The Day After I Told My Shut-In Genius Childhood Friend, Who’s Highly Dependent on Me, “I Got Confessed To,” She Showed Me a Hypnosis App - Chapter 24

“—Haa, that was so much fun…!”

“I’m glad… it was really good…!”

We walked out of the movie theater and stopped and looked at each other without thinking.

It was a really good movie. Everything I wanted was there, and it felt satisfying.

From the bright and cheerful start to the exciting climax, it was perfect.

The prequel we wanted to see was exactly what we got.

Momose-san was bouncing up and down, and she was full of energy.

“Hikari-chan’s special form was amazing…!”

“It was super intense…!”

“Luna-chan being cool but still loving Hikari-chan is just perfect…!”

We kept talking about the movie for a while, but then I remembered our plans for later.

“By the way, Momose-san, isn’t there a place you wanted to go near here?”

“Ah, yeah! That’s right! If you’re okay with it, Honamin…”

“Of course, I’m fine.”

Momose-san’s face lit up instantly.

“Then let’s go! There’s a place I’ve wanted to try for so long!”

◇

Finally, we arrived at a cute and fancy-looking shop.

There were quite a few people waiting in line.

It seemed to be a sweets shop.

But when I finally got inside, I couldn’t believe my eyes.

“T-that is…”

“The parfaits here are super famous for being huge.”

And they really were huge.

On the tables around us, customers had gigantic parfaits in front of them. Normally, it’s rude to stare at what other people ordered, but there was no way to avoid it here. They were just too big.

“Honamin, which flavor do you want?”

“…Eh?”

I have to admit, I had underestimated it.

I knew the parfaits were famous and pretty big, but eating one alone? There’s no way.

“I-I guess I’ll go with this small parfait…”

“No way, Honamin. Here, we get the giant one and share it together.”

Momose-san stared up at me expectantly.

I looked around and saw that most tables had one massive parfait each. I realized the fun here was ordering a huge parfait and saying “Whoa!” and sharing it with someone.

“…Even so, isn’t that too big?”

“Really? I think it’ll be fine if you’re here, Honamin.”

…Since when did my stomach earn that much trust?

“But we ate a ton of popcorn earlier.”

“…Ah!”

Momose-san looked like she had just remembered.

But right at that moment, we were shown to our seats.

Momose-san covered her face with both hands.

“…It’s okay… I’ll eat some of yours too…”

“…No, if you’re going that far, maybe the small one would be better…”

“No way, Honamin! You can eat a small one at another shop, right? Here, it has to be the giant one!”

She had a point. I started to feel like maybe I could actually do it. After all, I might be able to finish it if I tried.

“…But just so you know, I’m not really worried about the amount.”

“Huh?”

Then why was she hiding her face?

“Um, I guess I’m just a little worried about the calories…”

Her tiny voice slipped out from between her hands.

…Looks like I’ll have to get serious about eating this.

◇

After talking it over with Momose-san, we decided to go with a fruit-topped parfait.

Sweets are delicious, but if they’re all just sugar, it’s easy to get tired of them. Adding some fruit’s tartness would make it easier to eat.

We placed our order and waited nervously for a few minutes.

“—Here you go! A giant parfait with extra fruit!”

With a cheerful shout, the massive parfait was set on our table. Was this a ramen shop?

(…Whoa, that’s huge!)

The towering parfait was intimidating. Layers of cream, gelato, cornflakes… and who knows what else, all stacked like an upside-down umbrella. On top, a generous pile of fruit.

(Can we really finish this…?)

A realistic worry made me break into a cold sweat.

“Wow! It’s really huge…!”

But Momose-san didn’t seem worried at all. Her eyes were sparkling.

“Honamin, honamin.”

“Hm?”

“Come here, come here!”

She patted the seat next to her. I got up and walked over, and she was holding her phone, smiling, and said “Cheese!” as she snapped a photo.

“Oh, you were taking a picture?”

“Yeah… It’s our first time going out together, right? I want lots of photos…”

I get it. If it’s something like that, I can be in as many photos as she wants.

But is it okay if I fill her cute camera roll with pictures of me? Will she think it’s weird?

“Honamin, cheese!”

“Y-Yes!”

I blurted out a voice like I was at a job interview, and Momose-san burst out laughing.

“Pfffft! W-Why are you so nervous?”

“I-I’m not used to having my picture taken…”

“Then let’s get used to it here! Can I take a picture of you eating?”

“That’s fine…”

Do people really want pictures of me eating? Will someone complain, don’t eat here like that?

(…No, stop it… this self-doubt is pointless…!)

I haven’t been to fancy places enough; my brain is overthinking. Right now, the most important thing is finishing this giant parfait. No time to think about anything else. To focus, I got up, grabbed the giant spoon, and scooped my share onto my plate.

“Alright then, let’s eat.”

“Me too! Let’s eat!”

I took a small spoon and tried some cream first.

Surprisingly, it was easier to eat than I thought.

(Is it less sweet than I expected…?)

The cream melted in my mouth. It was light in a good way and easy to eat. Combined with the cookies and fruit, I could eat it quickly.

(…I see… so that’s why it’s so popular, even a giant like this.)

It wasn’t just huge for show. They made it this way so people could actually enjoy it.

As I scooped and ate, I couldn’t help but admire how much care the shop put into making it enjoyable.

Then… click! A camera shutter sounded.

Momose-san was holding her phone while smiling widely and looking at me.

“Is it good?”

Ah, crap. I’d been eating the whole time without saying a word.

“I-It’s really good.”

“You were just staring and thinking while eating, so I couldn’t help but watch.”

I immediately felt guilty. Why was I silently eating when she was right there…!

“I… sorry. I guess I just got too focused on eating.”

“It’s fine. But can I ask you for one thing?”

“Anything…”

Maybe it’s because we’re in a place we don’t usually go, but I feel like I keep making the wrong choices. I feel a little out of place. If there’s any way I can make it up to her, I’ll do it.

Momose-san scooped some parfait onto her spoon and held it out to me.

“I want to do ahh thing.”

“Huh?”

“When I say ahh, you open your mouth. Ahh.”

She explained.

I get it.

“…Weren’t you making me eat popcorn like that earlier?”

“Yeah. I guess I just like feeding people.”

It felt kind of strange, but now that I think about it, I might have seen Momose-san feeding her friends before.

“Here, ahh.”

“Um… Ahh.”

She put some parfait in my mouth.

She even snapped a photo the moment I closed my mouth. She was looking at me and the phone screen while smiling.

“Honamin… can we do it the other way too?”

“The other way?”

“You feed me.”

I was surprised, but if Momose-san wants to do it, I’ll go along. This is part of making up for being silent earlier.

“…Ahh…”

“Ahh…”

So I put the spoon into Momose-san’s small mouth. Momose-san’s phone recorded the whole thing perfectly on video.

“Hehe… It’s sweet.”

“Y-Yeah.”

(Is this really okay? Doing something this mischievous.)

I watched Momose-san smiling with her hand over her mouth, and then scooped some parfait for myself.

I’d said before that it seemed lightly sweet, but it’s really sweet.