Shibuya, Hachiko statue.
I was waiting for someone at that utterly cliched meeting spot.
"Good morning~!"
Just as I was starting to get tired of the crowds, that cheerful, buoyant voice reached me.
Needless to say, it was Iroha Isshiki.
"Did you wait long?"
"Nah, not really…"
There were times when I wondered if I should just say "not at all," but oh well.
Still, meeting at the station like this reminded me of high school. We used to meet up like this back then too. However, the meaning behind it was different now.
"Is that so? I thought you came early because you were looking forward to our date."
Isshiki said that, then gave a devilish little smile. Yes, the premise was different from before.
This time, I had been ordered to go on a date as atonement for the sin of seeing Isshiki without makeup and humiliating her. Since I had refused so many times, her logic seemed to be, "Then it's okay for me to ask for something you dislike, right?" The question was whether it was okay to make a date a punishment game.
"I was really looking forward to it, though~"
Isshiki's outfit, as she said that, was indeed one I'd never seen before, suggesting she truly was excited.
A knee-length flare skirt and a thin sweater that clearly showed her figure. Her feminine, somewhat girlish attire made it impossible not to be aware of her womanliness. It was probably a clothing choice that factored in my likely reaction.
"…Is that so?"
"Yes, it is ♪"
As an antithesis to my indifferent response, Isshiki offered a cute and addictive smile. This was "cutesy of cutesy." I could smell danger wafting off her.
"Well then, shall we go?"
Isshiki said that, took my hand, and started walking, but did she have a destination in mind? After the date was forced upon me, I hadn't decided what we would actually do on the day. I somehow felt that being spontaneous was what a date was supposed to be like.
Come to think of it, we didn't decide where to go in high school either… Wait, hmm? Isn't something off? Why are we just casually holding hands?
"Um, Isshiki-san?"
I politely called out to Isshiki, who was so cheerful she looked like she might skip.
"What is this?"
"Huh? But it's a date?"
"Right. So why do we need to hold hands?"
"Huh? But it's a date?"
"I don't think it's absolutely necessary to hold hands."
"Huh? But it's a date?"
Isshiki had become not just a broken radio, but a completely shattered one.
Eh, what is that? It was even scarier because what Isshiki was saying seemed like common sense and obvious.
"Senpai worries too much about small things~"
No, this isn't a small thing at all, it's a big deal even… Isshiki wouldn't let go of my hand.
"By any chance, is it… unpleasant for you?"
Isshiki said that, her eyes welling up and looking at me with an upward gaze.
What brazen cuteness… Isn't this like stealing my choices?
"It's not unpleasant, but… Um… I'm embarrassed…"
"…Is that so?"
At my honest opinion, Isshiki paused for a moment, then deepened her smile.
If I looked closely, it was truly faint, but it seemed as though a blush was creeping onto Isshiki's cheeks. Perhaps she became conscious of it and got embarrassed after I said something.
"It can't be helped, then. I'll stop here."
Isshiki gently let go of my hand, then, as if in replacement, wrapped her hand around my arm. No, this also evokes a sense of an old married couple and is quite embarrassing…
Well, I guess I'll just have to think it's better than before. As we continued walking, Isshiki tugged at my arm.
"Senpai, let's go in here."
The object of Isshiki's gaze was an eyeglass shop.
"What, were your eyes bad?"
"No? It's more for Senpai, I think."
"My eyesight isn't that bad either…"
No, perhaps the punchline is that it's my glare that's bad.
Pulled by the arm, I reluctantly entered the shop, and Isshiki began to scrutinize the displayed eyeglasses.
"How about these, I wonder?"
Saying that, Isshiki handed me a pair of round-framed glasses.
They were the kind that Steve Jobs used to wear, an item that gave off a slightly intellectual vibe.
"…I put them on."
"Hmm… No, that's not quite right after all."
She looked a little disappointed. Is it too negative of me to feel like I'm to blame?
After that, she had me try on various pairs of glasses, and the last one she handed me, as if it were the final attempt, was a black-rimmed Wellington type.
"This should be enough, right?"
I had already tried on more than ten pairs, I thought, and when I looked at Isshiki with a slight hint of accusation, she froze solid. She was staring intently at my face, blinking her eyes.
And for some reason, Isshiki covered her face, hiding her expression. Eh… what's that? Does it mean they suit me so badly that I can't even bear to look?
"…Isshiki?"
"…Yes. I'm sorry."
Isshiki said that and lowered the hands that covered her face. The fact that her cheeks looked redder than before was probably not my imagination.
"Senpai, let's buy those. Right now."
"No, I told you my eyes aren't bad."
"If they don't have prescription, we can buy them right away. Come on, hurry."
"Ehh…"
What is this forcefulness…? I was completely pushed into it.
Well, if they don't have a prescription, they're not that expensive, and I was prepared for some expense, so it's fine. I just had no idea why I ended up buying fake glasses.
"Could you step out and wait for a moment?"
"Huh? Oh…"
After I finished paying, Isshiki said that, after coming to the exit with me. Hearing my reply, she quickly went back inside the store.
I didn't quite understand the reason, but her wanting me to go out first probably meant she had something in mind. Thinking that, I waited outside the store, and after a while, Isshiki came out.
"Sorry to keep you waiting."
In Isshiki's hand, as she said that, was a bag identical to the one I was holding. It seemed Isshiki had bought something too.
"Senpai, please put on the glasses you just bought."
"…I guess so."
As told, I put on the newly bought glasses. Since they were fake glasses, the world I saw naturally didn't change.
"Just a moment, please."
Isshiki said that and turned her back to me. After moving her hands around for a bit, she spun around and said.
"Ta-da!"
Isshiki, with her hands open and placed next to her face, was wearing the exact same glasses I had bought.
…Huh?
What's with this girl, those glasses suit her incredibly well.
More importantly, the combination of an outfit that highlighted her figure and glasses was just dangerous. I could only smell fetishism and eros.
"Oh, did you perhaps get so mesmerized because they suited me too well?"
"No, that's not it at all."
I had stumbled over my words. I was too flustered. It happens.
Still, wasn't this… a "pair item" rather than a "pair look"?
"Come on, let's go."
As if it were the most natural thing to do, Isshiki took my arm and started walking.
Could it be that she's trying to create a fait accompli, like an effective occupation of territory? No, I can't think of it any other way now.
"Hey, can I take these off?"
"No, you can't~"
And I was immediately rejected. My junior is too strong…
"Oh, but…"
Isshiki pulled my arm closer, subtly entering my personal space. And when she put her hand to my ear, my heart suddenly started beating faster.
"You can only wear them when you're alone with me, okay?"
Her whispered voice was sweet, tickling my earlobes, and the smile she offered was first-class.
Thinking, My heart won't be enough, even if I had several, I averted my gaze from Isshiki…
—------
Over the course of that day, Senpai and I visited various shops.
We ate out for the first time in a while, and I got to see many different expressions from Senpai. I felt like he had more exasperated or troubled expressions towards me, but well, that's always the case.
"Are you tired?"
Rocking gently in the train, I asked Senpai, who was sitting next to me. His face, illuminated by the train's lights, was clearly filled with fatigue without me even having to ask.
"Did you think I wouldn't get tired from walking all over Shibuya?"
"That's a twisted answer~. You could just say you're tired, right? It's written all over your face that you're dead tired."
"Then why did you ask…?"
He made an exasperated face again, but that's always the case. The fact that I don't dislike that expression might mean I have a bad personality.
"Ehh, next stop is—"
As we were talking, the announcement called out the name of the station I was supposed to get off at. When I stood up, Senpai, for some reason, also stood up.
"Senpai?"
"No… I'll walk you home today."
Even though it was still bright outside, and he usually only walks me to the station from his apartment, Senpai said that as if to imply that today was special.
Ah, he's actually treating this like a date, I thought, and I suddenly felt happy.
We got off at the platform, passed through the ticket gate—and the familiar sunset-colored path home looked different from usual.
"Hey, can I ask you something silly?"
As I walked along feeling good, that question suddenly came.
"Yes, what is it?"
"What score was today?"
I chewed on the meaning of the question and immediately understood why he asked.
Senpai was remembering his first date and asking that.
I pretended to think, "Hmm," and after a long pause, I said.
"Out of 100 points, it's 80 points."
"Surprisingly high… By the way, what were the deductions for?"
That's easy.
One was that even though I bravely tried to hold his hand, it ended up being stopped.
And then—
"…I won't tell you."
"What's that?"
The other was that he didn't say "I love you."
I know that's not possible right away, but I can't compromise on this point.
"Senpai."
When we arrived at the entrance of the apartment building, I looked up at Senpai's face.
"Please take me on a 100-point date someday, okay?"
"You won't tell me the deductions, but you're asking too much…"
He didn't say yes or no, which I thought was unfair, but as long as he didn't say no, it must be a yes. I'm too positive.
"Thank you for walking me home."
"No…"
When I bowed my head, I got the reply I expected.
Now what should I do? Should I ask him to come up to my place? That might make me seem too eager, though.
"Well then, I'm going home."
"Ah… Okay."
While I was deliberating, Senpai simply said that and turned his back.
"Senpai!"
When he turned his face, my chest tightened. In that instant, a tidal wave of emotions washed over me.
—If only I could say "I love you."
Without fear, without worrying about anyone, if only I could say that.
How much easier would I feel if I could do that?
"…Good night."
"Yeah. Good night."
Senpai looked a little puzzled, then smiled faintly and turned on his heel again.
Watching his retreating back, I gripped the hem of my skirt.
================
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