Be careful with the laid-back beauty who took a liking to me. Otherwise, it will be too late! - Chapter 28: I Want to Create Many Memories

Chapter 28: I Want to Create Many Memories

“It’s after school! It felt so long…”

As soon as the bell rang, Saya quickly prepared to leave and came over to me.

“You’re ready fast.”

“Of course! I want to eat the éclairs quickly…”

She had a mysterious proud look as she said this and waited for me to finish getting ready.

“Sorry to keep you waiting, let’s go.”

“Yeah!”

Eager to eat, Saya’s pace felt faster than usual. We hurriedly left school and headed towards the pastry shop in the shopping district.

As we entered the shopping street, we passed by the taiyaki shop where we had gone together at the beginning of April.

How nostalgic. The taiyaki there was delicious, and I definitely want to go again. Even if we can’t go today, I’ll invite Saya next time.

We had been holding hands since we left school, but as I started looking at different shops, I suddenly noticed her hand slip away. I looked in her direction and saw that she had wandered ahead to a shop.

I quickly ran up to her, and Saya waved her hand enthusiastically.

“Hinata, today’s detour spot is right here!”

“Ooh, it looks fancy…”

In front of the shop, I noticed that it wasn’t just an éclair specialty store, but also offered a variety of sweets.

However, the only sweets with custard were the éclairs.

Once we entered, I felt that it was a stylish and cozy place, just as I had expected from the outside. The staff showed us to a table, and Saya and I sat across from each other to check out the menu.

It turned out they had a set that included both sweets and drinks. I ordered the éclair set with tea, and Saya did the same.

While waiting for our orders, we decided to chat.

“Oh, my mom wants to meet you. She said I should bring you over during summer break.”

Previously, I had mentioned wanting to greet Saya’s parents, and she had replied, “Maybe someday.”

I still remembered the forced smile on her face back then.

But if her mom wants to meet me, it means Saya must have talked about me.

“Is it okay for me to go?”

“Yeah, of course. I didn’t tell her I have a boyfriend, but I said I have someone important in my life, and she told me to bring you along…”

Although she said it was okay, it seemed like Saya didn’t want me to meet her mom.

“I see… So, what’s your mom like?”

“Hmm, well, I’ve mentioned before that she’s very accomplished. But she can also be quite cold…”

Hearing how Saya described her mom, I understood why she seemed reluctant for us to meet. If her mom was cold, she might also treat me that way, which would hurt Saya.

“She might end up hurting you, too…”

“Does that mean you really don’t want me to meet her?”

When I asked for confirmation, Saya looked at me with an expression of surprise and nodded.

“It’s fine. No matter who she is, I still want to greet your mom.”

I reached out and gently stroked her head to reassure her. After a moment, I realized the staff had come over and pulled my hand back.

“Here you go. This is your éclair and tea set.”

“Yay! I’ve been waiting for this éclair!”

Saya’s eyes sparkled with joy as she exclaimed this, her previous frown lifting instantly.

Sweets truly are magical.

After taking a bite of the éclair, her face lit up with happiness, and once she swallowed, she said, “If you’re okay with it, I’ll trust that. Let’s go together this summer.”

“Yeah.”

Nodding in agreement, I took a bite of my éclair. It had been a while since I’d had one, and the chocolate coating was delightful. While chocolate sweets are great, custard sweets truly are the best.

Saya, sitting across from me, seemed to read my mind and highlighted the custard in her éclair.

“The custard is delicious, right?”

“Right, right? It’s so yummy!”

Hearing her say that reminded me of how she often exclaimed about how good food was after eating.

“By the way, summer break is just around the corner. Studying is important, but I want to create many memories with you.”

“Definitely. I’d love to go anywhere with you, Saya.”

I felt like any place would be fun with her. For summer, maybe we could go to the beach or the pool.

“I really want to go to the pool! The zoo would be nice too; I want to go for some healing.”

“Sure, let’s visit a lot of places. How about a sweets tour?”

“That’s a great idea! There are still custard sweets I haven’t introduced you to.”

Saya’s love for custard is remarkable. If it weren’t for her, I probably wouldn’t have sought out custard sweets at various places.

“Oh, how about we visit Nyannyann? I haven’t been since that day, and I feel like I need some healing.”

As she finished her éclair and sipped her tea, she scrolled through her phone, looking at photos of Nyannyann.

“Yeah, I’d love to go.”

“Then it’s settled!”

—

After finishing our éclairs, we left the shop and headed to Café “AMAOTO” together.

As we entered the café, Nyannyann ran over to Saya.

“Nyannyann, you’re an angel! You did such a great job welcoming me…”

Saya looked delighted as she stroked the cat, her expression filled with happiness.

(Not just the cat, but Saya also seems like an angel…)

As Saya carried the cat deeper into the café, I was about to follow her when I was suddenly greeted by Chisato, who was working there.

“Welcome, Saya-chan, Hinata-kun!”

“Hi, Chisato!”

“I heard you two started dating? Saya told me.”

“Um, yeah… a little while ago.”

As I shyly replied, Chisato placed a hand on my shoulder.

“Saya has always been someone who spends a lot of time alone and can feel lonely. So, Hinata-kun, please stay by her side as much as you can.”

“Of course, I won’t leave Saya alone.”

I had sensed during our recent overnight stay that she felt lonely being alone.

I won’t let her feel that way. I want to see her smile.