Chapter 31: CH 31

Daring Yet Delicate

The café ‘Fleur’ on the promenade in front of the station was known for the cute uniforms of its staff. This was the second time I had been to the café, the first time being when my sister took me shopping.

The place was full, but luckily a seat opened up soon after we entered and we were shown in. Nakano-san and Takane-san sat across from me, side by side.

“The crepes here are addictive once you try them. Do you like sweets, Nozomi-chan?”

“I do, but I try not to snack, so I’ll just stick to drinks.”

“Eh~, is that so?”

Nakano-san was looking at Takane-san with something appealing in her eyes–maybe she felt bad about eating alone or something.

“Then Nagisen should order one, and you and Takane-san should share it.” (T/N: No idea why she switched back to Takane-san here…)

Takane-san and I couldn’t help but look at each other – I had just shared a pretzel with Takane-san. In such a bold way too at that.

I couldn’t help but look at Takane-san’s lips. I should have told Nakano-san that Takane and I were going out, but I couldn’t keep my composure at all.

“Ah, when I say “share,” I don’t mean you have to go all “ahhh” or anything like that, okay?”

“…N-No. I really didn’t think anything of it…”

“…Then, how about the same crepe as Nakano-san?”

“Ehh? …Takane-san?”

Takane-san stared at the menu list, unsure of what she was looking at, and then smiled at Nakano-san.

“Na. Gi. To. San. likes cream puffs, and that’s sweet, so we can split it in half… Right?”

“…We-Well, I don’t really…”

“That’s right, Nagisen has a sweet tooth, despite his tough appearance… Ehh? Just now, Nozomi-chan called Nagisen…”

“Sorry to keep you waiting. Enjoy this cold drink. Have you decided on your order?”

“Yes, I will order first. I’ll have a seasonal fruit crepe and tapioca coconut milk.”

“I’ll have the same crepe and iced tea.”

“I’ll have an iced café au lait.”

When Takane-san said “Nagito-san” so smoothly, in short, it meant–she had no intention of hiding it, and she wanted to be proud of it.

A short time after we ordered, the drinks we asked were served. Nakano-san almost mistook the top as the bottom of the straw and was gently pointed out by Takane-san.

“Ehehe, thank you, Nozomi-chan.”

“You’re welcome.”

Nakano-san had joined us on what I thought was in the middle of our date, but I didn’t feel like I was interrupted. Rather, I was proud to see Takane’s caring side as a boyfriend–I wondered if I’d be in trouble if she knew I was thinking that way.

“Oh, yeah. Nagisen, have you seen this? Kiri-chan’s…”

Nakano-san tried to show me her phone, then pulled it back with a huff.

“I’m also ‘friends’ with Asatani-san, so I’m curious.”

“I see… Thank God, I was just wondering if me doing something unnecessary might have complicated things.”

“…It was about to get complicated. But now, what about Asatani-san…?”

Calling them friends was a bit off-putting, as friends was not enough of a word to describe the relationship between Takane-san and Asatani-san.

“I can’t take my eyes off Asatani-san. Because she’s a wonderful person… And she’s ‘Nagito-san’s’ ex-girlfriend.”

“Yeah, it’s surprising, isn’t it? That the reserved Nagisen…was…”

Nakano-san noticed as expected–she paused, looked at me, and then looked at Takane-san again.

“I’m Nagito-san’s ‘current-girlfriend,’ so I can’t afford to lose to Asatani-san.”

Once again, Nakano-san looked at me. I could only describe her face at that moment as something I’ve never seen before–if I might say so, it was as temperamental as you could get.

“…Current-girlfriend means girlfriend right now, right?”

“Ye-Yes… I’m sorry it took me so long to say that.”

“Eh, wait… Um, Nagisen? Could it be my hunch was right…?”

“Ah, yeah. I’ve been meaning to tell Nakano-san properly, today’s my chance.”

“You should have told me that, though… But does that mean you guys hit it off so well? You’ve only just been in the same class.”

“That’s… Nagito-san, can I speak with you?”

“Uuu, I knew I hadn’t misheard Nagito-san… That is, something you call the person you like, isn’t it?”

“Hey, Nakano-san. The person you like is…”

I was about to say something when Takane-san looked at me. Her big eyes were moist–they were like puppies, my weakness.

“…Is that wrong?”

“…Not that it’s wrong…”

If Takane-san looked at me like that, I would have no choice but to break immediately. Nakano-san seemed to find it funny and chuckled at my behavior.

“Nagisen, you seem to be willing to listen to anything Takane-san says. I see, when I want something from Nagisen , I’ll just have to go through Takane-san then.”

“It all depends on what you ask. Besides, I don’t think he’ll listen to everything I ask, and I have to make sure he doesn’t hate me for being selfish.”

“…Isn’t that so nice? I thought Takane-san was a cool person, but in front of Nagisen, she’s like this… Nee?” (T/N: She’s asking for affirmation.)

“I’m not sure about that ‘Nee‘… Don’t play with her too much.”

“I’m not playing with her, I’m just happy for her. Does Kiri-chan know that you two are dating?”

“Yes. I told her properly, and I’ve become friends with Asatani-san.”

A question mark seemed to be floating over Nakano-san’s head–of course there would be, even I didn’t know what kind of conversation that happened between Takane-san and Asatani-san to bring us to the current situation.

“…Eh, two-timing? Nagisen, if you two-time an idol, you’ll end up in a weekly magazine, you know? They’ll put your eyes in the picture like this.”

“These days, you’re more likely to be photographed wearing a mask… No, I think you’re misunderstanding the situation too much.”

Certainly, if the date had occurred as promised during the short time we were together, there might have been a chance that a photo would have been taken. And that Asatani-san was so worried about it that she couldn’t come to the appointed place–no, I shouldn’t look back on that.

“He’s not two-timing. Right now…I’m the one…with.”

“Eh, what?”

Takane-san seemed to say, ‘I’m the one he’s in a relationship with,’ but her voice was muffled, partly because she was in a cafe. Nakano-san boldly put her ear close to Takane-san’s, listening to something that amused her, and looked at me happily.

“So it turns out that Nagisen didn’t just break up with Kiri-chan. Well, I guess I’m a little relieved then. ‘You’re one to say!’ Right?”

“I know you were worried about Asatani-san, but I don’t see anything wrong with that.”

“Ah, but I think Kiri-chan is going to be mad at me later. I need to apologize to her.”

“Asatani-san said that the reason Nakano-san gave the ticket to Cleave was because she was so kind. I don’t think she’s angry.”

“Fuuuh… That’s such a nice thing to say to someone like me…”

“I’m grateful to you too, Nakano-san. That day, I was there to see Asatani-san off, because I thought it would have been better if someone had been there.”

“Ah… Kiri-chan is becoming more popular, and I heard that some fans came chasing…”

I nodded back. If I told her the details of the situation, Nakano-san might take action–she had a personality that couldn’t help but act when her friends were in trouble.

“…If I had gone there, I’d have probably caused trouble for Kiri-chan. I’m glad Nagisen was there after all. I shouldn’t be saying this after causing so much trouble, though.”

“I’m glad that Nagito-san was nearby when Asatani-san was in trouble.”

Takane-san said so, but Nakano-san was looking complicated–she seemed apologetic and concerned about Takane-san’s true intentions.

“…The truth is, I was lost. I couldn’t calm down until I got a call from Nagito-san…”

“…I-I’m sorry.”

“No, it’s okay. I think it was because of that that I had a chance to talk to Asatani-san.”

“So, Kiri-chan, who is Nagisen’s…um, ‘ex-girlfriend,’ and Nozomi-chan, who is now his ‘current-girlfriend’…are friends?”

“Yes. I’m in the same class as Asatani-san, and I’m sure we’ll be working together in the future. Besides, I heard that the meeting of the light music club that Asatani-san joined will be held in the library…”

“That’s right, Kiri-chan, she’s been asked if she’d like to try singing next. And if she sang in the light music club, wouldn’t that make the school festival a huge deal?”

Asatani-san singing–I heard her sing once when I went to karaoke with my club mates, and she was very good. She humbly said she was embarrassed to sing in front of people, but everyone was speechless when she started the song.

“The book club makes a book for the club every year, so hopefully we’ll get to be a part of it. I’m not a good writer, but I like to read.”

“Have you had any book recommendations lately?”

“Yes, I have. I think Nagisen might be interested in this one, a mystery. You said you don’t read many romance books, right?”

Nakano-san searched for the book on her phone and showed me the cover. It was a book I’ve been interested in, too – I was surprised she’d read it before me, but then again, her reading habits were similar to mine.

As we were talking, the waitress brought us crepes. Nakano-san’s eyes sparkled – her sweet tooth was still the same.

“Thank you for waiting, this is our seasonal fruit crepe.”

A plate of crepes was placed in front of Nakano-san and me. It seemed like a lot for one girl, but Nakano-san didn’t seem to mind.

“So, can I have some now?”

“Yes, please enjoy.”

“Thank you very much. Then I’ll take your word for it…”

The crepe was cut with a knife and topped with fruit and cream, and Nakano-san brought it to her mouth – she seemed to be too impressed to speak.

“This is really crazy, you two should try it, it’s really, really good.”

“Is it that serious…? That’s pretty promising. Takane-san, you go first.”

When I suggested it to Takane-san, she seemed to try to refrain – but then, as if she had an idea, she picked up a knife and fork.

Nakano-san’s reaction was quite loud, but I wondered how Takane-san would react. I didn’t want to watch her eat too much, so I stirred the iced café au lait and sipped it through the straw – then.

“–Fuaah!?”

I heard Nakano-san’s surprised voice and looked up to see what was going on -Then, instead of eating the crepe herself, Takane-san was offering it to me.

“Here, ahhn.”

It was a possibility, but I’d be embarrassed if I accepted it. It was impossible with Nakano-san arround, and even if she wasn’t, I didn’t know if it would go that way.

Beyond all such conflicts, Takane-san was giving me an “ahhn” for real. She even leaned forward on the table.

I could feel eyes on me, and undoubtedly I was being watched. How did I look when I was in a cafe with two girls and getting ‘ahhn’-ed? My thought process was about to burn out.

“..Ahhn.”

When she said it again, I knew I had to be prepared. Because Takane-san’s face was turning bright red.

I put the offered crepe in my mouth. It was sweet and very tasty. The fruit and cream that Takane had placed on top of the crepe were perfectly balanced, bringing out the best of each without any excess.

“How’s the taste?”

“U-Um… It’s really good.”

“That’s good then. I will have some too.”

Takane-san also took a mouthful of crepe. It was an indirect kiss, but I wondered if I was the only one being aware of it every time, so I just tried my best to calm down.

“It’s delicious. Thank you, Nakano-san, for recommending it.”

“N-No, me too, th-thank y-you.”

I suppressed the urge to poke my head in and ask, “What are you thanking her for?”

It might have been a matter of etiquette when eating, but Takane-san’s use of the knife and fork was so beautiful that I knew I had to be careful when eating in the future. I hoped that I could be a boyfriend that she would not be ashamed to be with.