No matter good or bad times, tomorrow would always come. And since that time in particular, I hadn’t seen Mimi-chan at all. Or rather, she hadn’t shown herself in front of me. Thinking that she might have been a bit busy lately, I felt like it would have been a bit much to go out of my way to contact her. Just like this, a week had passed, and I had begun to forget the sensation of our kiss on that day.

But be that as it may, my everyday life continued. A day off like any other. While Nagisa was standing at the meeting spot we had agreed on, I snuck up to her from behind. Softly enough that I wouldn’t be noticed, I placed both of my hands on her shoulders.

“Wah! Naaagisa! What’re you doing all hunched over?”

She mustn’t have expected to suddenly feel my hands on her shoulders, so her body jumped up with a start.

“That… gave me a fright! This sort of thing is bad for my heart, Yuika!”

“Ahaha, sorry, sorry. Your shoulders were so inviting, I just couldn’t resist. Those are some impressive shoulders, for real.”

“Telling me that doesn’t make it any better.”

I stared at my own palms. The sensation of her shoulders still lingered in my hands, but I was alright. Comparing to how it was just a little while ago, I didn’t feel pain in my chest and could smile naturally. It must have been because I had spilled my heart to Mimi-chan on that day.

“What’s up, you two? What are you messing around for?”

“Ah, Yuzuha. You’re a bit late, huh.”

“Nope, it’s really you two who’re early. This is exactly when we said we’d meet.”

Yuzuha said so while checking her wrist. A smartwatch like that suited her image. It felt kinda stylish.

“Well, our teacher always tells us that it’s a basic skill to arrive ten minutes early.”

I spoke while pushing out my chest. The truth was that I had come a little early because it was my first time in a while seeing Nagisa. Just as expected, though, Nagisa had come earlier than any of us. I‘d never seen her be late to a meetup.

“What’s with that lofty attitude? I know how you’re sometimes on your phone during class.”

“What do you mean…?”

“That’s no good, Yuika. You’ve got to properly pay attention during classtime.”

Is what Nagisa said. I thought it was amazing how her grades were always at the top but she never got complacent, always earnestly paying attention to all the lectures. I couldn’t even compare, falling asleep during class or messing around on my phone.

“Ahaha, sorry… But you’re also on your phone or doing your nails during class pretty often, right, Yuzuha?”

“‘Cause I get bored. Also because I’m just overflowing with energy.”

“You’re one to talk about messing around in class. Why don’t you follow Nagisa’s example?”

“Because I’m me. I won’t let myself be influenced by anyone else.”

“When you put it like that…”

Yuzuha was pretty into games. While that wasn’t bad by itself, I worried about her cutting down her study time for games too much.

“Enough about that, come on. Let’s get going. We decided that we’d be shopping all day today, right?”

“Yeah, yeah…let’s go, Nagisa.”

“Right.”

Good. Nagisa was acting just like she had been before around me. Though if I had to say, that was just a little bit painful in its own way. Still, I thought it was much better than never interacting with her again. Doing it little by little was fine. Even if it was little by little, I had to prove that I could spend my normal everyday life with her to reclaim the me that hadn’t yet fallen in love.

Sighing softly, I walked next to Nagisa. Today I would surely be okay. Because Nagisa was interacting with me just like a normal friend, I would definitely be. With that on my mind, I walked through the city.

“Between these shoes and these ones, which pair is nicer?”

“Hmm, these ones I guess? These feel more like your style, Yuzuha.”

“Really? Then I’ll try them on. Excuuuse me!”

Calling out to the clerk, Yuzuha went to try on the shoes. Come to think of it, I hadn’t bought any recently. That couldn’t be helped, though, because you couldn’t afford to buy that many shoes with a student’s meager allowance. I had a look at all kinds of footwear while aimlessly wandering around the store. From cute ones to cool ones and ones with overly gaudy coloring.

I felt like there were so many that I wouldn’t get tired of browsing. As I was doing so, I suddenly noticed Nagisa staring at a pair of shoes.

“What are you looking at?”

“Ah, Yuika. I was checking these out.”

She was pointing at a white pair of pumps with ribbons. Although I hadn’t thought these would suit Nagisa’s tastes, I was attracted to their refined cuteness. Since we were going out with the three of us today, I had worn cute clothes that suited my own tastes. It looked like these pumps would fit well with the things I was wearing, too.

“These sure are cute. Nagisa, want to try them on for a bit?”

“Um…”

Her gaze that had been fixed on the pumps turned toward me. My heart jumped. Her earnest eyes were just too captivating. It was impossible to look away.

“How about you try them on, Yuika?”

“What, me? You were the one looking at them, Nagisa…”

“Yeah. Because I thought they would suit you.”

Why did she have to say that? Even though she wasn’t in love with me. It was unsightly to think like that, like I was venting my anger on her. She was surely just saying these things as a normal friend, so I quickly managed to calm down.

“Yuika, what’s your size?”

“Uh…”

After I told her my size, she promptly called out to a salesperson and received the shoes. Then, she made me sit on a nearby chair. To be honest, it was a little bit embarrassing to take off my shoes while Nagisa was watching.

I would always take them off whenever we hung out at our houses, but taking them off deliberately in this way somehow felt a bit strange. Weirdly enough, I began to remember how Mimi-chan was undressing me a while ago. No, wait. That wasn’t the point.

“Lift your foot a bit.”

“O-Okay…”

I was sure that she would hand me the shoes, but apparently she was about to put them on me instead. It was embarrassing, but unable to decline, I silently raised my feet. Nagisa’s fingertips brushed against my ankle.

I had to keep my expression in check. I had to act like we were just normal friends. But even as I was thinking that, my heart pounded loudly enough to let me know that nothing about this could be normal. I tried taking a deep breath, but that did little for the heat I felt in my face. The person I loved was putting shoes on me. It was embarrassing, but it made me happy. After all, it was almost as if –

…No, quit it.

“These might be a little big. How do your heels feel?”

“Erm…”

I stood up and tried walking around a little. The size was really a bit large and it felt like my heels were slipping out. After walking for a while, I suddenly lost my balance and was about to fall over. In that instant that I thought this is bad and tried to stretch my hands out before me, the tip of my nose bumped into something soft.

Startled, I lifted my head and met her eyes. That’s when I realized that she had caught me in her arms. My already racing heart pounded so hard as if it never was going to calm down again. If I pretended that I had twisted my ankle, I wondered if she would continue holding me like this forever.

I banished this wretched thought to the back of my mind.

As I gave her a dry laugh, she hugged me tighter.

I didn’t understand what she was feeling, so my body stiffened up. She was sensible enough to pick up on that and slowly released her hands from me. Ah-, I almost let out my voice. But I shouldn’t be feeling reluctant to part from her. And yet I felt that I wanted her to hug me tighter, so much that it would break me.

“…I thought you were going to get hurt, and ended up clutching onto you before I knew it. I’m sorry.”

She said so with the same smile as always. I lightly shook my head.

“Don’t be, you really saved me there. Thanks. If it hadn’t been for you, Nagisa, I would have fallen over. Maaan, that was pretty dangerous, huh?”

That’s what I should be like. The me from when we had seen each other as friends. There had been an awkward moment, but then when the clerk returned with the pumps in a different size, we could continue our conversation just like normal. In the end, we found just the perfect size, but I decided not to buy them.

If I collected any more items that reminded me of her in my home, I would no longer be able to forget about my love even if I tried. Together, we went back to Yuzuha. She seemed to have a pretty rough time finding shoes that she liked and had tried on lots already. It looked like this was going to be a long battle.

We looked at each other and giggled. About thirty more minutes had passed before Yuzuha decided on a pair of shoes to buy.

“Maaan, I’m sorry. I made you stick around with me.”

That’s what Yuzuha said.

“No, it’s alright. I’m glad you found some good ones.”

Nagisa replied.

“True! With these I’ll not be under-shoed for the time being.”

“What does that even mean.”

She laughed as I spoke.

“Don’t sweat the details. But more importantly, let’s go grab lunch. I’ve already looked up a place.”

“What are we going for?”

“You can look forward to finding out. Come on, come with me.”

“Hey, not so fast!”

Pushing her way through the crowd, she marched forward. Although our hometown was pretty crowded during weekdays, the city was something else entirely, I thought. It was overflowing with people to the point that you might get lost if you got distracted.

Unlike Yuzuha, who was used to the city, it felt like I was drowning in the sea of people. Yielding to the people who walked close by, it didn’t look like I would ever move forward.

Maybe that was just who I was as a person, though.

“…Yuika, here.”

As I heard that voice, my hand was grabbed. I was sure that Nagisa had also been swept away by the waves, but to my surprise she was confidently walking through the crowd. Her figure as she walked forward while pulling me by the hand was as beautiful as ever.

Without thinking, I squeezed her hand tightly.

“Let’s move like this so we don’t get separated.”

“…Thanks. For pulling me along.”

“No worries. I’m glad I found you before completely losing sight of you.”

Her voice was terribly gentle. I knew she was kind to everyone, but surely I was the only person whose hand she would hold. While that made me happy, I understood that this was special, but not special. But just for now, I could savor this moment. Holding hands like this made me happy. Being hugged by her, having her take my hand. I wondered if it was alright for me to be this happy, and as I wrapped my head around that feeling, my heart suddenly grew heavy. I wouldn’t be able to bear being this delighted whenever we were together. Although I realized this, it wasn’t like I myself decided how to feel.

Aaah, I loved her.

How she looked from behind, how she looked in profile, and from all other angles. I wished I could forget about stuff like the confession and navigating our friendship and just focus on hanging out with her.

“Hey, Yuika.”

“Yes?”

“I noticed when you tried on those shoes, but… your clothes sure look cute today. They suit you well.”

“…Eh.”

Cute. They suited me. The moment I heard those short utterances, my heart filled with glee. You see, I never would have expected to be complimented by her. It was her first time complimenting me for dressing this way and I really hoped that she wouldn’t turn my way.

The reason being.

My face was way too red, I was grinning way too hard and I made a face that I could definitely not show to the person I loved.

“I just think your outfit’s nice… um, saying this all of a sudden must be a bit weird. Sorry.”

“There’s no need to apologize. I’m glad. Your compliments will always make me happy.”

“…Yuika.”

We continued talking while weaving our way through the gaps between other pedestrians. I knew that my love had already ended. And still, I was nothing if not overjoyed to be complimented like this. Even if I had come to understand the pains of loving, that didn’t mean its joys had disappeared. My heart ached so much that I couldn’t stand it.

“That’s what I like. Cute things, and cute clothes.”

“…I see.”

It felt like this was the first time I had properly said it. When I had been so, so desperate to model myself after her tastes, I wasn’t able to say it whatsoever.

Voicing my own preferences like this might have been progress. But because the distance I had retreated before was too far, maybe the sum of it all was just a black zero.

“I also like it when you wear things like that, Yuika.”

“…Yeah. That makes me happy.”

I said this in a voice so low that it seemed like it would go under in the hustle and bustle. Our short conversation ended like this and we soon caught up to Yuzuha. She was apologizing for rushing too far ahead, but those words went right past me. Even as we entered the store and made our orders, my head was filled with nothing but Nagisa and reality wasn’t quite registering in my head.

Just remembering her touch and her words made me sigh and stare at my palms incessantly. I was unable to do anything else.

“Yuika. Did something happen?”

Yuzuha was asking me in a low voice.

“It’s nothing.”

“Nah, you’re a bit to absent-minded for that. You doing okay?”

“Yeah. If anything, I’m too okay.”

“Uh huh…”

When I raised my head again, my eyes met Nagisa’s. Without saying anything, she kept her gaze fixed on me. Somehow, these eyes felt a little different from how she usually was. When our food arrived, we naturally averted our eyes. She looked the same as always when she reached for the box with the cutlery. Attributing this to my imagination, I also grabbed a fork and a knife.

“Yup, this is good. It was worth looking it up.”

“Definitely. Is this place famous?”

“Sorta. It’s been in a bunch of articles, so I figure it’s got its name out there.”

The place Yuzuha had chosen was a café with a pleasant flair. The walls of the store were fitted with glass, capturing plenty of sunlight. In addition to the open atmosphere, it was also quite busy. I felt that eating a meal in this environment made the food more tasty.

I had ordered french toast on a whim, while Yuzuha had pasta and Nagisa had pancakes. I remembered how I had recently gone out with Mimi-chan. Even now I could vividly remember the taste of the pancakes I had eaten with her. And that surely wasn’t just because those pancakes had been tasty, either.

All the things that had happened after that may have left way too much of an impression, in a different way.

“Now that I think about it, this is the first time I’ve seen you order something sweet like that, Nagisa.”

“I suppose so. I don’t dislike sweets, but I don’t particularly like them either.”

“Hmmmm…so you just wanted some today.”

“Yeah. Sometimes I’m in the mood for some.”

“A rare sight indeed. Yuika’s the same as always, though.”

“That’s because I’m fueled by sweets…”

“You’re gonna get fat.”

“I-I’ll be okay. I use up as much as I take in…probably.”

“I wonder about that. Didn’t your belly get a bit squishier recently?”

“I-It didn’t, I’m telling you!”

Mimi-chan hadn’t said anything about my belly either!

“That bra. It suits you well, Senpai…it’s cute.“

These words she had whispered to me before were racing through my head. As soon as the heat rushed to my head, it seemed like I was ready to remember some weird things.

Thinking back, hadn’t I done some seriously embarrassing stuff? Like kissing Mimi-chan while she was pretending to be Nagisa, having my chest touched, or saying that I loved her. Even if I had taken a serious hit from having my heart broken, recently it seemed like I was straying a bit too far.

But, well, at least I had stopped doing things like that with Mimi-chan. From here on, the wholesome me was reborn…hopefully.

“Nagisa, what do you think about what Yuika’s saying?”

“Ah, ahaha… I’d imagine her being a little round would be cute in it’s own way?”

“…Nagisa. That doesn’t help me at all here.”

“Eh? I-is that so?”

Let’s have a little bit more of my beloved sweets while Nagisa is speaking. Is what I thought, but I held myself back. It was a bad idea to mold myself too much around other peoples’ preferences when it came to these things. Both Mimi-chan and Nagisa complimenting the clothes that I myself liked had reaffirmed this for me. In the end, you can’t forget about your own likes. Even when you’re vying for a loved one to say that they loved you too.

“Well, you know. We’re still growing, so when I eat a lot I should grow vertically, not horizontally!

…Probably.”

“That lack of confidence isn’t really reassuring…”

Having said my part, I cut my french toast and brought a piece to my mouth. It really was tasty. Convenience stores would sell something like this where the eggwash hadn’t even soaked all the way inside, but this place did it properly. As I was approvingly nodding my head, Nagisa let out a small giggle at the other end of the table.

I got a bit bashful, but it made me happy that she laughed. I smiled and she extended her fork towards me.

“This one’s tasty as well. Here, have a bite.”

“Thanks.”

I ate one bite of the pancake and it was certainly good.

“Ah, can I have some too? I’ll also give you some.”

“Alright. Let’s all exchange a bite.”

“Sounds good. Ok, here’s mine.”

The three of us fed each other our respective dishes. While we shared our impressions of the food, our conversation grew more lively and the topics went here and there. I would bring something up, Nagisa would jump in and Yuzuha would switch up the topics. It felt like that almost forgotten everyday between us had returned.

And just like that, before I even noticed it, I could naturally smile in front of Nagisa once again.

It were these peaceful times I spent with her that made me fall in love in the first place. After some point I had come to love her instead and love had painted over all of that. I thought that even if I couldn’t become her lover, so long as we were able to continue spending these peaceful times as friends, I would be fine with that.

My chest still hurt a little bit after all. When you fell in love with somebody, your feelings would rise and fall like a rollercoaster and really tire you out. But I knew that this was the same for everyone.

“Man, I ate a lot! Alright! Let’s wander around a little bit!”

“You sure are in good spirits, Yuzuha.”

“Aren’t you just a bit too chill, Yuika? Feels like you’re always zoning out.”

“There’s no way that’s true.”

“No… you might actually be a bit like that.”

“Um, Nagisa?”

“So true. You get it, Nagisa.”

When we had first met, she did tell me that I had a curious aura. I wondered if I really was that weird. The three of us continued walking through the city while I was mulling over these doubts. The crowds were just as overwhelming, but this time Yuzuha was walking slowly and properly led the way, so that I didn’t end up getting lost.

But unlike before, I wasn’t holding Nagisa’s hand, which was just a little bit disappointing. Sensing just a touch of loneliness from my right hand, I kept walking and pretended it was nothing.

“…Hey, Yuika.”

“What’s up?”

“Mimi-chan hasn’t been bothering you or anything, right?”

That gave me a start. Why would Nagisa be asking about Mimi-chan? Then again, Mimi-chan and I knew each other through Nagisa, so it wasn’t that strange for her to ask. It was just that all kinds of things had happened with Mimi-chan, so I inadvertently ended up overreacting.

“…Why?”

“Because it looks like you’ve been getting along well with her recently.”

She quietly said. Wait, had she found out what I had been doing with Mimi-chan recently? No, if that was the case she wouldn’t be talking in such a calm tone. If she knew that her own little sister was doing those things with a friend, she should be more shaken. I could feal my pulse speeding up and tried to produce a smile.

“It’s nothing. Mimi-chan just entered high school, right? I’ve been showing her around school and looking after her as her senpai and all. She’s not being a bother at all.”

“…Is that so?”

I looked at Nagisa. I felt like this was the first time that she had worn such an unreadable expression. Thinking back, the first time I met Mimi-chan, we had been casually introduced to each other as a matter of circumstance. It had never looked like Mimi-chan and Nagisa got along particularly well. It seemed like Nagisa had some concerns about Mimi-chan.

“It’s just because that girl likes to mess around. I was worrying a bit that she would bother you with that, Yuika… If nothing’s happened though, then it’s fine.”

“I’m getting along just fine with Mimi-chan. You don’t have to worry.”

“I see.”

She was walking leisurely while looking my way. Looking back at her, I carefully averted my eyes.

“Just in case something troublesome happens…tell me. I might be able to help you.”

“Okay, thanks. You’re so nice, Nagisa.”

“I’m not trying to be nice.”

“…Eh?”

She picked up the pace a little.

Her bound hair swayed in the wind.

“Never mind…let’s go. We don’t want to get separated.”

She spoke and fixed her gaze to the front. What did she mean, I’m not trying to be nice? I wanted to ask her, but if I were to ponder on the right words to say my legs would surely stop, so I hurriedly kept on moving.

Time passed in a flash while the three of us hung out. As if my confession to Nagisa and my relationship with Mimi-chan had never even happened, an uneventful day off was about to end. Sinking into my seat on the train, I sighed. Exhausted from the excitement, Nagisa was sleeping with her head on my shoulder. I was thinking how she probably wouldn’t notice if I stroked her head, but since Yuzuha was sitting to my right I stopped myself.

“Sorry about today, Yuika.”

Yuzuha spoke out suddenly. I turned my head.

“Why?”

“I left you behind at lunchtime, right? And just now I couldn’t lend you much of a hand either.”

As Yuzuha said so, she brought her shoulder up against mine.

“Because it’s the first time in a while the three of us went out together and all, I wanted us to have as much fun as possible. But rather than having fun, it probably sucked? I had made all these plans, too, but it all went nowhere. So…”

“…That’s not true at all. Just you being there helped, Yuzuha. You’re always looking out for me. So thank you.”

“…Hah. Now it feels like I’m some clingy woman seeking comfort… But you’re welcome, I guess.”

Simply put, Yuzuha was a very considerate person. It was thanks to her that I was able to talk naturally with Nagisa again, and she had hung out with me to take my mind off of things after my heartbreak, which went to show what a good friend she was.

I sighed lightly.

“You’re always helping me so much, really.”

“Well, that’s good, then… I hope you can stop hurting soon.”

“…Yeah.”

That was probably the extent to which she’d be consoling me. For it to stop being painful, huh… It sure would be nice if that day came eventually. It’s not like I knew what the future had in store for me, but I would be happy if Yuzuha continued being with me as my friend. When I opened up to her about what happened with Nagisa, she’d said that she would support me. She sure was a good person.

All this time I had been blessed with my friendships. That‘s why I’d have to return to my old self if I didn’t want to trouble everyone any more. Just when I had renewed my resolve, I thought I felt something vibrating in my bag. Looking inside without much thought, the display of my smartphone announced a message.

With a shhh, the trains doors opened. Looking back and forth between the name of the station we had stopped at and my smartphone, I was a little lost.

And then. After I had sat Nagisa up and properly placed her back against the seat, I stood up.

“Yuika? This isn’t our stop, you know.”

“Sorry. I just remembered something I had to do.

…Today was fun! Please tell Nagisa I said bye, too! See you!”

“Eh, wai-

…Seriously, Yuika!”

Just before the doors closed, I got off the train. It wasn’t a station I had ever exited before, so I honestly didn’t couldn’t orient myself at all. Quickly passing through the ticket barrier, I had a look around the area. Our hometown itself was quite tranquil, and this place just a few stops away wasn’t bustling either.

For one thing it was different from the places with terminal stations in that the inside of the station building was quite compact. As I thought about where to go, suddenly my vision turned dark. Then just a moment later, I felt something warm touch my back.

Obviously, somebody was covering my eyes.

“Guess who?”

It was a terribly quiet and secretive voice, very much unfitting for this kind of game. I opened my mouth slightly.

“Mimi-chan.”

“Wrong answer.

…If I said that, what would you do?”

No doubt, this voice belonged to Mimi-chan. I softly placed my hands on top of hers and took them off my eyes.

“There’s no mistaking it. You’re Mimi-chan.”

“…Really now.”

Saying so with a bored voice, she distanced herself a little bit from me. Naturally, today she wasn’t in her school uniform. She was wearing a different outfit than last time. That was to be expected, though. Today, she wasn’t Nagisa’s stand-in, but Mimi-chan herself.

Her actual own outfit was surprisingly girlish. If I had to say, Nagisa’s clothes were on the sporty side, the kind that was easy to move around in. I hadn’t even realized it so far, but Mimi-chan’s and my own tastes might just match up well.

“Those are your own clothes, right, Mimi-chan? They’re cute.”

“Yeah, they are.

…I didn’t think you would come.”

“Eh? You were the one who called me here.”

That was true. The message that I received on my smartphone just a moment ago had been Mimi-chan asking me to come here. When I suddenly received a message with a station’s name and the words I’m waiting, I thought that something must be up. And here I had really wanted to go home together with Nagisa. Yet when I saw this message, I decided to come here. And that might have been because I hadn’t seen Mimi-chan lately.

“True. But requests like these can occasionally fall on deaf ears, you know.”

“T-That might be the case.”

“It is. Even with shooting stars, you don’t get a confirmation that your wish has been received.”

“…Did something happen?”

“Nope. Not really. This is how I always am.”

She smiled as she said that. I had seen all kinds of smiles from her so far, but this self-deriding one might have been a first. I started worrying that something must have happened after all, but it didn’t seem like she wanted to talk about it. She kept her mouth shut for a moment, which led to an interval of us staring at each other.

But soon, she continued speaking casually.

“I called you here, Senpai, because there’s something I wanted to chat about.”

“…Something important?”

“To me it might be. But to you, it might be whatever, Senpai.”

“Then let’s hear it.”

When I said that, her eyes grew wide.

“You make that face even when you don’t really have to care, huh.”

“Because it’s something important to you, right, Mimi-chan? I’m okay with it even if it’s something trivial. If you want to talk about it, I’ll listen, okay?”

“…I see. That’s just the sort of person you are, Senpai. Then let’s talk while we stroll around here.”

“Gotcha.”

As I nodded, she offered me her hand. I was startled for a moment, but thinking that today was just one of those days, I took her hand. Her eyes shot wide open, almost as if she hadn’t even expected me to take the hand she just extended. It was a pretty curious reaction even though nothing had happened.

However, if I tried to pry when she didn’t feel like talking, it felt like I wouldn’t get a second chance to get to the bottom of her feelings, so I didn’t say anything more than that.

“It’s gotten a bit humid lately, huh?”

Even though we were walking through an unfamiliar town, her steps were light. It seemed like Mimi-chan could enjoy herself in any place. As for me, I was uneasy walking through an entirely unknown area. To be honest, my sense of direction was fairly dull.

It was to the point where I would even get lost in the neighborhood without my smartphone to navigate. But right now I had no worries of getting lost because Mimi-chan was here. Without thinking, I gripped her hand tightly. I went without saying that Mimi-chan felt pleasant to the touch.

“True. The humid season should be starting soon.”

“I dislike the humidity. I totally hate rain. My hair tends to curl up in weird ways and when I go out of my way to wear nice clothes they get wet, too.”

“I get that. The downpours are bad, but even if it’s just a drizzle I hate how you get completely soaked. I do like the sound of rain, though.”

It had been about a week since we engaged in casual conversation, too. I wondered why talking to Mimi-chan like this always calmed me down a little. It was a different kind of calmness in my heart than when I was chatting with my friends.
When I had opened up about my feelings, the distance between us must have shrunk a little. Those were just some of the self-centered thoughts I harbored. As if running from the setting sun, she walked at a brisk pace. Her hair, dyed a beautiful blonde, really was dazzling as I watched her from behind.

“…Senpai.”

She stopped and turned my way. I got startled. But it wasn’t because she resembled Nagisa. I fully understood that I was with Mimi-chan right now, but my heart was pounding a little in my chest. I might have been imagining it, but placing a hand on my chest, I could clearly feel my noisy heartbeat.

Why? I was still in love with Nagisa.

“I’ve been thinking a lot since then. About what I could do for you right now, Senpai.”

“Eh…”

“If I can’t take my sister’s place for you, then there’s only one thing I can do for you as I am now.”

She tightly gripped my hand with both of hers.

“Senpai, please – Yuika-senpai, please use me for all of those things you wanted to do.”

Yuika.

It was the first time Mimi-chan called me by that name when she wasn’t playing Nagisa.

Bump, bump. My heart was so noisy. I couldn’t begin to understand how my heartbeat was going so fast. I wanted to think about the why, but under her gaze, it became irrelevant.

“That’s no different from before.”

“It totally is. Before, it was about me going along with anything until you could forget about my sister, right?
…But.”

One of her hands separated from mine. Next, she went and took my other hand in hers, too. We were posed almost as if we were about to break into a classical dance. Wordlessly, I looked up at her. Her black eyes were as beautiful as always.

“This time will be different…anything goes. Even if it has nothing to do with my sister, if you just want to buy snacks, go and hang out at places that you can’t take your other friends, or if you want to eat sweets until we drop…

Anything, really.”

It seemed like a lot of her suggestions were food-related.

“I won’t try too hard to make you forget about my sister anymore. But when you’re in pain because you can’t let go, and want to brighten your mood… When that happens, please call on me.”

“…Why are you worrying about me so much, Mimi-chan?”

“Because I’m still a respectable kouhai… and your friend.”

These words made me genuinely happy.

But in the depths of my heart, I was just a little disappointed. Almost as if had wanted to hear a different reason.

As if my selfishness regarding Nagisa wasn’t already enough. Maybe I had been self-centered in the first place, even without falling in love. But no, even if that was so…

“What I’m saying is, it hurts me to see you in pain, Senpai. I worry about you. I want to see my friends smile. Is that wrong?”

She was staring at me intently. I shook my head.

“No, it’s not wrong. I’m happy that you care about me that much.

…But I’ll have to refuse.”

“Eh?”

I smiled at her. I can’t trouble you any further. It’s not right to wrap you all up in my failed love story. And that’s why-“

“Then let’s do it like this.”

Mimi-chan gripped my hands tightly. With so much strength that it almost hurt.

“If I have something I want to do, I’ll also tell you, Senpai. Things I can’t do with anybody else, can’t tell anybody else, I’ll lay them bare before you.

…Is that no good?”

I saw my reflection in her earnest eyes. Even after worrying everybody and having them go along with my whims, I had yet to get over my broken heart. That’s why I thought it was wrong to drag anybody else along.

At the same time, I wanted to know more about Mimi-chan, much more. Surely it would be fun if we got closer, if we could talk about all kinds of things, if I could get her to show me all kinds of expressions.

I quietly spoke up.

“…Is that really alright? I might come up with some bothersome stuff.”

“That goes both ways.”

“…I might do some stuff that creeps you out.”

“The things you come up with that you call creepy, I don’t see them that way at all.”

“It could be at night. I might call your phone at odd times.”

“I’ll hang out with you. Until you fall asleep.”

“Also, I might-“

“Yuika-senpai.”

As if to rebuke me for being overly cautious, she called out my name. I had become cowardly when it came to human relations. With all these things I couldn’t know about, I couldn’t help but be insecure.

And she gently embraced me, just like I was. I could smell her fragrance. It stirred a sweet and soft sensation. Unable to say anything more, I wrapped my hand around her back.

“It’s all okay … I won’t reject any of that. In turn, please accept all the things I do, too.”

“…Okay.”

“Senpai, if I tell you something I want to do, will you also be a little more selfish for me?”

“I might. Can you give me an example, Mimi-chan?”

“Yes. Here I go, Senpai.”

Mimi-chan separated herself from me just a little. I was slightly reluctant to let her go, but I tried not to show it on my face. She silently fixed her gaze on me for a moment before eventually opening her mouth.

“Please kiss me.”

“Eh?”

“Give me a kiss and our contract is established. That you and I get to do the things we want to each other, Senpai.”

A kiss, she said. Thinking about, it would be my first time giving one to Mimi-chan. Until now I had been kissed countless times, but being told to do it myself made me a little bashful. Why did it have to be a kiss, I wondered? I didn’t understand what made her demand a kiss of all things.

I didn’t understand, but still. That was what she wanted to do right now. I was a little hesitant…but. I wanted to know. What kind of things Mimi-chan would say she wanted to do with me from here on. The faces she would make when I pushed the things I wanted to do on her.

To get a hold of these emotions, I stood on my tiptoes, stretching myself up. We weren’t exactly putting our seals¹ on a written contract, but it may have felt about as tense. Gently, I brought my lips up to meet hers.

“…With this, the contract is established. Whenever or whatever it is, please just ask for it.”

“Likewise, Mimi-chan.”

Mimi-chan’s countenance hadn’t changed one bit. As for me however, it had changed a whole lot. My face had grown hot as if that had just been my first kiss, my heart beat fast and it felt like it would fly away to somewhere.

What if.

No, I’ll scratch the what if. I really was attracted to Mimi-chan now. But, the thing was… Even though I couldn’t yet forget my love for Nagisa, I had become attracted to her little sister Mimi-chan, feeble existence that I am. Even so, these were my honest feelings.

Those emotions whirled around in circles, creating a mess in my heart.

Yuzuha, too, had been kind to me when my heart got broken. So why didn’t I have the same feelings towards Mimi-chan that I had for Yuzuha?.

“I’d feel bad if it was just me. Please tell me something you want now, Senpai.”

“Okay, then let’s walk like this for a bit. While having a little chat.”

“…Hehe. Alright. What are we talking about?”

“Well, about a character I like!”

“Didn’t we do that before as well?”

“Even if I’ve had my fill, I’ve got a second stomach for all of that!”

“A second stomach…?”

I wondered how my relationship with Mimi-chan would turn out. It was precisely because I had worried a lot about it these days that I was happy to have formed yet another one. As I was talking to her about the most trivial things, we walked through the city.

By now, my fear of this unknown town had already dissipated. Wanting to talk to her more was the only feeling that filled my chest. That’s how I spent my time with her until the sun set.

　　　　★

There were countless things I wanted to do with Nagisa. Like going on a date while holding hands, or kissing… and the things that came after that. Actually, since I was a middle schooler, I had always thought that it would be nice if I eventually got to do those sorts of things.

Recently I had learned that my life would go on even if that never came to be, and that another today, just like yesterday, would come anyway. Once you got used to it, one more day without having my heart’s desire fulfilled was surprisingly bearable. I had the people around me to thank for this realization.

With light taps, I went down the stairs. The stairwell in high school looked like it always did, with some dust collecting around the edges. I went down to the second floor, where the first year classrooms were located. Homeroom had ended fairly quickly for our class, but it seemed that the first graders were still doing it.

As I wondered if it would be bad to wait in front of the classroom, I suddenly met Mimi-chan’s gaze who was still inside. She continued watching me quietly. I tried waving my hand a little, and she waved back. I smiled unwittingly and decided to wait close to the door.

“Yuika-senpai.”

After a short while, Mimi-chan came out of the classroom alongside the other students.

“Sorry to make you wait.”

“Don’t worry about it. I enjoyed seeing you in the classroom for once. You’re an actual high schooler now, Mimi-chan.”

“What does that even mean… did you see me as a kid or something?”

“Maybe? Kinda like a little sister, I guess.”

Mimi-chan made a somewhat dissatisfied face. That sure was a childish expression, I thought. Though it’s not like I was in a position to talk about others.

“Have you gotten used to life as a high schooler already?”

“Well, thanks to you I guess. It’s as fun as it could be. I sometimes get to go out with my friends, and we get to have more freedom than as middle schoolers.”

“Ahaha, I totally get that. That might be what makes the difference between compulsory and noncompulsory education, right?”

According to our homeroom teacher, university was going to be even more free and fun, so now I was actually getting a bit excited. But before that, a hellish entrance exam awaited. When that time came, Yuzuha and I would have to console each other. Studying and all that sure was hard…Although right now I didn’t want to think about next year too much. For various reasons.

“But is this alright? If you hang out like this with a senpai, that might hurt your relationship with your friends.”

“What kind of logic is that?”

“I mean they might say something like, you’re just with Senpai all the time, don’t you care about the girls in your class?!“

“What kind of world are you imagining here…?”

She let out an exasperated sigh. Wait wait, don’t look at me with that face. Surprisingly, you couldn’t take high school lightly when it came to these things. Give it just one year and things would differ a lot in high school. As much as dolphins and whales, even.
…Wait, those weren’t really that different, were they?

“So you have to take care of your friends in the same year, for real.”

“Yuika-senpai, today you’re somehow being a bit…”

“Hmmm?”

“Gro-… Annoy-… Ahem. It’s nothing.”

“I somehow get the feeling that I just heard some words I can’t ignore, though…”

I almost said it. Perhaps I was about to become the local nosy senpai?

“…Ugh. Senpai, how’s it looking for you? If you always spend your time with a kouhai, that could become it’s own problem, too.”

“It’s gonna be alright. Because you’re an important friend, Mimi-chan.”

“…Senpai, you’re really something else.”

She sighed softly, took my hand, and started walking. I thought she would be the type to get bashful doing this on school grounds, but she was being surprisingly bold. I didn’t dislike that.

Though I didn’t take physical contact with my friends that far, being touched didn’t feel particularly embarrassing to me. But in this regard, Mimi-chan was really different from Nagisa. It was natural that they would be different people despite being siblings, after all.

As we left the school building, a wind heralding the beginning of summer stroked my cheeks. As I felt it, I remembered my confession to Nagisa as if it had been quite a while ago.

“You’re not being fair, Senpai. Being this innocent about the weirdest things.”

“Well when I think about it, you’re also innocent in some ways.”

“And which ways would that be?”

“…Hehe. Which parts indeed?”

“…Do you hear yourself speak?”

Maybe she hadn’t realized it herself. That innocence that she would show in those little moments, and her childish side. I started giggling unwittingly and she pulled on my hand a little.

“But Yuika-senpai, you-“

In a low voice, she whispered into my ear. Startled, I could feel my body jump.

“You thought of me like a little sister, or an important friend… and you still kissed me, huh.”

“…”

“You make that innocent face, but you’re quite daring… I like that about you.”

Mimi-chan really was such a strange girl. Acting all grown up at times and all innocent at others, and doing suchweirdthings now and then. She was always leading me around by the nose. But it turned out that I really didn’t mind. It just made me want to know more about her.

“Mimi…-chan…”

“That’s right. I’m Mimi. Not Nagisa, but Mimi Hanafusa. So you can call me that as much as you like.”

She let out a long sigh rattling my brain with her words. The sensation I got was as if she was exhaling hot air directly into my mind. All around us, the other students were going about their everyday activities. We alone were surrounded by this flair that was all but regular. Being sucked in by this atmosphere, it felt to me like I might forget to even breathe.

Repeatedly taking shallow breaths, I could suddenly feel somebody’s eyes on us. I involuntarily scanned our surroundings, but didn’t catch anybody looking our way. Or rather, everybody was surprisingly preoccupied with themselves or their friends, so it didn’t seem like they would be watching anybody else. Must have been my imagination.

As I was thinking about this, I somehow felt an unsettling sensation.

“Yuika-senpai? Is something the matter?”

“Not really. I was just worrying that somebody might be watching us.”

“Yeah but even if somebody was watching us, isn’t that okay? From the outside, us two look like nothing but a senpai and kouhai who get along well. Actually, if we acted all nervous while doing this, wouldn’t that make us stand out weirdly?”

“Yeah, you might be right there…”

“Riiight? Come on, Senpai! Let’s walk around and flaunt it a little! Okay?”

“Yeah…let’s.”

After turning around as if to confirm something, Mimi-chan smiled at me. I was puzzled for a moment, but then smiled back.

Mimi-chan’s smile looked cute today as well.

As she had asked, I held her hand openly. And she, too, squeezed my hand back tightly. Spending a regular, uneventful day was really fun in the end, and it made me happy. And just like that, I walked out of the school with her. The afterschool time us students were afforded wasn’t all that long. For at most three or maybe four hours, we would always stop by somewhere, playing around or doing something else.

When I was in elementary school, there had been those kids who would play dodgeball in the 20-minute break, and thinking back, it was amazing how they were able to have fun even in that short time. Not intending to be outmatched by grade schoolers, I supposed us high schoolers largely crammed all kinds of play into the short time we had.

Man, why am I even dwelling on this?

“Did you see that just now!? If this was a real game, that would’ve been a homerun for sure!”

Having produced a pleasant clinking sound swinging her metal bat, she turned towards me and smiled. Sweat lightly glistening on her beaming face, she exuded health and vigor like you wouldn’t imagine from how she usually was.

“Ahaha, amazing, amazing. You really do train.”

“Hehe, just a bit. Watch this. I’ll make the next one absolutely homerun-worthy, too.”

“Go for it!”

Mimi-chan swung the bat with a lively expression. The small batting center in the city was bustling with a crowd. The facilities were worn-down, but that was because the people in the neighborhood had loved coming here since long ago. I was surprised when Mimi-chan had said that she wanted to go to the batting center, but watching her now, I was glad we came. To my surprise, it seemed that Mimi-chan liked outdoorsy stuff.

Not to forget, I’d known from before that she really hated losing. At first I had seen her as a quiet girl, but my initial impression had been mistaken after all. Although I liked that previous Mimi-chan as well, I just might have liked this Mimi-chan, having a blast while batting, even more. As the ball flew out of the machine, she assumed an expert stance and swung her bat.

– and then.

“Ah. You missed, huh.”

“…”

Maybe her arms were tired because she had batted dozens of balls, but she had magnificently missed. Apparently this must have been the last ball, because she came out after a short moment.

“Good job. That sure was impressive.”

“…Not really. Normally, I manage to hit even more.”

“Do you come here a lot?”

“I do. Well, I’ve been going frequently since long a go. I really like sports. When I move, I can feel at ease because I don’t have to think about other stuff.”

“…I see.

Other stuff, huh. It wasn’t like I could properly understand what exactly she meant by that right now. If I asked her out of the blue and got brushed off, I might never get to touch on that subject again and all that. The way I saw it, I needed to get my timing right here. The real issue was that I couldn’t begin to understand what actually was the right timing to delve into somebody’s feelings.

“Senpai, you wanna give it a shot too?”

“Eh, me? I’m good. Not really a sporty type.”

“Whether you’re into sports has nothing to do with it. If you train a little, you’ll be able to do it like everybody else. Now then. Come on, come on!

“Eh, eeeeeh…”

Somehow, Mimi-chan felt more pushy than usual today. Doing sports must have made her quite excited. Having no choice, I decided to go for one round. It actually had been a while since I held a baseball bat. I had played softball in mid school classes, but something like this was a first for me. I could feel the heft of the metal right away. As the ball flew out, I hastily swung the bat.

Or more like, I was swung around by the bat. At once, my body made a full circle. Although I knew nothing about the proper form or how to move my body, it was clear to me that this wasn’t right at all. Also, the ball was fast. It should have been set to a slow speed, but nothing about it felt slow. I gave it lots of tries after that, but I ended up not hitting a single time before the game was over.

I came out breathing heavily. I was sure that she would laugh at me, but Mimi-chan handed me a towel with a surprisingly normal expression.

“Here.”

“Ah, yeah. Thanks.”

I took the towel and wiped my face. It had been a while since I really moved my body, but it wasn’t as bad as I had expected. My hips and shoulders were hurting a little bit, though.

“What’s up? You’re making a weird face.”

“…Am I really?”

“Yep. As if the ice pop you just bought on a whim was a win².”

I wondered what kind of face that was supposed to be.

“…I thought you would laugh at me because I sucked.”

Her eyes grew a bit wider as I mumbled these words.

“There’s no way I would laugh at somebody giving it their all.”

I forgot to breathe for a moment. Her smile was too beautiful to bear. My chest was throbbing a little.

“You definitely didn’t put much strength into your back and ended up swinging along with the bat, and it’s absolutely true that you weren’t great.”

“Uh-“

“But, that’s just you, Senpai…and what’s more-“

As if to take a peek at my face from below, she leaned her body forward. It felt a bit novel, since I was normally the one looking up to her.

Her black eyes were beautiful regardless if I looked at them from below or above, though.

“You were really cute, breathing so heavily while swinging that bat.”

“Ack…i-is that so.”

“Are you embarrassed?”

“Absolutely not.”

’Twas a lie.

It was true that I had been called cute lots of times. But my other friends’ cute and Mimi-chan’s cute didn’t quite feel the same. And that’s why my heart grew terribly agitated and my face grew terribly red. The feeling was the same when Nagisa had complimented me, but not really. A sensation that I didn’t quite understand circulated through my whole body alongside my blood, and my mind was spinning.

And here I wanted to act more like a senpai and present myself in a more composed manner.

“You were beautiful, Mimi-chan.”

“Yeah?”

“Mimi-chan, when you swung the bat with so much gusto, you were really cool, and beautiful.”

“…Hmm.”

She slowly straightened her posture. Once her back was upright, I really did feel the difference in our heights a little. Both Mimi-chan and Nagisa were a little bit taller than me, which made me a little envious at times. Although I could surely reach them if I stretched.

Wait, where exactly would I be reaching. Because we had kissed so many times, I might have gotten too familiar with the feeling, or something.

“If that’s so, then go ahead and praise me some more.”

She squeezed my hand tightly. Perhaps it was because I had swung the hard bat so many times, but her hand felt even softer than usual. I softly squeezed back.

“Mimi-chan, you’re amazing.”

“Yeah.”

“I think it’s really cute how you hate losing, too.”

“Not sure if I’m happy about that.”

“And I’m happy when you compliment me. And about all the things you do for me.”

“I see.”

It would be great if this could go on forever. As I thought so, she gave me a satisfied smile.

“Well said. And I like how you’re easily swept up and feel this innocent happiness over the slightest things.”

“…Is that supposed to be a compliment?”

“It’s praise of the highest order. Please take it.”

“Well then, I’ll take it at face value…thanks.”

I smiled at her. And she returned that smile at me. It somehow made me a little bashful. Because Mimi-chan was a friend, but unlike my others. Even if we treated each other normally, there was this strange something between us.

It felt like being tickled by soft feathers. Precisely because it didn’t feel bad… because it felt good, my mind wandered into murky places and made me feel like I didn’t know how to act anymore. I could do nothing but smile.

“…Ah. Senpai, come here, quick. Looks like we can also play table tennis here.”

“You’re right. Wanna go for a round?”

“Sure. Winner gets to make the loser do something.”

“Huh?”

“If we’re playing, I’m gonna play to win. Now let’s get started, Yuika-senpai.”

“Hold up. You saw that I’m not good with sports, yeah? What are you planning to make me do?”

“Don’t worry about the small stuff.”

“Is it going to be something small, though…?”

After settling things at the counter, we went up to the second floor where the tables where. There weren’t that many people playing table tennis, but that suited me well. Because with how bad I was at sports, I might just shoot the ball in a weird direction.

Well.

It goes without saying that I suffered a crushing defeat. Then again, Mimi-chan looked like she was having way too much fun and was swinging her racket with a lightness as if she had sprouted wings, making me think that it wasn’t so bad even if I lost.

Maybe it was Mimi-chan’s feathers tickling my heart…thinking stuff like that may have been going too far though. In the end, I had to treat her to something at a dagashiya³ that was a short walk away. Since it was in our neighborhood, everything was quite familiar, but because this area was somewhat of a famous sightseeing spot, curious visitors were walking through the town today as well.

Although it was the same boring neighborhood we had known since childhood. Just because there would be some strangers whenever we walked around, it was a little bit more enjoyable. Still, this area was a little bit awkward to walk through, since there were lots of tourists even during weekdays.

“I usually try to avoid this area.”

“Because it’s so crowded?”

“Nope. See how the roads are lined with lots of candy shops? I can’t help but end up buying and eating a lot, so that’s why I try to avoid it.”

“I don’t think there’s anything wrong with having some snacks on the way though. You’d be fine with some added curves, even your friend said as much.”

“Ahaha. I guess Nagisa’s also said something like that.”

I felt there would be all kinds of issues if I kept giving in to these temptations. For one, I would run out of money, but more importantly there was the matter of feeling guilty. While I was in thought, she took my hand. Tightly, as if seeking confirmation.

“…Mimi-chan?”

“Yuika-senpai. Let’s go in there.”

Saying so, she pointed to a nearby candy store. I was dragged into the shop by her without much of a chance to say yes or no. The first thing that stood out to me when we entered were konpeito⁴ and hard candy sold by weight.

“Wow, the konpeito and candies are so pretty. And selling them by weight is nice, too. Makes me want to buy lots of them.”

“You really are into this kind of stuff huh, Senpai.”

“Yeah. I like colorful candies and cutely-shaped snacks. I’m having fun just looking at them.”

“Even though they’re gone once you eat them?”

Yeah, sweets were gone forever once you ate them, but so what?

“Yeah. It’s okay if they’re gone after I eat them, so long as I can enjoy them until then. Because even when they’re inside of me, I do remember that they were pretty.”

“…I see.”

“…You don’t like that, Mimi-chan?”

I didn’t even specify what I was referring to. No matter how she had taken my ambiguous question, she slowly took one of the containers meant to weigh the candies into. The red lid was weirdly dazzling.

“It’s like this. I kinda wonder if things or feelings that pass so quickly have any meaning at all. If possible, I would want everything to last forever.”

“…I see.”

I thought that most everything was very fleeting. Be it words, or feelings, or good times. You could see that everything had an end, and as you got closer, it was normal for things to disappear bit by bit.

But.

Even if things had to disappear eventually, I could never believe that these feelings or times were meaningless. That was because even after they had vanished, there was definitely something left of them. I believed that if all these fleeting things didn’t keep piling up, we wouldn’t be here now as we are.

But it’s not like I didn’t understand her feelings either. Things that I never wanted to end and disappear…of course I had those. I wanted to hold on to my innocent feelings for Nagisa forever. Had I kept this bittersweet affection locked away in my heart, perhaps now…
Yeah, right.

“Mimi-chan. If you’re given sweets, you’ll eat them, right?”

“Eh?

…Yeah.”

“Then, let me have that for a moment. I’ll pick a few.”

“I don’t mind, but…”

I took the container from her, and with a rattling sound, filled it with candy and konpeito from the bulk section. Pretty, soda-flavored konpeito in a turquoise hue. Candy that was close to natural red or blue. Kintaro-ame⁵, that I couldn’t quite decide if it was cute or not.

Disregarding the composition of colors, the actual taste, or the weight, I just crammed sweets in the hues and shapes I liked into the container until it was full. Mimi-chan just watched my unusual behavior with wide eyes. Don’t worry, it’s all my treat.
…The one who’d actually be eating it was Mimi-chan, though.

“This is about enough.”

“I’d like to say that you’re pretty unrestrained. It looks like a kid’s toybox.”

“Fair. But all of this is stuff I like.”

“I see.”

“I would be glad if you could take these back home with you. And then, I’d like you to eat them while remembering today.”

“…Sure, I can do that.”

She said so with an absentminded look. I smiled.

“Thanks… if you get lonely again, I’ll make another one like this for you anytime.”

“Okay?”

“So you can go ahead and eat it all, don’t worry. Because I’ll make the same one as many times as it takes, until the memory will stay with you forever, Mimi-chan.”

Having said that, I placed the now lidded container into her hands. The vessel stuffed with the things I liked was so overfilled that it was bulging a little. I guess that may have been an undisguised representation of me.

“…Heh. Ahaha! What is this, even?!”

Mimi-chan laughed like a small child. Seeing that smiling face, I was a little relieved. Of course it wasn’t like this had resolved everything, I understood that. But I was happy that she was just a little bit more upbeat.

“You really are more childish than I thought, Senpai. Maybe even more so than me.”

“…Yeah. Maybe.”

“…But I’m glad. I’ll treasure eating this. So please come here together with me again.”

“Yep. Of course.”

“Okay, then I’ll pick out some more snacks.”

“Eh, ah, yeah.”

“Sweets are best when received from others, huh.”

Having regained her good spirits, Mimi-chan picked up a basket and dropped in various snacks alongside the container with the bulk candy. That was okay. That was okay and all, but I wished she would show just a little bit of concern for my wallet.

Maybe I ought to get a part-time job just like Mimi-chan.

Watching her pick out sweets innocently, I headed to the cashier without saying anything else. The most expensive ones were the assorted bulk candies and the konpeito that I had thoughtlessly crammed in.

Although my unemployed self’s wallet did take some serious damage, I would be able to deal with that. It was okay. If I could buy Mimi-chan’s smile with this amount of money, that was a steal. It should have been. Probably…

And just like that, we decided to eat some of the sweets near the store. Holding a piece of fugashi⁶ so unreasonably long that only tourists would buy it, Mimi-chan somehow seemed to have lots of fun. How innocent she was.

“This was my first time buying something like this.”

“Hehe, is that so?”

“Senpai, you’ve… probably bought these before. You feel like a dagashiya master.”

“You could say so. Leave all your dagashi needs to me!, or something like that.”

While making this lazy joke, I took a small piece of candy in my hands. This cheap quality, that was unlike other sweets, resonated within me all the more, or maybe it was just particularly memorable. That’s why I liked dagashi so much.

Well you could retort by saying that I liked all sweets

Yeah, I did like them. Of course I liked most sweets, but this was different. Wait, who was I even making excuses to here?

“…This one is quite sweet, no?”

“It’s almost like a lump of raw sugar, huh.”

“…It gets like 100 points on the looks, but only 30 on the taste, I’d say.”

“Isn’t that too harsh…?”

I wish she wouldn’t judge them so sternly. Dagashi were supposed to be of lower quality⁷.

I would really like to enjoy this low-quality-ish taste to my heart’s content. Though you could probably ask what low-quality-ish even means.

“Senpai, how’s that mysteriously colorful piece of candy you have there?”

“Hm? It’s sweet.”

“Like, is it tasty? Not tasty?”

“…Sweet, I guess?”

“…”

It seems like we might have been better off going to something like a café, even if it was a bit more pricey. It would have been my treat either way.

But.

Just like I was a bit attached to dagashi, I might have wanted Mimi-chan to experience them in her own way, too. I put another piece of candy in my mouth with a toothpick.

“Somehow this wasn’t as big of a deal as I had expected.”

“Is that so?”

“But, it wasn’t half bad.”

She said so as she was incessantly munching on Dagashi. It made her look a bit dumb, in a cute way. I ended up smiling involuntarily. I was reminded of a bunny I was keeping as a grade schooler. Every now and then it was allowed to get some treats, and I would feed it stuff like carrots.

If she knew what I was thinking about right now, she would definitely get mad. I checked out her looks while I was eating my candy. I was the one who had suggested that we would be doing whatever Mimi-chan wanted to do today. The other time, I had Mimi-chan go along with all the things I wanted to happen on a date with Nagisa, and this was me paying her back.

That was about it. Well, I also still wanted to know more about Mimi-chan. Truthfully, I got the feeling that I had seen lots of new sides to her today. How she was surprisingly into sports, or how she didn’t really like dagashi. Thinking about that, the clothes Mimi-chan had worn the last time had been rather cute. Even though she was into sports, it seemed like she didn’t limit herself to attire that was easy to move around in.

Nagisa on the other hand, who was better at studying than at physical activities, dressed up in a fairly sporty style. It appeared that people’s taste in clothes and how they carried them selfes in their everyday live didn’t necessarily have to match.

“Oh, right.”

After I had swallowed my last piece of candy, I rummaged through the contents of my bag that I had remembered just now. And then, I pulled out a number of character-branded keyholders.

“Ta-daa! It’s because you gave me that plushie as a present the other time. I felt like I had to give you something back, so I got these! Please pick one!”

“…What are these characters, anyway?”

Eh, her reaction was a bit different than what I imagined. I thought she would be more like, you know, excited. I gave a strained smile.

“They’re friends of the character you gave me the other day. This one’s a dog, this one’s a cat, and this one is a giant salamander…”

“Wait, isn’t one of those kinda unusual?”

How rude… Even that one was actually pretty popular. Anyway. Thinking back on it, Mimi-chan might not really like character keyholders. She may have mentioned that she wasn’t into it. I had brought these thinking that this is about the best I can do to pay her back, but I shouldn’t bother her with it.

I began returning the keyholders I had just taken out to my bag. Just then, her hand stretched out and took the keyholder with the dog character. She went on to spin the keyholder around and smiled softly.

“I’ll take this one. It’s going to be a memento of what happened today.”

“I see…that’s good to hear.”

I wondered how to put it, but as far as I felt, it ought to make you really happy for somebody to accept what you had put forward. So far I had taken that for granted, but in reality, you couldn’t expect this at all, so I knew to be grateful. That’s why this instance of everyday life made me excited anew, gave me relief and had me overflowing with joy. Precisely because they had once lost their color for me, I got to know how vibrant, how beautiful these ordinary days could be.

Maybe that alone was enough to claim that a broken heart had been a fair price to pay.

Although, one could also wonder how blessed my life must have been so far to have felt like the world would end from just a single broken heart. I had been blessed with friends and family, and didn’t experience any troubles that were actually troublesome. I thought that was a pretty good thing, but it might also have been bad in it’s own way.

“…I’ll eat the remaining candy at home. Senpai, will you help me carry all of these back?”

Even though Mimi-chan was supposed to be stronger than me, she picked up the bag with the dagashi as if it was quite heavy. Smiling gently, I took the bag from her. The bag really was light enough that even I could carry it. That’s exactly why it felt like I understood a little bit more about how Mimi-chan saw me. It might have been just my imagination though.

“…Mimi-chan.”

My voice reached out to her as she began walking. Illuminated by a sky full of valleys crimson and lapis, her face stubbornly remained the same as always. Those black pupils, an expression carrying just a hint of sorrow, her thin lips that gave you an inkling of her strong will.

Those familiar, normal days had once again come into my view, so I wondered why my pulse was growing faster. Different from the excitement of a crush, or the agony of a broken heart, it was an unidentifiable throbbing in my chest. But it was not a bad feeling, that much I understood.

After all, it didn’t make my throat dry, or my back tingle…and yet.

“What’s up, Yuika-senpai?”

Suddenly, she showed me a light smile. And just that alone made me happy, and in that moment of happiness, I understood the meaning behind my racing heart. It turned from something unfamiliar into something that I knew very well.

And that something was this throbbing in my chest, so very close to the thing I had once harbored towards Nagisa. But it wasn’t the same.

“It’s nothing.”

It was as if the inside of my chest was being gently stroked. As if driven by this sensation, I laughed.

“I’ll carry these dagashi with the utmost care, so that they don’t get crushed into pieces.
…Alright, let’s go.”

“You’re really a weird one, Senpai…hehe.”

I moved forward with a light step. The streets were full of people as always, but even without holding hands I never lost sight of Mimi-chan. Like that, I carried the bag all the way to her place.

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1. In Japan, it is customary to own a stamp that can be used to imprint your name on a document, in lieu of putting a signature as in many western countries. ↩︎
2. Buying ice on a stick at convenience stores in Japan, sometimes the wood piece has “win” or “loose” written on it, and a win gets you another ice cream. ↩︎
3. A typical candy store that sells Dagashi, (sometimes iconic) single or bulk candies at affordable prizes, popular with students. You may have seen these appear in other works: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dagashi. ↩︎
4. Cute, star-shaped sugar candy. While typically small, exceptionally large specimen are used to measure the extent of Hazuki Sendai’s affection. ↩︎
5. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rock_(confectionery)#Kintar%C5%8D-ame
   This stick-shaped rock candy is made so that when you cut it, a depiction of the folk hero Kintaro would be seen on the cut surface of the stick. ↩︎
6. A stick of fried wheat gluten with brown sugar glaze. These would usually fit in the palm of your hand, but Mimi appears to have a novelty-sized version. ↩︎
7. Yuika is turning Dagashi (駄菓子 ) into 駄な(low grade)菓子(sweets) in this play on writing. ↩︎

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