Chapter 355

The pouring rain only stopped after we extended our room time by three hours.

Dark clouds still choked the sky, though.

It looked like it could pour again at any time.

At this rate, we were going to spend the whole day stuck inside this entertainment cafe, so I reached out and flicked the stray cowlick on Hiyori's head to wake her up as she slept with her mouth hanging open.

Tap, tap.

"Hey. Wake up."

"..."

She didn't move a muscle.

She was completely out cold, having even kicked off her Blanket.

Seeing her sleep so soundly with a guy right next to her made me think that our first time together wouldn't have the same bashful tension as it did with the other heroines.

I wanted to lean in and plant a kiss on her right then and there, but I held back.

Shaking my head, I wondered how to wake her up instantly.

Poke.

I lightly poked her slender waist with my finger.

"Hngh...?"

That finally got a reaction out of her.

She blinked her drowsy eyes open, looked up at me, rubbed her eyelids, and sat up.

She let out a groggy little sound, glanced around with a blank expression, and finally locked eyes with me.

"..."

"..."

We held a brief staring contest before her eyes suddenly narrowed.

Her mouth slowly fell open as she let out a few short, hitching gasps. She was about to sneeze.

Realizing my face was directly in the blast zone, I snatched up the Blanket and threw it over her head.

She continued to gasp under the fabric for a moment, but the urge to sneeze must have passed. She pulled the Blanket down and smacked her lips.

Then, without paying me any mind, she stretched.

She balled her hands into tight fists and thrust her arms up at an angle, exposing her smooth underarms.

She let out a little full-body shiver at the peak of the stretch, and the sight was enough to drive me crazy.

Unaware of my inner turmoil, Hiyori—who had just put on a whole erratic show in the span of a few seconds—stared at me with half-asleep eyes.

"What time is it...?"

"It's time to eat."

"Really...? I'm not hungry... Did the rain stop?"

"Yeah."

"Then do we have to go out?"

"Sounds like you want to stay here."

"I'm tired... I don't want to go back outside..."

"Should we just spend the whole day in here, then?"

"No... Yes..."

"Is that a no? Or a yes?"

"I don't know..."

She slumped forward as she mumbled.

She reached her arms out for another stretch, showing off some serious flexibility.

Tapping her slender fingers against the mat as if playing a piano, she shot me a sudden, playful glare before flopping flat on her back.

She pulled the Blanket over herself and curled up into a little ball like a shrimp.

"Sunbae-nim. I'm cold."

"You want me to turn off the AC?"

"Yeah."

She was making herself right at home.

I turned off the air conditioner and stared down in disbelief as she began rolling back and forth across the narrow room.

"Having fun?"

"No."

"Then why are you doing that?"

"To stop you from lying down, sunbae-nim."

So childish.

I felt like I was seeing a whole new side of Hiyori today. As she rolled toward me again, I planted my leg right in her path.

Her back bumped against my calf, bringing her to a halt. I nudged her away with my foot and claimed my spot on the floor.

Lying side by side with only a handspan of space between us felt strange.

It was a soft, ticklish sensation.

When was the last time I felt like this? Probably when I was with Miyuki.

"You're too broad, sunbae-nim. There's no room left."

Hiyori, on the other hand, clearly wasn't feeling the same tension. She just kept rattling on, playfully complaining.

I seriously debated grabbing her by the waist to shut her up before finally speaking.

"Quiet down and hand me that manga next to you."

"The one I was reading?"

"No."

"Which volume?"

"Volume 2."

"Can I read it with you?"

"You won't understand anything since it's the second volume."

"You can just explain it to me, sunbae-nim."

"Fine."

Slide.

The moment I agreed, Hiyori scooted closer and pressed her head right up against mine.

We were close enough to feel the texture of each other's hair.

My breath caught in my throat. I quickly forced myself to relax and opened the manga.

Naturally, I didn't absorb a single word on the page.

I couldn't focus at all. All I could think about was how, if I turned my head even slightly, my lips would brush right against her high nose.

Holding the manga up between us also meant our shoulders were pressed firmly together.

The urge to just roll over and pull her into my arms threatened to bubble over.

"Who is this person?"

Hiyori pointed her index finger at a character on the page. Her sudden question caught me slightly off guard, but since I had actually paid attention while reading the first volume, I had no trouble explaining.

"He's the protagonist's sidekick."

"What's a sidekick?"

"...Are you asking seriously?"

"I'm joking."

"Then what does it mean?"

"Why are you testing me? It means someone who helps. Did you really think I wouldn't know that?"

"I thought you were asking because you didn't know."

"Anyone could tell I was just kidding... You need to learn how to read the tone."

"Your tone was completely deadpan."

"No, it wasn't."

"Yes, it was."

"I think I know my own voice better than you do."

"Don't talk back. If I say I'm right, then I'm right."

"Ugh... such a boomer."

"Should I show you what a real boomer is?"

"My mistake. Anyway, I'm hungry."

I gave her a dumbfounded look as she patted her stomach, turning my head slightly to stare at her.

"You said you weren't hungry."

"Now I am."

"Hand me the menu, then."

"Are we eating here?"

"Yeah."

"Okay."

Hiyori reached for the long menu sitting on the TV stand, only to let out a heavy sigh.

"I can't reach it."

Chuckling at the sheer laziness dripping from her voice, I planted my hand right next to her waist, deciding to teach her a little lesson for acting up.

I leaned my upper body over her chest and stretched my arm out to grab the menu.

As I did, gravity pulled my T-shirt down, letting the fabric softly brush against Hiyori's face and chest.

Her mouth, which had been yapping without end, snapped firmly shut.

She stole quiet glances at me as I looked over the menu. It seemed my little stunt had left her feeling flustered.

Though her face hadn't actually turned red.

"What do you want to eat?"

When I asked her what she wanted, Hiyori blinked out of her daze and replied with a question of her own.

"Huh...?"

"I said, what do you want to eat?"

"...You have to show me the menu first for me to know...!"

And just like that, Hiyori was back to her usual playful self.

I chuckled and gave a small flick of my finger. She sat up, scooting a little distance away before plopping back down.

"Hand it over...!"

Whining playfully, she snatched the menu right out of my hand.

I had a feeling today was going to be a lot of fun.

With that thought in mind, I sat there and picked out what we were going to eat.

After we ate, Hiyori complained that she was bored, so we headed back outside. We walked down the drizzling street side by side, sharing an umbrella.

Along the way, a stationery shop caught my eye. The glass windows on its first floor were plastered with stickers of cute fruit characters.

"Are you into cute stuff?"

Hiyori asked, flashing a sly smile like she had just found fresh material to tease me with.

I shook my head firmly and replied.

"No."

"Then why can't you take your eyes off it?"

"I'm looking for something."

"Like what?"

"Let's go in first."

"I asked like what...! Tell me...!"

I dragged a whining Hiyori into the shop with me. The first thing I looked for was the keychain aisle.

Judging by the stickers on the window, I figured they would sell all sorts of fruit-themed keychains.

My guess was spot on.

Once I confirmed they had the right keychains, I browsed through the rack until I found one with a round lemon slice on it.

I paid for it secretly while Hiyori was distracted browsing other items, then walked over to her.

"Are you buying anything?"

"Nope, just looking around. Did you find what you wanted, sunbae-nim?"

"Yeah. Let's go."

"What did you get? Hey, wait for me...!"

Once we were back outside, I held out the keychain—still in its clear plastic packaging—toward Hiyori, who was still grumbling.

She took it without thinking and tilted her head in confusion.

"What's this? A lemon keychain?"

"It's for you."

"For me? You're really giving this to me?"

"Yeah."

Her eyes widened, clearly shocked that I would give her a gift. Standing under the umbrella, she examined the keychain from every angle before finally speaking.

"Why a lemon of all things?"

"Thought it suited you."

"...Really?"

She beamed, clearly pleased.

Seeing the gratitude in her eyes, I scratched my cheek awkwardly and replied.

"Aren't you going to thank me?"

"I was just about to?"

"Do it then."

"Thank you. I'll cherish it."

‘I'm going to plaster everything you own with lemons.’

Swallowing that thought, I simply nodded.

"You're welcome."

"Should I put this on my bag? Or my Cell Phone?"

"Do whatever you want."

"Where do you want me to put it?"

"I told you, do whatever you want."

"I'm asking what you want me to do, sunbae-nim."

"And I'm saying I really don't care where you put it."

"Are you a tsundere?"

"Shut up. Let's just go get some coffee."

"The place where you used to work, sunbae-nim?"

"That's too far. Just take us to a place you know."

"Hmm..."

Hiyori glanced around before pointing to the sidewalk across the street, looking like she just remembered something.

"If we go that way, there's a cafe with delicious carrot cake."

"Let's go then."

As we walked toward the crosswalk, I made a mental note of the name of the shop where I bought the keychain.

That way, I could come back later on my own to buy ones for Miyuki, Renka, and Chinami too.

No, wait. For Chinami, I should just pick something out from the Momo-sama Goods Shop.

She probably already owned everything there, but I had no doubt she would be thrilled to attach a keychain I gave her to her Cell Phone or keys.

"How does it look, sunbae-nim?"

While I was lost in thought, Hiyori had already attached the keychain to her colorful Cell Phone case. She held the Cell Phone out to me, looking like she was waiting for a compliment.

The little lemon slice dangled back and forth between her index and middle fingers.

I looked at it and gave her my honest impression.

"It looks good."

Hiyori smiled brightly and slipped the Cell Phone back into her pocket.

Seeing her intentionally leave the keychain hanging out over the edge of her pocket was both amusing and endearing.

Relieved that she liked it, I walked alongside Hiyori across the wet, shimmering crosswalk.