”
“You live a pretty easy life, huh?”
“So what?”
“Are you going through puberty or something?”
“…”
Renka clamped her mouth shut.
She seemed embarrassed by her own childish retorts.
Even so, she’ll be acting the exact same way tomorrow.
That’s our Renka for you—a neurotic chihuahua who’s secretly a coward but always barks first.
I stepped closer to her, and as she flinched again, I patted her on the back.
My attitude was like that of a teacher who knows everything.
She spun around, swatting my hand away.
“Don’t touch me. You’re filthy.”
“What are you doing today?”
“Hanging out with Chinami. Don’t you dare interfere.”
“Wasn’t planning on it.”
“Then we’re good.”
“Why are you so prickly today? Are you asking to be punished?”
“What are you talking about…! If you’re done, then get lost.”
It’s funny seeing how much she’s starting to resemble me.
I was pondering how to punish Renka when Chinami came out, lightening the mood. I said goodbye to her and left the club room.
After that, I met up with Miyuki, who had finished her student council duties, and heard some unexpected news.
“What should I do? I think I have to go to my family’s home in the countryside right now.”
That’s what Miyuki suddenly told me.
“Why?”
“I don’t know. My mom and dad said they’re on their way here now.”
Did something happen?
If it were bad news, Miyuki’s expression would have been grim, but she looked the same as always.
In a romantic comedy, when something this sudden happens, there’s a high chance it’s nothing serious.
Still, I should probably let her go. If Midori and Wataru are coming all the way here themselves, there’s not much I can do.
I nodded slowly and replied.
“Alright. Let’s wait for them together.”
“You don’t have to…”
“Hush, let’s go. It’s been a while, I should say hello.”
Did she like my response?
A smile spread across Miyuki’s lips.
I walked with her to the main gate, and before long, a white SUV pulled up in front of us. I bowed my head.
Swoosh.
“Hello, Matsuda-kun.”
Midori greeted me after rolling down the passenger-side window.
It wasn’t just her; Wataru and Kana were there too.
All three of them were smiling, which only strengthened my earlier conviction.
“Hello. It’s good to see you all doing well.”
“Of course. It’s nice to see your face after so long, you know?”
Midori was the same as ever. Elegant and voluptuous.
I wondered how ecstatic a night with Midori, who exuded grace with every word, would be.
I felt like I could go at it until I was completely empty.
After exchanging greetings with Wataru, the luckiest man of our time, I gave a grin to Kana in the back seat.
“It’s been a while for you too.”
“Hi.”
Her bright, smiling face showed no trace of the embarrassment she felt when I’d held her by the waist before.
Usually, when you meet someone after a long time, don’t intense memories resurface?
I couldn’t tell if she was just incredibly adaptable or simply carefree.
I promised to visit their house soon, and as the car drove away, I watched Miyuki wave frantically at me before I turned back toward the academy.
Now I was stuck spending the day alone. If I’d known this would happen, I would’ve asked Renka to hang out.
No, wait. I can just go and join them.
Should the master really walk on eggshells around his slave?
Just as I was about to call Renka with that thought in mind,
“Matsuda-senpai?”
I heard Hiyori’s voice from behind me.
When I turned around, I saw her heading my way, seemingly on her way out of school.
Was this the good feeling I had earlier?
I guess there was a reason Miyuki had to leave.
“Are you done with your club activities?”
I gave a rough nod to Hiyori’s follow-up question.
“Yeah. You done too?”
“Yes.”
“Heading home?”
“Nope. I’m going to hang out.”
“Figured as much.”
“What’s that supposed to mean? That line was full of prejudice.”
“Go home and study. Your skin is getting all dark because you’re always running around in this heat.”
Startled by my words, Hiyori looked down at her own arm.
She has a surprisingly innocent side. It was absurd, but also funny.
“What do you mean, dark! It’s perfectly fair!”
Hiyori protested, scrunching up her nose so much that her brow wrinkled. I just shrugged.
“It will be soon. Make sure you wear sunscreen.”
“I already do, you know?”
“Stop talking back. So, where are you hanging out?”
“Downtown.”
“The shopping district?”
“Uh-huh.”
“A cafe?”
“Probably?”
“What about Miho?”
“She already left. Said she was going to stop by her house first.”
“Really? Want a ride?”
“For real?”
Hiyori’s eyes widened, and her expression was just so incredibly cute.
It was worth being a sucker just to see that face.
With that thought, I pointed toward the parking lot.
“I’ll go get the car. You can wait here or come with me.”
“You’re not going to ask me for taxi fare, are you?”
“Just go by yourself, then.”
“Ah, I’m just kidding…! I’ll go with you.”
She immediately came to my side and grabbed the shoulder strap of my bag.
I clicked my tongue as I looked down at the innocent Hiyori, and we headed to the parking lot together.
* * *
Hiyori had so much to say that her mouth never stopped moving, showering me with all sorts of questions.
I was glad the conversation was flowing, but… it was a little exhausting.
I looked at her chattering away and said,
“Can we not drive in silence for a bit?”
“No way. They say if you’re in the passenger seat, you’re supposed to be a conversation partner.”
“Who says that?”
“The internet. It helps the driver stay awake, isn’t that good?”
“I wasn’t sleepy to begin with.”
“Really? Senpai, what’s your favorite food?”
“You’re not listening to me at all, are you?”
“So what is it?”
“I’m not picky. I eat everything. Except for eggplant.”
“Eggplant… Yeah, that’s the poster child for meal-ruining foods.”
As Hiyori furrowed her brow in agreement, a fresh lemon scent wafted from her and filled the car.
It was a really nice fragrance. It made me crave something lemon-flavored.
Did she read my mind? Hiyori rummaged through her bag, pulled out a Suichu candy, and offered it to me.
“Want one?”
“No.”
“You look like you want it. Don’t be shy, you can take it.”
I did want it. But accepting it felt like I’d be losing somehow.
I could just picture her smugly thinking she’d done a good job.
“I’m good. Where should I drop you off?”
“There’s a cafe three blocks from here. Drop me off there.”
“‘There’?”
“The cat.”
“Ah… right.”
“See? But are you leaving right away? Why don’t you have some coffee with me before you go?”
“Aren’t your friends coming?”
“It’ll be a while. I still have about an hour until we’re supposed to meet.”
“Then why don’t you go home first? Why are you trying to wait alone?”
“Is there a problem with that?”
“Not really… but, well… it’s your choice, I guess.”
“So you’ll have coffee, right? My treat.”
This kind of forwardness was something I hadn’t seen in the other heroines, so it still felt a little awkward.
But well… I had no intention of refusing.
This was the first time Hiyori and I would be hanging out alone together, just the two of us.
I’m not Tetsuya… there was no reason for me to back out.
“Alright. I’ll park in the public lot, then?”
“Okay.”
After finding a spot and parking the car, I walked with Hiyori into an alley.
As we entered, she scanned our surroundings.
She was looking to see if the cat she had sheltered with her umbrella was still around.
“It’s not here…”
After looking everywhere and seeing no sign of the cat, Hiyori let out a small, disappointed sigh.
She’s surprisingly soft-hearted. Too damn nice…
“It’s a stray, of course it’s not here. Don’t get attached. It’ll just lead to bad habits.”
“Whose bad habits? The cat’s?”
“No. Yours.”
“Hey, what’s that supposed to mean…!”
Hiyori pushed my back, seemingly baffled by my random teasing.
The unconscious skinship wasn’t strong, but it still got to me.
Don’t go around doing that to other guys.
The inside of the cafe had a bit of a social media aesthetic.
It was a small place, but the atmosphere was nice. They also sold a wide variety of desserts.
“What would you like to have?” Hiyori asked, taking her wallet out of her bag.
I stared intently at the menu before asking her a question.
“Have you ever tried the grapefruit tea?”
“No. I’ve seen a friend drink it, though. When I asked if it was good, she said it was okay.”
“I’ll have that, then.”
“Okay. Do you want to go grab a seat on the second floor? I’ll order and come up.”
I agreed and went upstairs.
It was about the same size as the first floor. But without a counter, it felt much more spacious. There were quite a few customers.
It’s popular, even though the seating isn’t great.
Is a cafe’s atmosphere really half the battle?
As I wandered around looking for an empty seat, I ran into someone unexpected.
“Mmph?”
Chinami, who was in a corner seat eating what looked like a piece of cake, had spotted me.
“Uh…?”
And she was with Renka.
It seemed this was the place the two of them had planned to hang out today.