[LN] Konbini Goto Kara Tasuketa Jimi Tenin ga - Volume 1 - Chapter 1 - Part 10

 

Chapter 1 - Reunion (Part 10)

It's currently 1 p.m. I'm in a park near Hoshimiya's house.

As promised last night, Hoshimiya and I were going to play together today.

Since we were in the same house, I thought we should go together, but Hoshimiya was very serious about it and said, "The atmosphere is important! So you should leave the house first and we'll meet there!" .....Is this a date? Just as I was sitting quietly on the bench looking at the entrance and exit of the park, Hoshimiya arrived.

"Hello. Have you been waiting for me for long?"

"Not too long, I guess."

I should have told her that I had just arrived here.

But I didn't want to say that. Because we came from the same house.

I didn't say it out loud, but I saw Hoshimiya's appearance.

Her hair was straight and brown in color. Her face was covered with a thin layer of natural makeup.

She was wearing a white blouse that exposed both shoulders and a mini skirt ..... that slightly showed off her skin.

Hoshimiya has beautiful skin and a style that attracts men.

I mean, if she dresses that beautifully, she will definitely be able to bring out her attractiveness to the limit.

However, when compared to Hoshimiya when she was at school, she seems less gal ...... and less flashy.

Uh, maybe ...... this is just my feeling. But it's like she's adjusting her appearance to me.

I'm not interested in fashion, so I only have ordinary clothes to wear.

I'm sure Hoshimiya has dressed up so as not to create a temperature difference between him and me.

I'm sure she's a very considerate person. Perfect inside and out............!

"What's wrong, Kuromine-kun?"

"Nothing ...... I just think you're cute."

"Eh? Ah, umm ......... you ......"

Hoshimiya stammered with flushed cheeks. She scratched his cheeks in embarrassment.

Apparently, she was not used to receiving compliments from the opposite sex.

At first glance, she looked like she had dated many men.

"Kuromine-kun, you ....... umm, are used to saying ...... aren't you?"

"Yes, I've said it many times to my childhood friend."

"Oh, I see. ......."

Well, Yono usually replies, "You must be very happy to have such a cute childhood friend, right! Hehe!" She wasn't embarrassed, but instead proud by puffing out his chest. She didn't even notice me as the opposite sex at all!

"Let's go then."

"Wait a minute, Hoshimiya!"

"Eh?"

I unconsciously stopped Hoshimiya as she stepped out of the garden onto the sidewalk. How careless!

"Don't run straight into the street. Walk closer to the edge."

"Well ...... there's plenty of room on the sidewalk, and ...... that's okay, right?"

"Are you taking your life for granted? You almost died earlier."

"Eh?"

"You never know where a car will come from. You should always be aware of your surroundings."

"Yes, that's right. ........"

Hoshimiya's face puckered but she nodded obediently.

Then we lined up vertically and walked silently to the edge of the sidewalk.

***

First of all, we visited the movie theater. We took our reserved seats and waited for the movie time.

To pass the time, I decided to talk to Hoshimiya, who was sitting next to me.

"The movie we're going to see is a romance movie, right?"

"Yes. Morimoto-san recommended it, so you can look forward to it."

"Wow, Morimoto-san recommended it! Sounds promising!"

"It does, doesn't it? I'm looking forward to it too!"

"......By the way, who is Morimoto-san?"

"She's our classmate, Kuromine-kun. I can't believe you don't remember your own classmate's name."

That must be terrible. Eh? Now that I think about it, I ...... can't remember my classmates' last names except for Yono and Hoshimiya. Well, I think it's because I'm only really interested in Yono.

I was surprised myself that I could only remember Hoshimiya's name.

"......Watching romance movies with classmates, huh?"

"Kuromine-kun?"

"It's a date, isn't it?"

"Eh? What are you talking about all of a sudden?"

"It's a date, no matter how you look at it. We both go out to play and watch romantic movies together ...... so it's a date no matter who you invite."

"Ah, I have no intention of doing that! I just wanted to have fun with Kuromine-kun!"

"......Okay, calm down. Here, please drink this."

I took a drink from the drink holder on the armrest of the chair and gave it to Hoshimiya. Hoshimiya, whose face was bright red, took the drink, put the straw into his mouth, and started drinking it with all his might.

"───Ah, that's my ......."

"Nggun! Kehoho kehoho! ......Kuromine-kun!"

"Sorry, sorry. It's an accident that sometimes happens when you come to the movies."

Yono also often accidentally drank mine.

"What should I do? Moreover, this is an indirect kiss. .......It's my first time......!"

"Your first time ...... is just an indirect kiss, you know!"

"Who said it was just a casual kiss?! You have to take responsibility!"

"......Responsible how...........?"

I couldn't hide my confusion at Hoshimiya, who turned his face away from me.

***

""............""

After watching the movie, Hoshimiya and I took a walk around the city with gloomy faces.

Hoshimiya walked about three steps ahead of me, keeping his distance.

No, it wasn't because of the indirect kiss. The problem was the content of the movie.

Yes, there were sensual scenes.

It's not a movie that sells erotica, so it's just a lighthearted thing.......

But it's still awkward to watch it with heterosexual classmates.

"Hey, Hoshimiya."

"............Ah."

"What's wrong with you?"

Hoshimiya replied without looking back. So unreasonable....

Spending a day with this kind of atmosphere is tantamount to torture.

Wait, not just one day.

I haven't set a time frame yet, but I will continue to live in the Hoshimiya house!

I want to change this strange atmosphere somehow.......

Thinking about this, I remembered how I used to spend my vacations with Yono.

"Hoshimiya, how about we go to the arcade? It should be fun."

"............"

"Could it be that you've never been to an arcade?"

"......I usually like going there. Kuromine-kun, I know you have a strange prejudice against the gal."

"I'm not denying that."

I mean, I'm not quite sure if Hoshimiya is a gal myself.

***

We came to the big game arcade near here with Hoshimiya, who had colored her cheeks for a long time.

It's been a long time since I've been in this place. Stepping inside, I felt the power of sound.

The background music emitted from all the game consoles combined together to violently shake my eardrums.

Many junior high and high school kids were having fun here, and I could see at a glance that this arcade was popular among young people. Of course, there are adults as well....

Oh, there was a man who glanced at Hoshimiya.

"Kuromine-kun, is there a game you want to play?"

"Yes, there is."

"Oh, wait! Let's play hockey first!"

"......Oh."

What was she talking about? But I just nodded in agreement. Honestly, it was because I didn't really care what it was.

I was just trying to get Hoshimiya back into a good mood first.

We walked around looking for a hockey game then, found his table, and got into position.

We held the prepared tool (which was apparently called a mallet), inserted a 100 yen coin into the slot, and a disk was ejected from the slot. The game began.

"Let's start, Hoshimiya!"

"Yes! Come anytime!"

Looks like she's in a good mood. She's like a fish out of water....

Alright, let's test her first, just to see how her skills are. If possible, I'll play a game that's close to defeat. That way, Hoshimiya's mood will become better. In other words, this is a hockey game for entertainment.

I hit the disk with the mallet. The disk went straight to Hoshimiya's goal ──── and then was hit back by Hoshimiya with incredible speed. The disc bounced off the wall and was sucked into my goal in no time────

"...... What?"

I blinked. I couldn't react, and he scored. How fast was that shot?

As I was dumbfounded, Hoshimiya, who had a strange aura around him, looked up.

"There's one thing I forgot to mention."

"......What?"

"All my close friends call me the hockey queen!"

"I don't know if that's awesome or not. I mean, are you really a gal?"

In the end, I was defeated 10-1 without a comeback. There was no chance for me to comfort her.

Instead, I was the one who needed to be consoled. She's really strong. She's a queen.

She looked like a pro as she moved the mallet freely and hit the disk repeatedly

It's just that ....... Hoshimiya's happy smile is impressive.

***

After the hockey match, Hoshimiya and I decided to rest on a bench at the rest area.

"Well, I'm a little sweaty."

Hoshimiya, who went to buy a drink, returned. She sounded quite refreshed.

"Here, drink."

"Thank you!"

I looked up to accept the box of strawberry juice offered to me.

Hoshimiya's clothes were transparent with sweat!

Her bra line was clearly visible on her white blouse...!

"Hmm, what's wrong, Kuromine-kun?"

"H-Hoshinomiya ...... how sweaty you are! I can see through it!"

"Eh... uwaah!"

Hoshimiya hugged himself and crouched down, screaming.

I didn't see it properly before, but it was an enormous amount of sweat.

Her bangs stuck to her forehead, and her blouse, which absorbed the sweat that stuck to her body, accentuated the unevenness of her body. This is not good. It would be embarrassing to wander around the arcade if she was like this.

I looked around for a place to hide.

"Hoshimiya, there's a photo booth over there."

"What?! You want to take a picture of me now?! You're so horrible!"

"No, it's not like that! The photo booth, it's like a secret room, so it's invisible! Let's hide in there until your sweat dries!"

"Oh, I see. .......You should have told me earlier."

".....Hmm?"

With mixed feelings, the two of us continued our journey there.

Fortunately, no one was looking in our direction.

It seems that photo booths are not that popular. There were no people there.

I opened the curtain and went inside. It was smaller than I expected.

I chose the most spacious booth I could find, but if I spread my arms out a little, it would hit Hoshimiya.

Well, this is what you get for a room the size of two people, right?

"............"

Hoshimiya moved quietly to the corner.

"What's wrong?"

"I smell like sweat ...... don't I?"

"Not really. You smell like a girl."

"You pervert!"

Apparently, I made a mistake in following up on his words.

For better or worse, I just knew the kind of flirtation one would have with a childhood friend.

""............""

An ethereal and indescribable silence passed by. The background music from the arcade outside was the only thing that could be heard in this place. Hoshimiya and I had our backs to each other and didn't even try to talk to each other.

The fact that we were almost in a closed room made the situation even more tense.

I was so nervous that I even regretted coming in here....

Why didn't I just wait outside? Well, I was just going with the flow.

"I'll wait outside."

"Why?"

"Why? Because......"

"I'll ...... lonely. Stay ...... with me."

I'm staying here? What should I do?

To be honest, I wanted to run away. But Hoshimiya's sweat-soaked back looked a bit lonely, so I had no choice but to stay. ......No, I don't think I need to think about anything.

Just as I don't think about anything when talking to my childhood friend, I probably don't need to think too much when talking to Hoshimiya either. If we are together and there is silence, it is a natural atmosphere.

"Hey, Hoshinomiya."

"What?"

We spoke with our backs to each other. I couldn't see his face, but it didn't matter.

"About today, thank you."

"............"

"I feel refreshed."

I just let out my true feelings slowly and carefully. It's like the fog in my head has been cleared.

"Thank you ....... this is so much fun. I can't get too wild with my friends...."

Hearing Hoshimiya's voice behind me, I felt somewhat satisfied.

That satisfaction was something I had never felt before.

"............"

This is a feeling I have never felt, even with Yono.

I don't know what that feeling is.

***

"Hmmm. It feels good today!"

"Yes."

I nodded at Hoshimiya while stretching my legs.

We walked side by side in the orange light of the evening sun.

On the highway beside us, there was a line of cars waiting for the traffic light.

"I took a photo with Kuromine-kun, right?"

"Yes, you did. Is there a deeper meaning?"

"No, no. I just wanted to say it."

Hoshimiya said mischievously, looking at one of the photos while holding it above his head.

After that, the two of us took a photo together while our sweat dried up.

Don't tell anyone that I'm a little nervous!

"Haha, Kuromine-kun, you're not used to taking pictures, right? Your smile is cute. Haha."

"I can't help it. I don't smile much...."

"Then ...... you should laugh a lot from now on."

"────!"

Subconsciously, I felt happy.

Hoshimiya's smile, illuminated by the evening sunlight, looked very beautiful.

And the next moment.....

From behind, a loud horn sounded. A shrill horn sounded from behind me.

My heart jumped. Memories of the past came back to me in an instant.

A family was in front of me in a car.

I realized that I was hugging Hoshimiya tightly as if I was protecting him from the car behind us.

"K-Kuromine-kun!

"............"

"Kuromine-kun! What's wrong?"

"Eh.....?"

The collision I feared never came.

"Well, I think ...... is too early for this kind of thing! We should get to know each other better before we......"

"What about ...... the car?"

"Ah, the car... what car?"

We stared at each other from a short distance and opened each other's eyes. ......Huh?

"No, just now, I heard a horn...."

Saying this, we turned around. There was a smooth city street scene there.

There was no trouble at all on the highway, and countless cars were roaring their driving sounds.

"Oh, that horn you just heard? It seems like someone in the back honked their horn because a car wasn't moving even though the light had turned green."

"Oh, I didn't know that...."

Apparently, I was wrong.

"Kuromine-kun ...... I think it's time......."

I saw Hoshimiya's red face in my full view. She was still in my arms!

"S-Sorry!"

I quickly pulled away.

I lowered my head, preparing to kneel down.

"I'm sorry! I mistakenly thought that a car would hit me from behind! .......Forgive me!"

"So, does that mean you're trying to protect ...... me?"

"Well, that's it!"

If that's not it, then that means I'm a pervert who suddenly hugged her!

I'm a worse man than the stalker!

"I see...."

"Hoshimiya?"

"............"

Hoshimiya turned away from me with a frown and started walking a little faster.

......Ah, she must hate me for this. I've already done it. I don't know what to do afterward.

Plus, we're going back to the same house!

"............"

I stared at Hoshimiya's back as he walked away. I couldn't move a single step.

I didn't know what to do.

I had managed to have a good day, but I had ruined it at the last minute.

"............Kuromine-kun?"

Hoshimiya suddenly stopped and looked at me. Hoshimiya's face was still red.

"What are you doing?"

I could barely hear his voice. I opened my mouth to answer Hoshimiya's question, but I couldn't answer anything. Being so busy thinking about Hoshimiya hating me, I couldn't think straight.

"Kuromine-kun, let's go."

"But...."

"I'm not mad at you for what you said earlier."

"............Really?"

"Yeah...... right, thanks for trying to help me."

Hoshimiya, who said that shyly──warmed up with a gentle smile.

Disclaimer :

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