Chapter 281

"Hello. Where can I find College Entrance Math II?"

I flashed a bright smile at the female clerk. She jumped slightly from the books she was organizing and looked around frantically, like someone urgently searching for something, before extending an arm to point the way.

"The math section is over there... Please, come this way. I'll show you."

There was a male clerk right at the bookstore entrance, but this was exactly why I had gone out of my way to approach the female clerk further inside. She would be much kinder than a man. The reason, of course, boiled down to my face and my voice. Rather than dealing with a gruff or fake response, wasn't it better to talk to someone whose kindness, however excessive, was completely genuine?

"College Entrance Math... College Entrance Math... Ah, here it is."

The clerk didn't just lead me to the math section; she even tracked down the specific book. I took the copy she handed me and spoke.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome. Would you like to check out now?"

"No, I'm going to look around a bit more."

"Okay. Please let me know anytime if you need anything else."

"Sure."

I watched the clerk hesitate before walking away, then scanned the inside of the bookstore. The sheer size of it, the shelves and displays packed tight with books... I got the strong feeling this place didn't suit me at all.

Just smelling that distinct scent of new paper was giving me a headache. I would pick out a few manga volumes and head home.

With that thought, I headed to the comics section. I was browsing the various titles when...

"This looks good. Right, Hiyori?"

"Yeah. I was thinking the same thing."

A familiar voice drifted over from a nearby aisle. It was the clear tone I had been hoping to hear today. The voice belonged to Hiyori.

I had harbored a hope that maybe, just maybe, Hiyori might be at the bookstore. I had thought about wanting to run into her, but to think it would actually happen. Today was a very lucky day. This protagonist buff... wasn't it a little too sweet?

As I'd thought before, I couldn't just boldly approach Hiyori. Especially right now. If I acted like I knew her when we only had a shallow connection as a cafe employee and a customer, she would think I was a stalker.

I needed to act according to the situation. I really had run into her by coincidence, after all. Just like easing a kitten's guard, I had to take it slow... and get to know her naturally.

Pushing down my excitement, I pretended to browse the manga as I slowly moved toward Hiyori's aisle.

"What genre is this? Romance?"

"Looks like a romance thriller... The cover is creepy."

Hiyori and her friend's conversation grew clearer. From the context, it sounded like they were picking out a romance manga.

Quietly arriving at the corner, I cast a sidelong glance in the direction of their voices. Hiyori was crouching a short distance away, and beneath her skirt, her flawless, pale white thighs stood out.

Jeez... What is she going to do if other guys see? It's not like I can gouge out all their eyes. She really has no sense of caution.

It didn't look like she was wearing tights. It was winter; wasn't she cold? Stealing glances like this, I really did feel like a stalker.

I couldn't become someone like Tetsuya. My wish to see her had been granted, so I should stop spying here.

Feeling a wave of self-reproach and embarrassment, I was just about to turn away and leave Hiyori whispering with her friend when...

"Um, excuse me..."

Hiyori's signature voice, pitching up at the end, rang out right behind me. I hadn't expected her to call out to me, and my heart gave a massive jolt. I forced down my excitement, managing to calm myself a little. Once I had my emotions as under control as possible, I turned around.

"Yes?"

"I want to get a book from the top shelf, but I can't reach... I'm sorry, but could you grab that one for me?"

Hiyori pointed upward with a bright expression. For some reason, the red polish on the tip of her extended index finger looked subtly alluring. I nodded with a dazed look on my face and reached for a book near where she was pointing.

"This one?"

"No, the one next to it."

"This? His and Her Obsession?"

"Yes, that's the one."

A romance manga with a story about mutual obsession? The cover gave off a somewhat mysterious vibe, and since Hiyori had chosen it, it would probably be good.

"Just volume one?"

"Yep."

She wore a tomboyish expression, like she had just thought of something amusing. A lot of people saw that face and misunderstood, wondering if Hiyori was actually interested in them.

But she wasn't. That expression was simply a reflection of Hiyori's mischievous personality. Simply put, it was just her usual face.

Wait, did she not recognize me? My face and build weren't exactly easy to forget... I was starting to feel a tiny bit hurt.

I pulled the book out and handed it to Hiyori, and she gave a small bow.

"Thank you. By the way... don't you work at a cafe? Cafe 24."

She did recognize me. My disappointment vanished in a flash. Just knowing I had stayed in Hiyori's memory made me feel good.

Should I act like I knew her too? If I approached her too familiarly for no reason, she might just find it burdensome.

Wait, why was I acting so timid? I must have let the guidebook's warning about her top-tier difficulty level psych me out, but this wasn't like me at all.

It wasn't like Hiyori had a forgettable face either. She wouldn't find it suspicious if I recognized her. If she mistakenly thought I had tailed her here, that would be a separate issue, but as long as I acted a little surprised, it would be fine.

"I do."

Nodding in confirmation, I looked back and forth between Hiyori and her friend. Then, lightly scratching the side of my head, I put on a thoughtful expression and continued.

"Are you two... the customers who came in the other day? The ones who ordered free drinks with a coupon..."

"That's right! How did you kno— Ah, sorry..."

She started to reply with obvious delight before covering her mouth. She must have felt embarrassed about raising her voice in a bookstore.

Barely suppressing the urge to mess up her hair—she was about half a handspan shorter than Miyuki—I spoke with a smile.

"It's rare for regular customers to order with a coupon, so I remembered."

"Regular customers?"

"Most of the people who fill out a whole coupon are employees from the companies and shops around the cafe."

"Oh, really?"

"Yeah."

Did Hiyori think of this encounter as destiny? Looking at her expression, it didn't seem like it. Her asking how I knew was probably just intended as a polite greeting, right? Hiyori was naturally friendly even to strangers.

Regardless, using formal speech with each other made the distance between us feel subtly stark. Honestly, it made sense; unless one of us made a move, our current relationship was at a stage where it was hard to either progress or regress.

I could have easily kept the conversation going if I wanted to, but my gut told me it was best to stop here. Building up her affection level in earnest wouldn't start until Hiyori enrolled in the Academy.

There was a good chance we would run into each other a few more times before then, and since she didn't seem to have any more questions, I should be the one to cut it off. It was a bland conversation without much impact, but I was satisfied with just cementing my face a little deeper into her memory.

"Well, I should get going. Please visit again."

"Thank you for getting the book for me. Bye!"

Substituting a smile for an answer, I grabbed a random book and headed for the checkout counter.

"Let's go look at the fashion magazines now."

Hiyori's voice drifted from behind me as she instantly resumed chatting with her friend, seemingly having already forgotten our conversation. How would she react when she met me at the Academy? I hoped she would really think of it as fate then.

Thinking that, I finally glanced at the manga I had grabbed and let out a silent gasp. It was a fairly explicit manga related to sexual fetishes.

Why the hell were they selling this at a normal bookstore? Did Hiyori see it? I hadn't heard them talking behind my back about the guy picking out something weird, and their voices hadn't dropped to a whisper, so... probably not.

On a lucky day, there was always a catch. I felt awful. If I had to describe it in detail, it felt exactly like Tetsuya crashing in the middle of a conversation with a heroine.

I was lounging around back at home when Miyuki showed up out of nowhere. My eyes went wide.

"What's up? I thought you were staying home."

"Matsuda-kun. Let's study."

"Study? That's tomorrow."

Tomorrow was the day we were supposed to go to Tetsuya's house. That was the promise, so what was her motive for bringing up studying all of a sudden? I got my answer soon enough.

"Tetsuya's house is undergoing construction, so we have to do it somewhere else."

"Construction?"

"Yeah. The basement at Tetsuya's house is a bit old. He said it smells bad because they're applying paint and cement. And there's a lot of banging noises..."

"They're doing construction out of nowhere?"

"He said it's taking longer than scheduled."

I had been curious to see just how beautiful the guy's mother was, and whether that tanned girl I saw last time was his older or younger sister. What was with this sudden construction? Was Tetsuya making up excuses because he didn't want me in his house?

No, no matter how pathetic Tetsuya was, he wouldn't tell a lie that could be exposed so easily. Did that mean God was sending me a revelation, telling me not to NTR that bastard's family?

If so, then God had no taste. Stealing the family of a friend who bullied you or who you hated was a staple NTR trope with a massive fanbase and endless variations in porn and manga... It was a guaranteed, reliable flavor...

How truly tragic.

"Really?"

"Yeah. He said he was sorry."

"Well, it can't be helped, but why study today? We can just do it anywhere tomorrow."

"Since your desire to study must have skyrocketed when you went to buy the book, I figured it would be good to get it done while you're at it."

"It actually plummeted. My head hurt the second I saw that math book."

"It's that bad? Then we definitely need to do it today. I have to build up your passion."

"What kind of logic is that?"

"Are you not going to do it?"

How could I say no when she shifted to such a mournful tone? The heart of a man who yields even knowing it's just an act... Who would understand this feeling?

"I don't mind doing it today or tomorrow, but where are we going to do it?"

When I let out a hollow laugh and showed signs of agreeing, she instantly brightened and answered.

"We're going to do it at a cafe."

"A cafe? Which one?"

"The cafe Matsuda-kun works at. But are we allowed to study there?"

Study there? That was perfect. It would be a chance to vaguely hint at the relationship between Miyuki and me to Renka... Plus, Chinami was there right now, so it could serve to build intimacy among the three of them.

Maybe Tetsuya's house construction and Miyuki's sudden whim were actually brilliant arrangements by God. I felt sorry for doubting Him, even for a moment. I would have to go to the Shrine tomorrow and make a shrine offering.

"It'll be fine. Did you tell Miura?"

"He said he'll come on time."

"If you already told him, that means you just assumed I would agree."

"Yeah."

To dare pull such a sly fox-like trick... How shameless. Still, I was in the wrong for a lot of things, so I'd let it slide.

I nodded weakly and spoke.

"If we do it today, we rest tomorrow, right?"

"We have to do it tomorrow too."

"...Seriously?"

"I'm kidding."

I swallowed the words, 'It's scary because you say your jokes so seriously.' I chuckled as Miyuki struggled over to me, lugging my bag. Everything she did was so cute that I couldn't possibly hate her. Not that I'd ever even considered hating her in the first place.