On the way home, Shirase assumed Nakano Nino would probably be tsundere-ishly waiting at home for his call, thanks to Nakano Yotsuba's report.
But then he spotted her figure through the window of a women's clothing shop he was passing by.
Inside, Nino wasn't alone. There were three other bright, youthful girls—two he'd seen before from their school, while the third, a ponytailed girl, was unfamiliar.
Seeing that the girls were already paying at the counter, Shirase simply stood outside on the sidewalk, waiting.
"Hey, hey, look outside! There's a really good-looking guy. And he's wearing a soccer uniform—probably just finished club activities, right?" The ponytailed girl was the first to notice Shirase.
Nakano Nino had been busy pulling money from her wallet, but when she caught the keywords "soccer uniform" and "club activities," she swiftly turned around. Sure enough, the figure she anticipated was standing right there.
That soccer uniform, bearing the number 10, she'd seen countless times before. Perhaps because he'd just finished training and was tired, the shirt wasn't neatly worn—its collar hung loosely askew, clearly exposing his collarbone.
The spot he stood happened to catch the gentle glow spilling from the neighboring shop's elaborately designed neon sign. As twilight fell, those vibrant colors splashed onto his face, clearly highlighting his high nose bridge and those eyes deadly to any teenage girl's heart.
Nino's lips quietly curved upward. Was he specifically waiting for me?
"Should we go say hi? If we can get his contact info, we might have a chance to see him again sometime," the ponytailed girl suggested excitedly.
The other two girls remained silent, awkwardly sneaking glances at Nakano Nino.
"What's wrong with you two? Why aren't you saying anything?" The ponytailed girl looked confused.
Nakano Nino calmly took her change from the cashier, smiling faintly. "They're quiet because that guy outside came here for me."
"Eh?" The ponytailed girl froze for a second, finally understanding the strange expressions of her two friends. She laughed awkwardly. "So he's your boyfriend?"
"He's not!" Nino immediately denied, her face flushing red.
"He really isn't?"
"He really isn't… huh?"
Nakano Nino instinctively started to deny it again, but quickly sensed something off about the girl's tone and gaze, instantly raising her guard.
Their eyes met, and the ponytailed girl quickly looked away, forcing a smile. "Don't get me wrong. I was just genuinely curious."
Nino gave a soft "Oh," ignoring her as she swayed her slender waist like a willow branch, heading straight toward Shirase.
"Finished with practice?" she asked, examining his slightly damp hair.
"Just now." Shirase nodded. "I originally planned to call you after showering at home, but I didn't expect to run into you here."
Shirase then glanced at the shopping bag in her hand. "Speaking of which, don't tell me you forgot about our date? It's almost time, yet you're still out shopping for clothes?"
Nino opened her mouth to reply, but laughter from behind interrupted her:
"Oh, so Shirase-kun and Nakano-san have a date? No wonder she suddenly called us out shopping. Turns out she wanted to look her absolute best for you."
"…"
Nakano Nino's face flushed even brighter. She wanted to retort but didn't know exactly how.
Shirase secretly laughed to himself, but out of respect for her pride, he managed to keep silent.
Nino could easily sense his amusement. Lightly shooting him a sideways glare, she deliberately spoke up, "You see that ponytailed girl? She's my classmate's cousin—I don't know her personally."
"And?" Shirase didn't quite follow her meaning.
Nino huffed slightly. "She's pretty cute, isn't she? She wanted your contact info earlier. It's up to you whether you want to give it to her."
Shirase held back a laugh, putting on a serious expression. "I see. It's a shame her surname isn't Nakano, though. If it were, I might've given her my contact information."
Nakano Nino glared at him in embarrassment. Can't you act seriously in front of me even for a second?
Pretending he hadn't seen her glare, Shirase waved at the three girls by the store's entrance in greeting, then naturally reached out and grabbed Nino's hand, walking away.
"H-Hey, what do you think you're…" The irritation in Nino's eyes instantly vanished, replaced instead by a girl's unique mixture of shyness and panic.
Shirase whispered, "Weren't you the first one out of the store specifically to declare your ownership to that ponytailed girl you called along at the last minute? I'm just cooperating with your act."
Nino lightly kicked him, face flushed. "I never asked you to cooperate!"
"What? Then am I just being self-indulgent? What a miscalculation. If I'd known, I would've gotten that girl's contact information. At least then I'd still have a backup plan," Shirase feigned surprise.
Nakano Nino kicked him again, but soon couldn't hold back a giggle. "You really are just…"
She didn't finish her sentence, but the joyful sparkle in her eyes clearly reflected her delighted mood.
After walking a bit longer, noticing he still held her hand, Nino's cheeks turned faintly pink as she murmured softly, "How long do you plan on holding my hand? They're already long out of sight."
Shirase smiled, gently raising their joined hands. "If you say let go, I'll let go."
Nakano Nino pursed her lips, shyly turning her head away without a word.
Thus, Shirase held her hand even tighter.
So much so, he could clearly feel the girl's soft palm trembling in his grasp.
Nino didn't dare look at him, silently caught up in shyness and delight, thinking, I kicked him twice earlier anyway, so let him hold it a bit longer—as compensation.
Such a self-deceptive excuse was what the girl used at this moment to forcibly reassure herself.
...
Shirase first walked her back to the apartment, then returned home himself to take a shower.
Having changed clothes, he was about to blow-dry his hair when Kojima Kana walked in, dressed in a tight skirt with black stockings.
"You're heading out already?"
Kojima Kana froze momentarily seeing the hair dryer in Shirase's hand, before remembering his date tonight.
"Yeah, I won't be having dinner at home tonight." Shirase answered casually, turning on the dryer.
Kana watched him from behind for a moment, suddenly laughing lightly. "Then you'd better behave yourself tonight, okay? Don't go scaring the poor girl."
"How could I possibly do something like that?"
"Oh, wouldn't you? In your Nee-san's eyes, you're a bad kid, you know."
Kana pouted, recalling Shirase playing around with her underwear earlier.
Bad little brother.
Damn brat!