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Chp 38
What The Most Beautiful Girls Yearns For
On December 31st, New Yearā€™s Eve, I was still at Saitoā€™s house reading a book.
Iā€™m used to it now, but if I think about it, the past me would be surprised about this situation.
I canā€™t believe Iā€™m allowed to be alone in a room with such a pretty girl.
I glanced at Saito and saw that she was reading a book with a serious expression on her face.
Her face was expressionless as always, but her eyes were slightly lit up and I could tell she was enjoying reading.
Recently, Iā€™ve come to be able to tell what sheā€™s been thinking even when her face is mostly expressionless. After being acquainted for 3 months, Iā€™ve naturally come to notice the slight differences in her facial expressions.
It was strange to have this kind of relationship with her. I was deeply moved and tried to reach for my tea.
[Ah]
The TV remote, which was on the edge of the table, hit my elbow and fell off.
As I was unable to respond quickly, the remote fell with a clang.
[Are you alright?]
[Yeah]
Feeling bad for interrupting her while she was reading, I picked up the remote.
I looked up and heard a sound coming from the TV.
[Erā€¦ Thenā€¦]
It seemed that the switch was activated when it fell. The TV turned on and was showing a young man being interviewed about something.
He seemed to be asked about how he was going to spend time for the rest of the day, and he replied he was going to doĀ HatsumodeĀ at the shrine at night. (TN: Hatsumode is paying the first visit to the shrine at the start of the year)
It was just a run-of-the-mill show. As I was about to turn it off, I heard a small voice. It was really small and seemed to leak unintentionally.
[Must be niceā€¦]
When I looked over, she squinted her eyes and gave a look as if she saw something dazzling.
It was a look of envy and admiration, mixed with a sense of longing.
My heart ached at the sight of her lowering her eyebrows in a slightly lopsided manner. Somehow I didnā€™t want to see her like this.
Perhaps sheā€™s never been there with her friends. Or perhaps there was another reason why she couldnā€™t go.
For her, it seems likeĀ HatsumodeĀ at night was something she wanted to do and longed for.
I myself didnā€™t have any particular plans on New Yearā€™s Day, but I would go with her if she wanted.
She has been very nice to me, and I wanted to at least fulfill such a trivial wish.
[Do you want to go toĀ HatsumodeĀ with me?]
[Is that okay?!]
She seemed surprised by my comment and blinked her eyes.
[Yeah, itā€™s okay. Letā€™s go out at night. Itā€™ll be darker at night, so itā€™ll be less obvious if weā€™re together]
If we get caught, then thatā€™s that. If I could see her face brighten up, I wouldnā€™t mind.
If I can make her wish come true, itā€™s a small price to pay.
[ā€¦Thank you]
Her eyes lit up and she bowed. As she thanked me, her mouth relaxed and a soft smile appeared on her face.