Mob Heroine - Chapter 43

Chapter 43 - Enter the Airhead Character!

I was really in the mood for ramen, too… But then, Wannai-san suddenly said,

“I don’t really like greasy food.”

Even while nursing her hurt feelings, Wannai-san was surprisingly picky. Since she insisted, we had no choice but to go to a family restaurant instead.

Well, I didn’t actually mind these kinds of places. They had a decent variety of snacks, drinks, and even alcohol. Adults could have a pretty good time here.

“I’ll start with a draft beer.”

“Excuse me, sir. We can’t serve alcohol to minors.”

“Ahaha… just kidding.”

I had ordered a beer purely on instinct, which made sweat prickle at my back. The server just laughed and let it slide, but that was the kind of thing that could normally get the police called. Ordering alcohol while wearing a school uniform... talk about having guts. I covered for it with a strained laugh and ordered a drink bar instead.

“Sato-kun… I’ll have… pancakes.”

Mogami-san, who was sitting next to me and was socially awkward, probably couldn't look the server in the eye. She just whispered her order to me instead. I kind of felt like her translator.

“And one pancake, please.”

“Certainly. Would you like to make that a drink bar set? It’s a better deal.”

“Mogami-san, what do you think?”

“The set…”

"Okay. We'll do the set, please."

“Certainly. One pancake and drink bar set it is.”

…Man, that was way more back-and-forth than necessary. Still, was it really okay for me to spoil Mogami-san like this? Maybe I should have been a little stricter with her; it might help her in the long run.

But honestly, the way she whispered in my ear was kind of cute. So whatever, I guess I'd just keep spoiling her like this. My name is Sato, after all. If I cannot be a guy who is as sweet as sugar like my name suggests, what else could I be? Especially when it comes to Mogami-san, since I intend to help her grow by lavishing her with compliments that are basically positive encouragement, so if she's a little shy, that's fine by me.

“Hey, I want this one.”

“…Which one?”

"This one, I said!"

“Ah, the hamburger steak set. You’re going for the heavy stuff, huh?”

"I... I said this one, didn't I?!"

"Hm? Oh, yeah. I got it."

"W-Well, hurry up and order it for me!"

Ehhh. It was a bit troublesome when even Wannai-san was acting spoiled like this to me.

“Order it yourself. The reason your mentality is so weak, Wannai-san, is because you're always relying on other people for everything. You can't just use 'being shy' as an excuse. You need to learn how to face people properly on your own.”

“S-Sato-kun… those words sting me too, you know…”

“Huh?! Y-y-you’re so mean!”

“Haha… One hamburger steak set, right? Will that be all for your order?"

Thank goodness the server was kind enough to just laugh it off. After finishing up our order, the server quickly walked back toward the kitchen.

Now that the food was taken care of… It was finally time to get to our talk. But since we were in a family restaurant, it meant that drinks were self-serve.

“Mogami-san, what would you like to drink? I’ll grab it for you.”

“Really? Thank you. I’ll have lemon tea, please.”

“Hey, Sato, I’ll have orange juice.”

“Wannai-san, if you keep relying on other people, you’ll never grow as a person.”

“S-Sato-kun…? Those words sting me too…”

“Uuu. Don’t talk about growth… Saiga said the same thing to me. He said, 'You're so spoiled, you'll be a child forever.'"

As she said that, Wannai-san stood up from the table and started to head off. Well, I only have two hands, so I could only carry two cups anyway. I let Wannai-san get her own, and I just grabbed mine and Mogami-san's drink before heading back to the table.

“Here you go, Mogami-san.”

“Thanks.”

I handed her the cup and sat down. Across from us, Wannai-san watched in silence.

“…How nice.”

Her eyes were filled not just with envy, but also with a faint, shadowy jealousy. And who could blame her? After all, this kind of relationship was exactly the thing she'd always desperately wanted.

"Someday, I'm gonna be like that with Saiga, too... Guhehe."

And then she started grinning like a fool, seemingly lost in her daydreams. 

I… couldn’t bear to look.

(Wan-chan... the chances of you ever ending up with Sanada are... pretty much zero.)

She was what you'd call an ‘airhead’ character. She was cute, sure, but that was about it. She was basically just considered ‘comic relief.’

Sanada might have held affection for her, but it wasn’t the romantic kind. It was more like the affection you'd show a little sister or a small child. In other words, he didn’t see her as a woman at all.

Even so, she kept chasing after him with all her heart, and watching that made me feel a little like crying. 

May happiness find her, even in her hopeless love.

“Hey, are you paying for this?”

“Of course not.”

"Eh? But I don't have any money. What are you gonna do?"

“…Haah.”

Correction. This spoiled girl does not deserve happiness at all—.