When I Brought The Lost Little Girl To Her House, The One Who Came Out Of The Front Door Was The Most Beautiful Girl In The Grade. - Chapter 9

This is the worst… I can’t believe I didn’t notice it myself. Was it because the atmosphere was different? I never expected Shirakawa to be here at the beach too…

Mimura is nowhere to be seen since he left earlier, and it’s a hassle to buy juice for Souta. My mood is slightly ruined, despite being at the beach.

But at least I got to see Shirakawa in her swimsuit, even though she had a rash guard over it. That might be a small silver lining.

Sigh I head towards the convenience store.

“U-um… some cider, please.”

I take a cider from the convenience store shelf.

“I want barley tea.”

I hear a voice from behind, so I turn around and see Shirakawa with her hair tied up. She looks deserving of the title “beautiful girl.”

“Um… that…”

“Don’t people who do pick-up lines treat the other person to drinks or food?”

“I think you’ve got the wrong person…”

“Hmm~? Are you sure~? Kuroda-kun?”

Shirakawa keeps grinning and looking at me. I’m sure she knows, but I pretend not to notice. I have no other choice.

Then, Shirakawa suddenly stretches and leans closer to me.

“Huh? Hey, wai—”

Instinctively, I close my eyes. Then, I feel her small hand pushing up my wet bangs.

When I open my eyes, Shirakawa is staring at me with her big eyes.

“You do look cool.”

“Cool? You’ve never seen me before.”

“Hmm~? You look just like the person who tried to pick me up earlier. Are you twins?”

She looks at me with an expression like she’s telling me to be honest. It’s impossible to deceive her.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t actually do any pick-up lines.”

“Hehe, I’m not mad or anything, you know. We’re not even dating or anything.”

Right, why am I apologizing? It seemed like I was the one at fault, but Shirakawa isn’t my girlfriend, and she has no reason to be upset… No, maybe I made her slightly uncomfortable…

I opened the convenience store shelf again, this time taking out barley tea. Then I pay for it.

“Here you go.”

“Huh…? Thanks.”

“Alright, then.”

“W-wait a moment!”

Saying that, Shirakawa grabs my arm, stopping me from leaving.

“Do you want to talk a bit more?”

“Huh…? Are you saying that barley tea alone isn’t enough?”

“N-no, that’s not it! I just want to talk… Is that okay?”

No, no, no, Shirakawa wants to talk with me? She’s the most beautiful girl in our grade! I can’t refuse her…

“It’s fine.”

“Really?! Yay! Let’s sit outside; there are tables and chairs there. Let’s chat there!”

She brightens up instantly and takes me outside.

“Didn’t you recognize me from a distance?”

“Huh…?”

“When you tried to pick me up.”

“Um… please, just let it go…”

“Haha! Sorry, sorry. But, I was curious.”

Well, there’s no need to hide it, but there’s also no need to bring it up. It’s not like it’ll change anything anyway.

“The atmosphere felt different, and besides, it’s mostly Mimura’s fault.”

“I see…”

“Were the two girls you tried to pick up cute?”

Why is she asking me that? She already knows the answer; it’s just being mean.

“Well, who knows? I don’t remember.”

“Well, Kuroda-kun was probably only staring at their breasts.”

“I wasn’t looking at them! I was looking at their faces… uh, well…”

“Hmm, so you were looking at their faces.”

Shirakawa leans on the table, resting her chin on her hand, and smiles mischievously.

I’ve been trapped. For some reason, Shirakawa has been teasing me quite a bit today. She said she wasn’t mad earlier, but I wonder if she’s actually upset.

“Both of them were, um, cute.”

“I see…”

I can feel my face getting red. It’s hot outside, but that’s not the only reason.

“Your face is red.”

“It’s hot…”

Saying that, I glance at Shirakawa. She’s also blushing, but it could be just my imagination. Though, I feel like her ears are red too.

“But Shirakawa, you are red too.”

“It’s hot, okay?”

She says that while hiding her face. I can’t be sure, but I think her ears are bright red.

“Shirakawa, you are blushing as well.”

“It’s just because it’s hot.”

“Yeah, you’re right.”

Shirakawa quickly ends the conversation and opens the cap of the barley tea I bought, drinking it all at once.

“Hey, aren’t you going to drink that?”

She says that while pointing at the cider I bought for Souta.

“Oh, this one was for a friend.”

“Oh, I see… Then how about you?”

“Unfortunately, I only brought enough money for the two of us.”

Upon hearing that, Shirakawa looks at her own barley tea. I didn’t mean it to be sarcastic; I just told her the truth that I only brought money for two drinks.

“Wait a moment!”

Then, Shirakawa goes back into the convenience store. When she returns, she’s holding another bottle of cider in her hand.

“Here you go! I’m giving it to you.”

“But…”

“Kuroda-kun, you’re kind.”

“I don’t think I am.”

“Is that so? Well then, shall we head back now?”

Shirakawa says that, so we decide to go back. At least for now, things seem to be alright.

***

About a 5-minute walk from the convenience store, we arrived back at the place where Shirakawa and I parted ways just a while ago.

Then, it seemed like Shirakawa’s friend was nearby as well, and she quickly moved away from the area as if she was avoiding someone.

“Huh? Did something good happen?”

“Hmm? Well, kinda.”

I thought I heard a conversation like that. When I finally returned to where Souta and the others were.

“You’re so slow! I thought you died or something…”

Souta was lying in the shade, looking like he was about to turn into a dried-up husk. When I handed him the cider, he drank it all at once, gulping it down.