A Story About a Girl Who Took Life for Granted and Fell in Love With a Kind and Introverted Boy - Chapter 3

…It was 12:30 PM on the day of my first date, and I was heading to the station by bus.

Today’s outfit was a plain white short-sleeved T-shirt and beige cotton pants. Just a pretty normal look.

“Fah…”

I let out a big yawn and absentmindedly surfed the net on my phone.

At that moment, my phone chimed with a notification.

“Where are you now?”

It was a Lime message from Saito, checking my location.

The truth is, I was really late. We were supposed to meet at exactly 11:00, but now I was almost an hour and a half late.

Well, I’m not exactly a morning person, so it couldn’t be helped, right?

(Maybe if I get him to hate me quickly, it’ll be easier? If I act super lazy and make him dump me, this punishment game will be over, right?)

That thought crossed my mind for a second, but getting dumped by a gloomy guy like him would really tick me off, so I scrapped that plan.

Ugh, this is so annoying…Why do I have to do something like this?

(I’ll just eat lunch quickly and go straight home.)

That phrase repeated over and over in my head.

…I ended up arriving at the meeting spot an hour and 45 minutes late.

In the crowd in front of the station, I spotted Saito looking flustered, almost panicking. Whether he had just come from club activities or something else, I wasn’t sure, but Saito was in his school uniform.

“Saito.”

I called out, and he quickly turned his face toward me. Then, he ran over to me.

Tch, is he going to scold me? I braced myself, but as soon as he got in front of me, he said this:

“Thank goodness! Tashiro-san, you’re okay!”

“…Huh? What do you mean ‘okay’?”

“Well…You were really late, so I thought maybe there was an accident or something. I was worried…”

“……………………”

“But you’re safe, so that’s a relief.”

Saito said that with a genuinely happy smile.

“……………………”

“…? Um, Tashiro-san, is something wrong?”

“…No, it’s nothing.”

“Oh, uh…okay.”

“…By the way, Saito, why are you in your uniform?”

“Oh, well, I had some business at school…”

Saito averted his gaze from me and looked down shyly.

…His uniform, huh? Well, I guess it’s better than him showing up in some super dorky casual clothes. I have zero interest in seeing Saito’s lame wardrobe anyway.

“Well then, Tashiro-san, shall we head to the restaurant?”

And so, the two of us headed to the restaurant for lunch.

—

“…Uh, um, this…comp- complett? And the crepe salad? Uh, ‘salade,’ I guess. One of each, please.”

“One complet and one crepe salade. Got it.”

The waiter smoothly took Saito’s clumsy and uncertain order.

“This place serves a dish called galette, huh? I didn’t know that was a thing.”

Saito nervously looked around the restaurant as he spoke.

“Saito, have you ever eaten a galette before?”

“No, not even once.”

“Hmm.”

“What kind of food is it?”

“Well, it’s kind of like a crepe. I personally like it. I post it on Insta a lot, too.”

“Oh…I see. Judging from the pictures, it does look pretty fancy. What country is it from?”

“Who knows.”

“…Oh, it says here it’s French cuisine. See, it’s written in the menu description.”

“Hmm.”

Saito stared intently at the menu and muttered, “So stylish…”

“Um, Tashiro-san.”

He closed the menu and, with downcast eyes, said to me:

“I’m sorry, but I…lied about something.”

“Huh? Lied?”

“Yes…”

“About what? Eating galettes?”

“No, um…my clothes.”

“Your clothes?”

“The truth is, I didn’t have any business at school today.”

“Huh?”

“I just didn’t know what to wear on a date, and I agonized over it for a long time. But in the end, I chickened out and went with my uniform.”

“……………………”

“But you dressed up so nicely and stylishly, Tashiro-san. It made me feel really embarrassed about myself. So I thought I should tell you the truth…I’m sorry. N-next time, I’ll wear proper clothes!”

Saito deeply bowed his head, looking genuinely sorry.

…I thought he was kind of a strange guy. The way he admitted to something embarrassing so honestly felt really rare.

‘So yeah, I know a lot of people in the entertainment industry…’

Suddenly, I remembered the “sugar daddy” I met the other day, who wouldn’t stop bragging.

That guy who tried to make himself look bigger by boasting constantly. Saito seemed a little different from him.

“…I don’t really care,” I said, resting my chin on my hand and dropping my gaze to the table, directing my words at Saito.

“I don’t care if you’re wearing a uniform or not.”

“Tashiro-san…”

“Honestly, it’s better than showing up in some ridiculously ugly casual clothes.”

“Th-thank you, Tashiro-san.”

“……………………”

“Y-you’re really kind.”

“Huh?”

Still resting my chin on my hand, I glanced at Saito. He was smiling shyly, continuing with his words.

“I’m really happy that you’re being considerate of me. We’ve never really had a proper conversation before, but…you’re much kinder than I imagined.”

“……………………”

“Y-you’re the cutest girl in the class, and you’re also so kind. It’s like a dream that someone like you would go out with someone like me…”

Saito’s face turned bright red, and he fidgeted nervously.

“……………………”

I found myself blankly staring at Saito’s awkward demeanor.

“Here are your complet and crepe salade.”

The waiter placed the complet in front of me and the crepe something-or-other in front of Saito.

“Thank you very much.”

I was a little surprised when Saito went out of his way to bow and thank the waiter.

(…I’ve never seen anyone be that polite to a waiter before.)

Watching Saito, I felt like I had just discovered some kind of rare animal.

“Hmm! Delicious! Tashiro-san, galettes are really good!”

Saito was munching on his galette with a carefree smile, acting like a child.

(…What a strange guy.)

Thinking this, I took out my phone from my pocket, snapped a few pictures of the galette, and uploaded them to Instagram.

Once I finished, I put my phone away, took out my knife and fork, and started eating the galette. Well, it was pretty good, as usual.

But I’m the type to get bored after eating about a third, so I left some on the plate and set my knife and fork down.

Then I took out my phone again to check the number of “likes” and “replies” on my posted photos.

“Looks super delicious!”

“I want to eat that too!”

Grinning at the replies, I started responding to them.

At that moment…

“…Tashiro-san, aren’t you going to eat anymore?”

Saito asked in a small voice. I answered while still looking at my phone, “What? This?”

“Well, I took pictures and I don’t need anymore. I get bored pretty quickly, you know.”

“…I see.”

Saito looked a little sad.

“Tashiro-san…”

“…? What?”

“Can I take your leftover galette home?”

“Huh? Take it home?”

“Yes, if that’s okay…It would be a waste for such a delicious galette to go to waste. Wh-what do you think?”

“…Well, I don’t mind. Do whatever you want.”

“Great! Thank you!”

“……………………”

After that, Saito called the waiter to pack my galette in a takeout container.

After we finished eating, we left the restaurant after Saito paid.

…Come to think of it, it’s been a while since I’ve shared a meal without getting paid for it. Lately, I’ve only eaten with my “sugar daddy,” so this felt refreshing.

“Tashiro-san, do you have any plans after this?”

Saito asked me.

“…For now, I’m going home.”

“Oh…d-did you have any plans?”

“No, I just decided to have lunch today.”

When I said this, Saito’s face clearly showed he was sad. I didn’t like seeing that expression, so I turned my face away.

“…O-oh, I understand.”

“……………………”

“Um, Tashiro-san…”

“What?”

“Thank you for today…I had a lot of fun.”

“……………………”

“May I ask you for another date…?”

“…Yeah.”

“Really!? That’s great! Uh, next time, I would be happy if we could spend a little longer together!”

“……………………”

“Uh, I’m sorry if it sounded weird to say that all of a sudden…”

“…No, it’s not that weird.”

“R-really? I’m relieved to hear that.”

“……………………”

“Please be careful on your way home.”

“…Got it.”

“See you again sometime.”

“Yeah.”

I turned my back to him and started walking home. Every time I looked back, Saito waved at me.

“…I’m back.”

Once I got home, I quietly murmured.

“Welcome back, big sister.”

In the living room, Miyuki was working on her summer homework. There was a plate of potato chips in the center of the table, and Miyuki was solving kanji problems while occasionally munching on them.

I sat across from Miyuki, rested my elbows on the table, and took some potato chips.

“I’m really happy that you’re being considerate of me. I never really had a proper conversation with Tashiro-san, but you’re much kinder than I imagined.”

(…Kind, huh?)

I felt like it was the first time someone said I was kind. I’ve heard I’m cute since I was little, but I’ve never been told I was kind.

Not from the “sugar daddies” who give me money or from any of my ex-boyfriends…

“……………………”

“What’s wrong, big sister?”

“Huh?”

I looked up at Miyuki, who had suddenly talked to me.

“What do you mean, ‘what’s wrong’?”

“You looked really deep in thought. Is something bothering you?”

“…No, not really.”

“……………………”

Now that I think about it…Miyuki seems like she’d like someone like Saito.

Since she mentioned something about sincerity, I feel like she’d suit a guy like him.

I should introduce Saito to Miyuki. If they start dating, I could end this punishment game, and Miyuki would get a boyfriend too, so it’s a win-win situation.

“Hey, Miyuki.”

“What is it, big sister?”

“You wanted a boyfriend, right?”

“…? Yeah, I do, but…why?”

“……………………”

“…Huh? What is it? What’s wrong?”

Miyuki furrowed her brow and stared at me, looking a bit annoyed at being interrupted mid-sentence.

…Introducing Saito to Miyuki…

“Next time, I would be happy if we could spend a little longer together!”

“……………………”

“What’s wrong, big sister?”

“Hmm? Um…”

I picked a potato chip from the plate, bit into it, and said, “Never mind, it’s nothing.”