The Beautiful Girl I Accidentally Helped Who Has Somehow Become Attached To Me. - Chapter 7: Time For The Two Of Us.

Time For The Two Of Us.

How did it come to this?

I went out on my day off, only to run into Mikami-san. Up to that point, everything was fine.

We were supposed to part ways after our bookstore visit, yet… somehow, I ended up sitting across from her in a stylish café. Can someone tell me how this happened? …No? Yeah, didn’t think so.

“Something wrong?”

“No, it’s nothing. I’m just… not used to situations like this. Feeling a bit nervous.”

“You don’t go to cafés often, do you, Kirishima-san? I see…”

She seemed to misunderstand, thinking it was the café itself I wasn’t used to, rather than the situation. Running into her at the bookstore could be written off as a coincidence, but sharing a café table like this… it feels like a date. Being in the same space, just the two of us, without it being a random occurrence—that’s the part that’s new. And why couldn’t I just turn her down?

…Or rather, I didn’t get the chance to. Maybe I was caught up in the moment. But here I am, so there’s no point dwelling on the ‘how’ or ‘why’ now.

“This place is one of my regular spots. It has a calm atmosphere, and the coffee and tea here are exceptional. Sometimes I stop by after buying a book to read here.”

“Then why did you bring me here? Wouldn’t you get more reading done alone?”

“True… If I had to give a reason, I’d say… it was a whim?”

“A whim? That’s all it took to drag me along?”

“Yes, is that odd?”

To her, this must be no big deal, but here I am, feeling like I’m burning through my daily ration of composure. Am I the only one feeling self-conscious here?

“We had lunch together in that spot during the school days, both yesterday and the day before. So, since we ran into each other today as well, I thought it’d be nice to continue the pattern… Oh, unless you’ve already eaten?”

“No, I haven’t yet.”

Is she serious? She’d thought about that much?

She’s right, though… It is around the same time as our usual lunch. But this is the weekend. It’s different from a weekday.

“Good! The light meals here are really delicious. Here’s the menu.”

“Thanks. Don’t you need to look at it?”

“I come here often enough that I remember most of the menu. I don’t usually change my order, so take your time.”

Right, if she’s a regular, she’d know the menu by heart. And if she’s the type to stick to her favorites, that makes sense too.

Taking her word for it, I opened the menu and skimmed through it.

“Got it.”

“That was fast. The sandwich set, right?”

“…Spot on.”

“Heh~, another guess based on patterns and tendencies.”

After deciding on my order with lightning speed, Mikami-san guessed it perfectly. Maybe she narrowed it down based on my usual lunch patterns, but… what’s the point of analyzing something so trivial? And that slightly smug expression she had—it creates this odd gap with her usual cool demeanor, and somehow, it… gets to me.

“I’ll have my usual tea and cookies set. What would you like for your drink with the set, Kirishima-san?”

“Let’s go with iced coffee.”

“Got it. I’ll place the order.”

Mikami-san called over the server with practiced ease, ordering without hesitation. The server, a woman who looked a bit older, took our order. I wonder how she—and the other patrons—see us. Do we look like a c—no, better not go there. Mikami-san already said it was on a whim. It’s not like she has any deeper intent behind this, so it’d be foolish to overthink it.

A few minutes later, the food arrived, and just as she’d promised, it looked amazing. The sandwich, one of my favorite things, tasted as good as it looked. I consider myself a bit picky, so to say it’s delicious without complaint… I might end up coming here often.

“Is it good?”

“Yeah, it’s great.”

“I’m glad to hear that.”

“Why do you sound so proud, Mikami-san?”

“Wanting to share something you love with someone—and having them love it too—isn’t that natural?”

“Is that how it works?”

“Yes, that’s how it is. You get to share something precious with someone.”

Sharing, huh. I’ve heard somewhere that things are more fun together than alone. This is Mikami-san’s happy place, her personal time. And today, I’ve experienced a bit of that happiness too. I guess two people’s joy is doubled.

(…Not bad.)

My attempt to reinvent myself in high school failed, leaving me as a loner. I’m the odd one out in class, with no one interested in talking to me. But for some reason, the class idol, the high and mighty Mikami Hina, won’t leave me alone.

At first, I thought it was because she felt indebted to me. Otherwise, why would the top of the class hierarchy bother with someone like me, scraping the bottom? That’s what I thought, at least… but she’s long since repaid any debt she owed me. The connection tying me to her should have ended.

But still, Mikami Hina won’t let me be. She won’t let me go back to being alone. And as much as I don’t want to get my hopes up, it feels like she’s been getting closer and closer to me since then.

And here I am, finding this relationship… not so bad after all.

Being with her doesn’t feel uncomfortable, even without words, and I don’t dislike it.

“Something wrong?”

“…No, it’s nothing.”

I almost found myself asking, Why? Why are you doing this? If I put it bluntly, I wanted to ask why she keeps hanging around me.

But I held back.

A reason isn’t all that important.

What matters is that she wants to, and I’ve chosen to accept it.

As long as we’re on the same path, that’s enough.

For now… that’s all I need.

***

“Thank you for today. I had a really good time.”

“Same here. Thanks for introducing me to such a nice place.”

It’s not too far from home, so maybe I’ll make it a regular stop on weekends. A quiet, comfortable cafe—perfect for studying, too.

“We should get going before it gets too late.”

“Yeah. It’s already evening… time flew by.”

When we ran into each other, the sun was still high, but now it’s setting, painting the sky a soft shade of crimson. It’s kind of amazing, spending this much time with someone of the opposite gender. We each got lost in our own worlds now and then, but even the silence was comfortable. I’m grateful it never got awkward.

“I’ll walk you to the station.”

“Oh… um, I appreciate the offer, but I’m not taking the train.”

“Huh, really? I just assumed, since you were at a bookstore near the station. Guess this is where we say goodbye, then.”

“Yes, I guess so. See you on Monday.”

“Yeah, see you.”

I surprised myself with how naturally those words came out, like it was only natural we’d see each other again. It felt so… high school-like that I almost laughed. “See you,” huh? I could already picture her waiting on that bench again, and with that thought, I took my first step toward home.

“Ah.”

“Huh?”

…I was headed in exactly the same direction as Mikami-san.