When I brought my childhood friend back home after a long time, she suddenly started undressing and said, "I want you to hold me..." - Chapter 16
‘What should I do… I wonder if somehow my bluff went through him.’
After leaving the footbath, the two of us strolled at the hot spring resort. It was around 17:00 when the sun was about to set. The summer has just started and the sunset takes a bit longer in this season, if I am correct then it is some minutes past 18:00.
I glanced at Sho who was walking in front of me, his back was big and broad as if it could protect me from anything, and it made me feel secure. I glanced at him from time to time while shyly following his steps.
‘…Besides he didn’t say anything. I’m not sure if it was a bad idea to go on a hot spring trip with him, as Mizuki also warned me about it previously.’
I’m not sure if it’s too late for that, but it doesn’t mean that Sho is unscathed from it either.
……….
[POV] Sho :
‘I knew it was obvious from her attempted confession earlier… And it’s Aoi who we are talking about, she is so sloppy in anything she does that it might not be wrong that she actually didn’t intend to phrase the words written on the sign board that way… Ugh, this girl is really giving me a hard time.
I was also lost but in a different way.
Skepticism is one of her traits, but I’m wondering if someone could tell me if I’m wrong about that vector.
But, well…
I have a point in what I am thinking but as the other party is Aoi, it wouldn’t be a surprise to hear her say, “It’s just your delusions.”
“… What should we do next?”
The city we are in right now is popular for being a tourist destination, we can enjoy your time with a smile on our faces.
I asked her while trying to look for something interesting and worthy to buy for her but Aoi stopped midway with her mouth agape.
“——this one.”
“Hmm, which one?”
I also stopped on my tracks as I noticed Aoi halted midway, there wasn’t really anything worth spending our time here . Her gaze was intently fixated on something, and following her line of sight I saw a signboard.
“…What?”
I tried reading the letters but the paint of the signboard was fading away and was very dull. I couldn’t understand the words properly.
“I want to wear this.”
While I was trying hard to read the contents Aoi pointed her index finger and following it I focused hard on it and read the faint letters of the board stating, ‘Yukata rental shop.’
Below, a small plate saying it was open for business was attached to a clear glass door, and the inside was dimly lit. The exterior of the store was a bit dirty, although it seemed as if some people might be in there.
Dirty wasn’t the right word, the correct word to describe it would be ‘old.’
The paint on the signboard was peeling off and the ‘open’ plate which was made of iron appeared to be rusted in some places. . The inside of the shop is the same as the outside, and you can even see the peeling wallpaper from the outside. The atmosphere of the store somehow felt heavy.
However, Aoi’s eyes never glazed over.
“I want to wear a yukata.”
“I understand, but it looks dangerous there.”
“Don’t worry, it’ll be alright.”
“But I thought Aoi didn’t like these types of things…?”
“No, I’m fine now.”
“What do you mean by… now?”
“Now is the right time, anyway I want to wear it anyhow. I am going in, hurry up!”
Apparently, no matter what I’ll say right now, it won’t get in her head.
Looking at the dazzling smile on her face and her over excited appearance I couldn’t help but chuckle.
Seeing it, I reminisced about my past memories…
I still clearly remember that time.
I have seen Aoi in a kimono in the past. No, it was a yukata to be precise. Well, I don’t know if I was able to recognize it back then, so let’s leave it at that.
Anyway, I have seen her in a kimono before as well.
Not here, but I think it was at a local summer festival. We came together to watch the fireworks display at the end of the festival. Maybe I was in 5th grade or 6th grade, I am not really sure about the time.
It felt like it was my first date with my girlfriend, who I was really good friends with, and my mother who probably read the atmosphere between us told us to watch the fireworks alone.
To be honest, I don’t remember exactly what happened, but I vaguely remember something like that happening in the past.
She was always an energetic, slightly outgoing, goofy girl with a big smile on her face. I have always seen all kinds of things about her, that’s why I wasn’t particularly looking forward to going to a fireworks display with her.
And now also, it was the same as usual.
It was the same as when we waited at home together when our parents were away.
There was nothing different.
The childhood friend who appeared in front of me was very beautiful and attractive.
She was wearing a light blue striped yukata, with her long black hair loosely tied with a hairpin adorning on top of it was a brochette of lily flower. In her hands were a small purse and she was wearing thick clogs on her feet. Her nape and delicate fingers were slightly revealing.
For some reason, her bare feet, which I usually see every day, looked sexy to me.
(TL/N : Dem, it looks like he has a feet fetish.)
I couldn’t help but facepalm myself on my antics as we were still in elementary school at that time.
“Wow, so beautiful… And her flawless skin.”
But before my mind could have thought something perverted a hand was placed on my shoulder which woke me up from my stupor.
“What’s wrong?”
She curiously tilted her head and asked me, her current appearance was so cute that I barely held myself from hugging her in the open.
“…I-it’s nothing!”
I held her hand swiftly and walked to our next destination while hiding my embarrassed look from her.
‘Haah… Those good old days, I really loved her too much from back then.’
While I was immersed in such old memories, someone tapped me on the shoulder from behind.
“Hey, are you okay?”
“… Um?”
The one who called me out was none other than Aoi.
A sweet smell entered my nostrils and I went in a daze for a moment, but shaking my head I turned my head to the source of the voice.
When I turned my head to the source of the smell…
—There she was, standing in a light blue Yukata, with a polka dotted bow on her waist. She looked so bewitchingly beautiful that I forgot to breathe for a moment.
“Hey, do you like it?”
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TL & ED : Zenon #4120