OtaPon 21-30 (Patreon)

Chapter 21

RAW

　Saki entered the store as she guided him.
　Osamu followed behind her.
　Saki looked at the clothes for a while. Osamu once again had the same gazes directed at him.

　In addition to the stylishly dressed clerks, there were also others who appeared to be students.
　They were from a different high school than Osamu and Saki, so he was quite relieved.

“...For now, can you try these on?”

　Saki presented him the clothes in her hand.
　Osamu looked at it closely.
　It was a near green shirt, a long white T-shirt as an inner layer, and a black skinny trousers.

“Got it.”

　He took the trouser and shirt in Saki’s hand.
　Then, as they headed to the fitting room, Saki, with a smug look on her face, said.

“Do you know, Shimazaki-san? There's another name for those trousers?”
“Are you talking about pants or something?”
“...S-so you know.”

　Her face looked like it had received a shock.
　Osamu couldn't help but smile wryly at the fact that he looked like he didn’t have that much knowledge.

“If it’s just knowledge I think I have a fair amount of it... I studied it in order to specify illustrations for characters that appear in the novel.”
“I see... that's right, it was called P-pants.”

　Saki looked very embarrassed as she squeezed out the words. Not knowing the reason for this reaction, Osamu tilted his head.

“...Isn't your pronunciation of it strange? If you said it like that, it sounds like underwear...”
“I-Is that so? My pronunciation may have been a little bad, but it's just a coincidence, a coincidence.”

　Saki shook her head, her face turning slightly red.
　With a wry smile, Osamu entered the fitting room and put on the clothes.

“How is it?”
“,,,”

　Saki looked vacantly at Osamu.
　When Osamu tilted his head in worry, Saki, with a start, replied.

“I-it’s cool...”
“I-is that so?”
“Ue!? Ah, u-um... I'm sorry. I was just fascinated. Let’s see... it looks quite good on you. But, let's try clothes in other colors. Lastly, I was told that I should say ‘it looks good on you’ or something.”
“You were told?”
“...That's just my theory.”

　Saki cleared her throat, straightened her back, and then went to look for another shirt.

“Let's leave the pants as is. Black skinny pants seem to be easy to match with many different things.”

　Saki said that confidently, and Osamu made notes in his head.

“...I see, that's useful as a reference.”
“Fufun, please keep on asking.”
“I got it, let me learn a lot of things.”
“H-however! It may take some time for us to answer, please understand.”
“...Ah, yeah. I got it.”

　Osamu nodded his head in response to her polite answer and went to choose clothes with her.

“Shimazaki-san... because you're tall, you can wear pretty much anything.”
“...Is that, so?”
“Yes, it suits you very well.”
“...I-I see.”

　In Saki's case, she compliments him no matter what he wears, so Osamu is starting to wonder if he could really rely on her.
　After that, he tried on various clothes, and in the end, he ended up with about five pieces of clothing, including top and bottom, which cost about 15,000 yen with some change.

────

Chapter 22

RAW

“A-are you okay with the money?”

　Saki was looking at Osamu's wallet worriedly. She even took out her cute wallet and prepared to pay for him.

“About the money, well, I have the royalties from the book, so there's no problem.”
“...Aah, that's right. It's something like a part-time job where you earn money.”
“Doesn't this pay better than a part-time job? I've never had a part-time job, so I don't really know.”
“A part-time job, is it? I've never had one either. The only time I was paid for my work was when I massaged my father’s shoulder.”
“...So what you choose is a shoulder massage.”
“W-what is it? Is shoulder massage not allowed?”
“No, it's not like that.”

　Osamu smiled wryly at the fact that the first thing that came out of her mouth was “shoulder massage.”
　Then, as they approached the restaurant area, Osamu looked at it intently.

“Hino... what are you going to do for dinner?”
“...I didn't think about it. Wouldn't it be easier to eat somewhere before going home?”
“...I see. In that case... would you like to eat with me?”

　Osamu mustered up a little courage and asked. After Saki was stunned,

“Eh?”

　She was adorably surprised.
　Saki froze just like that, and Osamu hurriedly continued speaking.

“I-It’s also as thanks for today... it's fine if you don't want to...”
“I-I didn’t say I don’t want to!”
“Then, how about we go eat something inside the shopping mall? Don't worry about the money, because it’ll be my treat!”
“Y-you treat, you say, that's! I only offered it because I wanted to! Treating me for such a thing is bad...!”
“No, it's been almost two hours now, and if I were to ask a girl to pick out my clothes like normal, it would probably take longer than that... so please let me treat you to something.”

　Words like [rental girlfriend] came to Osamu's mind.
　Saki tilted her head in puzzlement.

“Eh? Does it normally take that long?”
“...No, it's not about the time. Well, whatever. That's why, if you don't particularly dislike it, how about we have some food, that’s what I thought.”
“...”

　Osamu continued, smiling wryly at Saki who had a slightly different thought.
　Saki thinks for a while, then glances towards the restaurant area.

“...Th-there is an all-you-can-eat restaurant I want to go to. Would you like to go there?”

　Already her eyes were like those of an innocent child, full of expectation.
　Osamu was fascinated by the gap between this and her completely different, firmly serious expression.

　Osamu hastily returned a smile to the stunned Saki.

“Got it, then let's go there.”

　The sigh of relief was about Saki’s suggestion to all-you-can-eat.
　He fully understood Saki's appetite from their first encounter.
　Saki smiled happily and then they started walking towards the road lined with restaurants.

“But, about the money, I'll pay for it myself, okay?”
“No... for today, please let me pay for it. And maybe... next time we go out, could you treat me to something?”

　They might not go out like this next time. In fact, Osamu suggested it because he thought they probably wouldn't, and Saki put a hand on her chin, thinking about it.
　Then, her cheeks tinted slightly and she looked up at Osamu.

“D-does that mean... we’ll be going out together again next time?”
“...I-I’m the one who’d want to ask your help instead. You choose my clothes for me this time, and, um, about the date... I want to use it as a reference for my novel too.”
“...Yes, of course I don't mind.”

　The sight of Saki smiling at him made Osamu's heart pound even more, and he wanted to grab his heart directly and suppress his feelings.
　However, since he couldn't do that, he had no choice but to take a deep breath to fool her.

“Then shall we go? It’s my treat today.”
“...Then I'll take advantage of your words. But, next time we go out, I'll be the one who pays for it, okay?”
“...Yeah, of course.”
“...I’m glad you understand. Please look forward to it next time.”

　Osamu was relieved that Saki finally accepted it.
　After that, they went to a nearby all-you-can-eat restaurant together and he was once again surprised by how much she ate.

────

Chapter 23

RAW

　When Osamu left the shopping mall with Saki, it was completely dark outside.
　When he checked the time on his smartphone, it was just before 21:00.
　The two of them were walking as if heading toward the pleasant night breeze. Glance, glance──Osamu couldn’t help but unconsciously turn his gaze toward Saki's stomach.

　The amount of food Saki ate during the all-you-can-eat was magnificent. Osamu often wondered where she put all that food.
　Osamu's eyes snapped to Saki's. And then Saki narrowed her eyes.

“...Why have you been staring at me since a while ago, no... since around the time we ate at the all-you-can-eat?”
“I was wondering where you put that much food in that body...”

　As Osamu was thinking about the structure of the human body, Saki puffed out her cheeks.

“Have I been eating that much?”
“Well, quite. It's nice to see you eat that much.”
“...I-I see.”

　Although her cheeks were slightly flushed, Saki didn't look like she hated it.
　Although neither of them had said it, Osamu and Saki walked side by side.
　Since it was getting dark, Osamu was planning on dropping Saki off at her apartment.

“Hino, what do you do for lunch at school?”
“‘What I do’, meaning?”
“...Don’t you need to buy quite a lot to eat until you’re full?”
“That's true. I buy a certain amount of food at a convenience store and then go to school.”
“...I see. Won’t the people around you be surprised?”
“I generally don't eat that much in front of other people.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes... what I mean is, well, Shimazaki-san is special.”

　Osamu felt embarrassed at the word ‘special’. Saki didn't seem to be aware of it, but her words pierced sharply into Osamu's heart.

“Rather that special, isn’t it more like, since I already found out, you don’t need to hide it anymore, isn’t it?”

　When he replied with a joke to hide his embarrassment, Saki smiled wryly.

“...W-well, there's that, too. Anyway, at school, when I eat with others, I hold back, and when I eat alone, I eat in the student council room.”
“Student council room... does that mean you belong to the student council?”
“Yes. I joined the student council because I think it will benefit me in the future, so I participate in their activity as much as I can. ...I don't participate in club activities, though.”
“Well, it’s tough to do that when you’re in the student council after all. Isn't the student council alone enough?”
“That may be true, but most people in this world are able to participate in student council and club activities at the same time. It often makes me realize how immature I am.”
“From my point of view, just being in the student council alone is amazing though... By the way, what position do you have among the student council?”
“I'm the student council president.”

　Fufun, Saki puffed out her chest.
　Hearing her words, Osamu repeatedly blinked his eyes.

“...You are the student council president?”
“Wh-what's with those surprised eyes... that’s rude.”

　Saki grabbed Osamu's arm and shook him. Osamu was both surprised and embarrassed by the sudden contact.

“N-no... um. You’re quite careless after all... so I was wondering if it's okay.”
“Wha-! What part of me is careless?”
“In the first place... you’ve been like that since the first time we met.”

　Saki puffed up her cheeks as Osamu remembered Saki's despairing face after forgetting her wallet.

“I'm the perfect student council president, okay?”
“...If you said that yourself, don’t you think the word ‘perfect’ feels cheap.”
“Anyway, I'm perfect.”
“Aah, I got it, I got it.”

　The sight of Saki throwing a tantrum was so cute that Osamu just nodded along.

────

Chapter 24

RAW

　Saki seemed satisfied despite such a throwaway reply.

“Come to think of it... even though we met in person, I haven’t told you my impressions of the novel yet, haven’t I?”
“...Aah, come to think of it, that's true, isn’t it. Please tell me any parts that you think are not good no matter how many of them there are.”
“No... for a mere reader like me, I didn’t find any part that is bad, you know? I enjoyed it very much. I eagerly await the release of the next volume.”

　Osamu laughed along with her as she smiled with a broad smile that seemed to dispel the darkness of the night.

“...I, see? Yeah, I'll do my best to get it released as soon as possible.”
“S-so... about... today's... date... was it, helpful?”

　Osamu almost groaned at her modest, slightly embarrassed, but sharply peering gaze.
　Then, he looked back at what happened after school──.

“Yeah, it was. You might be turned off by something like this, but I've never gone out with anyone of the opposite sex outside of my family... So, for you to go out with me like this today, it was really helpful. Like, I didn’t know how fun it was to be with the person you’re comfortable with, and things like that... That’s why, thank you.”
“...I-it was fun, was it?”

　Saki said while looking up at him while blushing.
　Seeing that face, Osamu's heart skipped a beat, and then he scratched his head and said.

“U-um... I don't mean that in a weird way. I said it while thinking about the feelings of the main character in the novel, and I don't want you to feel bad about this.”

　The words that came out of Osamu's mouth were squeezed out of a single desire not to be disliked.
　However, as soon as he said that, Saki puffed out her cheeks a little, and then...

“...T-then... um. Shimazaki-san... you didn't enjoy this one day today?”

　Osamu shook his head in panic at the sad expression on Saki's face, a complete change from earlier.

“...It was fun, huh? Yeah, it was fun.”

　When Osamu looked straight into Saki's eyes and said that, Saki let out a breath of relief. A smile of relief appeared on her lips.

“...S-so it was. Then, that’s good.”

　As Saki was about to continue walking, Osamu lined up next to her and asked.

“Wait, I wanted to ask you, but... what does Hino think? Did you enjoy this, at least a little?”
“M-me!? I was just trying to help Shimazaki-san...”
“...In other words, is it okay to say that you didn't enjoy it? C-could you please let me hear it for reference?”
“R-reference... for your novel, right?”
“...Yeah.”

　Osamu wanted to write a story that makes the heroine happy. Because this was in Osamu's mind, he was curious how Saki, who had gone out with him after school, would have evaluated the day.
　Saki turned her gaze to the side, her cheeks flushed red.

“...It was fun. Yes, it was fun. I was able to go out with Shimazaki-san, and I didn't feel bad about it, yes. Yes...!”

　Saying that with a loud voice, Saki briskly walked away.
　Before they knew it, they were near her apartment. Under the streetlight, Saki turned around and gently bowed her head.

“Thank you so much for everything... Today was a lot of fun.” (Saki)
“...Yeah, me too.”
“It's already quite late at night, so please be careful.”
“It's not far enough away that I’d need to be careful, it’ll be okay.”
“Still, something might attack you in this instant.”
“...It'll be okay. Well then, good night.”

When Osamu said that, Saki's face turned red and she looked down.

“...What’s wrong?”
“N-no... it's nothing... Good night, Shimazaki-san.”

　Hearing those words from Saki as she waved her hand modestly, made him feel embarrassed.
　Osamu, while shaking but trying not to show it, waved his hand.

────

Chapter 25

RAW

　Saki was heading towards her room while skipping.
　As Saki bounced along the empty hallway, she ran into a family coming out of another room. She looked down in embarrassment and briskly walked to her room.

　After entering her room, Saki took a shower and got ready for bed, but her mouth loosened as she remembered what happened after school.
　Then, she remembered something and called Mayumi.

[Hello, Sakicchi─?]
“Yes, sorry to have kept you waiting, Mayumi.”

　They talked about how Saki would contact Mayumi as soon as her date with Osamu was over.
　She was looking back on this one day while taking a shower, so it was much later than they had planned.

　So late that instead of talking over the phone, they should just meet at school tomorrow and talk about it then.
　Saki rolled on the bed while holding her smartphone to her ear. Soon after, Mayumi's sullen voice echoed.

[Hmm, you’re late. So late that I thought you were going to have a sleepover somewhere today!]

　Saki chokes up at her outrageous remark.

“S-s-s-s-s-s-sleepovers? I wouldn’t do that! That kind of thing is only after we get married!”
[As expected, that’d be too late. So, how was it? Since you called me, does that mean it went well?]
“I-it was perfect. I didn't make even a single mistake.”
[...When Saki says that, it's usually when you make a basic mistake. Well then, can you tell me about everything that has happened starting from when you met Shimazaki-kun?]
“I understand.”

　Saki then talked about how she spent time with Osamu.
　Even over the phone, Mayumi, who had been interjecting ‘uh-huh’, could tell that she was overflowing with smiles.

“──That's how we came to my apartment together.”
[Heeh, it looks like things went pretty well.]
“Fu, fufun... I know, right. Something like this is no trouble for someone like me.”
[What a thing to say. You checked thoroughly with me a lot beforehand, and we even went to look at clothes together yesterday.]
“Th-that's really helpful, but... um, please absolutely don't tell anyone, okay?”
[Of course I'm not planning to tell anyone. Come to think of it, about today’s date, it's certainly true it ended well, but did you even set up a next date? Well, you already bought some clothes, so you can simply say let's go out in them next time. You did pretty well, Sakicchi.]
“...W-we haven't decided on a specific date, but we've talked about something close to that, you know?”
[Wow, what a coward.]
“B-but! We just went out today, wouldn’t it be a nuisance if I made another promise?!”

　When Saki said that while raising her voice, Mayumi giggled.

[As expected, Sakicchi is Sakicchi, isn’t it? Well, I think it would be fine if you just send a message, but I think it would be easier to just decide on the next one by going with the flow on the spot. He might lose interest after he gets home, after all.]
“H-he can lose interest?”
[It seems like Sakicchi got excited on your own... but we won’t know if Shimazaki-kun also enjoyed it the same way, right?]
“Ugh...!. T-that's... but we went out to dinner together, you know...! I don't eat with people I don't like!”

　Saki said that, but Mayumi quickly denied it.

[From what I've heard, Shimazaki-kun seems like a serious person, so wasn’t that really just a thank you?]
“...Th-that’s... um.”

　She couldn't completely deny Mayumi's words. It was quite possible that he felt indebted to her and that he had invited her as a thank you.

[Sakicchi, if you want to get along with him that much, maybe you should talk to him more proactively?]
“...I, understand.”

　Saki nodded in front of her smartphone. Then, she heard a giggle from Mayumi.

“W-what is it?”
[Well, considering that you said that you weren't conscious of him as a member of the opposite sex, you were quite enthusiastic about it, that’s what I was thinking.]
“Th-that’s not true...?”
[It is. Your childhood friend is the one saying this, you know? This has never happened before, right?]
“...”

　Saki received Mayumi's words and kept her mouth shut.

────

Previous | Next