I rode the train towards Ichikura Station with Mikoto.
We arrived at the meeting place earlier than planned but Mia was already in front of the ticket gate.
The rainy season has ended and it is now summer.
Even though it was still in the middle of the morning, the heat was steadily chipping away at my stamina.

「Morning」

Mia waves at me and Mikoto.
She was wearing a linen s.h.i.+rt and a emerald skirt.
It was casual clothing but the organic feel to it fits her.
She was different from Mikoto who got herself fired up. I was used to her dressing stylishly.

「Ah, eh? s.h.i.+rota…?」

I couldn"t recognize her till now.
She was standing next to Mia wearing a baseball hat.
When I notice, she lightly raised her hand and gave a strained smile.

「Morning…」

I felt bewildered at the somewhat distant feeling.
When she looks at Mikoto, she lightly nods her head.

「Nice to meet you」
「Nice to meet you. I"m Ando Mikoto…You"re s.h.i.+rota, right?」
「Yeah」

It felt like when a big dog gets scared by a small one.

「Why is s.h.i.+rota here?」

I looked at Mia.
Mia, who was looking cool with her chestnut-colored hair in a ponytail, smiled.

「From the beginning, we planned to play together with s.h.i.+rotsan…Mikoto didn"t tell you?」
「Surprise!」

Mikoto looked at me with the face of a mischievous child.
I tried to say something back but seeing s.h.i.+rota shrinking back stopped me.

「Now, let"s go! It"s time for the bus to arrive!」

Somehow Mikoto took charge.
It seems Mia also had no objections as the two started heading out.
I, who was left behind, look at s.h.i.+rota.

「For now, shall we go?」
「Ah, yeah…let"s」

Her hat is pulled down all the way to hide her eyes.
She was wearing a navy blue T-s.h.i.+rt and jeans fitting for a sporty girl.
Her light brown tanned skin is dazzling.

「You were supposed to meet with Mia today?」

As we head out, I asked s.h.i.+rota.

「Yes…I don"t have club today and tomorrow」
「I guess so…」

Mia and Mikoto, who went on ahead, were talking to each other with a smile like sisters.
Occasionally, they"d stop talking and look over towards me.

「You know…」

s.h.i.+rota looks at me as if having resolved herself.
Because she slightly raised her chin I could clearly see her eyes.
It made me feel tense.

「What is it?」

I unintentionally stop walking.
I had somewhat of a hunch.
s.h.i.+rota also stops and looks straight at me.

「I heard from Kurusu-san but…are you going out with both of them?」
「Ah, yeah…」

I see. So that"s what she wanted to talk about.
Both her and Eda proposed to share me with Mia.
That"s why, when Mia sorted out her feelings she told s.h.i.+rota.

「M-m-m-m-me too」

s.h.i.+rota opens her mouth in an unusual fl.u.s.ter.
And then as she was continuing to say something else, Mikoto"s voice came in first.

「Hey, you two! The bus is here!」

Even though she was interrupted, s.h.i.+rota let out a sigh as if she was relieved.

「It seems we have to go」

When I mutter that, s.h.i.+rota starts walking after nodding her head.
We get on the bus and naturally sit all the way in the back.
Mikoto and Mia sit on my left and s.h.i.+rota sits on my right.

「I"ve been looking forward to this, Koumei」

Mia turns to me with a perfect smile.

「…Didn"t you not originally invite me though?」
「That"s because I didn"t know how yesterday"s talk would go」
「And yet, you made a promise with s.h.i.+rota?」

When I turn towards s.h.i.+rota, she gives a small nod.
She ends up being more ashamed than earlier.

「I thought I would try to inform s.h.i.+rotsan no matter how it ended up…I know if I were the one left hanging like that, I would hate it. All in all, I think it was a good course of action to take」
「What about Eda?」

I tried asking what I was curious about.
Mia shakes her head, smiling.

「I wonder…she couldn"t match up with her efforts. Plus, it doesn"t seem like she actually likes you」
「Th-that"s right」

Mia"s remark just now seems to implicitly say that s.h.i.+rota likes me.
When I look at her, her face was bright red as she was staring out the window.

「Look! Look! What vegetables are those?」

Mikoto said while looking out the window.
The bus already started heading out. It headed down the street with farmland on both sides.
Just as Mikoto thought, the bus heading to the outlet mall was pretty empty.
It was just us, a mother with a stroller and an elderly married couple.

「What do you do for club, s.h.i.+rotsan?」

After that, the conversation turned into Mikoto and s.h.i.+rota kind of introducing each other.
Mia and I act as supplements to the conversation as we are acquainted with both of them.
It seems s.h.i.+rota"s tension gradually dwindles as she smiles occasionally.
I was happy s.h.i.+rota was returning to her usual self.

「Ah, there it is」

Mikoto says.
Lured by her voice, everyone looks out the window.
A huge building suddenly appears from inside the farmland.
There was quite a line of cars as they were gradually being absorbed into the parking lot.
Before long the bus reaches the bus stop.
Mikoto gets off the bus first.

The sun"s rays were strong and the temperature was high.
I could hear the cry of the cicadas in the forest nearby.
The modern building in front of me felt weird being in this environment.
Also, there were three beautiful women heading towards that building.
Mia is first, followed by Mikoto and s.h.i.+rota.
Furthermore, each of their beauties is its own kind of wonderful.
Whether they like it or not, they attract attention.

「Hurry, let"s try and get inside. It"s hot」

Mikoto quickly goes through the entrance.
For just a moment, Mia looks at me and smile meaningfully.

「N?」

When I incline my head to the side, Mia looks at s.h.i.+rota.

「I"ll give you guys an hour to yourselves」
「Eh?」
「Eh?」

s.h.i.+rota and I both let out voices at the same time.
After a bit of silence pa.s.ses, Mia looked at me.

「Today, we were really supposed to get together without you, Koumei, but do you understand why?」
「Well…I somehow get it」

The ones receiving my favor are Mia, Mikoto and s.h.i.+rota.
It is essential for these three to get along in order to share me.
If they end up quarrelling, this setup will end up completely crumbling.
Mia and Mikoto already get along with each other. There"s also no issue between s.h.i.+rota and Mia.

「It was in order to let Mikoto and s.h.i.+rota meet…in order for them to get along, right?」
「There"s no need to forcefully have them get along, though」

Mia looked at s.h.i.+rota with a sweet smile.
Smiling, s.h.i.+rota replied.

「I was nervous at first but I think I can get along with her」
「Thank goodness. Then, s.h.i.+rotsan, about that thing you wanted to try in the future…Wanna try to do it today?」1

It seems before we met, s.h.i.+rota and Mia had a conversation.
s.h.i.+rota nodded powerfully.

「Yeah, I thought to try and finish the thing from earlier but…」
「What happened?」

Tired of us taking forever to come, Mikoto calls out from inside.
Mia looked at us both and said.

「For one hour, anymore and I think Mikoto-chan will get mad」

Saying it as if she was looking forward to something, Mia heads out towards Mikoto.
Somehow explaining things to Mikoto, Mia enters the building.
Mikoto sent fleeting gazes over here.

「So, what was that about trying to do something in the future?」

After I couldn"t see the other two, I asked s.h.i.+rota.
"Yeah." After nodding her head, s.h.i.+rota put her hat back on.
This time, I could clearly see her eyes and understand her expression.

「Can I treat you to some drinks?」

She had an extremely healthy smile.

No f.u.c.king clue man ↩

「Here you go」

I hand the soda I bought from the vending machine over to s.h.i.+rota.
Sitting on the bench, s.h.i.+rota smiles as she grabs the PET bottle.

「Thanks」

I sat next to her.
Draining the tea in the PET bottle, I drank a mouthful.

「It"s hot…」
「Yeah」

A small walk away from the bus stop, there was a small plaza with a lawn.
There was a bench placed there in order to rest on.
Since it was quite hot today, there weren"t very many people.
However, because it"s a place kids could play at, it"s probably crowded during holidays.
There was a billboard posted up with notices and events on it and a performer we didn"t know turned towards us with a weird smile.

「So? You have something you want to say, right?」
「Yeah」

s.h.i.+rota looks at the sky as if dodging the question.
It was clear skies. There wasn"t a cloud in sight and the sun sat at the top of the sky.
I was different from s.h.i.+rota who was used to being outside. I"ll end up melting in the direct sunlight.
s.h.i.+rota opens her PET bottle.
*Bushu*, the carbonated drink let out a short noise.

「I thought about finis.h.i.+ng what I started earlier」
「Ah, the thing you were saying at the station?」
「Yeah…」

Swinging her feet, s.h.i.+rota took a sip of her drink.
We have an hour. I"m fine with her using as much time as she needs.
However, we won"t have as much time for anything else we"d want to do.

「Okutani, you"re going out with those two right?」
「I am…」

I somehow kind of get what s.h.i.+rota is trying to say.
In other words, s.h.i.+rota wants to properly be in a relations.h.i.+p with me.
I feel I can"t let s.h.i.+rota say it to me herself though.
As a man, I should be the one to say it.

「Then, you know, I-」
「s.h.i.+rota」

I interrupted her.
She looks at me with a surprised expression.
And then she frowned feeling suspicious.

With more silence in between us, I need to summon some courage.
I pushed away as much of my thoughts as possible and words came rus.h.i.+ng out.

「I also like you」
「Ah」

s.h.i.+rota immediately guessed my aim.
Her drawn together eyebrows were now in a shape that made her look worried.
She seemed troubled but her expression also somehow seemed embarra.s.sed.

「That"s why, I also want to go out with you. I want to be your boyfriend」
「Ah, etto…」

s.h.i.+rota was hesitating on how she should reply to such a sudden confession.
Without minding, I tell her everything.

「You already know this but I am going out with Mia and Mikoto」
「Y-yeah…」
「It"s far from normal. But, the both of them agreed on it, like that they came to be on good terms…how is it? Would you also want to go out with me?」
「I can"t believe it…」

And so cutting it off there, s.h.i.+rota turned away from me.
Her gaze was looking at the broadleaf tree planted nearby. It was a plant where it would have green leaves whether it were summer or winter.

「I didn"t think it would be said to me first」

s.h.i.+rota smiled as if she relaxed.
I nodded.

「Me too」
「What"s with that?」

s.h.i.+rota smiles by just raising the corners of her mouth.
She continues talking with a serious look in her eye.

「Mia said you probably wouldn"t say it yourself so it"d be a headache」
「…That"s cause Mia"s evaluation of me isn"t quite high」

I said that intending for it to be a joke.
It seems she understood it was a joke. She gave an exaggerated nod.

「I think so too…I thought you would try saying you would want to keep your relations.h.i.+ps vague」
「Well, it"s impossible for me to not grow up…」

There wasn"t any need for the words after.
s.h.i.+rota nods.

「Yeah…I"ve also become their companion」

In the first place, s.h.i.+rota told me earlier she didn"t want to fuss about monopolizing me.
That confession was like a so-called ceremony.
I am also aware of the ceremony to take responsibility of s.h.i.+rota.

There was a bit of silence between us both.
I also look away from s.h.i.+rota and look at the tree.
There was no wind. The situation felt as if time had stopped.
However, quite a bit of sweat was running down my neck.

「What are we gonna do?」

s.h.i.+rota suddenly breaks the silence.

「Since you showed your manly side, we ended up finis.h.i.+ng our business early」
「Th-that"s right」

Looking at the time, 15 minutes have yet to pa.s.s.

「I guess I"ll call them and we"ll meet up?」

When I get up from the bench, s.h.i.+rota grabbed the hem of my s.h.i.+rt.
Losing my balance, I sit back down on the bench.

「Okutani」
「Wh-what?」
「Let"s try using the full hour…」

The sporty girl wearing a hat showed her white teeth.

「It"s been so long too」
「It"s fine but it"s hot here so I want to go inside」
「Did you possibly want to hurry up and finish this because it"s hot?」
「Well there was that too…」

I exchange jokes together with s.h.i.+rota like this.
Going from friends to boyfriend and girlfriend isn"t too bad.

I fell in love with Mia.
Unless I overreach myself I can"t stand next to her.

Mikoto became my lover after being my childhood friend.
I felt safe enough to tell her everything.

So, my relations.h.i.+p with s.h.i.+rota is like extending friends.h.i.+p into a relations.h.i.+p.
There"s no tension and we can just have fun together.

「Is there some place you want to see?」

I asked as I take a pamphlet from a rack nearby.
After thinking for a bit, she points at it.

「I wanna go here」
「…Eh? An arcade?」
「No good?」
「It"s not that it"s no good but…What do you want to do when we get there?」

Listening to that, I was already standing up from the bench.
I put the pamphlet in my back pocket and start walking.
In a fl.u.s.ter, s.h.i.+rota starts catching up from behind me and muttered.

「Let"s go to a photo booth」
「Do you often go to photo booths?」

s.h.i.+rota pouts at my words like they were vexing.

「Is that bad?」
「No, just unexpected」
「I"ve done it quite a bit…Together with f.u.kiko」
「With Eda? A photo booth?」
「She dislikes them though」

As you would think.
I understand at least doing it with s.h.i.+rota.
It was unexpected but it didn"t feel all that out of place.
However, doing a photo booth with Eda seems way too distant.

「Have you taken any with Kurusu-san?」
「No…I haven"t」
「What about Mikoto-chan」
「Nope」

The inside of the building was refres.h.i.+ng.
Because I was covered in sweat, it was a bit cold.
There were lots of stores lined up and there were more people than I thought going down the wide pa.s.sage.
The center became an atrium installed with criss-crossing escalators.
It seems the floors are all different themes. It"s interesting just looking at it.
Getting on the escalators, s.h.i.+rota showed me a carefree smile.

「Then I"ll be the first one you"ll do a picture booth with」
「That"s wrong, you know? I"ve done it before」
「Eh? With who?」
「It was with someone named Ogiwara. We were good friends back in middle school. They ended up moving though」
「Fuun」

When we got to the floor with the arcade, s.h.i.+rota suddenly asks in a loud voice.

「Then what about a kissing picture? Did you do that with that Ogiwara person?」
「Ogiwara was a guy. We didn"t」
「Okay」

s.h.i.+rota smiles seeming happy.

「Then let"s take a kissing picture!」
「Haa?」
「It"ll be my first kissing picture」

s.h.i.+rota entered the arcade in a jog.

The arcade wasn"t all that big.
There were lots of crane games and coin games.
The photo booths were concentrated along the wall with a wide variety of types.
There was almost no one there.
Probably because it was the middle of a weekday in a place that can only be reached by car.

There were some high school kids who were on break like us.
However, there was no one I recognized.
s.h.i.+rota was surprisingly informed of the photo booths there.
When she gets a rough look at the machines, she chose one without getting lost.

「Oh?」

When I get in, I"m surprised.
It"s quite different from when I did it with Ogiwara before.
Two white, bright disc lights were lined in front.
There was a thin sheet that seemed to hide the inside which made it really feel like a secret room.

「It"s 200 yen each」

Being told that, I hand over the money.
s.h.i.+rota operates the touch panel with a bunch of icons on it.

「Okay, with this everything"s ready」
「Eh? Eh?」

That escalated quickly.
A high-pitched voice comes out as an announcement.
Lots of things were explained but I didn"t catch any of it.

「Here, do a pose」

s.h.i.+rota flips her hat around while giving me instructions.
And then she looks at the camera and does a peace sign with her tongue slightly sticking out.
An example pose was reflected on the screen and she was imitating that.
I couldn"t copy it out of embarra.s.sment. I just stood there.

*Pashari*, it took a picture.

The picture we just took was already shown on the screen.
Compared to the lively high-school girl s.h.i.+rota, I had an expression like I was getting a photo for a pa.s.sport.
Furthermore, without a pose, I was like a totem pole.

「What is this, hahahahah」

s.h.i.+rota had a burst of laughter.

「This is the opposite of modern. Hahahahaha」
「What, I did it seriously」
「There"s not a person who takes photo booths seriously. Hahahahah. Then let"s go for a second」

s.h.i.+rota operates it.
I look towards the shutter a second time and a countdown starts.

「Now, Okutani. This time we"re taking it seriously」
「That"s right, you should also take it serious」

And then the second time, it took a picture of a guy and girl standing at attention.
s.h.i.+rota had an expression like she was desperately holding back from laughing.

「Dahahahahah, it"s too stupid, Okutani, it"s too stupid!」

s.h.i.+rota hitting her knee while laughing was cute.
The way she wore her hat backwards also stirred up my heart.

「How can you do such a serious expression? Hahahahah」

I was able to take a picture without that expression on the next one.
And when it came time for the fourth one, s.h.i.+rota proposed something.

「Can we hold hands?」
「Y-yeah」

The countdown already started.
We quickly hold hands. We interlock our fingers and turn our heads to the sides.

「Haha, we"re really like a pair of lovers」

However, looking at the camera, s.h.i.+rota let out a big laugh.

「Like I said, you look expressionless, hahahahahahaha, even though we held hands and everything. Hahahahahah」
「I couldn"t smile cause I was so focused on holding hands」
「What kind of concentration did you have that you couldn"t even smile!」

s.h.i.+rota continues to laugh while holding my hand.
That"s out of the question for me as I am worrying whether or not my hand is sweaty.

「Hahahaha…haa…I laughed too much…haha」

s.h.i.+rota looks at me still with a lingering laugh.

「You good? Can you smile properly for the next one?」
「I got it」

Once again, we go to take a picture while holding hands.
Holding our hands in front of our faces we turn towards the camera.

「Okutani! Look, smile, smile」

s.h.i.+rota insistently tells me.
Smiling awkwardly, I wait for the countdown to finish.
The moment the shutter was pressed, I let out a big voice.

「s.h.i.+rota!」
「Eh?」

Surprised, she looks at me.
There was a flash. I draw my face close to hers and stole her lips.

「Nh?」

She opens her eyes wide.
Our hands were still entwined.
When our lips separate, s.h.i.+rota"s gaze is swimming with a bright red face.

「Eh? Ah…yeah…y-you surprised me…」
「You said you wanted to take a kissing picture」
「I did but…」

The screen showed the picture that was just taken.
s.h.i.+rota and I had our hands together.
It seems I was bit too late with the kiss.
The camera took the photo when our lips weren"t touching even though it looks like they are.
s.h.i.+rota had a surprised expression with her eyes open wide.
Such a defenseless expression gives a reaction to my crotch.

「Eh?! This is no good, no good! My face is weird!」

It was satisfying watching s.h.i.+rota girlishly try to hide the screen in desperation.
She looked over her shoulder, glared at me and said.

「Shall we try and do a proper one?」
「Yeah…」

The countdown for the next photo starts.
This is the seventh one and it seems to be the last.
s.h.i.+rota stands next to me. Looking at the screen, she lets her hair fall down from her hat.

「Yosh」

s.h.i.+rota looked at me.
Her cheeks were dyed a bright red and her eyes were wet.
Her glossy lips were slightly puckered.

「I"m kissing, okay?」
「It"s fine if you don"t say anything so…nh」

I stole her lips.
It was a longer kiss than earlier.
We had to kiss until the countdown was over.
I slightly move my lips on top of hers.

「N…n, Okutani, hey, if you move it"ll be bad」

s.h.i.+rota was being cautious while kissing.
I honestly control myself and wait for the flash.
When the photographs were over, I couldn"t separate from her lips.
There was an announcement to choose what you wanted to write on the photo.
However, we ignored it and continued to kiss.

「N…chuu, nh, Okutanii…already…」

s.h.i.+rota closes her eyes and moved her own lips.
As one would expect, we can"t stay like this.
When we stop kissing, s.h.i.+rota muttered with upturned eyes.

「Hey…We need to leave」
「You"re right…」

In order to write on the photo we need to go outside.
Entering the place to write on the picture, s.h.i.+rota immediately holds the pen.

「This is weird as I thought, Hahahaha」

While writing on the photo of us standing at attention, s.h.i.+rota laughs.
The narrow s.p.a.ce to write on the picture had just me and s.h.i.+rota.
She was diligently scribbling as the pen moved.
Without anything in particular to do, I wrap my hands around her waist from behind.

「Ah, wait…don"t get in the way」

s.h.i.+rota"s moderate amount of s.e.x appeal in her body feels good.
s.h.i.+rota stopped her hand for a second but then immediately starts working again.

「What"ll you do if someone sees?」
「It"s fine. This place is a perfect blind spot」

Being glued to her body, I press my nose into her neck.

「Aah, I"m all sweaty」
「Me too」

s.h.i.+rota continues scribbling without seeming like she seriously dislikes it.

「Look, it"s done…」
「Already?」

I thought it was too bad.
I wanted to be glued to her body just a little longer.

「Then, do you want to take another?」

s.h.i.+rota asks with a glazed over voice.
Letting go of her, I nodded my head.

「Let"s do it」

We take the printed photo from the photo booth.
Without much verification, we both enter the photo booth again.
s.h.i.+rota gives a wry smile to me who will try kissing her.

「If you don"t put in money…someone"ll end up coming in」
「I got it」

After putting money in, I left it alone without touching it.
If we don"t operate the photo booth, it seems it will continue on to the next part.
I got closer to s.h.i.+rota. Our lips touch.
s.h.i.+rota"s lips were soft. Even though she does club activities outside, they aren"t rough at all.
I could feel the maintenance done every day which excited me.

「Nh…geez…Even though this wasn"t my intention at first. Chu, nh, ah」

Our bodies and lips were pressed together.
In the chaos of the arcade, no one could hear our foolishness.

「N, chu, nchuh, nh, nnchu」

I continue my kiss with s.h.i.+rota.
I was in a daze at the girl"s soft lips.
I wrap my hands around her back and hug her.
It was like we were purposely making noise with our saliva.

「Chuh, chupu, nah, naa, nchu, ahn, chu」

*Pashari*, there was flash from the camera.

「N…it took a photo…nchu」

s.h.i.+rota says while kissing.

「Ah, my phones ringing」

My cell phone vibrated in my pocket.
However, when I try to separate from her lips, s.h.i.+rota draws closer.

「Just a bit longer…Nchu, chuu」
「Oi, but…」
「Chupuh…geez…」

Regrettably pulling her lips away, s.h.i.+rota looks at me.
The vibration of my cell phone stopped.

「Okutani…」

The s.h.i.+ne around the edge of her mouth was erotic.

「N?」
「…I don"t know how I can convey my point to you but…I…I like you」
「s.h.i.+rota…I understand」

When we try to kiss again, this time her phone rang.
I looked at the time.

「We still have time」
「…But, there isn"t much leeway」
「Is that so?」

s.h.i.+rota pouts seeming a bit disappointed.
And then, after putting on a thinking face, she smiled.

「Next week, can you stay over at my house?」
「Eh? Stay over you say…at your house?」
「Yeah yeah」

s.h.i.+rota smiles.
The camera flashes again.
There was a voice outside. It seems there were people waiting outside.
s.h.i.+rota"s voice got a little bit quiet.

「Come Friday night…secretly. Everyone but me will be out Sat.u.r.day morning」

The machine counts down to the next photo.
s.h.i.+rota turns towards the machine with a peace sign and a smile.
Fl.u.s.tered, I line up next to s.h.i.+rota and give an awkward peace sign.
*Pashari*, I ended up closing my eyes from the flash.
s.h.i.+rota laughs looking at the screen.

「You"re way too bad at taking photos」
「My bad」

The next countdown starts.
I get behind s.h.i.+rota and wrap my hands around her waist.
s.h.i.+rota opens her eyes wide and smiles without violently rejecting it.
I kissed her neck in order to hide my face.

「Nh」

She lets out a sweet voice.
I extend my hand towards her T-s.h.i.+rt.

「Hey, hey, that"s too much」

Although she was cautious, s.h.i.+rota wasn"t rejecting it.
I touched her b.r.e.a.s.t.s on top of her bra.
Her b.r.e.a.s.t.s had a moderate swelling.
Her skin was slightly hot and sweaty.

「Aahn, don"t rub em」

There were people waiting their turn outside.
Our voices naturally grew quiet.

「It"s next Friday, huh…I"ll stay over」
「Nnnh」

*Pashari*, the camera continues.
And then, I rubbed her breast from on top of her bra.
Shutting her eyes, s.h.i.+rota holds down her voice.

「Nh…nh」

Biting her lower lip, the lively high-school girl was having her b.r.e.a.s.t.s rubbed.
My d.i.c.k has blood flow to it trying to prepare.
I won"t be able to hold back if this goes on.

「We"ll continue next week…」
「Yeah…yeah」

s.h.i.+rota nodded twice with her eyes closed.
Letting go of her b.r.e.a.s.t.s, she let out a long sigh as if she was relieved.

「Haa…Shall we go write on the pictures and head to those too?」
「Sounds good」

s.h.i.+rota hurried up and chose the photos and she gets out from the photo booth.
I also head out chasing after her.
I met eyes with the girls waiting outside.
It seems they understood we were taking couple photos.
It wasn"t a good feeling getting judged on what type of guy I am.
As I was waiting outside the photo scribbling corner, s.h.i.+rota was already heading out.

「Just give me your half when you come over next week.」
「Okay」

s.h.i.+rota quickly put the photos in her notebook and put it in her bag.
And then she takes out her cell phone in exchange and makes a phone call.

「Yeah. Where are you? The food court?」

She"s probably talking to Mia.
I take out the pamphlet from my back pocket and looked for the place.
The food court is on the first floor. It"s not too far.

「I got it, yeah, we"ll be there soon」

s.h.i.+rota got off the phone and looked at me.

「What"d she say?」
「Mikoto-chan was hungry so they"re at the food court」

It was still before noon.
However, Mikoto probably still hasn"t had breakfast.

「It"s a bit early but let"s have lunch」
「Okay」

We both head towards the food court.
It"s also quite empty since it isn"t noon yet.
Confirming the table the two beauties were sitting at, we head there.

「Are you not eating?」
「Mia said we should wait…」

Mikoto, who was laying down on the table, raised her face and glares at me.

「Are you mad?」
「I"m not mad, I"m hungry」
「You need to eat breakfast, okay?」
「How did you know I didn"t eat anything?」

Even if I didn"t think about it I would know.
Mia and s.h.i.+rota were talking.

「How was it?」
「Okutani properly did it for me」
「That"s surprising」

Mia"s eyes were exaggeratedly wide.
When she looks at me, she nodded seemingly in admiration.
I wonder what she thinks of me as a human.

「Hey, I"ll pay you back so can you pay for me?」
「What would you like to eat?」

I respond to her request like she is a spoiled princess.
It"s true that I made her wait for it.

「I"m fine with whatever you get」

Mikoto says.

「Is super hot ramen, okay?」
「Of course it isn"t. A cheeseburger is fine」
「Didn"t you say you would be fine with what I got?」

After more or less retorting her, I asked Mia and s.h.i.+rota.

「What about you two? I"ll buy it for you」
「I"m fine with the same」
「Me too」

Mia and s.h.i.+rota roughly responds at the same time.
"I got it", when I reply and start to walk away, Mia followed.

「I"ll help out」
「It"s fine, there shouldn"t be that much」
「Don"t say that. Now, let"s go」

s.h.i.+rota sat down and Mikoto timidly starts a conversation.
Somehow, Mia made sure those two would have a proper conversation alone.
Arriving in front of the hamburger shop, I asked for 4 cheeseburgers and drinks.
I naturally start talking with Mia while waiting.

「You seem to get along with s.h.i.+rotsan」
「Seems so…」
「You"re quite an extravagant man, Koumei」
「I am the one who knows that the most」

Replying, I take the prepared cheeseburgers.
I was holding a tray that had everything on it.
It looks like I was going to eat 4 cheeseburgers all on my own.
Looking at that, Mia looks at me with a perfect smile.

「Can"t you be satisfied with 3?」
「That"s quite the metaphor」

Eating the cheeseburger, Mikoto"s mood improved.
She gradually got along with s.h.i.+rota and was already calling her Yotsuba.
Of course, s.h.i.+rota was intimately calling her Mikoto-chan.
Taking along the three different type of beauties, we went shopping into the afternoon.

「Hey, Can you buy this?」

Mia stops in front of an accessory store.
It was an accessory shop tailored towards youngsters with little money.
The thing Mia was pointing at was a silver ring.
Mikoto was standing next to Mia, glancing over at the ring.

「A ring?」
「Yeah, I want a matching ring with s.h.i.+rota and Mikoto-chan」
「Why?」
「Why, you say, you get it, right?」
「Well…I get it but」
「What about you, s.h.i.+rotsan?」

Turning around, Mia looks at s.h.i.+rota.
s.h.i.+rota nodded with a slightly red face.

「It"s fine but…I don"t think those kinds of things would fit me」
「That isn"t true」

Mia and Mikoto agree with my words.

「I think it fits you well, s.h.i.+rotsan!」
「Yeah, I think so too」
「I-I wonder…」

Smiling seeming embarra.s.sed, she started looking at the ring with the two.
I look at it from a little ways away from them.
Seemingly decided on something, they check the sizes of their own fingers.
After that was done, Mikoto ran over towards me.

「What?」
「Take out your money」
「Is this extortion?」
「You"re wrong. Aren"t you our boyfriend? You"ll be buying a ring for your girlfriends so take out your money」1
「Ah, yeah…I got it」

Taking out my wallet, I hand it over to Mikoto.
When Mikoto takes it, she heads back to those two"s side.
s.h.i.+rota looks at me seeming a bit surprised.
"Don"t worry", I wave my hand and nod to her as if to convey that meaning.
Paying the bill, the three of them return to me.
Mikoto hands back my wallet and I end up putting it in my pocket.

「Is it fine?」

s.h.i.+rota asks me.

「Eh? What?」
「The rings…paying for them for us」
「You also paid for the cheeseburgers」
「No, I also ate that as well」

I said towards the smiling s.h.i.+rota.

「It suits you」
「Thanks, Okutani」

The three of them put on the ring without getting it wrapped up.
When we head out, s.h.i.+rota and Mikoto walked ahead.
Naturally, Mia and I were together.
Mia muttered in a low voice.

「Aren"t you cool」
「I"ve received plenty of training from you」
「What did I do?」

Mia smiles impishly.
After letting out a sigh, I said.

「You made Mikoto come get my wallet, right?」
「Ah, was I found out? Even if I didn"t do that, would you have paid?」
「I won"t say for my own sake」
「So lame」

The fluctuation of how she evaluates me is amazing.
However, Mia smiles and took something out of her pocket.

「Here, this is from us」
「What is it?」

There was a small package wrapped in paper.
When I try opening it, there was a ring inside.
The size was small and probably wouldn"t fit on my finger.

「It matches」

Mia showed her right hand.
Of course the ring they bought was put on her middle finger.
When I look at the two walking ahead, s.h.i.+rota and Mikoto had the same ring on.

「For me too, you say? But, the size…」
「You can"t put it on your finger. If you were to wear the same ring as me, it would make a commotion at school, you know? Plus, if you include s.h.i.+rotsan as well…」
「It should be fine if I don"t wear it at school」

Since the school rules are lax, there shouldn"t be a problem with wearing a ring.
It should be fine as long as you don"t forget to take it off during gym.
The problem is that it"s the same ring for all three of us.

「If it"s just school, I don"t think there should be a problem」
「Well if it"s me no one should pay attention even if I were to make a commotion」
「I will though…」
「So?」2
「That"s why, s.h.i.+rotsan and I will wear them like normal. And you will put a chain through it and wear it around your neck. That"s why it"s a small size」

I see.
If I put it on as a necklace, I can hide it.

「This is from s.h.i.+rotsan」

Saying that, Mia took a chain out from her pocket.
It was a cute silver chain with a heart charm on it.
The chain was plenty long that it wouldn"t be weird for a guy like me.
All the more, since I"ll end up hiding it under my clothes anyways.

「Is it fine? Isn"t it an important item?」
「It"s important. It"s a necklace she bought for herself when she entered middle school」
「I can"t receive such a thing」
「That"s why she wants to give it to you…」

Mia lightly hits her shoulder against mine.

「She was always wearing it but she said as she thought it doesn"t fit here」
「I"m the one who it doesn"t fit」
「It"s fine, It"s fine already. She"s telling you to use it…she was too embarra.s.sed to hand it over herself so she asked me to hand it over for her. This is also for my sake as well」

If she says that much to me, I can"t refuse.
When s.h.i.+rota sends over a fleeting glance, our eyes met.
Her face was already bright red so she ends up looking away.

「She"s cute, huh. s.h.i.+rotsan」

After smiling at that, Mia hands over the chain.
And then she runs ahead and meets up with the two.
I can hear laughter coming from s.h.i.+rota and Mikoto.
With a bright red face, s.h.i.+rota turns towards Mia and says something.
Somehow it seems she was being teased by Mia about the chain.

The three beauties walk together seeming like they get along.
Everyone that pa.s.sed by looked at them without exception.
Gazing at that scene, I stick s.h.i.+rota"s chain through my ring.
The heart charm also hits my neck like that.
And then putting it inside my clothes, I hide the ring and heart charm.

The three looked over their shoulders at me and smiled.
This time they were teasing me about the necklace.
Thinking it was a bit embarra.s.sing, I said in a voice loud enough for the three to hear.

「Thanks」

Lol rip ↩ No idea just chose what fits the best ↩