I Just Wanted a Girlfriend, But Now I Have Three Fiancées! …Even Though I Don’t Remember Proposing to Any of Them - Chapter 15: The Truth Behind the Lost Memories

Chapter 15: The Truth Behind the Lost Memories

After lunch, we finally headed to the shopping mall for our real mission—buying rice bowls.

The place was packed, probably because it was the weekend, and the air buzzed with energy and chatter.

“Senpai! How about this one?”

“Isn’t that a little too cutesy?”

Mitsuki held up a bright pink rice bowl.

Honestly… it looked way too girly for me to use.

“What are you talking about? This one’s mine.”

“Huh?”

“They’re couple bowls, y’know? Meoto chawan. Yours is this one.”

She pointed to a slightly larger, blue bowl sitting next to it.

Oh… now that she mentioned it, hers did look like the girl version in a matching set.

“Wait—what’s meoto chawan?”

“Eh…?! You don’t even know that?!”

Mitsuki looked genuinely shocked I didn’t know the term.

To be fair, I hadn’t expected to get hit with new vocabulary in the middle of a casual shopping trip.

“Meoto means married couple.”

“So it’s like… married couple bowls?”

“Exactly! Like matching outfits—but for rice bowls!”

Matching rice bowls, huh…?

That’s… actually kinda cute?

“So, what do you think?”

“Hmm… I still think blue suits you better though, Mitsuki.”

I said that while holding the guy’s bowl.

“Geez! Haru-senpai, you’re just saying that ‘cause of my hair color, aren’t you!”

She hit me with a playful jab right away.

And… yeah. She was totally right, so all I could do was let out an awkward little laugh.

Still, Mitsuki didn’t look upset or anything. If anything, she seemed kind of happy as she gently set the pink bowl back down.

“Okay, let’s check out a few more options.”

“Yeah, sounds good. …I mean, we don’t have to get matching ones, y’know?”

“It’s not like I’m forcing it. I want to.”

Her voice dropped a little when she said that—soft enough that I almost didn’t catch it.

But I did.

“Because… up until now, I’ve never had anything matching with you, Senpai.”

“Well, I mean… we weren’t even dating before. Of course we wouldn’t have anything matching.”

“Y-Yeah, but… I always wanted to. I thought if I bought the same thing as you before we started dating, you might think I was being clingy…”

“Like… what kind of stuff?”

“…Phone cases. Or matching pens and stuff.”

She mumbled it, clearly embarrassed.

Matching phone cases and stationery, huh…?

Do couples really do that sort of thing?

…Actually, now that I think about it—Kyousuke and the girl he was dating the other week had matching phone cases too.

They broke up like two weeks later, though…

“I mean, stuff like that—phone cases and pens—you don’t have to be dating to match, right?”

“N-No way! That’d just be painful to watch!”

“Really? I think it’d be kinda cute.”

I mean, if a junior went out of their way to buy the same stationery or phone case as me…

I’d probably find that pretty sweet.

As I thought that, kind of like it was someone else’s problem—

“R-Really? You wouldn’t think it’s creepy?”

“Nah. That sort of thing wouldn’t bother me at all.”

“T-Then I’ll go buy the same pen you use later!”

“It’s nothing special, y’know… just a cheap one you can find anywhere.”

I was never picky about stationery.

Honestly, I didn’t care at all.

“I know. I’ve seen it plenty during club.”

“You really pay attention, huh.”

“Ahaha…”

When I gave her a slightly exasperated look, Mitsuki let out an awkward laugh—

Then, like she was trying to change the topic, she suddenly pointed ahead.

“Oh, Senpai! Look! Rings!”

“Huh. You’re right.”

A big jewelry ad was on display, featuring a gorgeous ring with a sparkling, clear gem.

“If we ever had a wedding, Haru-senpai… would you go traditional Japanese or Western style?”

“Wha—huh?”

How did we go from rings to wedding talk so fast…?

Then I looked more closely at the ad—and yeah.

That was definitely an engagement ring.

A sharp pain shot through my stomach.

“…Wait, there’s such a thing as a Japanese-style wedding?”

What is this, pasta?

Japanese-style vs Western-style weddings…?

“C’mon, Senpai. Be serious. Haven’t you ever seen a wedding at a shrine before? When it’s at a shrine, it’s called a Shinzen ceremony.”

“Huh. I always just pictured weddings happening in churches.”

“Well yeah, that image is stronger, for sure.”

“So, Mitsuki—which do you like more?”

“Definitely the church style!”

“Why?”

“Because I get to wear a wedding dress!”

“Ahh… I see.”

So that’s how some people decide, huh?

“But hey, Haru-senpai…”

“Yeah?”

“If we do it at a church, we’d have to kiss in front of everyone, y’know.”

“…That’s part of it?”

“It is. …Senpai, have you ever kissed anyone before?”

“Nope.”

The moment I answered, Mitsuki grabbed onto my sleeve.

I hadn’t kissed anyone.

At least… I shouldn’t have.

But with my memories the way they were, I couldn’t say that with absolute certainty.

“…Wanna try it?”

“…You mean here?”

“N-No! Of course not! Geez, no way!”

Mitsuki’s face turned beet red as she shook her head like crazy.

“I meant… later.”

“…Um, Mitsuki.”

I was planning to tell her after our date.

That was the plan.

But now… I couldn’t keep it in any longer.

Not when she’d been by my side since middle school.

Not when she was looking at me like that.

I just couldn’t keep lying to her.

I wasn’t that much of a scumbag.

“There’s something… I need to apologize to you for, Mitsuki.”

“Huh? What is it?”

“…Can we talk somewhere else?”

This wasn’t the kind of thing you brought up in the middle of a crowded mall, so we headed into a nearby café.

Mitsuki ordered a café au lait.

I went with one of those seasonal fruit juices—because yeah, that felt safer.

“So, Senpai… what is it you wanted to apologize for?”

“…Well, the truth is…”

God, this is hard to say…

But I have to tell her.

“The truth is… I don’t remember what happened on my birthday.”

“…Huh?”

Mitsuki looked completely stunned—her eyes went wide like she couldn’t believe what she’d just heard.

“It’s my body. I’ve got this weird thing… If I drink caffeine, I kind of get drunk.”

“…So that’s why you always avoided coffee.”

“…Yeah. I’m really sorry.”

I lowered my head.

Naturally, that made a few people in the café turn to stare.

But after a couple of curious glances, they all went back to their own conversations.

“I don’t remember confessing to you, Mitsuki.”

I kept my head down.

And waited.

I had no idea how much time passed.

Seconds? Minutes?

Felt like forever.

But eventually—

Mitsuki slowly opened her mouth to speak.

“…Please lift your head, Senpai.”

“…!”

I slowly raised my head—

And there she was.

Mitsuki, with a small smile still on her face.

Then she said—

“Senpai, I think you’ve got the wrong idea. I get it—since you don’t remember—but still.”

“Wrong idea…?”

“Yep. Do you remember what I said the first time I came over and made dinner at your place?”

“…Wasn’t it something about dating with marriage in mind?”

“That’s the one.”

Mitsuki leaned in slightly, her eyes locking onto mine.

“But that? That wasn’t something you said.”

“…Huh?”

“I was the one who said it, Senpai.”