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33. Second date
The date at the fountain park was fun.
Apparently, in this world, men and women rarely go out one-on-one. Or rather, almost no one doing that.
That was why, for a man, going out with more than one woman was a date.
“So this mean, I’ve finally, officially, experienced my first date?”
I felt like I was steadily climbing the stairs of popular life.
For a few days after the date, my mind was lost somewhere else, but no one said anything even if I was a little strange.
With tacit understanding, others just left me alone.
Just like that the days passed, and now, was the promised day to go to the “Central Station” with Toono-san and Kikuie-san.
This time, including both, all the members of the group would join.
Yes, Toono-san and Kikuie-san wouldn’t be the only ones. Really reassuring.
And, yes it would be the second date for me.
The purpose this time was to walk the entertainment district around the central station.
It seemed to be a place where men wouldn’t go often, so I was actually looking forward to it. Very much.
“Thank you for waiting!”
Toono-san came last at the meeting place.
Since the girls said it wasn’t good to meet directly at the central station, the station closest to me became the meeting place.
For that reason, I was the only one who was allowed to take it easy, but this seemed to be normal in this world.
I wanted to change these, but I didn’t think it was a good idea to push my own style too much, so I planned to slowly tell them while watching their reactions.
“Good morning, Toono-san. That’s, truly a unique fashion.”
I didn’t want to diss all of a sudden.
But, it was really so different that I couldn’t even imagine she would be wearing… No, I could imagine it someway, but still, I didn’t think she would come in that style.
“Is it strange? In the place that I often go, it’s pretty normal.”
In the original world, it would be called the ‘punk rock’ style.
A tight black leather skirt and a leather jacket with short sleeves.
Chains hang from all over her body, and accessories hang from them.
When Toono-san moved, it was so noisy. Sure, there were accessories hanging when she was in school uniform, but today the number of accessories was overwhelming.
“Could it be that, you came from outside looking like that?”
You didn’t get stopped on the way?
“That’s right. I mean, we’re going to the central station. You have to be at least this enthusiastic!”
“I see… perhaps, is this normal?”
Looking at Kikuie-san to check her reaction, she quietly shook her head.
“There are people like this, but they only appear in certain shops.”
“……I see”
Toono-san’s outfit didn’t seem to be standard, even for going around Central Station.
“Listen, I bought these clothes in the special zone you know.”
In other words, there are shops that sell such clothes there.
Why? Is that fashionable?… I don’t know.
“By the way, where do you plan to go today?”
Hashigami-san asked the right question.
I wanted to go to the central station, so I asked them to go there with me, and they agreed without any doubts, so I hadn’t really talked about the details yet.
“There are a few places I want to visit, but I would rather get a feel for the atmosphere of the town. So I would like to know what everyone recommends. Then we can visit those places one by one, how about it?”
“I see. I’m familiar with the west exit of the station. Of course, I can guide you to other famous places, but if that’s the case, would you like me to tell you where I usually go?”
Hearing the word “west exit”, I searched the info in my memories.
If I remember correctly, there should have been large bookstores, movie theaters, and game and anime shops there.
“Yeah, I want to go around the west area too, so I’ll ask Hashigami-san for being a guide there. Then, which area do you often go to, Kikuie-san?”
“I rarely go there, so I don’t know much about it except for places I found on the internet. It’s far from my house after all, and when I go there, it’s always the shopping mall. The one you go from the south exit of the station.”
“I see… the south exit huh.”
Kikuie-san took two hours to get to school.
Surely when she was a middle school student, it must be rare for her to come here to play.
And, even if she did come, must be not that long.
Even so, she has knowledge about it to some extent.
In that regard, she’s like Yuuko.
“Yuu knows the north very well!”
“Is that so? So Aono-san knows the north… Hmm?”
Isn’t the North Exit an entertainment district for adults?
If I remember correctly, there should be many shops with glittering neon signs there…
“The north, is it? So you like erotic stuff. By any chance, do you perhaps have any illegal erotic photobooks?”
Toono-san showed interest, but Aono-san shook her head.
“As expected, I was just a middle school student, so I couldn’t buy them… but secre…”
Having said that much, Toono-san seemed to realize that I was next to her and stopped her words.
Seems it’s an erotic talk between women.
But what do you mean by ‘illegal’ erotic photo book? Is the subject really man?
As I was wondering so,
COUGH!! COUGH!!
Toono-san deliberately cleared her throat and closed the talk about that topic.
◇
We got on the train.
The train was reasonably crowded, so we were holding on to the straps and looking out the window.
“Umm….. Souya-kun. Can I ask you one thing?”
“What is it, Hashigami-san?”
“Why did you choose us… non-special ward students as group members?”
When Kikuie-san said that, the other three nodded in silence.
I see…
It must have been on their mind. But they restrained to hear it when in class.
“I wonder how I should answer… Let me think about it for a moment, so please wait.”
Kikuie-san nodded.
My eyes met with the office lady sitting in front of me. Noticing it, she hurriedly averted her eyes.
In the original world, I was unpopular. I was so unpopular that I screamed out loud asking for salvation.
Not that I wanted to go out with the most beautiful girl in my class. I just wanted to have a casual conversation with a girl, go home with her after school, or go to have fast food together.
Even the woman who accepted business conversations made a face like “Eh? Why are you telling me that?” when I asked her.
Even now, I don’t know if my thick eyebrows were that bad or my square face was that bad, but there were no girls walking next to me.
I was alone, watching my classmates having a youthful life from the sideline.
In this world, the ones who are closest to me of the past, are the girls from outside the special ward. But still, I don’t think they can understand me even if I honestly tell them all.
After much thought, I said,
“I thought that if I chose the group members with students from inside the special ward, it would surely only widen the big gap between the ones from inside and outside the special ward. Since we’re all now classmates, shouldn’t we all get along? Just because you’re from inside or outside, shouldn’t stop the friendships, right? That kind of reason is just so pity, nonsense.”
“All for that…?”
“First of all, I want to get along with the members of my group, which is filled with students from outside, then, I’ll use that as a foothold to get along with other students, whether from outside or inside the special ward… In other words, I want to get along with everyone in the class. And you’re all the ones on the front line.”
When I said so, Kikuie-san covered her mouth with both hands. She looked so deeply moved.
And Hashigami-san muttered, “Honorable…”.
No, I’m not that honorable.
When I thought that, the office lady in front of me was bowing her head to me a few times.
Stop! I’m not a deity or anything like that!
◇
After a while, the train arrived at the central station.
More than half of the passengers get off here.
“Alright, time to go. Everyone, are you ready?!”
Along with Kikuie-san’s shout, a human barrier was built around me.
The four of them were in formation to guard me.
It was like the five on a dice. I was in the center, surrounded by four girls.
“Is it no good if you don’t guard this strictly?”
“If anything happens, we won’t be able to go to school.”
Kikuie-san said scary things.
Is it even possible to get expelled from school by exposing a man to danger?
I really want to know what’s inside those submitted at the admission.
Anyway, I finally set foot in the biggest entertainment district in the Special Ward Tokyo.