A Date for Three (+A Secret Guest)
"Teacher, what is that?"
"An escalator…"
"Then what about that? Is it a wooden training dummy for sword practice?"
"No, that's a mannequin…"
Himari had looked magnificent tearing through the streets on her bike, long hair streaming behind her—but the moment they stepped into the mall, her eyes went round as saucers. Everything was brand-new to her, and she could barely keep her head on straight.
"Oh my gosh, look at that girl. She's adorable."
"Whoa, is she a Hunter? I thought she was a model…"
"Honey. You were just staring at that girl's legs, weren't you?"
Lua, on the other hand, couldn't lift her face. She'd steeled herself for this, but far more people were staring than she'd expected, and she shrank under the attention. Stylish Himari and Juju—plus the weapons the two of them were carrying—naturally drew every eye in the place.
I thought I'd gotten somewhat used to this…
Clearly, Lua still wasn't ready for the cold, hard outside world.
It would be best to finish their business and get out of here before her nerves hit the breaking point.
"H-hey, Juju."
"Yes, Teach?"
Juju, walking beside her, turned around.
"Um… is there some other reason you wanted us to come to the mall together?"
"Ah—w-well, that's…"
Juju hesitated, scratching her cheek and looking away.
Lua realized she was watching Himari for a cue. Himari herself, of course, was too busy gawking at everything to notice.
"Teach… could you maybe… go with just me…?"
It was rare to see Juju blush.
"Why? Is it something hard to say in front of Himari?"
When Lua dropped her voice to ask, Juju nodded.
Lua thought for a moment, then turned to Himari.
"Himari, mind looking around on your own for a bit? I'm going to step out with Juju."
She was a little worried about losing her Himari-shaped shield in a crowd this size—but the whole reason they'd come to the mall today was to grant Juju's request.
Or so Lua was thinking, lining up arguments to persuade her—
Himari's reaction was unexpected.
"Understood. I shall browse alone. How much time do you require?"
"Huh?"
Lua had expected her to insist on sticking close. Instead, Himari agreed without a fuss.
"A-about an hour should do it."
Himari nodded at Juju's answer.
"Understood. Juju—please look after Teacher."
"Don't you worry none."
"Then."
Himari bowed politely to Lua and headed back the way they'd come.
Guess there's something she wants a closer look at.
The way Himari tried to hide what she was really thinking was a little cute. Lua found herself smiling inwardly without meaning to.
"Okay, Juju. You can tell me now, right?"
"Ah… y-yeah."
Juju twisted her arms together, clearly nervous.
"Sooo, Teach. I know this is a tough ask, but…"
"Yeah."
Juju squeezed her eyes shut and forced the words out.
"I… I want you to make me into a girl…!"
Forgive me for keeping this from you, Teacher.
Himari strode away from Lua and Juju with firm, decisive steps.
The wide-eyed curiosity that had been drinking in everything around her was gone. Now she looked straight ahead and nowhere else.
Truthfully, I had been waiting for those words.
She hadn't said anything—she hadn't wanted to spoil a pleasant outing—but Himari had already noticed.
Someone was tailing them.
They've done a fair job of muffling their presence… but it still shows.
In that moment, Himari's razor senses rivaled any detection skill. The thought that this unknown presence following them might pose a threat to Lua was all the reason she needed.
Like a moon that pulls an oncoming meteor away from the earth, Himari—who had named herself Lua's moon—had a duty to protect her.
Feigning casual indifference, Himari brushed past a broad pillar.
"……"
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw someone behind the pillar in sunglasses and a high-collared coat, watching the direction Lua had gone and preparing to move.
—Tap.
Himari shot forward like lightning, seized the figure, and locked onto a wrist.
"?!"
"Stay still. Resist, and I will subdue you."
The stranger struggled, but couldn't break Himari's grip.
"L-let go of me!"
"A woman…?"
Moreover, it was a voice she'd heard somewhere before. Himari traced it back through her memory, then checked the face—and her expression went blank with shock.
"Senior Han Sua. What are you doing here?"
"Ah…"
—Clack.
In the scuffle, the sunglasses slipped off, revealing Sua's bare face.
"Oh my, fancy running into you here, Hoshikawa!"
"That greeting feels a little late, given the circumstances."
"…Guess that didn't work…"
Himari released her and picked up the sunglasses, holding them out. Now that the stranger had been identified as harmless, there was no need to restrain her.
"Did you come to see Teacher? If so, you could simply have come over and said hello."
"N-no, no. I was just out shopping and ran into you guys by chance…! I figured if I said anything I'd just ruin your fun weekend…!"
"Senior."
At the low drop in Himari's voice, Sua turned only her eyes toward her—like a puppy that knew it had done something wrong.
"Please tell me the truth."
"I… followed my sister… I was worried."
Only then did Sua's shoulders sag as she came clean.
"Worried?"
Himari tilted her head. Sua hesitated with a complicated look, then tugged her off to one side.
"This might take a while—want to go sit somewhere and talk? Coffee, maybe?"
"Cof…fee? You mean that black tea?"
Himari's eyes lit up.
"Very well. I have wanted to try it once myself."
Yet another new experience was waiting for her.
Being the weekend, the café was fairly crowded—but Sua and Himari managed to snag a nice window seat. A group of nearby men had been occupying both spots and kindly consolidated to free one up.
"Thank you."
"O-oh, no problem…"
The men couldn't take their eyes off Sua and Himari. Himari looked bewildered; Sua, practiced, gave them a little wave and turned her chair to sit.
"Don't mind them too much. Men are all wolves."
"Wolves…? They do not appear to be monsters."
"…Never mind. Just forget I said that."
A short while later, Sua returned with their drinks and slid a warm mug in front of Himari.
"Here. An Americano."
"What I requested was coffee, however…?"
"Yep. An Americano is a type of coffee."
Himari nodded as if that settled it.
"Then I shall taste it."
"Go ahead."
Himari lifted the mug respectfully in both hands and brought it to her lips—the perfect picture of Japanese tea ceremony form.
—Sip.
"……"
She set the cup down in silence.
"Uweh…"
Himari was not one to show emotion easily, but this time she couldn't hold it in. Watching her stick out her tongue in distress, Sua couldn't help laughing.
"I-it is foul. Senior—surely this is not revenge for how roughly I treated you earlier…?"
"No, no. Coffee just tastes like that."
Sua swapped it for the smoothie she'd ordered for herself.
"I figured this might happen, so I got something sweet too."
"Thank you…"
Only after a few sips of smoothie did Himari look restored.
Sua crossed her legs and drank the abandoned Americano. Even indoors, she kept the sunglasses on.
"Senior. Then, back to what you said earlier."
"Mm-hmm."
"You said you followed because you were worried about Teacher?"
"That's right. As you know, my sister is a little… unique. Looks and personality both."
"…Indeed."
Himari couldn't deny it. The elementary-school appearance at twenty-five, the unusually intense fear of people—both were unique, just as Sua said.
"But I do not believe that is a bad thing."
"Yeah, I'm not saying it is either. It's just… this is the first time she's really spent time with other people like this."
Sua answered with a faint smile.
"So I tailed you in secret, just in case something unexpected happened."
"…I understand."
Himari nodded.
"It is only natural to worry for the safety of one's own blood."
"Thanks for getting it."
"Not at all. I, too, was once a younger sister."
"Once…?"
Himari waved a hand with a bitter little smile.
"A matter of the past. But Senior—did you intend to follow Teacher the entire day?"
"Y-yeah. That's right."
Sua said it between sips of coffee. When the same men from earlier caught her eye and smiled, she gave them a perfunctory little wave.
"My sister's cute, so guys might try to hit on her, you know?"
"Men approaching…"
Himari flicked a glance at the men still diligently side-eyeing them. The constant staring was getting annoying.
"I see. Teacher would be even more flustered, of course."
"Mhm, right?"
Himari pulled her chair in closer.
"And also… though it may be improper of me to say as Teacher's moon, I agree that Teacher is cute."
"……!"
Sua's eyes widened a fraction.
"R-right? Especially the way she fidgets with her fingers when she's embarrassed."
"Correct. Her shy smile is also exceedingly cute."
Sua dragged her own chair closer as well.
"I know, I know. And the face she makes when she's making excuses—sometimes I scold her on purpose just to see it. I just want to nibble on her."
"When she sits in a chair, the way her feet do not reach the floor is cute."
"And when she's barefoot in her room dangling them, it's twice as cute."
"…! I would like to see that as well."
The two women's conversation grew steadily more heated. Lua would have had a heart attack if she'd overheard—but from the outside, it looked like nothing more than an elegant chat between two beautiful women.