Source
https://kakuyomu.jp/works/2912051596567318343/episodes/2912051596965360141
Right in front of me is the couples’ menu.
A cake with heart-shaped chocolates and two scoops of ice cream nestled together. The drink comes with a heart-shaped straw—the kind you share between two people.
It’s awkward enough to eat this with a stranger, but since my partner is a childhood friend I’ve fallen out with, it’s just too much to bear.
“I’m glad they had this. A non-alcoholic cocktail and a cake like this. You like this kind of thing, right?”
I definitely do like it. In my gameplay commentary for that pastry chef game, I raved about making something like this and how much I wanted to eat it.
If Asakura’s tastes haven’t changed, this should be her favorite too.
But even if it is her favorite, the awkwardness outweighs it, and I just can’t bring myself to eat it.
“It was so hard to research all this~. But I really wanted to make you two happy, so I went all out.”
……It’s hard to refuse.
Asakura is wearing a wry smile too, but she can’t bring herself to refuse.
Well then, I guess I’ll just have to give in and eat it.
“…Alright, I’ll take you up on your offer! Thank you, Hanazawa-san!”
Hanazawa-san’s smile was so dazzling that I looked away and focused on the drink.
I put my mouth to one end of the couple’s straw.
As I sipped, the drink followed the heart-shaped channel and flowed into my mouth.
It’s delicious.
A fruity, refreshing taste. There’s a gentle tartness within the sweetness that makes it delicious. It felt good to have that mature aroma—something my usual juice lacks—fade away.
Just then, the pressure in my mouth changed.
When I looked up, Asakura’s face was right in front of me.
Her face, flushed with shame and humiliation, was cute, but the awkwardness outweighed it.
The way her gaze was fixed on my lips made me feel self-conscious.
When Asakura looked up, I couldn’t bear the resentful glare in her eyes.
I immediately pulled my lips away from the straw and swallowed the liquid left in my mouth.
If I hadn’t, I felt like I would have choked and spit it out.
Haa. Just drinking juice is mentally exhausting.
I should’ve just taken turns drinking instead of drinking together in the first place.
“Haha. You could’ve just taken turns, but Chika, you’re so proactive, aren’t you?”
Hanazawa seemed to be thinking the same thing and couldn’t help but laugh.
“Huh!? Eho!”
Seeing Asakura choke brought back a sense of nostalgia.
She still seems just as shy and a bit scatterbrained as ever.
I reached for a glass of cold water—separate from the juice—and held it out to Asakura.
“Here, water.”
“Ugh! You’re always laughing at me like that!”
Asakura’s hand, which had taken the water from me, froze.
“Always? If anything, isn’t it Chika who’s always teasing me?”
“Ah. U, uh, yeah! I misspoke. Don’t tease me, Yuna!”
“S-sorry!”
The two of us laughed together. When the laughter died down, silence fell.
An awkward atmosphere hung between Asakura and me.
Man, I just want to go home.
I couldn’t stand it anymore and tried to get up, but I stopped myself.
To improve my small-talk skills as a streamer, communication is essential. Just a few hours of talking with Hanazawa is equivalent to a month’s worth of conversation for me. I can’t let this opportunity slip away.
Now that I’ve made up my mind, I’ll try speaking up myself.
“Ah, yeah. It’s okay if I have some cake, right?”
“Of course! It’s on me, so eat as much as you want~”
“Yay!”
“‘Yay’? Are you a kid? Wait, Chika’s got both hands in the air too.”
Realizing this, Asakura hurriedly dropped her hands.
It was the kind of enthusiasm she used to have. Maybe remembering that, she’s making a bitter face.
……This is awkward. It’s awkward, but I’ll be fine. I’m here to gain some experience.
“Well then, I’ll dig in.”
I cut a piece of cake and took a bite. my eyes widened at the taste.
“It’s delicious, Hanazawa-san!”
“Really? Hehe, that makes me happy.”
“It’s really delicious!”
“You must really like it, then.”
“I do. Out of all sweets, I love cake the most.”
“Really? That’s surprising! What else do you like? Tell me!”
“Um, manga, maybe?”
“Oh! Chika like it too, right? What have you been reading lately?”
“Um, maybe the Iga and Koga ninja series?”
Oh, I read that one recently too. It’s an older series, but it was fun.
“I haven’t heard of it. Do you know it, Ibusuki-kun?”
“Yeah. It’s fun, and I really like the characters. There’s this guy with slanted eyes.”
“I get it! It’s great when they’re strong but have unassuming abilities!”
“Exactly. Even though at first glance, it doesn’t seem like a super impressive ability.”
“Ah~ You two are totally on the same page!”
At Hanazawa’s words, Asakura’s face, which had been lit up with excitement, turned serious again.
She covered her mouth as if she’d messed up and shot a hateful glare my way.
Awkward.
“Is something wrong?”
“‘We’re fine! Nothing’s wrong!’”
“See? You two really are on the same page~”
From then on, they repeated exchanges like this at every opportunity, and by the time they left the shop, they were completely exhausted.
Sigh. I’m just going to go home today and stream.
I have so much I want to say.
“I’m glad it looks like the two of you are getting along!”
Seeing Hanazawa smile happily, I felt relieved that I’d managed to keep my true feelings hidden, and turned toward the station.
—Just then.
“Hey, I have a favor to ask. Do you want to go out and have some fun after this?”
Hanazawa said that and pointed.
Following her gaze, I saw a Ferris wheel spinning in the distance.
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