After finishing theĀ amazakeĀ andĀ oshiruko, we headed out to get our fortune.
The drink made my stomach feel slightly warm, and the cold seemed to have dissipated for a little while.
This time, we arrived safely without getting lost, and immediately paid to draw a fortune.
I opened the fortune with excitement and anticipation, but the result was just Sue-kichi. I smiled at my indescribable fortune. (TN: Sue-kichi is Good Luck.)
I glanced sideways at her and saw that Saito was also about to check her fortune.
She slowly and carefully opened it. She blinked and her face lit up.
[Look at this! Itās Daikichi!] (TN: Daikichi, on the other hand, is great luck)
She smiled cheerfully, a little louder than usual, and showed it to me. The fortune in her hand was indeed written as Daikichi.
[Good for you]
I couldnāt help but smile at her innocent expresion and joy.
She seemed to realize how I was reacting to her expression, and withdrew her fortune she showed me. She cleared her throat and said [Forget about it], and began to read the fortune.
I laughed again when she seemed to be embarrassed by her unusual behavior and her cheeks blushed a bit.
Weāve done our prayers and received our fortunes, just as I was thinking about leaving, she yawned next to me and opened her mouth.
[Are you sleepy?]
[Yeah, a bit]
The way she was rubbing her eyes sleepily with tears at the corners of her eyes was somewhat cat-like.Ā She really is like a small animalĀ I thought to myself.
[Well, letās go back. Iāll walk you home]
[I can go home by myself though? Iām not a grade schooler]
Apparently, she was unaware that she was a girl. A beautiful one, at that.
Itād be dangerous to walk alone in the streets at night. Besides, I was the one being taken care of by her, and since I invited her, I think it was only right to take her home.
Above all, my pride as a man would be tarnished if I let her walk home alone.
[Thatās not what I meant. Youāre a girl, so itās dangerous for you. Itās even more dangerous since youāre very pretty]
When I warned her that she was a beautiful girl, she clenched her mouth. [Whatās wrong?] I was about to ask, but she turned around and started to walk away.
[Ah, hey!]
When I hurriedly called out to her, she stopped and slowly turned her head to me.
[ā¦That was sly of you]
[What the hellā¦]
[ā¦Itās nothing]
When I asked her if I did something wrong, she just turned her head away.
However, she seemed to be willing to go home with me and said [Letās go]
I chased after her, while wondering what was going on with her.