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Call from Father
Ooki opened his mouth wide and fluttered.
He was surprised to hear what Mikoto-san had to say.
“Mikoto-san is Akihara’s girlfriend. No way. It’s December, isn’t it?”
“That’s right, but?”
When I answered, Ooki nodded his head.
“It’s too early for April Fool’s Day. If you’re going to make a joke, Mikoto-san, you’d better come up with something funnier than that.”
“It’s not a joke, it’s the truth.”
Mikoto-san said openly
It’s not a joke, but I and Mikoto-san are a fake couple.
But it was impossible to guess that from Mikoto-san’s words, and Ooki had no idea what was going on.
Ooki spread his hands wide in shock.
“What the hell. I was going to have a surströmming tasting party with the four of us unattractive guys, but I’m not inviting Akihara anymore. You traitor!”
Despite his words, Ooki laughed somewhat happily.
Whatever, surströmming is the world’s stinkiest canned food.
Would we be able to open such a thing at school?
Before I could ask, Ooki tapped me on the shoulder.
“At least, enjoy your date with Mikoto-san.”
“Oh yeah. Thank you.”
“So, what do you like about this guy, Mikoto-san?”
“Eh?”
Mikoto-san blushed a little and said in a whisper.
“Haruto-kun’s
 kindness.”
“A kind heart, huh? That’s nice.”
Ooki looked at me and Mikoto-san with a smirk.
Mikoto-san’s cheeks turned redder and redder.
Somehow, I also started to feel embarrassed.
I wonder if the two of us are going to eat the lunch we bought at the cafeteria.
Ooki said to himself.
“Well, Akihara is a nice guy. Is it any wonder that something like this happens?”
“Yes.”
Mikoto-san gave a small nod.
“Excuse me, Akihara-kun. It’s a date, and I want to go to the aquarium in the next town over. I think we can go there after school, time-wise, and it has a nice
 atmosphere. 
 Is that 
 a no?”
“No, of course not.”
Of course it’s okay.
If that’s what Mikoto-san wants to do, there’s no reason for me to object.
It’s a surprisingly cute proposal, I thought.
Mikoto-san’s face lit up.
“It’s decided!”
I was a little embarrassed that she was so happy just because she was going to the aquarium with me.
Ooki muttered, “It’s nice, I envy you.”
At that moment, my cell phone rang.
The name displayed on the screen was Kazuya Akihara.
It was my father.
“What’s wrong?”
Mikoto-san asked curiously.
“It’s my dad calling.”
“Your father?”
Mikoto-san tilted her head and her silver hair shook.
I was surprised too.
Is this the right time for my father to call me?
My father is currently working alone in Hokkaido.
I said a few words to Mikoto-san and Ooki and walked out of the cafeteria.
Then I pressed the answer button on the phone.
“Hello, this is Haruto?”
“Hi. Sorry to bother you during your lunch break.”
I heard a lazy, sleepy voice.
My father, a tax office employee, had a rather calm personality.
He was a man of common sense, very different from Amane-nee-san.
I was wondering why my father was calling me at this hour, though it must have been something important.
“I was going to call you earlier about young lady Tomi, but I’ve been quite busy.”
“I wish I had an explanation beforehand.”
“You got a call from Amane, didn’t you?”
“After Mikoto-san came to the apartment.”
“That’s funny.” my father murmured, “I wonder what happened.”
Was there some kind of misunderstanding?
“I think her name is Mikoto-san. The young lady from Tomi. I heard she’s a quarter foreigner, but what’s she like?”
“She’s a very nice girl.”
I answered my father’s question immediately.
He sighed with relief.
“I’m glad to hear that. I was worried that you two were not getting along. This was an emergency evacuation, after all.”
“Emergency evacuation?”
“Formally, I’m supposed to be her guardian now. No one in Tomi was going to take care of her. And considering how Mikoto-san has been treated at the Tomi residence, it is no wonder.”
What kind of treatment was Mikoto-san being subjected to?
I was curious, but I decided to ask the rest of the story anyway.
“So, I asked Mikoto-san to live in the apartment you’re in.”
“Wouldn’t it be bad for high school boys and girls like us to share an apartment together?”
I asked my father.
I wondered what my father, a man of common sense, would think about this, not if it were my sister, Amane.
“Well, it won’t be very commendable. But it won’t be much of a problem since you two will only be living together for a few more days.”
“A few more days?”
“I found a place for Mikoto-san to live. It’s an all-girls boarding school. Far away from the Tomi family, it’s a girls’ boarding school in Tokyo.”
Dad said calmly.