Source
https://kakuyomu.jp/works/822139845923627658/episodes/2912051596311544995
We arrive at a large shopping mall.
By the way, I haven’t been told a single thing about today’s plans—Mashiro is calling all the shots.
I follow Mashiro in silence, and the first place we end up at is a movie theater.
“Oh, so we’re going to see a movie?”
“What, are you unhappy about it?”
“No, I don’t mind where we go as long as I’m with you.”
“Huh! H-how dare you act so nonchalant… Do you really think I’d be happy with such cheap words? You’re ridiculous. You’re underestimating me… I’d appreciate it if you’d stop taking me for granted.”
She says things like that, but she’s actually pretty embarrassed. She looks happy, though. She’s cute, though. But then again, she always is. She always has been.
“I’ll decide which movie we watch.”
“Go ahead.”
I follow Mashiro and we go through the process of buying tickets.
By the way, the movie we decided to see is a major Hollywood blockbuster that’s about to start.
“The timing’s perfect, and above all, that decisive choice… Mashiro, you did your research beforehand, didn’t you?”
“W-well. I don’t want to dawdle over things like this. Unlike Kensuke.”
“When have I ever done that? Well, I do do similar things all the time, though.”
“You’re a great cautionary tale. Thanks a lot. But since I’m the one who ends up inconvenienced by it, let’s keep this to a formality this time too…”
“Enough already. Stop with the explanations.”
When I cut her off, Mashiro puffed out her cheeks in a huff.
Then, as if to say “Just follow me,” she started walking.
We stopped at the food court.
“Welcome. What would you like to order…?”
“An extra-large caramel popcorn and two churros. One strawberry and one chocolate, please. Also, some nachos, an oolong tea, and a caramel frappe. Make the drinks medium-sized.”
“Certainly.”
Mashiro let out a sigh, looking like she’d just finished a big job.
“Hey, that’s way too much. It’s not even noon yet.”
“It’s not noon yet, so what?”
“It’s neither more nor less than that… I mean, are you even going to be able to finish all that?”
“If I can’t, Kensuke will happily eat it all for me, right? I have so many things I want to eat.”
“You… you, really…”
As I said this in exasperation, Mashiro flashed a defiant smile and said provocatively,
“You’re my boyfriend, yet you won’t even grant your girlfriend such a cute request?”
“!!”
“So that’s the extent of your love for me, Kensuke. How disappointing.”
“…Seriously, Mashiro, you’re so sneaky.”
“I’d be happier if you called me smart.”
Honestly, I don’t think I stand a chance against Mashiro.
After that, Mashiro bought ice cream from the vending machine, handed me a mountain of it, and sat down in her seat.
“This one’s a blockbuster too, huh…”
“Huh?”
Even as Mashiro glared at me with a cold stare, the movie began.
The movie was pretty entertaining, and I enjoyed it while occasionally glancing at her munching on sweets next to me and thinking how cute she was.
By the end, she’d finished off the mountain of snacks, and we were both focused on the movie.
Just then, our arms accidentally brushed against each other on the armrest.
“‘Huh…!!!’”
Snapped back to reality from the movie, I glanced at Mashiro in the darkness.
She happened to be looking at me too, and our eyes met.
But she quickly looked away.
Yet our arms remained touching, and I honestly wanted to hold her hand. I thought that with the atmosphere right now, maybe I could go for it.
I gently moved my hand closer.
Our fingers touched ever so slightly—and then.
““!!””
Startled by the loud noise, our hands instinctively pulled apart.
After that, Mashiro placed her hands on her lap like a good girl and turned her gaze toward the screen with a slightly nervous expression.
It was such a golden opportunity…
In the end, the movie turned out to be more interesting than we’d imagined, and after the screening, we got really into discussing our impressions.
The date continued from there.
Despite my lingering unease, she was enjoying the date more than I could have imagined.
Mashiro continued to take the lead, and since it was lunchtime after the movie, we headed to the restaurant district.
“They have everything here… This mall is amazing. Just as I expected.”
“Seriously, you’re getting way too excited. This isn’t exactly rare.”
That’s what Mashiro said, but three minutes later,
“There are so many kinds of sweets… One day isn’t enough. We’ll have to spread this out over several days to properly gather data… Huh? A limited-edition Mont Blanc? Limited to ten servings a day⁉ What kind of marketing is that… Ugh…!”
“You’re getting way too excited, Boomerang.”
However, after thoroughly enjoying looking around, when we finally tried to eat lunch…
“…Hey, Mashiro.”
“…What is it, Kensuke?”
“I bet we’re both thinking the same thing right now.”
“I’m afraid you’re right.”
“……We’re totally full, aren’t we?”
“……Well, I guess so.”
“…………See, I told you.”
“…………Shut up.”
In the end, we didn’t eat lunch.
Pulling ourselves together, we went window shopping from then on.
We mainly looked at clothes for Mashiro, and I kept saying “Cute” and “That looks good on you” to everything, which got me scolded.
I was just telling the truth, but apparently, I still don’t understand a woman’s heart.
“……Seriously, you’re hopeless. From now on, I’ll personally teach you everything, step by step.”
“Mashiro …!”
“But I have a reputation for being a strict teacher. I’m Spartan, so brace yourself.”
“Ehh…”
She’d occasionally look at my clothes too, telling me to wear this or that. When I tried them on as ordered, she’d scrutinize me from every angle, humming to herself,
“It actually suits you… This style works too.”
“What do you mean, ‘style’?”
Apparently, she enjoyed dressing me up, so she kept making me try on clothes. She even made me buy some.
After that, we took a break at a café Mashiro had her eye on, and then I followed her around to variety stores and interior design shops…
Time flew by in the blink of an eye, and before I knew it, it was evening.
We arrived at my familiar local station and walked home side by side.
“Thanks for today. I had fun.”
“……Yeah. W-well… I had fun, too.”
Seeing Mashiro acting just like always, I couldn’t help but smile.
It really was a fun day.
I never imagined that going on a date with my girlfriend, Mashiro, could be this happy and fulfilling… Even though it’s almost over, I’m already thinking about the next time.
“Where should we go next?”
“You’re getting ahead of yourself. Do you really want to go on a date with me that much?”
“I do. Besides, Mashiro, you’re going to fill up my summer vacation schedule, right?”
“Huh! …I guess so. I’ll reluctantly hang out with you for the sake of my poor boyfriend.”
After that, we talked nonstop about what we wanted to do over summer vacation.
Going to the beach, fireworks festivals, the aquarium, and the zoo. Taking walks in big parks and going on picnics. Having dinner at nice restaurants and tagging along on Mashiro’s dessert hunts. Taking day trips, just lounging around at home, and watching movies again.
Just talking about it, just imagining it, made me happy.
……I really wonder what I was worrying about.
The answer was so much simpler and easier than that.
Before I knew it, Mashiro and I had grown closer, and our hands would occasionally brush against each other.
At first, Mashiro would flinch, but she gradually got used to it.
Following our movements, our hands would touch and pull away repeatedly.
Eventually, without any particular reason, I reached out for Mashiro’s index finger.
“-…!!!”
Masaki’s face flushed slightly, and she pulled her hand back.
But after a moment, she returned her hand to its original position, and we touched again.
This time, I made sure to touch her properly, took Masaki’s hand, intertwined our fingers, and then—held her hand.
Hand in hand, we walked down the familiar path.
Even though the scenery was familiar, there was a strange sensation that it felt completely different from usual.
“……I’m sorry.”
“What’s with the sudden apology?”
“B-but… I’ve been avoiding things like this.”
“Mashiro…”
“I knew what you were trying to do, Kensuke. After all, we’re already… doing more than this.”
“Yeah, I guess so.”
“……But ever since we started dating, I’ve become strangely self-conscious… I’ve never really been good at this kind of… thing.”
“I can tell just by watching you.”
Because I understood, and because I asked her about it again, I was able to reach a new conclusion.
“Ah, you know? It’s just that I’m not good at it—but… I do want to. I want to touch you, Kensuke… and I want you to touch me. I really do.”
“……Yeah.”
“But my body won’t move the way I want it to, and I end up doing the exact opposite of what I feel… My body just hasn’t been able to keep up with my heart. That’s why…”
“It’s okay, Mashiro.”
I smiled as if reaching out to Mashiro, who looked downcast.
“It’s okay, really.”
“W-what do you mean, it’s okay?”
“If we just move at our own pace, it’ll be fine. We can catch up together, and in the meantime, there’s no doubt about it—we’re happy.”
Why am I even fussing about this now?
We’re already happy. I realized just how strong that feeling is today.
“Sure, the order of things is a bit off, and… well, we’ve done it twice already, so maybe it does seem strange. I thought it was strange too. But we’re ‘two’ now. We just need to walk side by side like this, at our own pace.”
I told Mashiro this with conviction.
Mashiro looked at me and squeezed my hand tightly.
She looked down, pursed her lips, then looked up and smiled in exasperation.
“…You’re right. At our own pace, forever.”
We held hands and walked on.
The “two of us” walked on.
No matter what anyone thinks or says, this path belongs only to us.
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