Chapter 351

Hiyori started chattering again as soon as the movie ended, as if she had already forgotten the incident inside the Screening Room.

Or maybe she hadn't forgotten after all.

Perhaps she had only gone to the bathroom midway through to soothe her flushed face.

"Sunbae-nim. I'm hungry."

She said this with every single button on her shirt now fastened.

I answered as we headed down the long hallway out of the Screening Room.

"You said you suddenly weren't hungry earlier when I suggested going to a conveyor-belt Sushi Restaurant."

"That was then, this is now."

"You ate almost all the Popcorn, and you're still hungry?"

"Yep."

"How are you so skinny when you eat so much?"

"You think I'm skinny?"

Saying that, Hiyori looked down at her chest, which was now thoroughly hidden behind her shirt.

One of the reasons she constantly caught me off guard was this exact sort of sudden, blatant behavior.

Of course it flusters me when she barges right in without a turn signal like that.

After seriously debating whether or not to scan her immodest, blessed body, I finally spoke.

"You're skinny enough."

"Am I? I do feel like I've been gaining a little weight lately..."

"Then exercise."

"I'm going to. I need to get a gym membership."

"Are you actually going to work out?"

"Yeah."

"I don't think you get to say that when you spend almost every PE class figuring out how to skip instead of participating."

"It's not every single time."

"Is that right? You aren't just going to quit after going to the gym for a few days, are you?"

"Do I look like I lack perseverance that much?"

"Pretty much."

"What kind of ambiguous answer is that? Didn't you see my perseverance when I was running away from Miyuki Hanazawa?"

"Can you really call that perseverance?"

Had my dismissive answer fired her up a little?

She stuck out her bright red lips in a pout, a crease forming between her eyebrows.

"Ah, so are we going to eat Sushi or not?"

"Let's eat. But don't you have plans this afternoon? Do you have enough time?"

"Yes."

"Where are you supposed to meet?"

"Downtown."

"Near here?"

"Not right nearby, but it's only about five stops away."

She seemed thrilled that her travel time was practically nonexistent, but she was going to have to stop by home first.

I couldn't let her run around in that outfit.

Starting today, I would radiate maximum boomer energy and completely remodel her sense of modesty.

"Yeah? Let's hit the Sushi Restaurant first."

"Got it. Just trust me and follow along."

Saying those dependable words, Hiyori took the lead.

I matched my pace to hers, reaching out to tap the stray ahoge sticking up from her head.

She furrowed her brow at my childish prank and looked up at me.

"Ah, why are you doing that...!"

"I wanted to poke it."

"Why on earth?"

"Because it's fun. If I press this down, does it pop back up?"

"Yes."

"That's fascinating... Sorry if you're insecure about it."

"I don't have insecurities like that."

Her confidence was good to see.

"Then I'll just keep doing it."

Tap, tap.

Was she dumbfounded by how I kept poking her ahoge like a kid who'd just found an interesting toy?

Hiyori shot me a deadpan look before shaking her head from side to side.

It didn't seem like she actually hated it... she was probably just baffled that I was acting like a little kid.

But what was I supposed to do when it was actually this fun? The tactile feedback was so good that it was dangerously addictive.

I'd have to do this every now and then whenever it came to mind.

The conveyor-belt Sushi Restaurant was packed with customers.

Sitting down at a booth table, we started scrolling through the touchpad to pick our Sushi.

Tuna, cuttlefish, eel...

I tapped through a few good options one by one before asking Hiyori a question.

"Is this really a conveyor-belt Sushi Restaurant? Aside from delivering our orders on a track, it's basically just a normal Sushi Restaurant. Even the track is strictly for our own orders."

"You know how there are those immature kids who mess with the Sushi? I heard they temporarily changed the ordering system because of them."

"Ah, really?"

"Yeah. But sunbae-nim. You weren't about to say that I was one of those immature kids, were you?"

"You've got some serious paranoia. I never even thought that."

"Really?"

"Yeah. You might be a little immature, but you don't have a bad enough heart to pull a stunt like that. Right?"

When I casually yet sincerely praised her good nature, Hiyori gave a small, embarrassed cough.

Then, her tone brightening, she spoke up.

"I mean, it's true... but why would you say that right to my face?"

"It's a compliment, so of course I should say it to your face. Am I supposed to praise you behind your back?"

"Well, no... I guess not..."

It was cute how she ducked her head in embarrassment and twirled a strand of hair around her finger.

It was very like Hiyori to melt at a compliment, even if she wasn't quite as susceptible as Renka.

Still, I couldn't afford to praise her like this every single day. She'd just build a tolerance to it.

It was better to leave her wanting my praise, making her naturally act cute to earn it.

Keeping those thoughts to myself, I added a few plates of Sushi to my cart on the touchpad and asked her a question.

"Aren't you ordering?"

"Ah, right. Sunbae-nim, is that all you're getting?"

"I'm just going to try a few first and decide if I want more later."

"Are you going for a gourmet vibe?"

"Stop talking nonsense and pick something already. I'm starving."

"Should we share some cold soba?"

"Can't you finish a bowl yourself?"

"I want to try the curry udon, too."

"Then let's do that."

"Let's split the fried crab claws too. An order comes with two, but they're super long, so it's a lot of food."

"Okay."

"You aren't getting salmon? The salmon is a popular item here, so it sells out fast. Should we get one plate each?"

"Got it, just order it already."

"Hey, it would be a waste if we ordered too much and couldn't finish it. I'm just checking, so why are you snapping at me?"

She actually made a fair point.

Conceding to her logic with a nod, I obediently answered every single one of Hiyori's barrage of questions—unsure if she was just teasing me or not—until we finally finished ordering.

Just like always, Hiyori chattered endlessly throughout the meal.

Asking how my food tasted, begging for just one bite, insisting I try the curry udon because it was amazing...

She kept running her mouth non-stop, but I honestly didn't find it annoying at all.

If anything, seeing Hiyori happily munching on Sushi and tapping her chopsticks together was so refreshing and cute that it was hard to fight the urge to keep staring at her.

Either way, the food was delicious across the board.

She really did know all the best spots, probably because she spent so much time wandering around the city.

Whenever I came downtown with Hiyori from now on, I'd have to use her as a human GPS.

If I just named what I was craving, I was sure she'd guide me straight to the perfect spot.

Once we finished our meal, I stepped out of the restaurant and glanced up at the sign.

Hiyori immediately poked my arm with her index finger.

"Why are you staring at the name? Planning to come back?"

"Yeah. It was pretty good."

"I feel like you're just going to forget it by tomorrow, though?"

"Just because you have a terrible memory doesn't mean everyone else does. Remember that."

"Are you calling me stupid?"

"If the shoe fits."

"Stop being so vague."

"Use your honorifics."

"Stop being so vague, please?"

She was getting even more cheeky than before.

Having a full stomach must have put her in a great mood.

She ate so much that she should have been sluggish by now... but it seemed like she burned all her energy just by talking.

Still, it was much better than watching someone pick at their food just to maintain their image, so I let it slide.

"Are you heading straight back, sunbae-nim?"

"I have to. It's not like I have anything else to do around here."

"Then come hang out with us."

"No thanks."

"Aww, are you too shy?"

She patted her stomach as she tried to tease me.

Suppressing the urge to mess up her hair, I simply flicked her ahoge in response and pointed toward the public parking lot.

"Stop messing around and let's just go."

"Where to?"

"The parking lot."

"Why? Are you going to drop me off at my hangout spot?"

"Yeah."

"Then I'll shamelessly take you up on that offer."

"Since when do you care about being shameless?"

"Oh, shut up...! Just eat this."

Hiyori playfully slapped my swinging hand and dropped something small and hard onto my palm.

I took a look and saw a piece of Suichu—Hiyori's favorite snack—resting on my hand.

When did she even buy this? She must have had it on her the whole time.

Though for some reason, her telling me to 'eat this' sounded awfully like a curse.

Probably just because of her aggressive tone.

We got in the car, and I drove slowly in the direction Hiyori pointed out.

As I drove, I cast a few sidelong glances at her.

"What? Why are you giving me that disapproving look?"

Hiyori had caught my gaze and asked with a puzzled expression.

I gave a light shrug and answered.

"If you walk around dressed like that, you're going to attract weirdos again, just like last time."

"We're hanging out away from the entertainment district, so it'll be fine."

That wasn't the point. I was just annoyed by the thought of other guys staring at her.

I didn't know if she had noticed, but there had already been a few wandering eyes on our way to the theater and while we were eating at the Sushi Restaurant.

"Just keep your buttons securely fastened."

Imposing restrictions on her clothes might have been crossing a line.

But so what? I had already made a vow to myself today. I was going to completely overhaul Hiyori's sense of modesty.

Like I thought earlier, it was fine if she showed that kind of look to me, but I refused to let her show it off to everyone else.

It would be great if Hiyori liked me constantly acting like an overprotective boomer, but even if she didn't, I didn't care.

"Haa... If you're that worried about it, just drive me home. I'll go change."

She probably said that assuming I'd find it too bothersome... but she made a grave miscalculation.

Deciding to take her joke completely seriously, I jerked the steering wheel.

The car smoothly slipped onto a side road.

Having never expected me to actually change direction, Hiyori's eyes went as wide as saucers.

"Wait... we're actually going?"

"You're the one who told me to go."

"I was just joking...? If I have to go back now, I'm going to be late."

"Go inside and change. I'll wait and drive you there myself."

"Are you seriously doing this?"

"Yeah."

"I promise I'll keep all my buttons fastened."

"Yeah, right."

"I'm serious!"

"I don't believe you."

"I mean it, I really mean it."

"Sure. Let's just go home first and talk about it."

"Ah, why are you going this far...!"

Hiyori whined, complaining against my absolute stubbornness.

The exact question I had been waiting for finally slipped from her pretty lips. I had to stay calm.

It was crucial to deliver an answer that would leave her agonizing over my true intentions for the next few days.

I took a brief pause, shot Hiyori a sidelong glance, and casually let the words slip out.

"Because I want to take care of you."

At that, Hiyori's mouth—which had looked ready to spout endless complaints—snapped shut as if by magic.

Had I been a bit too honest with my feelings?

No, seeing the absolute confusion on her face—torn between wondering if I meant it as a man looking after a woman, or just a senior looking after a junior—I decided it hadn't been too blatant after all.

Looking at Hiyori's reaction, I was completely sure my little trap had worked perfectly.

Go hang out with your friends, head back, and agonize over it all you want.