Chapter 37

It’s irritating to complain, but honestly, I’d like to go home soon. I’m really tired.

In contrast,Ogasawara Makoto followed behind me in high spirits while humming along with Satonaka, who had purchased several pieces of clothing at the store. They are in such a good mood that they’re swinging their hands in accordance to their hums.

Won’t it be fine if we stop training for today? I want to take these clothes off as soon as possible so I can return them and take a hot bath for my fatigue.

Furthermore, by saying that I’d buy things for these guys, I’ve already spent all my money.

I had intended to do so for Ogasawara Makoto from the start, but for Satonaka, I gave you a card. I made her an account purely so she can get money.

Haa, thanks to that I’m in a pinch this month. Since I don’t usually throw money around, I can afford to transfer funds monthly; although our situation might be alright right now, it may become a problem if there is an emergency.

I don’t want to depend solely on my parent’s allowance. Even if I’m missing money, I don’t want to ask them to resend it because of that.

Sighing, I checked my wrist.w.a.tch to see that it’s past noon.

It appears I have somehow wasted half a day just by being swung around by these two idiots. No, I wasn’t actually swung around.

s.h.i.t, I’m not being myself. This isn’t who I am.

Complaining inside my head, I clicked my tongue as we explored the next area.

I bought shoes. I bought clothes. Finally everything is ready.

“Okay, should we do this?”

“Okayyy!

“I’m all ready!”

The two idiots struck an interlude to my mutter.

Holding my temple as I twitched, I glared at the idiots.

“Yuppie~~~!”

“We’re ready!”

“…..isn’t that right.”

I could only sigh at the idiots when I saw that they lively raised their hands up in reply.

No yeah, it’s different. It isn’t me. The difference is in the ones demanding.

“……Do you want to go eat?”

“Yessss!”

“I’ll join!”

I placed all my mind’s chips into the highly spirited idiots, but then I realized it might be because I’m running on an empty stomach.

Now I understand. It’s very unlikely that they will be able to follow, even if their hunger is satisfied.

When training, it’s better to do them individually. I know painfully well that they went out of control when I united them.

———

Although I did say I was hungry, I don’t have a big appet.i.te. Something like that doesn’t really come out with fatigue and a stomachache.

“This, hey, it’s rweally gwood!”

“Eh? These are ordinary fries. Is this the reaction of someone who’s eating them for the first time!?”

“Ywess!”

“……Really?”

“Ywesss!”

Ogasawara Makoto’s cheeks were puffed, just like a hamster, with french fries packed inside her mouth; Satonaka stared at that sight, utterly surprised.

It’s reasonable to be shocked. Her way of eating is terrible. Just by looking at her I already feel full

I didn’t eat any fries. We can get as many as we want, since we are in a fast food store.

From Satonaka’s appearance it seems like she’s trying to comprehend what she said. While she did that with her eyes wide opened, she steadily placed a fry she picked up to my lips.

Oi, oi Satonaka, I don’t want to eat. Don’t push it, and don’t try to make me eat.

“If I wanted to eat I’d eat, so feel free to order whatever you want. You seem happy when you get something. So don’t worry about the money. I’ve got my purse next to me.

“Ywess!”

To Satonaka who spoke while smiling kindly, Ogasawara Makoto happily replied by stuffing her mouth with fries . Satonaka also nodded joyfully, and then as she forced a french fry into my mouth, she took a paper cup filled with tea, which she once again forced upon me putting the straw to my lips.

Although I didn’t have an appet.i.te, my throat was dry, so when she placed the straw to my mouth, I drank the cold tea in one gulp.

Apart from that, oi, Satonaka, whose purse?

Having forcibly drank some tea, Satonaka pulled the straw out before repeating the cycle.

Because my throat was moistened, my appet.i.te started to reveal itself, and I tried to eat the fries she pushed to my lips all at once.

However, the finger was subtly pulled away just before I eat, and I was able to only eat half the fries. The remaining half is where she pulled off from.

When I scowled at her, Satonaka removed her lips from the straw she put in her mouth, and then placed it to her mouth.

In spite of it only being half, my mouth was still salty from the fries,so I drank from the straw that was pushed to my mouth. The straw was forcibly pulled away by a bit, and then she placed it to her lips. The fries were then instead pressed upon my lips, but when I tried, the finger was detracted back yet again and I could only eat half. The remaining half went inside her mouth.

While repeating it, the french fries which I purchased for the three of us disappeared completely.

Ogasawara Makoto ate most of them.

“Do you want more?”

“Ywes!”

As Satonaka wiped my lips with a paper napkin, she asked Ogasawara Makoto, who replied both verbally and by nodding her head despite her cheeks being puffed up like a hamster.

“Kijima-san, can you order more?”

As she finished wiping my lips, she asked me with upturned eyes.

“Whatever. However, I’m eating part of it.

Elbows on the table, chin in her hands, Ogasawara Makoto’s eyes were shining brilliantly to my words.

“Makoto-chan, go ahead. Makoto will be ordering herself this time. I’ll be behind you, so don’t worry.”

“Ywess! Iw’ll twiry mah bwest!”

Ogasawara Makoto stood up quickly with Satonaka, and then followed, while holding hands, to the counter.

When it comes to ordering fast food, it’s a everyday thing with female high schoolers. For her to be so frickin’ frolicly over this is ridiculous.

Well, I don’t hate seeing her enjoy the delicious food. (1)

———

Hamburger, cheeseburger, and chicken nuggets, Ogasawara Makoto ate them one after another like a bottomless pit.

Satonaka stared at Ogasawara Makoto, who was absorbed in eating the one chicken nugget in her hand, who then placed it in her mouth. Then, as I was going to eat, Satonaka grabbed my hand just in time to take half of my nuggets with her mouth.

Then she tore a nugget apart, and placed the remaining half in her mouth.

Even when I glared her scornfully, she pretended not to notice.

Why is it only half now? No, well, it’s fine since I’m not particularly hungry.

Having eaten almost everything that we ordered, Ogasawara Makoto smiled as she stuffed her mouth with an apple pie, which was for dessert.

She really is a bottomless pit, oi.

“Hey Makoto-chan, do you remember?”

“Ywes?”

Satonaka pushed the straw to my mouth, but as she did that, she stared at Ogasawara Makoto and asked. As apple pie was stuffed into her mouth, Ogasawara Makoto moved her mouth with her head tilted to the question.

As for me, who was drinking the tea out of the straw pressed against my lips, I gave Satonaka a side glance.

“Did Kijima-san talk to you about it? He said he would listen to one thing you ask. Have you decided what you’d like?”

I almost spat out the tea due to her words.

I bought shoes, clothes, and even handled the lunch charges, but you still intend to extort me?

Well, they definitely didn’t say they wanted shoes, clothes, or that they were hungry.

I proposed all that. And even then, their wishes have not yet been granted with those things.

However, she’s hesitating.

“…….If I could be given one wish, there is only one thing.”

When the apple pie she stuffed inside was forcibly swallowed, she mumbled, looking down while hesitating.  She then glanced at me with her, face dyed completely red.

This late in the game and she’s acting like a younger girl who would make a flower shy. But, it’s too late now, for I have seen her display the likeness of a hamster.

“Hey, Kijima-san, is it no good if I help fulfil Makoto-chan’s request? Since, uh, you granted my wishes so far, can we make her happy this time? I’m actually a bit jealous, but because I like Makoto-chan……”

Satonaka pulled the straw away from my mouth and stared at me, red like OgasawaraMakoto.Then she looked down, with the straw placed into her mouth, drinking the tea.

Entrusting her with Ogasawara Makoto’s wish? That isn’t a bad idea. It would be somewhat better than doing both of them individually.

“Say what you want.”

I looked at Ogasawara Makoto as I rested my chin on my hands, and then asked them to tell me what she wants.

Don’t ask for anything crazy. Please.

“U, Um, uh……together……”

Ogasawara Makoto looked down, mutter while frequently hesitating.

Not knowing what she will ask, I began to fear an attack, and broke into a cold sweat as I pretended to be calm.

The other person is Ogasawara Makoto. It’s impossible to predict what she will suggest. To begin with, Satonaka said she would join in. Why would she do such a thing?

Ogasawara Makoto looked straight at me with her tight, boiling red face.

Don’t ask for something ridiculous like, ’I want to bungee jump from the shopping mall’s roof!’ I don’t like expensive things.

“A, A photo booth! I want to take a photo of us three!”

Ogasawara Makoto closed her eyes and raised her voice, and in that moment, everyone in the restaurant went silent. All the area’s eyes were then concentrated onto her.

With her face boiled a deep shade of red, she then looked down, shivered up with her fiery breath.

A photo booth? The thing that takes pictures? That’s her request? The one time she can ask for anything, and that’s what she wants?

At a loss of words to her small wish, I casted a glance to Satonaka.

“She’s a girl. Would you take a picture, yeah?”

Satonaka muttered somewhat lonelily and smiled gently while wiping the tears from her eyes with a finger.

After she heard her mutter, Ogasawara Makoto still looked down and nodded.

“…..Do whatever you like.”

Ogasawara Makoto quickly looked up after hearing my words, and smiled with a deep red face.

“It’s good, Makoto-chan.”

“Yes!”

In spite of me being shocked and sighing,, the two seemed happy. Well, I too have never taken a photo booth picture before.

———

After we left the fast food restaurant, we went to what could be considered a game arcade. It seems to be different in a way of speaking; I don’t understand it either.

Satonaka said all the photo booths are located here.

For me, a gaming arcade is an irrelevant place since I hate noise. After all I’m not interested in games nor do I like to take myself places. In other words, I’m a stranger to the photo booth.

I memorized where the area was using a guidemap installed next to an elevator, and then we all moved to the aisle indicated on the guidemap. I saw a neon sign of fluorescent color. That would be the game arcade.

“Wow, wonderful……”

“The way it’s structured is amazing, and it is in the form of a park rather than a typical gaming arcade……”

When I pa.s.sed by the neon signs at the entrance, I heard a noise come from the dim center. My ears were attacked by a piecing electron tone from all eight directions, and I unconsciously covered my ears.

Contrary to me, the two looked around the area. They seemed to be fine with all this noise.

Satonaka hit the bull’s eye when she said that it looked like a theme park. That is, in scale.  But, it might be more correct to call it a shopping mall theme park.

Wherever I looked, there was game equipment. Arcade games, token games, and many crane games as well. There were even railroad tracks installed on top of a low barrier that mazed its way through the center. A small train runs on the railroad tracks.

“A choo-choo train! I want to get on that!”

Broken past her critical point of joy, Ogasawara Makoto pulled Satonaka’s hand and pointed to the whistling locomotive. The children riding the locomotive noticed her, and began to face with smiling faces. She then waved back intensely.

She said she wanted to get on a ride for a little kindergartener. Well, guardians seem to be able to take it as well, but I don’t like it.

“……I’d rather not stay for long.”

Feeling my temple twitching, I muttered as I held it still.

Satonaka, who in spite of being dragged along by her, seemed to be frolicing around joyfully, but Ogasawara Makoto staved off like she was surprised with hearing me.

“M, Makoto-chan, your goal, your goal! The photobooth isn’t in front of the choo-choo train! If we finish, I’ll take it with you! While Kijima-san hasn’t changed his mind, we can go take it!”

“Huh!? For me to have done something so careless! That’s right, the photo booth!”

She came to her sudden realization with Satonaka’s persuasion, she placed a fist in front of chest, and nodded quite a lot. As I saw her, to my relief, she was foolishly smiling. Her smile makes it seem like she has a scheme to please me.

Enough of that, Oi, Ogasawara Makoto, what is with, ’I of all people’ ? You are careless.

She and I don’t have any knowledge about gaming arcades. So, Satonaka was suppose to lead us to the photo booth.

In a s.p.a.ce where a lot of arcade games were placed, although there were many women, the influx of women gradually began to increase. They seem to be going to the area where the photo booth was installed.

“Wowww, that is a lot!”

“Oi, Oi……”

Upon our arrival, boxes of photo equipment were lined up in a row on both sides. There were more than twenty photo booths, all filled about equally. And the girls who formed a line on each booth, walked along the pa.s.sage while frolicing.

From schoolchild to high schoolers, no, I also happen to see ladies in their college years and working women.

What is so fun about taking pictures of yourself?  I don’t understand.

“Uhhh, it seems we’ll be waiting for quite some time with all these people. If we stay and wait, Kijima-san might become angry……”

Satonaka lead us as she walked ahead, she looked around and muttered that it would be a problem.

This will only take a picture of the upper body, and sometimes the all of it. There also seems to be an option of making eyes bigger,  and also possibly whiten skin and beautify legs.

“Everything is alright! If we take it together as a group, I’ll be satisfied!”

With Ogasawara Makoto having raised her voice, stars twinkling in her eyes, Satonaka looked back and said, ”Yup” and begun to smile.

“Well, you wouldn’t be able to fix it. That’s because you’re blessed with an appearance great figure.”

“M, Makoto-chan……I think those were probably his real feelings. I think his real feelings just came pittering out.”

“W, Which means……he said that we were cute, yeah?”

“Yeah.”

They then glanced at me with twinkling eyes, whispering to each other. These guys are making me so sick.

Satonaka, who chose an empty model for now, takes the initiative to enter the booth by herself. Ogasawara Makoto followed after her, and then I entered last.

Ogasawara Makoto and I are really ignorant to these kind of things, so we left everything in Satonaka’s hands.

Satonaka made Ogasawara Makoto hold onto the accessory pen, and then she managed the screen with clicks.

“Makoto-chan, you may write whatever you like with this pen to finish the photo.”

“I can write it?”

“Yup, you may write Kijima-san as your love.”

“Uwa! That seems fun!”

Nestling close to Satonaka, who was at the operating screen, she seemed to laugh enjoyably.

For a high school student in their second year, it’s unusual she has not experienced fast food or a photo booth. But then, it’s reasonable if she’s not interested. However, seeing her now, you knew she was very much so.

“Today……you’re leaving.”

She was smiling with eyes twinkling until now, but her muttered seemed lonely.

“Aoi-san is generous towards you, and you have a hard time taking your eyes off him right now, so if you leave, I feel relieved……”

The right hand that held the touch pen began to tremble, and tears dripped along her cheek. Her words transformed into an incoherent sob.

“Aren’t you spoiled, Makoto-chan? The instant I take my eyes off you, you immediately start flirting. And, I will definitely be coming again. I have to bother you……”

Satonaka stopped operating the screen, trembling, she jumped to the side with her, and then hugged her so hard that she was crushing her.

“Is that for certain?”

“Yes, I’ll come, okay!”

Shedding tears as the held each other, they smiled. The view was like two former best friends reluctantly separating.

In all actuality, they just met yesterday. Mutually they know almost nothing of each other.

Haa, idiotic. This is idiotic.

After a short moment of posing together, they held their smiles and took the picture. Both of them cried way too much, so it could be said they weren’t lovely at all with their puffy eyes.

Nevertheless, Ogasawara Makoto was still in a good mood, and placed the printed sticker on her cellphone display. If it stuck, it’d be hard to operate the phone. Think a little before applying it.

Incidentally, I had completely forgot that I was dressed up like a girl. How did this happen? My intention was to take back my dark history from Satonaka, but I made a new one.

When we left the photo booth I threw a heavy sigh, and began to walk while looking for a place to rest.

Satonaka and Ogasawara Makoto seem to have hopped on the choo-choo train. Smirking to themselves.

I wanted to leave this noisy area from the moment I came in, but Ogasawara Makoto wouldn’t be satisfied if she didn’t take the train. So, I grumbled, saying that I would go to the crane game. I’d be taking my sweet, precious time. Satonaka also seemed to be with her, so I’m all by myself.

Upon leaving the area where the booth was, I found a lounge ahead of the low wall.

Seats were lined around circle tables.  Light means also seem possible in this restricted lounge, so a lot of young couples’ attentions were caught.

As a matter of fact, having received quite the number of glances a bit ago, I’ve also became fairly exhausted mentally. I’m also quite tired from keeping my energy levels up.

I went to the corner without as inconspicuously as possible, and lowered myself back on to an available seat. As I placed my elbows onto the table, I threw my upper body and gave another big sigh.

I’m tired. I’m really tired.

Slid the wig on my face to the side, I looked at the photo booth sticker I held in hand.

The two idiots had a smile on even though their eyes were swollen a deep red. They’re glad about this one picture; they are really cheap.  Truly suitable for cheap meat toilets.

“Young lady, you seem tired. Would you like some cold tea?”

Having heard a voice, my spirit which would have normally ruined, has been sharpened. Will I ever be able to feel rested? I decided to talk to them.

“No thank you.”

I answered bluntly while throwing down my upper body.  I feel sorry for the guy who spoke to me, too. Surely he also doesn’t think the person in front of him right now is a man, but if he knew, it’ll be a definate of black spot on my history.

“I see, that is regrettable. Nevertheless, your appearance looks lovely again today, Aoi.” (2)

Although I moaned inside on whether he’d give up, a chill went down my back as my name was called.

I didn’t mind since he has no business with me, but the voice was familiar.

It has a rather low and soft ring to it.

The soft voice resounded in my head, and felt the sighs he would sit down face to face with me.

I have no doubt. I cannot mistake hearing that voice.

“Aoi, I am aware I’m disliked by you, but I want to see your face. Won’t you look up?”

Entreated by the voice, greasy sweat spouted out from my whole body.

Why is he here? No, I heard from Satonaka’s mouth she came with him together. However, I thought he left.

When I also think about it, she said they came together before even meeting me, but she never said he returned. No, perhaps she was also under the impression he went back. However, she never said she saw him leave. I had believe on my own like Satonaka.

When I also thought of it a little, I understood. Even though he came with Satonaka as an escort, it would be impossible to think he left her alone here for the way back.

I was careless. Why didn’t I notice? I’m the worst. (Kijima you suuuuck)

Swallowing my saliva, I slowly raised my body.

The appearance of the person who sat down in front of me gradually came into sight.

It’s difficult to realize since they’re sitting down, but he’s taller than me. He also looks slender, but it’s a manly physique which just looks thinner in clothes. He was blessed with father’s body which is different from the delicate yours truly. And yet, he also has mother’s gentle eyes.

He excels in design and valor. His the exact person you’ll picture to be talented in both.

“Bi, Big brother……it’s been a long time.” (He uses Nii-san here instead of Aniki.)

Opposite to feelings of hate boiling up, my voices trembled without my control.

The existence of my targeted admiration, was made into my target of hatred. No, no matter how much I tried to hate him, I couldn’t fully do so in the end.

After all, I have known this person for a long time now, and, I was never able to beat him.

I want to, but I can’t resist this person with all my heart.

“Ah, it’s been a long time. You are increasingly resembling mother, Aoi.

Both elbows on the table, my older brother smiled at me sweetly, and all I could do was tremble.

(1)(TLN: Awhhhh) (EDN: song for Kijima-san right now~)

(2)(TLNY: OOOOOOOHHHHHHHH)