Aren’t You Too Sweet Salt-God Sato-San? - V2 Chapter 1.1
Chapter 1 : Love consultation
“So?”
The day after our date of shaved ice.
When I reported on the outcome of our date at one of the terrace seats after school at Café Tutuji, my best friend, Misono Ren, said with a bored look on his cheek.
“So? What’s with that reaction…”
“I’m asking what happened after?”
“After that? We got on a train and went our ways at Sakuraba station like normal”.
“Virgins are scary…”
Ren hugged his own shoulder and shivered deliberately.
It’s no longer funny or anything like that. It’s an object of horror, me being a virgin.
“You really, really part ways like that? It’s actually a joke, right? If you’re afraid that my sister and Mayo-san will hear it, then I will take this secret to my grave. So tell me.”
With that said, Ren put his ear forward.
If you glance at the side, there was the figure of two college students nudging at the pancake in the neighbouring seat.
One of them is Misono Shizuku, who works at the vintage clothing store “MOON”, and is Ren’s sister.
The other woman with the aura of a mature person is Shizuku-san’s best friend, Mayo Nezu, who works at the “Hidamari” general store.
They are a pair of college girls who have been coming to our cafe after getting acquainted by chance.
“Yaya, the pancakes here are delicious as always, Mayo.”
“Yeah, Shizuku.”
They were exchanging such words in a very friendly manner, but it was apparent that they were listening to our conversation.
“No, like I said, that’s not the case.”
I hurriedly took some distance from Ren and explained in my defence.
“We really just went for shaved ice.”
“Noooo, I’m scared, scared, scared. I really don’t understand.”
” Munch… I don’t think so.”
“Sister, you stay silent.”
“Why? I also want to give some love advice!”
“Did it ever work before?”
“Mayoo~ my little brother is bullying me~”
“We’re in college now, Shizuku, so don’t meddle in high school relationships.”
“What? Are you really telling me that Mayo?”
“Anyway, Sota!”
Ren clutches my shoulder, raising his voice. He has an unusually serious face.
“Be more self-conscious! About how terrible you are!”
“What do you mean by terrible? Is it really so funny to go home normally after eating shaved ice?”
“Why are you going home? That’s a great date spot! Go around! You should continue the date! I’m not saying you should kiss her on the first date, but you should at least hold her hand!”
“Kiss… You…”
I don’t think any elementary schooler would flinch at the word kiss these days. But no matter what, when I think of Sato-san’s face, I can’t help but do so.
Seeing me like this, Shizuku-san whispers to Mayo-san.
“Sota, I think this is the most difficult part for you because you are used to communicating with girls after working part-time at a place like this…”
“Oh, I see…”
I overheard you.
…The truth is, I know. I’m talking crazy this time around, and I’m aware of that.
But I want to tell you at least this,
“It can’t be helped!!! It’s because Sato-san is too adorable!”
“Whoa! He’s finally opened up and started talking about it”.
Ren turned his eyes toward me as if he was looking at a bug but I didn’t falter.
I strengthen my tone even more.
“Of course, I’m a guy too, and I’d love to do something couple-like with a girl I like, but… that’s all I have got at the moment!”
“Hey, who was the guy who took the two-shot with the girl you like?”
“At the time, I never dreamed that Sato-san liked me after all…”
After saying that much, the embarrassment kicked in and I plopped down on the table. Then, while being showered with piercing glares of the three, I murmured.
“Honestly, I can’t even make proper eye contact with her even though we started dating…”
If I have to say more, then; after realising Sato-san also has feelings for me, I have completely lost my direction.
“What did you do in this situation, Ren?”
“Don’t know. I forgot about my first love a long time ago.”
I tried to ask Ren for help and advice but he just dismissed me like that.
Now I hate my best friend and envy him at the same time.
“I’ve never dated a girl before, so I know I lack confidence unlike Ren, but still… I know it’s too convenient…”
Knowing the shame I would feel, I said the words without any meaning.
“I don’t want Sato-san to think I’m uncool.”
“I see…”
Mayo-san suddenly opened her mouth and looked at me.
She said to me while smiling like a goddess.
“Rinka-chan has something that might be helpful, why don’t you study it?”
♦️
Sudo Rinka is a third-year student at Sakuraba Higashi Junior High School.
She is a little bit (just a little bit) shorter than her classmates, which is a problem for her. But she is good at sports and is active in the girls’ basketball team.
She’s not too bad at studying and also has a lot of friends.
It feels like various gears are working very well together…
…for now.
“What’s with that? Why don’t you just break up with that boy?”
The time was a little after 8pm.
I was lying on my bed in my pajamas, my chin and shoulders clasped to my smartphone, I said as if to vent out my irritation. (T/N : I wonder what kind of position it is. That’s what written in raw) (E/N: I’m picturing her lying on her left knees to the chest and her phone to her chin like that peeking pose ifyaknowwhatimsaying)
“But you know, Rin-chan…”
The woman on the other end of the line continued in a stuttering tone.
“I’m the first girlfriend he’s ever had… I think a lot of things can go wrong, probably.”
What a half-hearted attitude she has, even though she asked me for love advice.
By the way, the girl on the other end of the phone, who sounds like she’s about to cry, is a classmate of mine who recently got a high school boyfriend.
The boyfriend is very active, confessing his love to a junior high school student, but seems to be completely useless at everything else and hence they don’t seem to be getting along very well.
So I’m in the middle of giving her some love advice.
Even though this was the first time I had talked about this kind of thing with her, I wondered why I felt a sense of déjà vu. And soon I came up with the cause.
…That’s right. This fidgety feeling seems pretty much similar to Koharu’s.
I had an unpleasant realization that this was why my tone was so strong.
[…Frankly, I don’t know what Sako-chan wants to do.]
[Ugh…]
Sako-chan groans in anguish.
I think she herself realized that this discussion has been going around in circles for a long time now.
“If you want me to comfort you, I can, and if something is troubling you, I can listen to you, but I don’t know how to react if you’re telling me something even you don’t understand yourself”
“……”
“Eat some delicious sweets with your friends, or listen to your favorite music by yourself. Forget everything for a moment, and when you remember it again, what you think you want to do will probably be the right answer. And then I’ll give you some love advice again.”
When I finished saying that, I noticed the phone pressing against my ear was so hot it felt like it was burning. I held it to my ear and waited patiently for her to speak.
After a long pause, Sako-chan said,
“…Rinka-chan is mature. That was very helpful.”
I replied with a wry smile and a “You’re welcome” as she responded in a very Koharu-like way.
“Yes, yes! Thank you, Rin-chan! I feel like I can do this! I’m going to calm down and think about it”
“That’s good.”
“Thank you very much for everything! Rinka-chan is reliable, as expected.”
“I’ll buy you something next time!” The call ended with a cheerful voice, as if all the problems had already been solved.
When I looked at the screen, it showed the call time—34:51.
“I’m pretty good at taking care of myself…”
I said to myself with a hint of self-mockery, and then remembered what I had said earlier.
Forgetting about everything for a while, remembering again what you want to do after that probably is the right choice…
When I think about that again, I laugh. It sounds like I have said something, but I haven’t said anything at all.
But maybe that’s okay.
In the end, love is just a matter of everyone worrying about it and resolving it on their own.
That’s why I’m going to cut the time for love advice short and now make time to enjoy my hobby.