I Chose the Plain Girl Instead of the Class’s Top Three Beauties, and Somehow She Became the Heroine - 22

Chapter 22: First Date

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《Sora Mukei’s POV》

I didn’t participate in any school clubs because I had karate. That meant my weekends were free as long as I didn’t have training. On Sunday afternoon, I headed to a large bookstore. The atrium with its open ceiling stretched overhead, the sky through the glass was cloudy. Each time I went up the escalator, the arrows on the floor directory led me closer to the “Light Novels/Comics” section.

The in-store announcement mixed into the soft background music: “Today is 5x points day!” My goal was to increase the number of books I could give to Anno-san—books that I could read comfortably on the one-station commute, finishing just as the sunlight became a half-step brighter. On the display table, vibrant spines, including their paper bands, demanded attention. Next to the reputed classics, stacks of new releases with almost identical color schemes and sound of words stood, even the posters shared a similar energy.

I picked up a book, flipping through the pages. I wanted to give her my recommendations, but I also wanted to check out the new light novels.

“…Mukei-kun?”

A shadow fell on my right shoulder, accompanied by a small voice. I turned and saw a black pin near her ear. She wasn’t in her usual uniform. Her blouse looked casual, and from the opening of her tote bag, the rabbit keychain swung gently. It was Anno-san in her casual clothes.

“Anno-san?”

“M-Mukei-kun…! What a coincidence!”

Her smile was softer than the store’s lighting. Light pink lips, different from her school look, made her seem cute.

“We think alike, huh? Are you here to look for books too?”

“Yeah. You too, Mukei-kun?”

“Yeah. I came to see the new releases to add more books we could exchange.”

I enjoyed talking with her over our shared hobbies. Maybe I was a little overexcited.

“Y-yeah. Since we said we’d exchange books tomorrow, I came to check the shelves.”

In her hands was a short story collection. In mine, a light novel. We compared our selections and laughed when our eyes met.

“If you want, shall we look together?”

“Huh? Really?”

“Yeah. Since we’re starting with our favorites, the ones we buy today are just for ourselves to enjoy.”

“Okay!”

Unexpectedly, a date with Anno-san had begun. We moved a little to the edge of the display table, standing shoulder-to-shoulder against a sea of spines.

“Anno-san, what mood are you in today?”

“…I think I’ll go with romance.”

She’d read romcoms before, but comedy might overshadow the romance this time.

“You like them a lot?”

“No. I don’t usually read them.”

Ah, so she was trying a new genre too.

“I’ll buy a romcom, and we can buy both and read them alternately. Then we can have a mini review session.”

“Really? That sounds fun. I’m in.”

We paid at the large counter. I asked the clerk for book covers and grabbed a small message card at the card section. I wrote a quick note at the edge of a browsing table.

『For your one-station commute. If it doesn’t suit you, I’ll try another story. —Sora』

I planned to slip it into the book I’d give her at school.

“…Ah, um! Thanks for today.”

“No, thank you. I didn’t think we’d get to go on a date.”

“A date!!!”

Oh, she hadn’t realized.

“Yeah, it was fun going around the bookstore with just the two of us.”

“Hawawa hawawa hawawa!!”

She flustered adorably. I couldn’t see her full expression clearly behind her glasses, but it was cute.

“Hey, if you want, shall we go to the café together?”

“Huh?”

The store had a café beside the reading corner. Two seats by the window were open. Not for a long stay, just enough to flip a page. We exchanged that agreement with our eyes and ordered iced tea and hot coffee. The quiet of the large bookstore was strange. Even though there were many people, everyone was silent. From a shelf behind us, a new poster for a fair gave off the crisp smell of fresh paper. Outside the window, two or three raindrops fell on the bus terminal.

She seemed nervous, straightening her posture slightly, lightly touching the rabbit’s ribbon with her fingertips, then gliding her eyes over the first line of the book. We read for only a minute before closing it. After all, reading too much would lessen the enjoyment.

“Sunday afternoons at big stores have a certain vibe.”

“I come about once a month. The smell of paper organizes my mind.”

Karate moved the body, books organized the mind. I didn’t dislike audiobooks, but I preferred reading myself.

“I get that. I like spine-walking.”

“Spine-walking?”

“Just looking at the colors and typefaces. It’s calming.”

Her vocabulary was unique and interesting. She adjusted her pin. The lighting reflected briefly and vanished. After a while, I listened to the quiet sound of turning pages and finished my drink, then got up. The thin book cover I had received from the cashier felt comforting, protecting the corners of my paperback. On the escalator down to the first floor, a sign for a signing event on a special display caught my eye. Even though I didn’t know that author, my heart raced a little.

Outside the automatic doors, rain fell. We stood under the arcade’s awning, with the smell of sauce from a nearby takoyaki stall. This was the colors of a Sunday afternoon.

“Shall we exchange in the courtyard at lunch tomorrow?”

“Yes! I’ll be sure to pick my recommendation for you.”

“Then… See you tomorrow.”

“Yes… See you tomorrow.”

Her “see you tomorrow” was louder than yesterday’s “bye-bye,” reaching me over the sound of the rain. When the large store’s doors closed behind us, the scent of paper and ink lingered. The two books, protected by plastic covers, seemed to lighten the walk to the courtyard tomorrow.

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