The Charm of the Popular Beautiful Succubus in Class Doesn't Work on Me ~ For Some Reason, This Beauty Keeps Trying to Hold My Hand ~ - 40

Chapter 40: Ready, Set, Go!

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“Hey! There’s something over there too! Let’s check it out!”

Holding down her straw hat as it fluttered in the wind, Kisara pointed towards something beside the observation deck. Following her gaze, I first noticed a heart-shaped monument engraved with the words “Lover’s Sanctuary.” Beyond that, my eyes fell on a fence with what appeared to be metallic objects hanging from it. Guided by Kisara, I moved closer to the fence. The metallic objects dangling from it turned out to be “padlocks.”

“Michihito-kun! I want to do this!”

The moment she saw them, Kisara’s eyes sparkled with excitement as she struck an adorable pleading pose.

It seemed these “padlocks” functioned like wooden plaques for wishes. Looking at the back of one padlock, I saw names of what appeared to be couples written in marker. Apparently, couples wrote their names on the padlocks, hung them on the fence and the “God of Love” could somehow promise them “eternal love.” 

Good grief, what an obvious money-grabbing scheme.

“Kisara, do you actually believe in this so-called ‘God of Love’?”

I asked her that question since the image of Kisara believing in something like this didn’t quite fit the image of hers in my mind. 

“The God of Love? Do you really think I’d believe in something like that?”

Kisara asked me back while tilting her head in genuine puzzlement.

“Then why do you want to do this?”

“Hmm… it’s not about believing or not. Girls just love things like this.”

Kisara said with a sheepish smile. It was a logic I both understood and didn’t. But I’d already come to realize that Kisara, for all her quirks, had her girlish sides. Now that I thought about it, she had even read my palm when we first met. Maybe, deep down, she did have a bit of faith in things like this.

“Come on, let’s do it!”

Still in pleading mode, Kisara tugged at my sleeve.

Seriously. When a girl looks at you pleadingly like this, saying ‘no’ becomes an impossible task.

I sighed in resignation.

“Fine. I think they’re selling those locks at the shop over there.”

“Yay! This is Michihito-kun’s treat then!”

“Hey… We’re splitting the cost, don’t forget that!”

Chasing after Kisara as she dashed toward the shop, I entered and scanned the shelves. There was the padlock, displayed like a flagship product on the most prominent rack. The price was… 980 yen (tax included).

……Right.

Reluctantly, I handed a thousand-yen bill to the shop’s elderly clerk and bought the “Key of Promise” lock. I handed the bag to Kisara, who was practically bouncing with anticipation and we opened the merchandise together. Inside was a heart-shaped golden padlock and two matching heart-shaped keys.

“Wow, it’s an actual lock.”

“What’s with that reaction? Forget that. Come on, let’s write our names!”

Kisara leaned in to peer at my face before she smiled brightly. 

“Wait. We’re really going to do this?”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“I mean, this is like… Actual couple stuff, right? Something about locking in your feelings forever. I just wondered… if it’s really okay to use my name for this.”

“If you keep worrying about little things like that, you’ll go bald, you know?”

Kisara pouted for a bit before she quickly wrote her name with the provided marker. 

“Alright. Michihito-kun, it’s your turn now.”

She said while handing me the lock and marker. Looking at the padlock, I saw Kisara’s name written neatly there. Her handwriting was so beautiful, like it belonged in a calligraphy workbook. 

“Wow, your handwriting is really nice, Kisara.”

“Hehe. What if I told you I’m actually a certified calligraphy instructor?”

Kisara said proudly while puffing her chest out.

“An instructor? Does that mean you teach calligraphy?”

“That’s right.”

“That’s impressive. They really weren’t kidding when they said people can surprise you.”

“For the record, I’m a model student, you know? Now then, let me check your handwriting, Michihito-kun!” 

Kisara said with a mischievous smirk on her face.

“Ughhh… The pressure is immeasurable…”

“Come on! Hurry up and write your name!”

Writing my name under the watchful eye of a certified calligraphy instructor? What kind of punishment game is this?

Despite feeling her gaze bearing down on me, I still wrote my name on the padlock. When I finished, Kisara leaned over to inspect it.

“Hmm… It’s like day and night if you compare it to mine, but it’s not bad.”

After checking my writing for Michihito (未知人), Kisara said so with a satisfied smile. It seemed I had passed her assessment. Kisara held the padlock to her chest as if it was something precious to her and then, she turned toward the fence with a cheerful stride. 

Once we reached the fence, she glanced back at me.

“Ready?”

“Yeah.”

“On the count of three, we’ll lock it together!”

“Got it.”

“Okay… One, two, three!”

With a click, the padlock bearing “Michihito” and “Kisara” names became part of the scenery. For a moment, we both silently gazed at the fence and its many locks swaying in the chilly wind.

“Michihito-kun…”

“What is it?”

“Thank you for bringing me to such a lovely place today.”

The cold breeze brushed against our cheeks, making the locks on the fence rattle.

Ah, so this is the end of our first little trip together. 

I found myself wondering…

How many of the couples who locked their names here are still happily in love? Well, since they care for each other enough to travel here and lock their names together, I guess most of them are still happily in love. But… Me and Kisara…. We’re just pretending to be a couple. We’re not genuinely in love with each other, so the promise of ‘eternal love’ won’t be valid here. Even the God of Love isn’t so generous enough to grant ‘eternal love’ to a fake couple like us.

We both knew that and yet, despite knowing that, we still enjoyed the day to the fullest. 

I glanced at the keys in my hand.

“What do we do with these?”

I asked, voicing my thoughts out loud.

“Hmm, I guess you can just throw them away if you don’t need them.”

“Wha-… You’re okay with throwing them out?”

“Yeah, I don’t mind. But you know, if you throw them away, that lock will never be removed. Is that okay with you?”

“Then what about you? What are you going to do?”

“Me?”

She looked down thoughtfully for a moment before lifting her head.

“I think I’ll keep mine. After all, if we ever part ways, I’ll have to come back here to remove the lock, won’t I?”

“You… You’re really brutally honest, huh?”

“Then, make sure to serve your princess well so you don’t get dumped.”

And so, our long yet short trip to Onomichi finally came to an end. It really did feel long and short at the same time. To be honest, when she suddenly said, “I want to see the sea,” I had no idea what to do at first. But once I got moving—no plans, no preparation—I realized there were so many fun things out there waiting for us, as long as we took that first step.

I’m sure I’ll never forget today for the rest of my life. Kisara… I’m sorry I couldn’t escort you perfectly… I’m sorry I couldn’t plan the perfect ‘adult-like date plan’… I guess I’m still lacking a lot in that kind of thing. But next time… IF there is next time, I will  take you to a beach where we can dip our feet in the water. So… Please forgive me on this one, okay?

Feeling her warmth against my left shoulder, I was lulled by the gentle sway of the train and, before I knew it, I drifted off to sleep.

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T/N: Taking the first step, huh… Romcom novel is always giving me good lesson in life… (˃̣̣̥ᯅ˂̣̣̥)