Chapter 74

「Ah~ We had a really great time, didn’t we?」

「Yeah, we did! It was fun being able to watch the movies, have a meal together with the three of us, and going around window shopping!」

「Yeah… Totally」

I’m so beat… After we ate, Asakura-san and Momoi-san dragged me around the shopping mall, going into every single shop from A-Z… Last time, I was on a date, it was just Asakura-san I had to put up with. This time, since Momoi-san’s around, this was twice the chaos of being dragged about. (Andou)

「Puh, it’s already 6pm~ So, about Class Rep’s assignment to you both…」

「Uh huh, would you be referring to both me and Romeo having to call each other by our “name” 30 times?」

「Which being the case, we should’ve already said it more than 30 times? On that note, haven’t you been keeping tabs, Momoi-san?」

「Of course! Let’s see~ Andou-kun, you’ve called Sakura 『Juliet』32 times, Sakura called you『Romeo』127 times~」

「Eh?! Did I really say Romeo that many times!?」

「Yup… You certainly said it.」

It was difficult to call her that in the beginning but after lunch, I had grown accustomed to hearing her call me『Romeo』that I was able to get into character… Asakura-san, you can stop calling me『Romeo』now. (Andou)

「On that count, you just barely met the mark, Andou-kun.」

「Now that you mention it, Romeo’s count is 1/3rd of mine.」

「Yeah… That it is.」

After all, I had counted to ensure I reached the lowest minimum required to be done with it. (Andou)

「Then, we can consider this assignment cleared and break up for today~! Andou-kun, make sure to accompany Sakura home, okay? Until she’s back safely at home, it still counts as a『date』♪」

「Eh, splitting… What about you, Momoi-san?」

「I would just be a hindrance to the both of you, so I’ll be heading home by myself~ Oh, and Andou-kun, you don’t have to repeat what you said at the test of courage last time. The sun hasn’t set yet so I’ll be fine on my own!」

「Hnn, alright… Well, see you later Momoi-san!」

「Momo, see ya!」

「Yep! Bye bye~!」

Andou-kun, Sakura, good luck with everything afterwards! … I’ll be cheering for the both of you! (Momoi)

***

「Even though it’s already past six, it’s not dark yet…」

「You’re right. It’s probably because it’ll be summer soon.」

Momoi-san… The reason she was fussing so much earlier was to purposely create an opportunity for the both of us to be alone. After all, the direction she was headed would have been a roundabout route she would have to take to get home… (Andou)

Oh Momo…It’s bizarre that she’s fussing about this… I just don’t understand why she was so out of character when she was deliberately making a pass at Andou-kun, and yet, after we split up, she secretly sent me an email cheering me on… (Asakura)

「…………」*peeks*

「…………」*glances*

O-Our eyes met!? (Asakura & Andou)

「A-Ahaha…」

「Ufufu…」

How should I react… Now that it’s somehow just the two of us, I’m getting butterflies in my stomach! (Asakura & Andou)

「Ro-Romeo, do you bypass this area quite often!?」

「Yes, you’re spot on, Juliet! The theater we were at today? I frequent quite often by myself, so I’m very familiar with the roads around here!」

「I-Is that so…」*peeks*

「Y-Yeah………」*glances*

H-How am I going to do this? I’m so nervous, I can’t converse properly. (Asakura)

Is Asakura-san nervous? She’s still calling me Romeo even though we’re finished with the assignment… Very well, I suppose I could still call out to her as Juliet, though I’m sure tomorrow she’ll revert back to calling out to me as『Andou-kun』like usual.

　But, with that being said, the purpose of today’s date was to fix the problem of Asakura-san’s『ham acting』(Andou)

「Hey, Juliet.」

「What is it, Romeo?」

「Virtually for the whole of today, we’ve been on a date referring to each other as『Romeo』and『Juliet』but, um… Do you think that you’ll be able to pull it off in the play?」

「Hmm, I wonder… Honestly, I wish I could do something about my acting… Even so, I don’t have any confidence in myself.」

「I see…」

「Just somehow… Even though I thought to myself that I want to act as Juliet, but, when it comes down to it, I find it difficult to get into the role…」

Difficulties in assimilating into the role… Asakura-san’s really bothered by it, huh (Andou)

「Juliet, if you’re okay with it, there’s a small park right around the corner. How about we stop by?」

「Eh, a park? Well, sure. Why not…」

I wonder why Andou-kun wants to go to the park… (Asakura)

「Look, it’s right over here. Did you know that there was a park right around here?」

「Wow, it’s such a scenic park! I didn’t know there would be a park like this on such an unknown street…」

「The truth is, I love walking down unknown streets like this. It gives me the thrill whenever I find an unexpected spot like this park.」

「Yeah, I get that feeling too. It perks me up whenever I discover a new place on an unfamiliar road in my housing area.」

「Totally! Also, people don’t frequent this park as much so it’s quiet and calming to be at… If it’s fine with you, shall we rest for a bit here?」

「Let’s. After finding such a scenic park like this, it would be our loss, not to take a break here.」

The both of them seemed like a real couple as they sat and chatted merrily at the park.

At the very least, even it was just a little while at the park, Asakura-san was able to find peace in her heart…

***

「And! And! And when it was published into a web novel, they completely redesigned the robot’s design!」

「Ah~ Yep~」

「And then, there’s another thing. Even though I find the rest of the novels interesting, the overuse of sound effects and criticisms plastered over the Internet just saddens me.」

「Ah, It happens~」

「And then, and then, and then! It drives me mad when people just look down and tot it off as just another 『Narou romance』only because all the new titles recently contain either『Cheat』or『Reincarnation』in them! What’s so wrong with using a template like that?」

「That, thou-」

Shit, she must have really been accumulating all that stress within her. For some reason, this has now turned into a ranting session for Asakura-san… (Andou)

Pheeee—euw~ Seriously, the entireeeeeee duration of the date. Momo was clinging onto Andou-kun, so I couldn’t carelessly talk about light novels and he kept taking glances intermittently at Momo’s breasts! These were making me feel so frazzled! Finally, I can slowly take my time to talk about light novels with him.

　That aside, I was clinging onto Andou-kun slightly… but does he only have eyes for Momo’s breasts? … C-C-Can’t you take peaks at my breasts too!? Well, this is what you get! I’m fuming after all! H-However… he is a boy. J-Just when it comes to cleavage… Can’t you just overlook it?

　HMPH♪ (Asakura)

Because Asakura-san isn’t well-rounded… I-I can see her bra!

　Should I say something about it…? (Andou)