Translator: mii
Editor: Ryuunakama
Day 84
I unusually woke up when I heard my alarm sound. I wonder if it was unusual? I also woke up early last week for another errand.
My head also didn"t feel heavy since I had prepared. Well, I wanted to drink my coffee. But it wasn"t hard for me to crawl out of my blanket.
The reason why I forcibly woke up was that it was the last weekend before the test, so I had to study… or that was the plan, but I had another task to do.
Kouhai-chan"s birthday was on the 12th. Tuesday next week.
She told me that we didn"t need to celebrate it on the day, but it"s better to give her her birthday present early. Rather, since the standard was 3 days, it would be too late if I waited until the weekend.
Well, even with that schedule,
I didn"t even know what I should give her.
If I already decided on it, I could just buy it on Amazon. It would be a little cheaper too. But I haven"t decided on anything, so I planned to go to town.
I entered the ticket gate and headed to the opposite platform. Today, I decided to go to the terminal station where I went by train that went in the opposite direction of the school.
…Now that I think of it, this was the train Kouhai-chan and I took on our first “date”.
When I remembered that, I couldn"t help but see the opposite platform across the two tracks. I kept my eyes on the pillars we leaned on every morning.
What kind of relationship did people who look at Kouhai-chan and I from this side think we have?
In the first place, did I look older than her? She was leading me around by the nose that much after all.
If they could hear our conversation, they might find out in her honorifics, but at this distance, they could only observe that I was completely teased. Uu…
When I was thinking about such things, the broadcast announced that the train would leave the platform.
The reason why the train felt super slow today, was it because I was taking a train on my day off, or was it because I usually talked with Kouhai-chan?
Should I study for the final exam next week? After all, senpai seemed to do his best. Anyway, this is the first serious exam since I started to speak with senpai.
…Well, it will be my birthday before that. I am sixteen years old this year. Speaking of that, I could now legally marry. That was what my home economics teacher said.
Marriage, huh.
I wonder if I will marry someone? If I did, who would I marry?
… It"s still a long way ahead, so let"s put that kind of thought on hold.
It was past eleven in the morning now.
I might be too early to send senpai a LINE message on a day off, but… there was last week"s incident as well, so let"s just do it now.
I didn"t go out unprepared. I had researched some places where there were shops that seem to sell fashionable accessories (?) that women like. For some reason, this city was their home ground. I finally arrived at the commercial facility full of girly stuff.
From here, it would be an area where I never stepped inside in my whole life. I feel like there is a refreshing scent that smells like perfume or soap.
…This is not a place where a man enters alone, huh.
Well, there"s no helping it since I already come, and they will only give me a weird look in the worst case, so I walk inside the store slowly, trying to show an “I"m just a pa.s.serby~~” atmosphere.
There are a lot of things, huh…
For me who has lived a life completely unrelated to this, there are things that I don"t even know how to use. What is the slightly thicker spaghetti-like thing in that gla.s.s bottle?
When I was walking in with a feeling of getting lost in another country (since I didn"t care much about these things until now), my smartphone in my pocket shook.
A LINE notification. From Kouhai-chan.
It"s early for a holiday. When I remember what happened last week, she should be planning something again, right?
For now, it will be disastrous if she asks me “a question” about where I am. I have to move before I answer.
Well… I think it"s a good idea to have an early lunch.
Maharun♪：Good morning~
After fifteen minutes, I got a reply.
Iguchi Keita：Oh, morning
Nn, I wonder if this is what I am currently thinking.
Senpai is clever, so he might have delayed his reply on purpose even if he had already woken up.
But this person usually wakes up at this kind of time when it"s the weekend, eh.
Now then, how can I find out?
Maharun♪：What is your breakfast today?
Iguchi Keita：The usual
Iguchi Keita：White rice and coffee
Maharun♪：What a harmonious combination
Iguchi Keita：Not really
For him to eat breakfast on his day off is abnormal, eh.
Maharun♪：Well then, senpai. Here"s my『today"s question』.
Nn?
I have a bad feeling.
I feel like I just answered her question about my breakfast normally, though.
Maharun♪：Senpai, what are you doing now?
Maybe she found out because I did something abnormal?
Something that was unusual… ah. I wouldn"t eat breakfast on my day off normally. Of course she would find out.
I really can"t be too careful with her, huh.
I"m glad I have taken defensive measures.
It"s so embarra.s.sing to say that I was looking for her present.
Iguchi Keita：I am eating udon
Maharun♪：Udon
Iguchi Keita：[Iguchi Keita sent you a picture.]
It"s cheap. I got tempura, but it"s still cheap.
Maharun♪：You"re also not in your home, but at a store, huh
Iguchi Keita： I"m at Marugame
Maharun♪：Ahh.
I wonder if Kouhai-chan ever came here. It makes me a little curious, but I have something I"m more curious about than that.
Iguchi Keita：『Today"s question』. Kouhai-chan, what are you currently doing?
Iguchi Keita：Or rather, before you chatted with me via LINE
Maharun♪：Nn
Maharun♪：I was daydreaming at home
So there are times when even Kouhai-chan daydreams?
Iguchi Keita：Seriously?
Maharun♪：Yes
Maharun♪：I thought that maybe I should study for the test
Iguchi Keita：No, please study
Maharun♪： But I"m smart
Iguchi Keita：Yes, yes, you are amazing
The genius type sure has it nice.
Maharun♪：How about senpai? Is it okay for you not to study?
Iguchi Keita：I am prioritizing this minor business
Maharun♪：Hee
Maharun♪：Even if it"s a minor business, you prioritize it, huh
Maharun♪：Hee
Iguchi Keita： What"s with that?
Iguchi Keita：It"s not wrong, right?
Maharun♪：No, not really?
She definitely guessed what I was doing, huh.
Kouhai-chan teased me today as well, it was a little frustrating.
Maharun♪：You still haven"t finished your errand, right?
Maharun♪：Please do your best!
Iguchi Keita：Ou…
This was the end of our LINE chat.
She didn"t say anything about having a date today. Well, it was only as expected.
I felt a little surprised at how I myself was feeling a little lonely.
Now then. Let"s find her present and go home to study. I didn"t get caught by Kouhai-chan today after all.
I drank a cup of water and got up from the udon shop counter.
The things I knew about my senpai 84
It seems like he has something else he prioritize over study even before the test.