Chapter 435

"Ah! W-what are you doing!"

"Touching your butt."

"What..."

Hiyori's mouth fell open slightly at my completely unhesitating response.

She must have been dumbfounded by my honesty, fully expecting me to make some sort of excuse.

She sat there blankly for a moment, then flinched and leaped to her feet when my hand slid past her rear and tried to reach between her legs.

"Let's exercise...! Exercise...!"

"What kind of exercise?"

"Ah, why are you thinking of something perverted...!"

'I'm amazed you immediately jumped to that conclusion.'

I snorted at Hiyori, who was glaring at me in an attempt to be intimidating, and flicked my fingers upward.

At this, Hiyori snapped to attention like a terrified new recruit.

And without me saying a word, she started stretching on her own.

It was extremely rare for someone so skinny to have such a developed rear, but Hiyori was one of those rare cases.

The feel of it rivaled Chinami's. 'I'll have to feel both of theirs at the same time later.'

With that thought in mind, I warmed up alongside Hiyori, whose rigid, angular movements made her look like she was doing calisthenics.

After that, I made Hiyori exercise all the way from our neighborhood to the edge of downtown.

"They sell pork cutlet sandwiches there. I want one."

Her tone made it sound like she had completely forgotten about the embarrassing incident back at the house.

'Our Hiyori really doesn't have a single worry in her head.'

She seemed to navigate the world with an 'everything will work out somehow' mindset.

I clicked my tongue as I watched Hiyori peel sweaty strands of hair off her cheeks and spit out the ones that had gotten into her mouth.

"Are you really going to shove greasy food in your mouth the second we finish a hard workout?"

"I exercise so I can eat."

"That is a universal truth, but... try to hold it in a bit."

"I can't."

"At least pretend to think about it before you answer."

"It smells too good. The temptation is too strong."

"Then let's go wash up and come back."

"Takeout."

"If we get takeout, it'll get cold and taste terrible."

"Microwave."

"The breading will get soggy."

"Ugh, if you're going to be like that, just tell me not to eat it...!"

"Fine, don't eat it."

"So annoying...!"

Hiyori snorted out a breath of air and glared up at me, her face full of rebellion.

Finding it somewhat cute how her cowlick, which usually stayed flat, was swaying in the wind, I spoke up.

"What are you looking at? You going to hit me?"

"Can I?"

"Try it. See what happens."

"Do you think I'm scared of your threats?"

"I told you to try it, didn't I?"

"You should know I'm only letting you off because of the affection we've built up."

"Stop fooling around. And stop spitting everywhere."

"When did I ever spit?"

"You just did a second ago."

"That was just to get the hair out of my mouth because it keeps getting stuck to my lips."

"You could just pull it out with your hand. Do you really have to spray respiratory droplets everywhere?"

"What are respiratory droplets?"

"Are you an idiot?"

"I'll admit to that, but sunbae-nim, you use difficult words that only a grandpa would use."

"I'll admit to that too."

"Would it kill you to speak so people can understand? It's not like you're bragging about knowing a lot of words..."

"Do you want me to spank you in front of everyone?"

When I raised a flat palm toward the grumbling Hiyori, she flinched and changed the subject.

"When should we exercise next?"

"Come by whenever it's convenient for you. But make sure to call..."

"First?"

"Exactly."

"Are you anxious that I might suddenly show up while Miyuki Hanazawa is there?"

'Where did she get the nerve to say something so bold?'

If I were anxious about that, I wouldn't have told her to come to my house in the first place.

I would actually welcome it. Hiyori visiting while Miyuki was there, that is.

Something had to happen for relationships to progress, after all.

"I'm just teaching you basic etiquette."

"I'm perfectly polite."

"My ass."

"I told you not to use old-man slang!"

"How is this old-man slang?"

"The person saying it never realizes how outdated they sound. Just like sunbae-nim is teaching me etiquette, I'm going to fix your way of speaking."

"I'd hate to talk like you, though."

"Well, I don't want to be a stuffy boomer like you either."

Hiyori was acting out a lot more than usual today.

Come to think of it, she seemed to get this way whenever I patted her butt or kissed her.

Did physical contact make her talkative?

I thought this every time, but I really couldn't figure Hiyori out.

"Let's just head back."

"What about the pork cutlet sandwiches?"

"No."

"Are you seriously saying no?"

"Yeah."

At my uncompromisingly blunt reply, Hiyori's shoulders slumped in defeat.

I knew she was faking it, but seeing her like that still made me feel bad. I decided I'd buy her some takeout on the way home to drop her off.

Working out with Hiyori, going over to Miyuki's house for dinner, meeting up with Chinami to go on dates at a net cafe and binge-watch dramas...

I spent the past few days in a leisurely manner just like that.

Up until that point, I hadn't contacted Renka, and Renka hadn't sent me a single text message either.

'Is she planning to keep up this battle of nerves for a whole week?'

I was having these thoughts while getting ready to go for a solitary jog late one evening.

Buzz—!

The Cell Phone in my pocket vibrated.

Thinking it might be a message from Miyuki, I checked the screen, only to find a text that made a smile bloom naturally on my face.

[You piece of Trash.]

It was from Renka.

She was cursing at me right out of the gate, making it glaringly obvious that my silent treatment was working perfectly.

She still had her overbearing attitude, but I was confident that would fade in a few more days.

'Should I reply, or should I wait?'

'Let's do a mix of both. I'll leave my Cell Phone at home, go for my run, take a slow shower, and reply after that.'

Just as I made up my mind and reached to set the device down on the table, Buzzzzz—! Buzzz—!

A chuckle escaped my lips as it vibrated long and hard multiple times in my hand.

'I don't want to answer, but it looks like I don't have a choice.'

Suddenly, I wanted to hear Renka's voice.

"Hello."

— Hey.

"Yes."

— Hey!

Her voice was so loud it made my ears ring.

I reflexively pulled the Cell Phone away from my ear and asked in bewilderment.

"What is it?"

— What.

"Seriously, have you been drinking?"

— I haven't been drinking.

"Then why are you acting like this?"

— Drop dead.

Judging by how her words weren't slurred, it seemed she really hadn't been drinking.

'Was she so upset that she felt the need to curse me out completely sober?'

I had met up with Chinami three times over the past few days; she must have told Renka all about it.

Renka was likely feeling hurt and left out that I was only hanging out with Chinami, prompting her to call me.

"Let's not use such harsh words, yeah?"

— Then don't drop dead.

Ah... I wanted to run over to Renka's house right this second and hug her so tightly she'd break.

Her voice just now was dripping with enough cuteness to make me think such thoughts.

Regardless, since she had reached out first just like I'd hoped, it was time to let her off the hook a little.

The only sound coming through the Cell Phone was the soft, rhythmic noise of her breathing.

I stayed silent for a moment, leaving a deliberate pause to make it seem like I was considering my options, and finally spoke right as Renka's breathing started to grow a little heavier.

"What are you doing?"

— Home.

"I mean, what are you doing at home?"

— I don't know.

"Could you give me a proper answer instead of these half-hearted replies?"

— I was reading a book.

"A comic book?"

— Yeah.

'What kind of manga was she reading to act out like this out of nowhere?'

I wondered if she had read a scene with a bit of conflict in a romance manga, thought it mirrored her own situation, and was just copying whatever the female lead did.

"Have you eaten?"

— No.

"I haven't eaten either. Want to meet up for a bit and grab dinner together?"

— Right now?

"Is it too late?"

— ...Not really.

"Then will you be outside your house in forty minutes?"

— Yeah.

Click.

She hung up the exact second she answered.

I let out a chuckle as I stared at the red "Call Ended" text on the white screen, then opened my closet and started getting dressed.

'I guess the workout will have to wait.'

Arriving in front of Renka's house right on time, I spotted her leaning her back against the wall.

She was wearing short shorts and a white T-shirt, and I couldn't tell if the outfit was due to today's particularly hot weather or if it was a deliberate attempt to seduce me.

I parked the car in front of her. When Renka sauntered over, opened the passenger door, and stared at me with an impassive expression, I matched her look and raised a hand in greeting.

"Good evening."

"...You really came?"

"Of course I did. Did you expect a fake me to show up? What a weird thing to say."

"Shut the... Be quiet."

It was hilarious how quickly she changed her tune right as she was about to curse.

Stealing a glance at her as she settled into the car and demurely placed her hands in her lap, I took my foot off the brake and asked.

"Is there anything in particular you want to eat?"

"Rice bowls."

Usually, whenever I asked this question, Renka would tell me she didn't know or just say anything.

But today, she had clearly chosen what she wanted to eat herself.

It was proof that she was swallowing her pride.

"Should we head downtown, then?"

"Whatever you want."

"Understood. We might have trouble finding a place, so could you look one up on the internet?"

"Yeah."

"Check for nearby parking lots, too."

"Yeah."

"You aren't getting annoyed and telling me to find it myself today?"

"When did I ever say that?"

"You didn't?"

"I didn't."

"Forget I said anything, then."

"Yeah."

Even giving me short, icy answers couldn't hide her cuteness.

Was this what it looked like when a girl who consistently radiated frostiness and rejected everything finally fell in love with the guy chasing her?

She was acting so incredibly moe that it was hitting my tastes dead center.

'I'll keep a closer eye on the situation while we eat and decide whether or not to initiate some light physical contact then.'

With that thought in mind, I glanced through the rearview mirror at Renka, who was tapping away on her Cell Phone, as we drove out of the neighborhood.