Be careful with the laid-back beauty who took a liking to me. Otherwise, it will be too late! - Chapter 39: Akari and Ren

Chapter 39: Akari and Ren

I don’t really understand what love is. Yet, I often find myself receiving relationship advice from others. When I ask why they come to me, they always say, “Because Akari seems like she has some experience in love.”

Though I’ve had my share of confessions from boys, my actual relationship experience is minimal, and I have nothing substantial to offer in terms of advice.

Before taking on a consultation, I tell them that I’m not very experienced. Still, they insist it’s fine, so I end up listening.

Having a crush or a partner seems a little enviable. Back in middle school, I had once dated someone after he confessed to me, simply because I wanted to know what love was like.

But that guy turned out to be quite problematic. At first, his behavior was only mildly concerning, but then he began to contact me excessively, which scared me, and I ultimately broke up with him. I realized that I just couldn’t handle being in a relationship.

Since that day, I thought I’d rather not engage in love if it meant experiencing fear. Even if there were people who liked me, I doubted I could develop feelings for anyone. But recently, I’ve started to feel something unfamiliar.

(Being with him makes my heart race… What is this feeling…?)

It was one of the last days of summer vacation. After finishing my shift at the café, I wandered around various shops near the station.

(Speaking of which, Mikoto’s birthday is coming up soon… What should I get her as a gift…?)

I remembered my friend’s upcoming birthday and started browsing the shops without a clear purpose, trying to find something nice.

While I was stopped and examining a product, someone tapped me on the shoulder from behind.

“Hey, Akari! What are you up to?”

I jumped a little from the sudden voice and turned around.

“Wow, you startled me! I was looking for a birthday present for a friend. What about you, Takasaka-kun?”

“I just finished my shift. I could tell it was you just from your aura.”

“My aura? I’m just an ordinary person.”

“Nah, you have a different vibe. Hey, Akari, can I join you for shopping? We haven’t talked at all during summer vacation.”

When Takasaka-kun said that, I realized it had been a while since we last met.

While we’re friends, we don’t reach out to each other much, which is why we haven’t met.

“Sure! It’s been a while, let’s chat.”

As we talked happily while searching for a birthday present, we didn’t find anything suitable, so we decided to come back another time and headed to the café instead.

I wasn’t hungry, so I ordered tea while Takasaka-kun got coffee.

“You’re quite the adult, Takasaka-kun.”

“Is that so? Anyone can drink it with sugar.”

“Really? Do you put sugar in yours?”

“I don’t. I like it just as it is.”

“Got it. Maybe I’ll give it a try next time.”

As we chatted, the server brought our drinks.

Since it was hot outside, the cold tea felt incredibly refreshing.

“By the way, when I saw you earlier, I thought you cut your hair, Akari?”

I touched my recently cut hair and felt a little happy he noticed.

“Wow, you really noticed! I cut it because it got too long.”

“It suits you.”

“Thanks!”

After chatting a lot, I took a sip of my tea and spotted the café’s recommended cake.

Even though I said I wasn’t hungry, the cake looked delicious. After a tiring shift, I often crave something sweet.

“Akari, are you going to order cake?”

“Eh? Am I making a cake-craving face or something?”

I’d glanced at the menu several times, and it seemed I did indeed look like I wanted some.

“Yeah, you kept looking at the menu. I think I’ll order something too since the sweet smell is making me hungry.”

“Well, then I guess I’ll order something too.”

Taking the menu, Takasaka-kun and I decided to order cake.

Afterward, we enjoyed our time together, chatting about middle school memories while savoring our cake.

As I took a bite of my shortcake, Takasaka-kun suddenly asked me a question.

“Hey, do you have a boyfriend, Akari?”

“Eh? Nope! If I had one, I wouldn’t be here with you right now.”

“Yeah, that’s true.”

“Takasaka-kun, you’re quite popular, but what about you?”

I set down my fork, leaned my elbows on the table, intertwined my fingers, and looked at him curiously.

“I don’t have one either. By the way, there’s a summer festival coming up. Want to go together?”

“Together? Does that mean just the two of us?”

I wondered if he was inviting someone else along, so I asked.

“Um… no, not really. I’m thinking of inviting others too. A group of us.”

“Alright, that sounds good. I’ll invite some classmates since I don’t want to be with strangers.”

(A summer festival, huh… Who should I invite…?)

Summer Festival Day

Sayo and I were waiting at the meeting spot, the station, for everyone to arrive.

“You look great in your yukata.”

I couldn’t help but comment on Sayo’s yukata again, having met her several times since.

“Thanks! I was so excited to go to the festival that I couldn’t sleep last night…”

“Me too. Oh, over there, isn’t that Shiina-san and Takasaka?”

As I pointed out the two, they seemed to notice us and ran over.

Shiina-san was wearing a yukata and wooden sandals, but Takasaka warned her from behind not to run in them.

“Hey, Sayo-chan, Kai-kun! Wow, Sayo-chan, you look cute!”

“A-Ah, thanks… Akari-chan, you look cute in your yukata too.”

“Hehe, thank you!”

As I watched the two girls chat happily, Takasaka placed his hand on my shoulder and spoke to me.

“Did you come here with Furukawa?”

“No, neither Sayo nor I are the type to go out much. Thanks for inviting us.”

“No problem. If you ever want to sneak away for some alone time, just tell me secretly. I’ll make up some excuse to tell everyone.”

“Thanks!”

As of now, there were no plans to sneak away, but if Sayo ever wanted to, I’d be more than willing to help her.

“Oh, you’re here!”

“Ah, Yuna, Kubo-kun, and… Ohara-san.”

When Asahi and Maruyama-san arrived, Sayo looked thrilled, but she suddenly glared at Maizakura, who was standing behind them.

“Koga-san, that’s scary. I didn’t do anything!”

Maizakura crossed her arms, clearly in a fighting stance. Why do these two always seem to clash?

As I worried, Maizakura turned to me and smiled.

“Hey, Hinata, how do you like this yukata?”

“Eh? Uh…”

With Sayo giving me a side-eye, I hesitated to say “you look great” too easily. I didn’t want to hurt her feelings if I said it looked bad.

“I… I think it looks nice…”

“Really? Hehe, why are you using polite language?”

It was a smile I hadn’t seen in a while. I realized I hadn’t spoken to Maizakura recently, and I missed seeing her smile like that.

“I wish I’d noticed it earlier…”

“Huh? Did you say something, Maizakura?”

Maizakura said something in a small voice, but I couldn’t catch it. When I asked her to repeat, she shook her head slightly.

“No, it’s nothing.”