Parsed with an automated reader. The content accuracy is not guranteed.
Title: Mikura-san who’s worried about that.\n
AN: \nIt’s been a while, I’m the author Maruyaka.\nSorry for keeping you waiting.\nStarting today, I’ll be resuming updates again.\nFor people who are still reading this, nice to meet you for the second time. [TLN: Long note at end] \n
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“Here’s the bitter coffee au lait and a medium roast coffee.”(Waitress-san) [TLN: I don’t know coffee go look this stuff up]\n
The drinks, brought by a waitress in an elegant and pretty uniform, were placed on our table.\n
In front of me there was the coffee au lait, and, across from me, there was the coffee.\n
“Thank you.”(Sakuraba)\n
“Please take your time and enjoy yourself.”(Waitress-san)\n
Inside the cafe, there was bossa nova music playing, the lighting was on the dimmer side, and the aroma of coffee was abundant. \n[TLN: bossa nova music is a thing, look it up. This was literally what was written in katakana. I was confused too.]\nYes, as cozy and comfortable as always.\n
“As expected of a cafe recommendation from Aoto-kun. If I’m here, I might be able to relax.”(Mikura)\n
Saying this, she shook the cup in her hand a little and looked around the store’s interior again.\n
Today I was supposed to meet her, Mikura Yuzuri, who’s in the same class as me.\n
A few days earlier, a message came in from her saying that she wanted me to take her to a favorite restaurant of mine.\n
Mikura, who was sitting across from me, was naturally wearing casual clothes different from the ones she wore at school.\n
Navy blue wide pants and a light blue sweater- these clothes created a gap between her and what she was like in a school uniform, and it looked good on her.\n
Even though I’m not interested in fashion, I can still somewhat tell that she has good fashion sense.\n
“Yeah, the coffee is good too. Even though it’s black, it isn’t that bitter.”(Mikura)\n
“That’s true. It seems like this cafe does that intentionally. Well, I always drink the cafe au lait, though.”(Sakuraba)\n
It wasn’t just the atmosphere- Of course the shop’s food tasted good as well.\nThis place is a secret spot, but I think it’s probably okay to tell Mikura about it.\n
“I’ll probably come here a lot too.……Aoto-kun, are there any days of the week that you always come here, or anything like that?”(Mikura)\n
“Hm? ….No, I don’t really have specific days I’ve decided to come on. I just come whenever I feel like it or whenever I find an interesting book to read. It’s kind of just by chance.”(Sakuraba)\n
“I- I see…”(Mikura)\n
Mikura, for some reason, was making a bit of a gloomy face.\nI wonder if my reply was incorrect in some way.\n
Well, it’s fine. I won’t worry about it.\n
“Oh, that’s right. I have to give you the book.”(Sakuraba)\n
Saying this, I reached into my bag and pulled out the book that I had been planning to lend to her.\n
“It’d be a waste to only show me your favorite store, so I want to borrow some of your book recommendations too,” is what she had said.\n
“Here.”(Sakuraba)\n
“Thanks, Aoto-kun. I’ll read it right away and return it to you.”(Mikura)\n
“It’s okay if you take your time. Read through it at your own pace.”(Sakuraba)\n
“N-, No, I want to read through it quickly…..!”(Mikura)\n
“I see. Well, you doing that makes me feel happier.”(Sakuraba)\n
Mikura was holding my book like it was incredibly important, and she slowly and carefully put it into her bag.\nI appreciate that she’s treating it with care, but it’s just a paperback, so she doesn’t have to worry about it so much.\n
“But people have different tastes in novels, you know. If you read a few more of them, I’ll be able to get a better understanding of your tastes.”(Sakuraba)\n
“Th-, then! ……In the future, is it fine if I borrow a few of your books again?”(Mikura)\n
“Yeah, of course. If we can discuss the books, it’ll make me happy too.”(Sakuraba)\n
After answering like so, I drank my cafe au lait.\nThe deep milk aroma that spread through my nostrils was irresistible.\n
By the way, from the cup across from me, Mikura, for some reason, looked terribly stiff yet was still somehow making a relaxed expression.\nI feel like her cheeks are slightly red.\n
I wonder if the coffee is that tasty.\nI don’t really like black coffee much, so it’s kind of strange from my point of view, but if she’s happy, then that’s good.\n
“…..Recently, the amount of times I’ve asked you to help me out with something has multiplied. Sorry.”(Mikura)\n
“It’s fine. I’m doing this half because I enjoy doing it.”(Sakuraba)\n
If anything, because she’s thanking me like this, I don’t find helping her to be annoying at all.\nIt’s not that I do this wanting to be thanked or anything like that, but, after all, I’m happy when I do get thanked.\n
“Besides, as your friend, it weighs on my mind that you’re the only one that’s struggling unfairly.”(Sakuraba)\n
“…..You’re really kind.”(Mikura)\n
“You’re exaggerating. The main reason I do this is because it bothers me.”(Sakuraba)\n
“No. …..From my point of view, I don’t really think I’m exaggerating. Your consideration…..I really am….”(Mikura)\n
Mikura exhaled, looking awfully impatient.\nThere was a somewhat strange atmosphere.\n
“By- by the way, Aoto-kun.”(Mikura)\n
“Hm, what?”(Sakuraba)\n
“……Recently, you’ve been talking to Shirato Kasumi a lot, haven’t you? I don’t remember you guys being that close before, though……”(Mikura)\n
Following the unexpected “by the way,” an unexpected name came up.\nI was a bit taken aback, but I answered calmly.\n
“Well, let’s see. She and I kind of just get along.”(Sakuraba)\n
“Fu, Fumu…..”(Mikura)\n
But, when I think about it, it might’ve been sudden.\nI don’t have that many friends, and, even with the friends I do have, I don’t talk that much with them.\nA person like me suddenly getting on good terms with the taciturn Shirato- that certainly is an unusual event.\n
Well, regardless of the reason, right now she really is one of my friends, so I have nothing to feel guilty about.\nRather than being concerned about that, I’m more worried about Mikura’s interest in our relationship.\nJust why in the world…\n
“……And then you seem to be getting along with Yuunagi Shizuno too.”(Mikura)\n
The moment she said that, I began to feel incredibly tense.\n
Thinking about it, it was probably natural for something like this to occur.\n
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[Long TLN from above: The actual text for the second half that sounds weird ‘nice to meet you for the second time’ is ぜひ改めてよろしくお願いします. Yoroshiku onegaishimasu is generally translated into nice to meet you or smthing like that but it still feels off here because of the zehi aratamete and context. If ur not shit at Japanese plz lmk a better way of translating this]\n
[TLN: Thanks to Flamer from the Neosekai server and my irl friend that’s Japanese and speaks Japanese but is racist against the Japanese for helping me fix my shit Japanese translations]\n