Chapter 12 – Bonding with Miina

After school had ended, Shinta found himself keeping a certain someone company as they headed out into town. Or rather, it would be more accurate to say he had been forcefully dragged along.

Glancing at the person walking beside him while humming a tune, Shinta spoke up.

“You’re pretty pushy, you know. Suddenly telling me to tag along just because I didn’t have plans after school.”

“What’s the big deal? It’s just for a little breather, right?”

Replying to Shinta’s words, Miina let out a light, carefree laugh.

As for where these two were heading, they didn’t have any particular destination in mind. Miina had proposed a completely haphazard plan to just head to the bustling part of town and hang out. Shinta was reluctantly going along with it.

Not that Shinta actually minded being dragged around for a change of pace. However, he couldn’t help but think that if she was going out of her way to have fun, she would have been better off inviting another classmate she clicked with.

“Still, you’ve got some weird tastes. You’d have had way more fun hanging out with the other classmates instead of some guy like me.”

“Jeez, there you go putting yourself down again. For a former delinquent, you’re surprisingly self-deprecating, Shinta.”

“Shut up, that’s none of your business.”

He did feel like he was starting to fit into the class fairly well. Even so, compared to Ichizu and Miina, he still felt a wall between himself and the rest of his classmates. In contrast, the highly extroverted Miina had already hit it off with everyone. Someone like her shouldn’t have any shortage of friends. He couldn’t see any benefit in her going out one-on-one with a guy radiating pure loner energy like him.

“It’s a bummer, though. I really wanted Ichizu to join us so the three of us could hang out.”

That casually dropped remark made Shinta feel a twinge of guilt.

Miina’s original plan was for all three of them to go out and play. Ichizu had declined the invitation for a certain reason. That was why she wasn’t here now.

Miina had been talking with high energy for a while. Now she brought up the topic of the absent Ichizu.

“But Ichizu really is amazing. Going out of her way to visit her grandma’s nursing home, even if it eats up all her free time.”

That was the reason Ichizu had turned down Miina’s invitation. She was setting aside time to visit her grandmother.

Shinta already knew about this since he had spent time with her over spring break. Since last year, Ichizu had even quit her part-time job to dedicate her time to caring for her grandmother. Shinta had helped her out with various things whenever he had free time during the break. Just before the new term started, it was finally decided that her grandmother would move into a care facility.

Visiting her grandmother at the facility wasn’t something she could do freely at any time. She had to contact them in advance to make a reservation. On top of that, the dates could shift depending on her grandmother’s health condition. That was exactly why Ichizu made sure to go see her on the days visiting was allowed.

Incidentally, when Shinta and Miina first heard about this, they both tried to tag along. While visits from non-family members weren’t strictly prohibited, the facility wouldn’t grant permission without a prior reservation.

Ichizu had told them it was fine and they didn’t need to worry about her. She insisted that the two of them should go have fun after school. Miina had obediently followed her wishes. For Shinta, however, it would be a lie to say it didn’t bother him.

“Ichizu went out of her way to be considerate of us. It’s only right that we go ahead and have fun as planned, yeah?”

“I guess so. Though I would’ve liked to talk to her grandma again if possible.”

It had only been for the short duration of spring break. Still, Shinta was looking back on the memories of Ichizu’s grandmother treating him kindly. She was an incredibly gentle, warm, and deeply accommodating person.

As Shinta ruminated on the time he spent interacting with her, those moments overlapped with the memories of his own late grandmother. A wave of nostalgia washed over his chest.

She was always kind but scolded him when he needed scolding. Right up until her final moments, she had worried about his future.

“Grandma…”

“Hm, did you say something just now?”

Miina reacted to the word that had unconsciously spilled from his lips. Fortunately, it had been a quiet murmur. She apparently hadn’t caught it, allowing him to brush it off with a vague response.

“It’s nothing. Anyway, where are we killing time after all?”

While they were walking and talking, they had somehow arrived at the entertainment district. That said, Shinta was only tagging along. He hadn’t decided what they would do from here.

Miina stood next to him and took a good look around at the various amusement facilities lining the street. Then, she decided on their first destination.

“Hmm, let’s see… Alright, our first stop is that arcade over there! I’ve actually been totally addicted to rhythm games lately~.”

“R-Rhythm games? I’ve heard the word before, but I don’t really get what they are.”

Not fully understanding the meaning of the word that came out of Miina’s mouth, Shinta made an unconvinced face. Seeing his reaction, Miina let out a small snort of laughter.

“Pfft, are you seriously telling me you don’t know what rhythm games are? That’s hilarious. You’re way too out of touch with the world, Shinta.”

“Guh, shut up! I’ve barely ever been to an arcade, so I can’t help it, alright!”

Being laughed at in such a mocking way instinctively made Shinta defensive.

Back in his days as a delinquent lone wolf constantly getting into brawls, he had never even gone out to play at the neighborhood arcade. The chances of someone picking a fight with him the moment he stepped outside were extremely high. But even so, not knowing what rhythm games were might indeed mean he was out of touch.

Shinta likely realized on some level that he was ignorant of something everyone else knew. Uncharacteristically, he wore his embarrassment on his sleeve.

“Well then, Miina-sensei will just have to teach you all about the wonderful world of entertainment today. Come on, follow me!”

“Whoa, don’t pull so hard.”

Once she finished laughing, Miina grabbed Shinta’s arm and dragged him toward the arcade. To an onlooker, the two of them looked less like classmates who got along well and more like close siblings.

However, observing the two of them from a distance was a single girl with a twisted smile on her face.

“That face… there’s no mistaking it. To think I’d end up running into her even after graduating middle school.”

Running a hand through her long hair, dyed a flashy blonde, the girl sneered as she watched Miina disappear into the arcade.

“Going on a date with yet another guy… you’re as loose as ever, aren’t you, Bitch-na-chan?”

Saying that, the girl followed after the two of them and entered the arcade.