The Beautiful Girl I Accidentally Helped Who Has Somehow Become Attached To Me. - Chapter 6: Holiday Encounter.

Holiday Encounter.

The next day after I agreed to let Mikami-san share half of my favorite lunchtime spot—it turned out to be Saturday, with no school. I’d barely gotten through a month of high school, and already I was seeing her daily, the girl everyone hailed as the prettiest in the grade. I’d even mentally prepared myself for all the rumors that would come from being seen with her. Yet here we were, with no chance of meeting up on a weekend, and it felt oddly anticlimactic.

It’s fine that Mikami-san disrupted my quiet solitude at school. But I couldn’t deny that the heart-pounding tension, having to keep it together around such a pretty girl, left me a bit worn out. A day off to let my heart rest wasn’t such a bad idea.

With nothing in particular planned, I’d already finished all my homework the previous night. It might be nice to just laze around, but I decided to go out for a bit. After changing, tidying up a bit, and stuffing my wallet and a few essentials in my bag, I headed out.

At the station, I looked around but didn’t feel like going anywhere far by train. Although it was spring and fairly pleasant out, the high noon sun was making me sweat a little. Looking for a place to cool off, I fanned myself and spotted a nearby building—a bookstore, close to the station.

“Ahh, cool at last,” I muttered as I walked in, immediately feeling the welcome blast of air conditioning.

I hadn’t come for any book in particular, but I liked browsing shelves, searching for that one book that might catch my eye, maybe with an interesting cover or a catchy line. It was this small thrill of discovery I secretly enjoyed.

As I strolled, I noticed a woman nearby, stretching her arm and standing on her tiptoes, trying hard to reach a book on a higher shelf.

It didn’t look like she was going to reach it, and there was no stool or anything around for her to stand on. So, well… I decided to help her out.

“Here, is this the one you were reaching for?”

“Yes, thank you so mu… wait, Kirishima-san?”

“Mikami-san? What… you’re here?”

“And why wouldn’t I be? I came to buy a book, of course.”

“…Fair point.”

What were the odds? I thought I was just helping someone struggling to reach a book, but it turned out to be Mikami-san. Today wasn’t a school day, so naturally, she wasn’t in her uniform. Her casual outfit was simple yet elegant, matching her cool and composed aura, and honestly… she looked really pretty. My gaze was drawn to her automatically.

“Is something wrong?”

“No, uh… your outfit. It looks good on you.”

“Oh, thank you.”

What was I even saying? Here I was, complimenting her like we were on some kind of date. It felt out of character—though, to be fair, her outfit really was cute and suited her well.

“Kirishima-san, were you here to buy something too?”

“Yeah, I came in to cool down at first, but figured I might as well pick up a book. Looks like you’re getting… a romance novel?”

“Yes, I love this author’s series, so I make sure to get the new releases as soon as they’re out. What about you, Kirishima-san? What kind of books do you usually read?”

“Me? I’m not too picky. I go by whatever catches my eye—the cover, the blurb, the title, maybe the tagline. Basically, if it grabs me, I’ll read it.”

“…I see. Then, how about this one?”

She offered me a book, her gaze both thoughtful and slightly expectant.

Mikami-san seemed to ponder my reading style for a moment, then quickly pulled a book from the nearby shelf and handed it to me. It looked like a romance novel.

“It might be unusual to recommend a romance novel to a guy… but this is from one of my favorite authors. If you don’t mind, would you give it a try?”

“It’s not weird for a guy to read romance novels, right? People can read whatever they want. And since you recommended it, I’ll buy it.”

“Great. Let me know what you think once you’ve read it.”

Taking the book from her, she smiled in relief. Admittedly, it might be a bit outside the norm for a guy to pick up a romance novel, but I’d dabbled in the genre before. As long as I read it on my own, no one would care. And if I took it to school, I could always slip a book cover on it so no one would know.

“Alright, I’ll go pay for it.”

“I’ll come with you.”

With the book in hand, I headed to the counter. Mikami-san had nothing else she planned to buy and followed me. After we both checked out, we stepped outside, the midday sun still beating down mercilessly.

I hadn’t actually spent as much time in the store as usual. Normally, I’d drift from shelf to shelf, taking ages to pick out a book. But today, with Mikami-san’s recommendation, I’d decided quickly.

Now, what should I do next?

“…Do you have any plans after this, Kirishima-san?”

“No, nothing in particular.”

“In that case, would you… like to join me for a bit?”

Wha…?

…Wait, what?!