Chapter 23: As Expected of a Childhood Friend

“小 Yoriko, you’re here.”

After receiving their call, the Teacher came over with Namazawa Misaki and Ryouta Kise.

Namazawa Misaki grabbed her hand.

“Are you feeling better now?”

Yoriko Arisu smiled and nodded.

“It’s all thanks to the oranges everyone gave me. I felt much better after eating them!”

“That’s good.”

Namazawa Misaki showed a gentle smile and happily pulled Yoriko Arisu’s hand, heading toward the Astronomy Museum.

“I already thought up most of the report before you guys arrived, so let’s just have fun now.”

“Wow, as expected of Misaki. Amazing!”

Kenma Kotsume watched the two girls holding hands as they walked away, calmly stuffing his hands into his pockets.

Ryouta Kise looked at his expression and deliberately sighed loudly.

Kenma Kotsume didn’t even lift his eyelids and followed after them.

Ryouta Kise: “You’re ignoring me?!”

After that, they touched a real Meteorite, used the Astronomical Telescope to look at the stars (though it didn’t work well during the day), and then listened to a bunch of incomprehensible explanations.

Yoriko Arisu’s eyes turned into spirals.

“So hard to understand.”

Ryouta Kise hung his body on a decoration by the wall.

“…I’ve given up thinking.”

Namazawa Misaki: “I don’t really understand, but it sounds impressive!”

Kenma Kotsume: clacking away playing games.jpg

Yoriko Arisu: “Kenma? Why did you bring a game console? Be careful or the Teacher will catch you.”

Kenma Kotsume: “Then, Yoriko, help me keep watch.”

Yoriko Arisu: “Eh? Oh, sure.”

Kenma Kotsume: “To stop me from bumping into people, Yoriko, hold my hand.”

Yoriko Arisu: “Hold hands? But you’re playing a game?”

Just as a round ended, Kenma Kotsume put down the console and calmly took Yoriko Arisu’s hand, placing it in the crook of his arm.

“This is fine.”

Then he picked up the console and continued playing.

Ryouta Kise, who witnessed the whole thing, couldn’t help but admire this little center-parted guy’s skills.

He silently moved next to the Class Representative, who was asking the guide a question, feeling that today’s show was more entertaining than the field trip.

Namazawa Misaki looked at Ryouta Kise, the famous blonde pretty boy in the grade, who was making a strange face with that handsome look, and was a bit confused.

“What’s wrong with you?”

Ryouta Kise shook his head, replying mysteriously.

“I felt like I was shining over there, so I came here to hide.”

Namazawa Misaki, completely unable to understand his weirdness: “?”

***

Afterward, the four of them each bought an ice cream shaped like a planet.

Yoriko Arisu looked serious.

“We all got different flavors, so should we exchange and try each other’s?”

Ryouta Kise readily agreed.

“Sure!”

Namazawa Misaki hesitated.

“I’ll only let you taste it, Yoriko.”

Kenma Kotsume handed his ice cream directly to her mouth.

“Wait, I’ll go borrow some spoons.”

With permission, Yoriko Arisu excitedly went to get a bunch of spoons and handed them out.

In the end, only Yoriko Arisu successfully tasted all the ice creams.

Namazawa Misaki and Kenma Kotsume refused to let anyone but her try theirs.

Ryouta Kise shouted.

“Why?!”

He wanted to taste the other flavors too!

He looked at Namazawa Misaki, who refused to share food with boys, then at Kenma Kotsume, who refused to share with anyone but his childhood friend, and understood.

Being left out was his destiny.

He sighed loudly.

“Ryouta, you can have mine.”

Yoriko Arisu waved the pink-purple ice cream in front of him.

Ryouta Kise’s eyes turned into scrambled eggs.

“Yoriko is still the best.”

He scooped a spoonful of Fairy Star Ice Cream and stuffed it in his mouth.

His expression froze instantly.

Hmm…

Sakura sweet potato flavor isn’t very tasty.

After trying everyone’s ice cream, Yoriko Arisu felt that Namazawa Misaki’s and Kenma Kotsume’s were the best.

Namazawa Misaki’s was Earth Ice Cream, with a matcha sea salt flavor, and Kenma Kotsume’s was Jupiter Ice Cream, tasting like cookies.

Ryouta Kise’s was Moon Ice Cream, with a mouthful of black sesame flavor that didn’t feel like eating ice cream at all.

But the one in her own hand was still the worst.

The sakura flavor was so strange, and it tasted like saccharin.

She gazed longingly at the ice cream in Namazawa Misaki’s hand for a while, but before the other noticed, she tore her eyes away in pain, changed direction, and stared at Kenma Kotsume’s hand.

“Kenma, yours tastes better.”

Yoriko Arisu’s eyes sparkled as she looked at him.

Kenma Kotsume glanced at his Jupiter Ice Cream, which had only one bite, then at the Fairy Star Ice Cream in her hand, and slowly reached out.

“If you don’t mind that I’ve licked it.”

“I don’t mind!”

After happily exchanging with him, Yoriko Arisu didn’t forget to praise him.

“Kenma is the best!”

Kenma Kotsume licked the new ice cream and replied vaguely.

“Mm.”

Anyway, he didn’t dislike sakura-flavored ice cream.

Free time was short.

After that, the Teacher organized them to watch the Star Exhibition.

Lying on the soft seat, with the dim environment, Yoriko Arisu was originally excited by the dazzling images, but soon became drowsy from the soothing music and gentle female narration drifting from her left ear to her right.

She stared blankly at the starry sky.

“Big Dipper… North Star… I can’t see it at all…”

How do you recognize constellations from dots of light? What if you connect the wrong ones?

When the exhibition ended, she had a satisfied, well-rested look on her face and stretched widely.

“The Star Exhibition was really pretty!”

Ryouta Kise: “Didn’t you fall asleep?”

Yoriko Arisu gave a thumbs up.

“The part before I fell asleep was really pretty!”

She even wanted to buy a Starlight Lamp to put at home—it felt like it would be so romantic.

Ten minutes later, Yoriko Arisu saw the price in the gift shop and gave up instantly.

“So expensive!”

Yoriko Arisu put down the Starlight Lamp, heartbroken.

It was almost worth half a year of her allowance!

With that kind of money, she felt it was better to buy food…

Then she set her sights on the Space Food nearby.

Yoriko Arisu curiously took a package from the shelf.

“Food for space… curry rice, and ice cream.”

It looked so interesting. She wondered if it tasted good.

The planet ice cream she ate earlier was pretty tasty.

“This kind of thing obviously doesn’t taste good.”

As if hearing her thoughts, Shinichi Kudo came over and whispered.

“Why would you make it vacuum-packed on purpose instead of eating it fresh? How could it taste good?”

Yoriko Arisu blinked.

“Is that so? Isn’t it a special process? Like pickled foods or something?”

“Of course not.”

Seeing her confusion, Shinichi Kudo became enthusiastic and wanted to explain all the knowledge he knew.

Then he was punished by his childhood friend.

Ran Mōri angrily pinched his ear and dragged him away.

“Shinichi, don’t bother others when they’re picking souvenirs. That’s so rude!”

“I wasn’t! I was explaining science… Let go, it hurts, Ran!”

Yoriko Arisu watched them leave.

“Ah, they’re gone.”

Kenma Kotsume asked from beside her.

“Are you that curious?”

“Yeah!”

Yoriko Arisu nodded.

“I’ll buy a set and we can share it, okay?”

Kenma Kotsume’s eyes flickered.

“Mm… okay.”

If it’s bad, Little Black Cat will eat it anyway.

Yoriko Arisu: “If it’s not good, we’ll give it to Little Black Cat!”

Kenma Kotsume: “.”

Kenma Kotsume: “Mm.”

They really were childhood friends.

Even their thoughts were the same.