When I Helped Out At My Classy Classmate's Family Home, They Started Going All Out To Close In On Me From Every Angle. - Chapter 32: Does going out with a girl count as a date?  ―6

Does going out with a girl count as a date?  ―6

After completing the registration, we boarded the gondola.

“When I get on this gondola like this, I start to feel like I’m a character in Amanyan!”
“I can totally relate! Do you think Kazuki-kun and Nao-san were looking at the same view we’re seeing right now? Imagining it is so exciting!”
“I’ve never done anything like this before, but these really do get you this hyped up!”

As the ground slowly receded below us, Ayame and I were full of excitement.

With a rush of exhilaration, our love for the series overflowed, and even though we’d already talked about it extensively at the café, we couldn’t help but dive back into the conversation about the Amanyan movie.

However, the excitement didn’t last long. As the gondola ascended, we gradually regained our composure.

Once we had calmed down, a thought suddenly struck me.

Wait… isn’t this situation kind of like a couple?

Two close friends, a boy and a girl, riding the Ferris wheel together. In manga or anime, those two would likely be a couple or on the verge of becoming one.

And here we were, Ayame and I, in such a situation.

The fact that I was already aware this outing could be considered a date, along with the fact that we’d shared a couple’s drink at the café, only made it feel more like we were a couple.

Before I knew it, I couldn’t help it. My body temperature rose, and my heartbeat quickened.

It seemed Ayame was feeling the same way, her cheeks flushed as she fidgeted.

It felt like just a moment ago we had been so carefree, but now we had barely spoken. In no time, the words between us disappeared altogether.

We couldn’t bring ourselves to look at each other directly, so we turned our faces away. Yet, we couldn’t help but sneak glances, and whenever our eyes met, we quickly looked away.

It was awkward, uncomfortable, yet there was this sweet, bittersweet air between us.

“U-Umm!!”

In that moment, Ayame, gripping the hem of her dress tightly, spoke up.

“I… I have something I want you to have, Tetsu-kun…”
“Something you want me to have?”

She nodded quietly and opened the zipper of her bag.

From the bag, she pulled out a neatly wrapped, paperback-sized box.

With a slightly tense expression, Ayame handed me the box.

“I’ve been preparing this for a while, but I thought this would be the perfect time to give it to you… So, please!”
“Thank you. Can I open it?”
“Y-Yes!”

As I asked, Ayame nodded, her eyes forming “><” in a shy manner.

I unwrapped the paper and opened the box. Inside, there was a carefully braided friendship bracelet.

I was taken aback.

“This… this is from Amanyan…”

The bracelet inside looked exactly like the one the heroine, Nao-san, had given to the protagonist, Kazuki-kun, in Amanyan.

“You mentioned before that you liked collecting merchandise from manga and anime, right? So, I thought you’d be happy to get this. I made the bracelet that Nao-san gave to Kazuki-kun in Amanyan. She gave it to him while they were riding the Ferris wheel, so I thought now would be the best time to give it to you.”

Perhaps because she was nervous, Ayame spoke quickly as she explained.

My chest tightened, filled with warmth.

Of course, I was happy to receive merchandise from my favorite manga.

But even more than that, I was overjoyed that she remembered I liked collecting such things.

The fact that she made the bracelet to make me happy, and gave it to me in a situation just like the one in the series, filled me with indescribable joy.

Ayame had put so much thought into this for me. It was so touching that I could almost cry.

Feeling my eyes well up, I turned to Ayame and thanked her.

“Thank you, Ayame. I’m really happy. I’ll treasure it.”

“Yes! I’m so happy you like it, Tetsu-kun!”

A smile spread across Ayame’s face, which had been tense just moments ago.

The sunlight pouring in from the window bathed her smiling face, almost like a scene from a painting. She looked as if an angel had descended.

I was completely captivated by her ethereal beauty.

As I stared in silence, Ayame softly asked me a question.

“Tetsu-kun, may I sit next to you?”

“Huh? Oh, yeah, sure.”

Snapping back to reality, I responded, and Ayame stood up, moving to sit beside me.

Once seated, Ayame gazed at me intently. Her deep maroon eyes were glistening, and her previously pale cheeks had taken on a soft pink hue.

Her expression was that of a lovesick girl, and I couldn’t help but hold my breath.

My heart raced as I suddenly remembered.

Come to think of it, in Amanyan, after Nao gave the bracelet to Kazuki, she kissed him.

Just then, Ayame moved closer to me, as if to reenact that scene.

“A-Ayame!?”

I blurted out, stunned.

But Ayame didn’t respond. Without a word, she continued to close the gap between us.

My heart pounded wildly, so loudly that I could have sworn it was echoing in my ears.

Ayame’s face was now just inches from mine. But in the presence of her beauty, I found myself frozen, unable to move.

She lowered her eyelids and brought her lips closer.

Completely captivated by Ayame, I closed my eyes as if I were commanded to.

“…Pfft.”

“Huh?”

In the darkness, I heard a sound that seemed like Ayame had burst out laughing, unable to hold it in.

When I opened my eyes, Ayame, who had been about to kiss me, was giggling softly.

It took me a few seconds to process what was happening, but once I did, I realized that Ayame had been teasing me.

As soon as the realization hit, a wave of embarrassment washed over me, and my face burned with heat.

“Y-You were teasing me, weren’t you, Ayame!?”

“I’m sorry,” she said, still chuckling. “I was just so happy that you liked the gift, and I got a little carried away.”

“Even so, there are things you can and can’t do! I honestly thought you were going to kiss me!”

“You looked so cute with your face all red.”

“Could you at least feel a little guilty!?”

Even as I raised my brows, Ayame continued to laugh, finding it all too amusing.

It felt like she had toyed with my innocent feelings. Come on, give me a break.

Embarrassed and frustrated, I slumped in defeat.

As I let out a long sigh, Ayame murmured something.

“You’re right, it is too soon.”

“Huh?”

I lifted my head, and our eyes met. Ayame, with a rosy blush on her cheeks, was smiling at me in a playful, almost suggestive way.

“W-What do you mean ‘too soon’?”

“That’s a secret for now.”

As she spoke, Ayame pressed her finger to her lips and winked at me.

The fact that she said it was “too soon” made me wonder if, at some point in the future, Ayame might…

Thinking about the meaning behind her words, my face grew even hotter.

I could no longer deny it.

I was drawn to Ayame. With each passing day, she became more and more irresistible.

A-nd that’s why… I was scared.