My Childhood Friend, Sometimes a Schoolgirl—She Only Wears That Ribbon Around Me - Episode 34

“Spending time with her now, I sometimes think she’s really girly, and I notice new charms she didn’t have before… but there are also times I still can’t see her as a romantic interest,”

“That’s because Yushiro-san dresses like a boy, right?”

“Yeah, I guess so. It might be partly a visual thing.”

“So, if Yushiro-san keeps looking like a boy from now on, it’ll be hard for any romantic feelings to grow, huh?”

Minamikata crossed his arms and nodded thoughtfully. …Cute.

“Huh? Tsuzuki-kun, what’s up?”

“Ah… uh, nothing! Don’t mind me!”

He caught me smiling at Minamikata’s playful manner, and I hurried to put on my usual serious face. But it was clear she already saw right through me.

“Tsuzuki-kun, do you prefer cute types over pretty or cool ones?”

“Eh… well, yeah, I guess so.”

“Oh, really?”

She grinned mischievously and popped a fry into her mouth.

“But you really don’t have good taste. You even get all lovey-dovey over someone like me who’s not that cute, huh?”

“N-no, that’s not true!”

I blurted out a loud denial before I could stop myself.

“Well, Minamikata-san is really girly… I honestly think you’re super cute.”

I said it with confidence, but as I calmed down, my voice got softer and weaker. The embarrassing truth just slipped out, making my whole body flush.

Minamikata covered her mouth and giggled softly.

“Thanks, Tsuzuki-kun. Guys hardly ever compliment me like that, so I’m happy.”

“Other boys probably think the same but just don’t say it,”

“But even if they think it, I’m drawn to the ones who actually say it out loud. If you don’t speak up, feelings just don’t get across.”

She said that, took another fry, and then held it out in front of me.

“As a thank you for the compliment, maybe I’ll give you a little extra cute service.”

Leaning on the table with her elbow and resting her chin in her palm, she smiled like an angel.

I froze, thinking, No way… but then she looked at me kindly.

“Tsuzuki-kun, open your mouth—say ‘ahh.’”

Is it really okay to have something this dreamy happen?

I felt a mix of embarrassment and happiness, and my expression couldn’t settle. From Minamikata’s point of view, I probably looked incredibly awkward.

“Come on, say ‘ahh’?”

“Ah… ahh…”

I closed my eyes and opened my mouth, and she fed me the fry.

For just a moment, I was filled with a sense of victory.

The salty taste of the fry felt sweet with her voice and scent mixed in.

For the rest of my life, I probably won’t forget this flavor.

“Isn’t it dangerous? Wouldn’t it be better to take the bus…?”

“The bus only goes certain routes, and it’s easier for Tsuzuki-kun to show me around by bike, right?”

It was just past two in the afternoon—we’d spent over an hour chatting at a burger shop, and now we were leaving to go somewhere else.

But there aren’t many entertainment spots around here, and even if we wanted to go to a nearby shopping mall, walking would take way too long—definitely not practical.

So, we decided not to pick a specific destination and just bike around the hometown.

Honestly, I wasn’t excited about biking around a place with no tourist spots or fun places, but since Minamikata asked me to show her around, I had no choice.

“This is my mom’s bike… you think you can ride it?”

I grabbed the bike from the rack and sat on the saddle.

Choosing a bike as our transport was fine, but I didn’t have a spare bike just in case. The only one available was this single bike I came on.

That meant we’d have to ride double, and so Minamikata had no choice but to sit behind me—on the rear carrier.

If the police saw us, they’d definitely stop us. Plus, if we got into an accident while riding two on one bike, I didn’t want to imagine how bad that would be.

“I think I can ride this! It’s been a while since I sat on the back like this, so I’m looking forward to it.”

While I felt uneasy, Minamikata was excited to enjoy the two-person ride.

Looking her over, I wondered if there was any reason to stop this plan.

“Minamikata-san, uh… are you okay riding like that with your skirt?”

“Tsuzuki-kun, have you been worried about that the whole time?”

“No, no! It’s just that it looks really hard to get on!”

“If you get all flustered, that’s suspicious. Geez, Tsuzuki-kun, you’re such a boy.”

I knew she was teasing me, but oddly, it didn’t feel bad.

“Still, yeah, it’s tough to ride with a skirt like that. You have to spread your legs wide.”

“Right? So maybe you shouldn’t force it and sit behind me…”

“But, hey, wouldn’t this way work?”

Minamikata wrapped her arms around my waist and sat down on the carrier with her legs together.

I nearly lost my balance from the sudden closeness but managed to steady myself.

Trying something unfamiliar is hard enough, but doing it with Minamikata this close was really bad for my heart… Her warmth through her clothes made my brain go haywire.

“Tsuzuki-kun, you okay? This looks harder to ride than just sitting on the back.”

Riding double like this takes balance, and if I drove poorly, we could both get hurt. I really didn’t want to just nod without thinking—

“I can do it.”

I said it before I could stop myself.

If I said “no,” this happy moment with her so close would end—and I could already see the future full of regret.