V2 - Chapter 3

Volume 2 - Me, Her, and that Feeling's Name

Chapter 3

"And so, this is the result of my dedication during middle school for my low-profile high school debut plan." 

Minamino said, puffing out her chest with a "ta-dah" expression. Watching her, I couldn't help but be impressed. While it might sound simple to achieve a plain makeover, I thought that it might have required a considerable amount of research into how one appeared to others and what aspects could be changed to make a difference.

"But seriously, how did you figure it out, Satou? Like I mentioned earlier, I was pretty confident after conducting various experiments. I disguised myself and went to the station near the school, wandered around near friends regardless of gender, stuff like that. And I even showed a picture to a different group of friends, saying it was a picture of my female cousin's child."

"..."

She was speaking with such a joyful expression, as if delighted while saying, My friends really couldn't notice anything at all. It must be because she thought I was genuinely observant enough to see through her disguises, rather than me being conceited.

I felt a pang of guilt and realized how challenging it was to carry this to the grave.

"...Satou?"

As I made a somewhat indescribable face, Minamino bent down to peer at my face.

"...nt"

"Huh?"

"Nghh, it's your scent! I was waiting, and I thought I smelled Minamino's fragrance. And when I thought that..."

I blurted it out in the end.

"..."

(...She's definitely grossed out.)

Watching Minamino freeze in silence, I inwardly facepalmed. Physically, I couldn't touch my head since my hand was being held, but I scratched my cheek with my free hand.

"Kukuku, ahahaha!"

Minamino began laughing uncontrollably, as if she couldn't hold it in. Her laughter echoed along the path to the crepe shop, drawing the attention of other people wondering what was going on.

"So what you're saying is… even though you didn't notice my disguise at all, you still called out my name just based on my scent? That's seriously—"

"...Seriously what?"

"...Nevermind."

I wasn't acting like a protagonist who had a partial-hearing loss, I really just couldn't hear what she said. Although I was concerned, I felt relieved that she just laughed it off and didn't press further.

"Sorry, I'll work harder to see through your disguises by appearance next time."

"No, no, it's okay... Kuku, for now, my disguise skills were proven to be pretty solid, and Satou seemed to remember my scent well enough to recognize me even if my appearance changes... Besides, you know what?"

"What?"

"If you find someone to have a pleasant fragrance, apparently, they have good compatibility with you on a genetic level."

"..."

Nihihi, she said with a mischievous grin, playfully yet somewhat bashfully. Seeing her like that left me speechless, feeling my blood rushing to my ears.

And then, she looked at me closely, as if pondering while maintaining that mischievous smile.

"Take thiiis."

Suddenly, she brought her face close to my neck.

And then—

"...Eh?"

Ignoring my frozen state this time, Minamino took a whiff and then pulled away before tilting her head.

"Hmm, no scent? What did no scent mean again?"

"..."

Eh, maybe we're, like, actually dating?

Unfortunately, I had never been in a romantic relationship before. So, I didn't really know how people who were referred to as "couples" had gotten to that point or what procedures they followed.

Hmm, while Minamino was trying to remember something, my mind was a mess.

At least on Saturdays, when Shiro was still with us, we were friends. Friends who didn't need to worry about the other disliking the other. A slightly special kind of friendship.

And afterward, we had become the kind of friends who shared everything. Though our time knowing each other was much shorter compared to our lifetimes, I learned how Minamino became the Minamino she is today, her family, her friends until middle school. I also revealed everything about myself.

It was the first time I'd bared my soul to someone else. It was certain that we had become more than just friends.

It might have been awkward and serious in reality. But after that happened, my mind became utterly focused on this girl, like any typical high school boy.

"Kanazaki? Who's that?" It was like that. I felt like I was invincible.

—But, no doubt, I was an ultimate coward.

The strongest and the weakest coexisted in me.

According to the collective wisdom of the world, facilitated by the internet, friends generally don't touch their lips together. ...Except for those kinds of "friends."

So, did we automatically get promoted from friends to lovers?

—No, there's no way that's the case.

In the world we live in, there should be such a thing as a confession.

At least, Minamino had a time when she had a boyfriend. She mentioned being recommended to boys by her friends several times, at least.

Honestly, I couldn't help feeling a little fuzzy. Was she accustomed to it? What did Minamino want us to be?

As I was thinking all of this—

[...That was my first kiss! Got it?]

As if seizing control of my brain, her voice and the last thing she said, her ears that turned red, and her moist eyes—

"Ah! We're here, look, look, the shop's right there!"

Before I knew it, we had reached the crepe shop Minamino had mentioned.

"It's not a big shop, but the crepes are super delicious, and the prices are wallet-friendly. Let's pick our menu and eat together!"

With eyes as pure as if they were cleansing my muddied, pink-tinted brain, I only saw a girl who was looking forward to eating crepes.

I died from embarrassment and self-loathing.

—————

(3/7)