/
“
This is all for the training. I don’t think there’s anything else in particular. I’ll contact you later for your provisional shift, so if there’s any issues just let me know at that time. Then you can take your leave now!”
Having said their leave to Omaki who was wiping her forehead, seeming to want to say ‘hard work done,’ Sandai and Hajime changed back into their plain clothes and went outside. Of course, they changed in separate places.
As Sandai was about to leave while letting out a yawn, “Wait a minute,” Hajime called to him. “Hey Fujiwara-kun, so I heard your talk with Omaki-san earlier.”
“My talk with Omaki-san
?”
“Yep. So you have a girlfriend?”
“Aah, that one. You heard it, huh. Well, I do.”
“I heard she’s super beautiful, though? Show me, too!” Hajime clung to Sandai’s arm and begged.
Well, It wouldn’t make sense either not showing it to Hajime yet having showed it to Omaki. It would be like being given unfair treatment, which should hurt Hajime’s feelings as well.
“It’s this girl.”
Hajime went, “Wah!” when Sandai showed Hajime Shino’s picture. “
I mean she’s cuter than a model or idol, could she be Yuizaki Shino-san?”
“You know her?”
“She’s super famous, you know? Even at my school someone will always bring her up. 
Yuizaki-san doesn’t seem to have any SNS, and it’s impossible to get into contact with her in any way, and so there are many guys who feel she’s sort of like someone with even more rarity value.”
“She certainly did say she hates getting weird DMs so she doesn’t do SNS.”
“I see now. 
But, how did you meet Yuizaki-san who’s got such a high guard?”
“We go to the same school.”
“Ah
 I get it now. If that’s the case, it sure looks like you can get to know each other directly.”
A small breeze suddenly came, and a sweet and soft smell drifted from Hajime. It had the same smell as Shino’s.
“The smell just now
”
“Yeah?”
“No, I just thought something smelled good is coming from you, Saeki.”
“Something smelled good? Maybe it’s my scented hand cream? Here, try taking a little sniff.” When Sandai sniffed the back of the hand Hajime was holding out, there was indeed where the smell came from. “This is a new product from JILL. It’s a go-to high end cosmetic brand. They’ve got a lot of packaging with cute designs, so they’re popular for presents and stuff.”
Putting aside for now as to why Hajime, a guy, was using a cosmetic for girls, Sandai reacted with a start at the ‘popular for presents and stuff’ part.
He remembered the underwear he’d bought to give to Shino for Christmas. Although already this late, he felt it was somehow weird about underwear as a present.
“Popular for presents
”
“They are.”
“By some chance, could it be popular for presents for, like, Christmas or birthdays?”
“Yeah.”
“
I see. So by the way
”
“What’s up?”
“If a girl was given something like underwear as a present, what would she think? Moreover a pretty lewd one.”
“Eh? Ah
 right
 probably depends on the girl’s personality, but
 I think they’d get bewildered normally. No, I mean thinking normally would you give it as a present? I think you can understand it if you try thinking about it in their position, though. For example, what would you think if you got a weirdly obscene underwear for men as a present from Yuizaki-san?”
“I think
 I
 would question what she’s thinking.”
“Right? It’s the same thing.”
A gush of unpleasant sweat broke out all over Sandai’s body.
It was an underwear he had bought with the momentum from having been taken in by Miki, but even without giving it much thought, Miki got a cheeky personality.
‘It was a lot of fun, and Miki was satisfied, too.’
Only now did he understand the reason for Miki to quickly go home after saying so. Just imagining what would happen later on was already irresistibly fun.
He was late to notice it.
But he didn’t even have the monetary surplus to buy another present now. The current Sandai could only pray ‘Please don’t think of me as a “pervert”.’
Sandai’s steps became heavy with his mood beginning to darken as well, but Hajime went to cheer Sandai up.
Hajime smacked Sandai on the back. “Come! On!”
“Uwwh
 what’s with the sudden
”
“I don’t really get it, but is it like you screwed up in choosing the present? It’s gonna be fine, I’m sure.”
“
On what basis?”
“Girls are unexpectedly more broad-minded than guys, you know? The fact that you’re dating means she must like you, too. That’s why it’s gonna be fine. Even if the guy a girl likes or is interested in is a little weird, she’ll forgive him. She’ll think, ‘it can’t be helped’ ‘he’s also cute like that.’ Because that’s just how it is.”
It was a mystery that Hajime, a guy, understood even the deep parts of a woman’s heart, but Sandai somewhat got cheered up nevertheless. His heart quickly felt light.
“Thanks,” Sandai said with a smile, only to get stared fixedly by Hajime. Those large eyes of his with seemingly dilated pupils were moist.
It was eyes
 that seemed to suck people in.
When Sandai unconsciously stared back, Hajime made a right about-face with a twirl.
“Don’t mention it. Fufu
 You’re so kyut, Fujiwara-kun. Then see you,” he said, and left without haste while waving his hand.
Sandai was motionlessly staring at Hajime’s back, but he finally noticed it would be almost time for Shino to be done with her part-time job.
Today was Sunday. Shino’s work would end at six in the evening. Sandai checked the time on his phone, and it was 5:45.
Sandai ran as it seemed he wouldn’t make it if he hadn’t, and he arrived at the cafe five minutes earlier, somehow worth the effort.
“Hn? Shino-chan’s BF-kun has arrived at the store.”
“Hello.”
“Now this way, come.”
When he sat at the most inconspicuous seat where he was led to, he was immediately served black tea of the boyfriend’s privilege. Sandai drank up the slightly steaming black tea in one go. And then Shino in her plain clothes came out from the back.
“Yoohoo.”
“Nn.”
“Then let’s go back.”
Once they stepped outside the store, a cold wind blew through the gaps between buildings.
“
The wind just now was so cold.”
“You’re right.”
Sandai stuck to Shino closer than usual and held that hand of hers.
Shino’s hand was slightly chilly, but as he continued to grasp it, warmth gradually spread out which was comforting.
On their way to his apartment, Sandai casually looked at Shino’s profile.
He’d been cheered up by Hajime, and his heart had gotten slightly lighter even, but nevertheless, he got not zero worries—about how she would respond when receiving the Christmas present.
“What’s wrong?”
“No
 umm
”
“Ah, I know! Just a sec!” Shino fished through her bag and pulled out a muffler from inside, and then wrapped half of it around her neck, and the other half around Sandai’s neck. “Your neck was cold, right? With this it’s warm, right?”
“
You’re right. It really is warm.”
“Right, right.”
Sandai smiled. He got taken aback somewhat.
Then he noticed.
Shino was a kind girl who would worry about him in many ways like this, at the very least he got the confidence that she was a girlfriend who wouldn’t get mad.
As for the present
 he would just have to pay attention next time. That was all what he’d have to do.
“W-What’s with that very gentle face?”
“It’s nothing.”
“Really
? Somehow you’re looking like a Buddha statue, though. Are you saying that’s my imagination?”
“You’re right, it’s your imagination. 
Hmm?” Suddenly Sandai’s phone rang. He got a message. “It’s a message.”
“From who?”
“Who knows. I’ll check now.”
The sender was his father, and the content was a brief ‘How have you been lately?’
“
It’s from Dad. Sure is rare.”
“Your dad, huh~.”
“It says to give a status report here. I can’t really ignore this. I’ve been allowed to live alone after all.”
“Also write about me, okay?”
“I definitely will, or I should say that’ll be the main point. I want to keep it as short as possible, though
”
“You sure are pretty bad with long sentences aren’t you, Sandai. Even now I still remember how you only sent me your name in your first message, you know? Actually I’ve got the message history on me, wanna see? Hmm?”
“N-No, it’s fine.”
“You sure?”
“I’m sure. 
That aside, just how I should write it.”
“
Instead of weirdly thinking so much, can’t you just use your feelings? Honest words just how you felt it are most natural and resonates with the heart; either in writing or in speech. At the very least I’m like that.”
“I see
”
Sandai typed the words without giving it much thought, just as Shino told him. And then it turned out better than expected.
Getting liked by Shino and them dating, afterwards completely getting hooked on romance—Sandai promptly sent the message that looked like it could fully convey such a current situation of his.
>The gyaruぎゃる sitting behind me liked me. Might be no hope for me anymore.
“Ng
”
After sending it Sandai realized; that he had forgotten to convert gyaruぎゃる to gyaruă‚źăƒŁăƒ«Â and sent the message with it still in hiragana.
“
What’s wrong?”
“Forgot to convert. The gyaruă‚źăƒŁăƒ«Â is still in hiragana.”
“That’s fine, isn’t it? Hiragana is rounder and it’s cuter,” said Shino
“I guess that’s true,” Sandai agreed and put his phone away.