Be careful with the laid-back beauty who took a liking to me. Otherwise, it will be too late! - Chapter 38: Saya\'s Recommended Spot

Chapter 38: Saya’s Recommended Spot

Leaving Chinatown, Saya and I walked to a certain place. I hadn’t asked her where we were going, so it would be a surprise until we arrived.

“Going on a date with Hinata is fun… Next, I want to go to a place that you like, just the two of us,” Saya said.

Being with Saya made me realize something: sharing our likes with each other allows us to discover things we didn’t know about one another.

(Sharing our likes is nice…)

“Yeah, next time, I’ll take you to a place I like.”

“Wow, is it a secret spot?”

“Why do you think that?”

“Hehe, I thought you might want to get closer to me soon…”

“!”

Do I really look that eager?

I like Saya, and while I do want to be close to her, it still feels too early to go beyond kissing. I care about her too much to rush into things.

“Oh, here we are! This is the scenic spot and my recommended place,” she said.

After walking from Chinatown, we arrived at a beautiful beach. The breeze was a bit strong, likely because we were near the ocean.

Two red brick warehouses stood by the shore, and as she said, the view was indeed stunning.

“What a lovely place… Should we take some pictures?”

Since we hadn’t taken a single picture of the two of us while eating, I suggested it.

“Yeah, I want to capture this memory…”

She nodded, and we decided to take some pictures together.

We stood close to each other, snapping several photos. I used my smartphone and planned to send the pictures to Saya later.

Afterward, we sat quietly, gazing at the ocean. Then Saya nudged my arm, prompting me to look at her.

“Hey, how about a kiss?”

“A kiss? Here…?”

“Yeah, right here. There’s no one around us, so we don’t have to worry about being seen…”

She glanced behind her to check the surroundings, and I looked around too. It was true; there was no one nearby, so we likely wouldn’t be seen.

“Yeah, I guess…”

“Then I won’t hold back.”

Saying that, she moved closer to me and stood on her tiptoes to press her lips against mine.

It was a longer kiss than before, and for some reason, it felt more exhilarating than last time.

After the kiss, Saya leaned against my chest, and I caught a whiff of her lovely scent. I tried to hug her tightly, but she interrupted me with a small voice.

“Hinata, my stomach…”

“Eh, are you hungry already?”

“Yeah… I ate a lot, but I guess it wasn’t enough.”

I found it cute how she nodded, and I gently stroked her head.

“What do you want to eat?”

“I think I want a panda shoe…”

What’s a panda shoe? Is it something like a cream puff?

After asking her for details, I learned that it’s a dessert filled with custard and cream.

I wasn’t sure if I could eat it, but I was very curious about it.

We left the beach and headed back to Chinatown to find this panda shoe.

“It really looks like a panda…”

“Isn’t it cute?”

Even though she didn’t make it, she showed off the panda shoe to me with a smug expression.

(Why is she so proud?)

“Yeah, it’s cute.”

“Hehe, then you can take the first bite!”

I had planned to only take a small bite since I was already full, but since she insisted I take the first bite, I couldn’t refuse.

“It’s delicious… No, it’s really good.”

“Hehe, isn’t it good? Can I have a bite too?”

“Yeah, go ahead. I’m too full to eat anymore.”

Since my stomach felt quite full, I decided to let Saya finish it.

“Okay, I’m going to eat it now… Mmm, I really love it! Custard, I love you!”

Saya’s love for custard was truly impressive.

Today, she invited me to this place because she wanted to be with me, but I knew there was more to it. She had some feelings regarding the incident with the guy named Hojo.

“Saya, did Hojo say something to you again?”

“Wow, Hinata, you’re amazing! You knew I tend to eat more when I’m upset, huh?”

“Eh, ah, no, I didn’t know that. It’s the first time I’m hearing it. I just thought you wanted to enjoy your favorite things to forget something bad… I’m here if you want to talk about it.”

Saying that, Saya took a bite of the panda shoe and quickly finished it.

Then, she told me about what had happened with Hojo during Valentine’s Day back in middle school.

“That’s why I dislike Hojo. He treated my favorite custard poorly back then, and recently, he spoke ill of you. Of course, I couldn’t just ignore that.”

“Yeah, I’d be angry too if someone said something bad about someone I liked.”

“…I’m okay now, really. Thanks for listening, Hinata.”

“No, thank you for sharing. Sometimes it helps to talk about things to feel better, so feel free to share with me anytime from now on.”

At my words, she took my hand and smiled brightly.

“Thank you, Hinata.”

Later that Night

That night, I was on a video call with Akari.

“And then, I ate a panda shoe…”

As I shared the fun things that happened today, Akari listened excitedly.

“Wow, that sounds great! I want to go there since I’ve never been.”

“How about you come with me next time?”

“Oh, is it okay? If you don’t mind, I’d love to go with you!”

“Yeah, let’s go.”

After finishing up our chat about Chinatown, I mentioned that I had planned to visit ten shops for custard desserts.

Since I had spent almost the entire day outside, I was starting to feel sleepy. Just as I was about to end the call, Akari called my name.

“Hey, Saya…”

“What is it?”

“I’ve developed a crush on someone. So I’d like some advice…”

“Are you talking about love advice? Of course, I’m here for you.”

Since Akari had helped me with my feelings for Hinata, I wanted to be there for her too. Even if I wasn’t the best at giving advice, I wanted to support her.

“Thank you. So, I—”