Chapter 342

"Ugh...!"

Renka scowled, her face scrunching up in disgust as she tried to avoid me.

She had reacted the exact same way when I walked into the Club Room earlier. Was she really that embarrassed?

Even so, she didn't have to act like she was looking at something vile.

It was starting to hurt my feelings.

"Why do you keep avoiding me?"

When I approached her and asked in a hurt tone, she flinched before quickly putting on a standoffish expression.

"D-Do you even have to ask? Every time we meet, you..."

"I what?"

"I'm worried you're going to do something weird again..."

"Would I really do that with so many people around? Or is that your kind of kink?"

"K-Kink, my foot...! Do you want to die?"

Her voice had carried, drawing the attention of the nearby club members.

Startled, Renka's eyes went wide, and she shot them all an awkward smile.

"It's nothing, just get back to what you were doing..."

Then she turned back to me—currently grinning from ear to ear—and continued.

"Wipe that smirk off your face. You made things really hard for me."

She was probably talking about how difficult it had been to clean up afterward.

"Was it really that hard?"

"Yeah."

"I'm sorry."

"..."

Did my easy apology soften her up?

The stiffness left Renka's face. She let out a deep sigh, her voice dropping to a quiet murmur.

"Whatever... Just go away."

"I don't have anywhere to go."

"Then find something to do...! You're the manager...! If there's no work, make some...! Or go train...! Ask Chinami to teach you...!"

She had certainly gotten better at shutting down my comebacks.

I had to give her credit for that.

"Alright."

I stealthily ran a hand down Renka's waist, chuckling when she quickly clamped a hand over her mouth to stifle a moan, and then went back to finishing my manager duties.

After wrapping up club activities in a great mood, I headed toward the main school building.

While waiting for Miyuki, I debated whether to hit up the School Store.

"Matsumatsuken sunbae-nim!"

Just then, Hiyori and Miho stepped out of the building.

While Miho offered a polite bow, Hiyori called out to me using that slightly bizarre nickname.

I returned Miho's greeting before tilting my head.

"Matsumatsuken?"

"Matsumatsuken feels a lot more affectionate than just Matsuken. Don't you think it's cute?"

Even if she was just talking about the nickname, Hiyori was the first person to ever call me cute.

It was a bit ridiculous, but strangely refreshing at the same time.

"Not really?"

"Yes really! I'm going to call you that from now on. I won't back down on this."

She was being stubborn over the weirdest thing.

Was she just going to start calling me Matsumatsu eventually?

The fact that she probably would was a little terrifying.

"When have you ever backed down on anything?"

At my casual retort, Miho let out a snort and quickly covered her mouth.

Proof that she silently agreed with me.

Seeing her best friend's genuine amusement, Hiyori let out a dry laugh.

"I guess nobody's on my side."

"Are you going through puberty?"

"Be quiet."

"Alright."

"What are you doing out here anyway?"

"I thought you told me to be quiet."

"You can talk now."

"I'm waiting for Miyuki."

"Hanazawa sunbae-nim? Do you always wait for her like this?"

"Getting a little casual there, aren't we?"

"It happens."

"Where are you two headed? Off to play again?"

"Yep."

"Don't you ever study?"

"Ugh, why are you bringing up studying again...!"

Her sulky, whining expression was adorable.

It made me want to slip a finger into that small mouth of hers.

I suppressed the urge and spoke.

"It's supposed to rain, so make sure you bring an umbrella."

"Oh, really? It's going to rain?"

"Yeah, starting around seven. By the way, did you ever return the umbrella you borrowed from me last time?"

"I dunno. Didn't I?"

"What do you mean, 'Didn't I?' You either returned it or you didn't."

"Well, you should know if I gave it back or not! Why are you asking me?"

I squeezed my eyes shut, feigning a headache, then nodded in resignation. Hiyori flashed a bright smile and waved.

"We're heading out now. See you later!"

"Just go already."

"Saying that just makes me want to stick around longer... but I'll let you off the hook for today."

Narrowing her eyes with a look that promised trouble later, Hiyori left with Miho.

She seriously never let me have the last word.

It felt even worse than my banter with Renka.

Was there any way to actually fluster Hiyori?

Acting like a preachy boomer just made her sick of me rather than flustered...

Maybe I should just make a blatant move on her.

I was genuinely considering it when I spotted Miyuki walking down the stairs, looking completely exhausted. That snapped me out of my thoughts.

The weather was cool, and my mood was refreshed.

It was the perfect day for a date.

I was sitting inside an ice cream shop with a faint smile on my face, people-watching as pedestrians passed by outside. Suddenly, Chinami sidled up to the exterior window, pressed her hands against the glass, and peered inside. I was momentarily taken aback.

She could have just walked in to see if I was there. Creeping at the window like that made her look like a stalker.

It was exactly the kind of eccentric thing Chinami would do.

With that thought in mind, I met her gaze—and practically leaped out of my skin.

The chest of her blouse was pressed completely flat against the windowpane.

Terrified that someone else might see her like that, I shot up from my seat. Chinami just tilted her head in confusion, as if wondering what was wrong.

I gestured for her to come inside. She nodded and finally opened the door to enter.

She was wearing a thin, white long-sleeved blouse paired with a bright pink skirt, and slightly heeled sandals with rounded toes.

To finish the look, her pretty toenails were painted with a glossy pink polish.

The cuteness was unbearable. How was Chinami such an absolute angel?

I wanted to take her home and cuddle her to sleep like a body pillow.

And Momoka too, if possible.

"Hello, Junior."

She greeted me while clutching the strap of her crossbody bag tightly in her tiny hands.

Her pure, innocent demeanor brought a fatherly smile to my face.

"Hi there. Was it a hassle getting here?"

"Not at all! The bus was pretty empty too."

"I probably should have just come to pick you up."

"Please don't say that. You would have had to go way out of your way."

Going out of my way wasn't the issue. I had only said that because I worried some random creeps might try hitting on her... but I decided to just let it go.

"You look pretty today."

"Eep!? I-It's very troubling when you say things like that out of nowhere...!"

Watching Chinami twist her body in flustered embarrassment over a simple compliment made my heart melt.

Reaffirming that going on this date was a great idea, I asked a question.

"Shall we get some ice cream cones before we head out?"

"Oh, we are eating outside?"

"Yeah. The weather's so nice, I thought it would be a good idea."

"In that case, I shall follow your lead, Junior. I will have the peach-flavored ice cream..."

"I asked them when I got here, but unfortunately, they're out of peach."

"Hmm."

Seeing Chinami's expression instantly shift into a pout brought a natural smile to my face.

I placed a hand on her back, giving it a gentle pat as I spoke.

"The soft serve coated in chocolate syrup looks pretty good. How about that?"

"Alright. Since you recommend it, Junior, I am sure it will be delicious. I will go with that."

"Understood."

"How much is it?"

"I'll pay for it, so how about you buy us some other snacks later, Master?"

"Aha. That sounds lovely."

After finishing the payment with the ever-docile Chinami, we grabbed our freshly made ice creams and stepped out of the shop to walk down the street.

Since the weather was absolutely perfect for a stroll, I led the way toward a famous nearby Park. As we walked, I glanced down at Chinami, who was carefully nibbling the tip of an ice cream cone that was longer than her own face.

"Is it good?"

"Yes! It is wonderfully sweet. Perhaps it tastes even better because you recommended it, Junior."

"Can I have a bite then?"

"Eep!?"

"Is that a no?"

"N-No. Not at all..."

Chinami completely lost her composure.

I wondered why she was reacting so strongly, but then I realized: it was cone ice cream, meaning she couldn't just break a piece off for me.

If I took a bite, my lips would touch it, and when she ate from it again, it would be an indirect kiss.

Even though our Chinami and I had already shared a deep, tongue-tangling kiss, she was still so painfully innocent.

Looking down at the girl whose inner thoughts were written all over her face, I opened my mouth. Chinami carefully offered up the cone, clutching it with both hands.

I met her eyes—which were swirling with equal parts curiosity and anticipation—and took a small bite off the top of the ice cream.

"H-How is it...? Isn't it absolutely delicious...?"

I smiled with my eyes in response to her trembling question, and held my own cone close to her face.

A silent invitation for her to take a bite.

Chinami's eyes went twice as wide. She swallowed hard, her throat bobbing visibly, before she opened her small mouth and took a teeny, tiny bite.

"Ahem... It is quite an exquisite flavor. I would even say it is a whole new discovery in the world of vanilla..."

That was her ridiculous review as she mumbled with her mouth full.

I just let it slide and held a hand out toward her.

"Shall we hold hands?"

"Y-Yes!?"

Her over-the-top reactions... It felt like I had brought her to a haunted house instead of a park.

"Come on."

I hurried the needlessly tense Chinami along. Looking like she had just made a monumental decision, she widened her eyes and slowly reached out to take my hand.

Acting like this made it feel as if I were a kidnapper luring a naive little kid away with ice cream.

For some reason, I felt incredibly guilty.

Soon, Chinami and I arrived at the Park. A short distance away, I spotted the Ferris wheel turning slowly.

I lifted our intertwined hands, pointing toward the Ferris wheel, and asked.

"Want to ride that after walking around a bit?"

"Oh... The Ferris wheel?"

"Are you not a fan?"

"N-No...! I would love to...!"

Chinami nodded enthusiastically. I noticed that a bit of melted ice cream had dripped down her cone and gotten onto her free hand.

Since we were holding hands, she hadn't been able to fish out a handkerchief or a tissue.

Actually, it was more likely she hadn't even thought about wiping it off in the first place.

I stared at Chinami for a moment as she gazed straight ahead with an intense, determined look in her eyes. Then, I lifted her sticky hand to my mouth.

And I sucked the melted ice cream right off her fingers.

"Myaaaaah...!?"

She gave a massive reaction, actually stumbling on her feet.

If a simple display of affection made her react like this, I had half a mind to wonder if she'd just faint once we were completely alone on the Ferris wheel.

I flashed a gentle smile at the now-pale Chinami and began strolling through the Park again, deliberately swinging our joined hands back and forth in wide arcs.

Wandering around without a solid plan like this wasn't bad at all.

Did Chinami feel the same way?

I certainly hoped so.