A Case in Which My House Is a Gathering Place for Girls - Chapter 7: Slip and Fall

Although it’s getting warmer, it’s still April. The pool won’t be open anytime soon, and the water on the fountain is probably still cold.

In addition, the handkerchief is swaying at the center. It must pass through the water flowing like a veil from the object.

“D-d-don’t do that, Hanazono-san! Get out of the fountain right now! You’ll catch a cold!”

A puppy-like girl screams in a tearful voice, but Kanna pushes forward through the fountain without worrying about it at all.

“Looks like this was bound to happen…”

If things go on like this, I’m sure she’ll end up completely soaked. I shrug and check that the handkerchief is still in my pocket. It’s better than nothing. We have no choice but to cancel the coffee shop and head home instead.

“Why is Hanazono-san in the fountain?”

“She may be smart, but I really don’t know what she’s thinking.”

“Honestly, she’s a little creepy.”

As I absentmindedly think about these things, I notice that a crowd has gathered around the fountain. Most people are confused as to not understanding what’s going on or what Kanna is doing.

However, Kanna doesn’t care about the surrounding noise at all. Even while she was getting drenched as she managed to reach the handkerchief.

“Alright, I got it! I’ll be back in a moment, so please wait a little longer!”

“Be careful coming back! Don’t fall down!”

Kanna waves her hand while holding up the handkerchief. Her face showed complete satisfaction as if she’s accomplished something. I try to warn her…

“Stop treating me like a child! I’m not a child, so there’s no way I’m going to slip and fall!”

She pouts and is clearly unhappy, but it sounds like a flag in my ears. This reminded me of the saying the picnic isn’t over until you get home.

“Wait a minute, Jinpei-kun! After this, we can go to the cafe for a nice tea—Wah!?”

Kanna falls forward with a loud splash.

Screams rang out from some, while others were taken aback. Each of the crowd’s reactions is different, but they all have in common as they were taken aback.

“…I told you this would happen.”

I hold my head in my arms and look up to the sky. I can’t believe she’d pull off a perfect ten-point fall like that. My childhood friend is a genius.

“Ugh… I messed up.”

Kanna came back, shrugging her shoulders. Shelooks so down that I can see a puff on her head. Complimenting her as a wet beauty” won’t comfort her, but at least she did manage to recover the handkerchief in which is impressive.

“Alright, well done. First, wipe your face. I’ll lend you my blazer, so take yours off for now. You’ll catch a cold if you stay like that.”

“Oh… thank you, Jinpei-kun─achoo!”

Kanna sneezes while shaking her body. I can’t leave her whole body wet. I can’t just leave her like this, especially not in front of a crowd.

I turn my face away, put on a blazer, and tighten the button, trying not to look at Kanna’s body as much as possible. So careful buttoning it so it covers her well.

“What’s wrong, Jinpei-kun? Why do you look away? Is it just my imagination that your cheeks are red?”

Kanna looks at me with a confused expression. It’s making me angry as she’s so defenseless that it’s not just worrying.

“…Please realize what kind of situation you’re in right now.”

“? What does that mean… Huh!!???”

After looking down and confirming that her uniform was wet, she finally realized that her blouse was transparent and that I could see her emerald-green underwear.

She glared at me with a blush of steam. Then said something with her lips pointed.

“…Jinpei-kun, you perv.”

“Yes, yes, whatever, pervert, sketch, I don’t care. Let’s go home already. If things go on like this, you’ll really catch a cold.”

“Hmph… Fine. I’ll behave and go home today. But before that—”

Kanna holds out the handkerchief she retrieved from the fountain to the puppy-like female student.

“It’s a precious thing, right? Be careful not to let it get blown away by the wind again.”

“Uh, um… T-thank you…”

The female student takes the handkerchief hesitantly as her face contorts in confusion rather than gratitude. It seems her expression has become more perplexed, and instead of being happy that the handkerchief is back, she looks even more frightened by Kanna’s actions.

But Kanna doesn’t notice that. In fact, she’s smiling contentedly, which might make her seem even more eerie.

“W-well then, we’ll be on our way now. Let’s go!”

“Y-yes…”

The friend of the puppy-like girl quickly pulls her away, and they hurry off. Kanna waved her hand to their back. Despite the little accident, everything seems to have been resolved.

“Shall we go now? I must go home soon and warm myself up.”

“That’s right. It’s no joke to fall into the fountain and catch a cold. It’s a shame, but I guess the cafe will have to wait for another time.”

“Right. Let’s go home then.”

“Why don’t we exchange contact information before we go? It could come in handy later— Wait, where’s my phone?”

Kanna starts patting her pockets in a panic. It’s not like it’s a biscuit, and if it wasn’t there, it wouldn’t come out no matter how much she looked for it. Gradually the color drained from her face.

One disaster after another. Looks like we can’t go home just yet.