(It’s not fair… I’m the only one getting flustered here. Today was already so embarrassing, but I worked up the courage to touch him more and be more proactive…)
Looking back, Sara had done a lot of embarrassing things today. But if she wanted Haruya to notice her, she had to go this far.
This swimsuit shopping was just the prelude to the real event—the sleepover. And during that, she’d make sure he was even more aware of her… He better be ready.
“…Could you say something? Holding a wink this long is kinda painful.”
The fact that he was still holding the expression only made him more endearing, further fueling her excitement.
Maybe that was why—why she ended up doing something she never would’ve done under normal circumstances.
Because Haruya was special to her.
“Fufu~ Come on, Akasaki-san… Let’s go.”
“H-Hey, you’re not even gonna say anything about my wink?! That’s harsh!”
“Do you want me to say something that badly?”
“N-No, not really… I was just going along with the flow.”
“Fufu~ What’s that supposed to mean? Fine, turn around. I’ll tell you without words.”
Confused, Haruya turned his back to her.
His broad shoulders reminded Sara once again—Ah, right. He’s a boy.
Gently, she lifted a finger and began tracing letters onto his back, like a game of charades.
The sensation tickled, but as Haruya tried to decipher the words, his face burned with embarrassment.
[You’re cute. I like you.]
He could tell she was writing it in hiragana.
The fact that she said “cute” instead of “cool” stuck out to him, but… it didn’t feel bad.
Still, he couldn’t help but think:
(Maybe it’s a bit late to realize this, but… Himekawa-san’s been pretty open about her feelings lately, huh?)
It was something he found himself reflecting on deeply.
“——Can you tell what I wrote?”
“Yeah, I got it.”
“Then, how about we check verbally?”
“Huh? …O-Oh. Uh, probably… [You’re cu—]
He froze. The phrase “You’re cute. I like you.” sounded way too much like a confession. Saying it out loud would be mortifying. From an outsider’s perspective, it would literally look like a love confession.
…No way. This was way too embarrassing. His cheeks burned as he averted his gaze from Sara.
“…Himekawa-san, could you turn your back to me as well?”
“I’m the type who wants things properly put into words.”
“…!”
Though she didn’t say it aloud, he could feel the pressure of You’re a man, so you should at least be able to put that into words, right? Seeing him become flustered and panicked, Sara showed him a mischievous smile and said:
“…You’re cute.”
“…!”
He could feel his face burning hot enough that it seemed like it might catch fire.
Sara made a pistol gesture with her hand toward the bewildered Haruya.
(…You really are an adorable person. When we have our sleepover, this level won’t be enough, you know? You’d better be prepared.)
And then.
—Bang.
She fired a bullet filled with romantic feelings toward him as he flailed about in confusion.
That night.
Under the brilliantly shining moon, Haruya visited his usual café to have dinner.
Having spent time with Sara and feeling his heart racing uncontrollably the entire time, Haruya came to this shop hoping to calm his feelings even a little.
(…I need to have some coffee and calm down.)
Even now, he could feel his cheeks—no, his entire body—burning with heat.
Today, Sara’s actions were completely different from her usual self.
Physical contact, teasing him, and so on.
Though he was confused, he was painfully reminded that she was, whether he liked it or not, a member of the opposite sex.
“Sorry to keep you waiting. Here’s your Napolitan and coffee set.”
As he was reflecting on Sara’s words and actions, his order was brought to him.
A familiar voice like rolling bells struck Haruya’s ears.
“Thank you very much.”
He had entered the shop just after six o’clock. Perhaps because it wasn’t yet the evening peak hours, there were no other customers visible in the store. The classical music flowing gently through the shop created a somehow pleasant atmosphere.
“…Onii-san, if I can get the manager’s permission again, I’d like to talk with you!”
She whispered softly in his ear with a gentle smile.
There was no need to confirm it anymore, but this female shop employee was Kohinata.
She was an acquaintance, a beautiful girl his age who always took care of him.
“…! Ah, yeah.”
“Why are you so flustered…? Chuckle”
“No, it’s just bad timing…”
“What’s wrong? Is it love?”
“…N-no, it’s not—”
“Suspicious.”
She looked at him with expectant, narrowed eyes.
Feeling awkward, he could only turn his face away from her purple eyes.
After being thoroughly teased by Sara, having someone whisper in his ear was bad for his heart.
He was usually accustomed to Kohinata whispering in his ear, but today even that made his heart skip a beat.
(…This is no good today.)
He brought the coffee to his lips to calm his feelings.
The characteristic aroma and bitterness permeated his body.
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT gadgetizedpanda.net
“Hehe, I’m really looking forward to having a little chat. I’ll go check with the manager right away.”
Kohinata winked while putting her index finger to her lips.
Haruya could only nod with a wry smile and say, “…I understand.”
She had always taken care of him, after all. Haruya had consulted with her about many things before…
However, just for today, he thought otherwise.
(…I might be full up with love talk.)
A few minutes later, having gotten permission from the manager and apparently entering her break time, Kohinata sat down in the seat across from him.
“Once again, Onii-san, hello there.”
“Hello, Kohinata-san.”
They exchanged light greetings.
Since he hadn’t finished his Napolitan yet, he hurriedly stuffed his mouth to finish it quickly, when Kohinata prefaced with “Right away, but…” and continued:
“Onii-san! Please listen to me!”
“What’s wrong? Your cheeks are so red.”
Immediately, Kohinata began fidgeting restlessly, poking her fingers together.
“Could it be about that person you’ve been interested in?”
“Yes! That’s right! Please help me!”
She bowed her head vigorously, seeking salvation.
Seeing her so unusually flustered, Haruya’s eyes widened in surprise.
The “person she’s interested in” literally referred to someone Kohinata had recently become interested in. He was surprised when she asked for romantic advice, but ultimately, she seemed too embarrassed even to discuss it, so that conversation had ended there.
It seemed there had been progress in that situation. …He wondered who it could be.
Kohinata—she was a beautiful girl in his same class, but there hadn’t been any frivolous talk about her that he could recall. From Haruya’s assessment, comparing it to when she had approached him for romantic advice, it seemed she had fallen in love after the Eika Festival ended, so perhaps it was one of the committee members.
(…Well, if I consider the committee members, the student council people were also cool and had good reputations. At least I’m avoided, so that’s not possible, but I’m curious about who the person might be.)
As Haruya was thinking such things, Kohinata murmured in a voice that seemed ready to disappear:
“…H-how do you think…I could make him…notice me?”
“That’s incredibly vague.”
Though he found it endearing.
“Th-that’s true, but…there’s something coming up soon where I might be able to make rapid progress with the person I’m interested in…”
She covered her reddened cheeks with her hands while fidgeting embarrassedly.
“That’s good news. What’s this thing where you might make rapid progress, if you don’t mind me asking?”
This question was naturally driven by curiosity, but without hearing the answer, it would be difficult to give advice. Even if he could manage it, with so little information, he felt he could only offer superficial counsel.
“Um, well…we’re going to the beach together.”
“The beach? Eh, that’s a date. That’s definitely rapid progress.”
He wanted to find out how they came to go to the beach together, but when Kohinata embarrassedly murmured, “…Could you not ask about the reason?” he couldn’t press further.
“…So if you’re going to the beach, I think there’s almost certainly mutual interest, but you want to do something at the beach to make him conscious of you as a member of the opposite sex?”
“…(nod nod)”
Without saying a word, she nodded small nods right there.
“Hmm…” Haruya pondered while groaning.
The ideas that came to mind were only things like splashing water at each other at the beach or playing chase on the sand. No good…that would be something couples who were already dating would do.
As he took some time to respond, Kohinata said embarrassedly:
“…I don’t have confidence in my body. And I can’t swim…”
“Eh?”
At this unexpected statement, Haruya unconsciously let out a bewildered sound.
“So, I…don’t have confidence in my figure…and I can’t swim! …Ah. H-how embarrassing…”
After declaring this loudly, she noticed and quickly turned her face away from Haruya.
Only her uncovered ear conveyed her embarrassment.
Though her reaction was endearing, seeing her desperate state actually made Haruya more composed.
“I-I see. Sorry…for making you say something embarrassing.”
“You really did…”
To her, with shoulders tensed from embarrassment, Haruya offered honest words:
“…I think Kohinata-san is attractive and should have more confidence. Besides, I don’t think he’d be disappointed just because you can’t swim.”
Also check out my friend Localizermeerkat for more LN translations!
BUY THE SOURCE MATERIAL TO SUPPORT THE AUTHOR !!!
Kindly click on the green button above and contribute to filling the green bar if you’re interested in having another LN from the request page translated. Also, every donation is being used to purchase the source material and to fund more English translations.
Please consider joining my Ko-Fi membership. By becoming a member, you’ll also gain access to 2-10 additional chapters of all of the novels from this site translated into English. Last but not least your support will also assist me in upholding the translation quality and speed. For more information, please follow the link.
Donation for faster release is always welcome
Additionally, I am now accepting translation requests.
