Thus, so too did the third school term begin to approach its end. It’d well and truly be spring break once tests were over, and once two more months passed by, we’d be second-years. Time had gone by in a blink ever since the start of high school.

     It had already been quite a few months since I’d become Sorahashi-san’s owner.

     Within that span of time, our desires had grown more and more out of control — to the point that we’d recently started doing things outside as well.

     “Onee-chan, you love Sorahashi-san a lot, don’t you?”

     Sure, Mizuki had said that, but was that really true? Certainly, I had feelings toward Sorahashi-san that I didn’t have for anyone else. And certainly, there were a lot of things I liked about her. But that probably wasn’t what Mizuki meant by “love”.

     We weren’t friends, nor lovers, nor anything else of the sort.

     That was my relationship with Sorahashi-san. One between pet and owner, something irreplaceable. That’s why I’d thought that this was the kind of relationship that I liked the best. But what if our relationship was different…? What if we were lovers?

     I didn’t know.

     What did I want us to be?

     「Kurumi, what’s wrong? You seem a bit out of it.」

     Sorahashi-san said as she walked along at my side. I vaguely put on a smile.

     「I guess I kinda am. By the way, why are we here today?」

     Today, she had invited me out somewhere I hadn’t been before. There were a lot of shops scattered around the station, which was packed with people.

     「Hmm… I thought that we’d be able to find it here.」

     「Find what?」

     「Your favorite food.」

     「Huh?」

     My eyes widened. Sorahashi-san grinned.

     「I said before that we should go find out what it is, didn’t I? It’ll be my treat today, so feel free to try anything you want.」

     「Well, saying that is one thing, but…」

     「It’s a good opportunity to use up all the points you’ve accumulated and exchange them for some prizes.」

     「What…」

     So that’s what those points were for.

     Well, it’s not like there was anything wrong with that.

     I looked around. There was a lot of food to check out while walking around the area, and I saw lots of people carrying around colorful sweets and drinks. Come to think of it, I hardly ever had a chance to walk around and try out food like this. I did go to plenty of festivals with Mizuki, but that was all.

     「What about this, then?」

     「Boba?」

     「Yeah. I’ve never had it before.」

     「Then let’s have some. It was quite trendy a while back, but now, it just feels like a normal drink.」

     「Interesting.」

     I supposed food was something that went in and out of fashion as well. I’d always made Hamburg Steak for Mizuki, but maybe she was getting tired of that too. It seemed the world of food was quite deep indeed.

     We lined up and bought our drinks.

     We got the regular size, but they were surprisingly big. The people around us didn’t seem to mind, but was I going to be okay? I didn’t think I’d be able to eat dinner.

     I took a sip.

     This drink…

     「Well? How is it?」

     「I-it’s kinda bold.」

     I almost choked on the tapioca pearls, as if they were charging right at me. Having solid food come out of a straw was such an unfamiliar experience to me that I wasn’t sure how to describe it.

     It was sweet and chewy, with an odd texture.

     Was this really a drink, or was it more of a food? Although it was mostly liquid, you had to do quite a bit of chewing.

     「Ahaha, it looks like you don’t like it very much. Would you like to try mine?」

     Sorahashi-san handed me her drink.

     I had ordered a regular milk tea, but hers had brown sugar in it. I gave it a sip, but like mine, it was kinda strange.

     「It’s good.」

     「Your expression says otherwise… Then next, how about we have some sweets that are even bolder?」

     I wasn’t really up to date with the trends. I wondered if there was something I was more familiar with, like taiyaki. Not that I had any particular opinions on taiyaki either, though.

     By the time I was done with my drink, my body was all cold, and I found myself shivering.

     After throwing out our trash, Sorahashi-san took my hand. Her hands were usually cold, but they were even colder than usual today. It was probably the same for mine.

     We walked down the street and tried all sorts of things — oddly colored cotton candy, donuts, and sweets made entirely with strawberries. It felt like we were at a festival.

     Everything tasted good, but nothing really stood out to me.

     「…Sorahashi-san.」

     「Are you already full?」

     「Yeah. I think I could only stomach one more thing.」

     「I see. Hmm… what to do? A few things come to mind, but…」

     「…Ah.」

     I stopped in my tracks.

     In front of us was an ordinary crepe shop. It was a chain, and I recalled there being a location near my house. I remembered going there once when I was little. The menu seemed to not have changed much since then. I saw strawberry, chocolate, savory options, and more.

     「Want a crepe?」

     I gave a slight nod.

     I ordered a normal crepe with strawberries and whipped cream, while Sorahashi-san had a flavor that was a bit more unusual: tuna salad.

     「Sugar really puts me in the mood for something more savory.」

     「Is that how it is?」

     「Of course! Just have a bite. You’ll see how good it is.」

     「Then have a bite of mine too.」

     We fed each other our crepes. It was my first time having a savory crepe, but it tasted great.

     I suddenly realized something and wiped her mouth with my fingertip.

     Her eyes widened in surprise.

     「There was some cream on your lip.」

     「Ah, i-is that so?」

     As I gently licked the tip of my finger, Sorahashi-san made a strange face. Thinking about it, I wasn’t the type of person to do something like this. I would have normally wiped it off with a tissue or handkerchief. So why did I do that?

     I wiped off my fingertip with a handkerchief.

     A strange atmosphere settled in between us.

     「Kurumi, you’ve been getting a little bolder lately.」

     「You’re one to talk.」

     I said with a giggle as she took a bite of her crepe.

     「If I have, then it’s all your fault.」

     「..Hehe, I see. I think I’ve changed because of you, too. I’ve felt a bit more sadistic as of late.」

     「Haven’t you always been like that?」

     「Have I? I don’t believe that was the case, but…」

     She’d been like that from the beginning, all the way back when she first asked me to be her master. If anything, I was probably the one that had been more influenced by that. That being said, it was certainly the case that from the very start I also had certain desires, like wanting to order other people around or just do as I pleased.

     This wasn’t a conversation that was meant to be had over crepes. There were so many people nearby. What on earth were we saying?

     I let out a small sigh and took a bite. It felt indescribably nostalgic. When the conversation came to a halt, I looked at Sorahashi-san’s profile. Seeing her enjoy her crepe put me at ease. Just looking at her face made my crepe seem even more delicious.

     Maybe as long as I was eating with her, any food could be my favorite.

     If you asked me why that was, it would be because…

     「Kurumi? Is there something else on my face?」

     She said, tilting her head.

     I smiled.

     「Yeah, I see something cute.」

     「You’re talking like we’re a happy couple.」

     「Was it a miss?」

     「No, but… by the way, what’s the cutest thing about my face?」

     She peered up at me from below, her beautiful, amused eyes carrying my reflection.

     「It’s gotta be… your eyes, I think. I love the color of your eyes.」

     「Huh? Ah, um… thank you.」

     She lowered her gaze. I slowly brought my crepe, which was getting smaller and smaller, up to my mouth. I began to recall a time that Mizuki tried to finish her crepe all at once and the cream all spilled out from the bottom. She had ended up crying after that.

     Maybe being a witness to stuff like that had made me a careful eater.

     I gently smiled.

     「I love your face too, Kurumi.」

     She spoke with a gaze that seemed to be looking off into the distance — even though she’d been making eye contact with me just a moment ago.

     「What about it?」

     「Hmm… All of it.」

     She smiled, crumpling up her crepe wrapper. That was unfair of her. That didn’t tell me anything, but hearing it from her made me so happy. I was such a simple person.

     I finished the rest of my crepe and crumpled up the wrapper as well.

     「I’ll go throw away the trash.」

     「Ah, sure.」

     She was no longer meeting my gaze. Was it weird to say that I liked her eyes? It was the truth, though, so it’s not like I could do anything about it. I stared blankly at her back. The way she walked today didn’t carry her usual confidence.

     Maybe she was tired. I tilted my head and waited for her to come back.

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