That smile was like a stone dropped into a calm lake, sending ripples through Miura Koharu’s heart.
A strange feeling spread within her.
……The reason Miura Koharu said such things was because she didn’t want this meal together at the dessert shop to turn into an actual date.
If he really paid for everything, then from the outcome alone, a boy treating a girl to a meal alone outside… No matter how others might see it, in Miura Koharu’s eyes, it was undeniably a date.
The girl didn’t want the past few dozen minutes spent together to become a date, nor did she know how to view the fact that everything was progressing like one.
Even just paying for her own share at the register would make her feel more at ease.
She could just treat it as going out to eat alone and coincidentally running into Kanzaki Sou.
……Unable to find another way to justify her awkward feelings, Miura Koharu couldn’t help but voice her desire to split the bill.
But after saying it, Miura Koharu realized the awkwardness of it.
She’d thought that saying such things would make Kanzaki Sou feel rejected and awkward.
Even if her reasoning sounded solid, the result was still a gentle refusal of Kanzaki Sou’s kindness… This kind of request that created a subtle distance—if it made Kanzaki Sou uncomfortable, she had no excuse.
But he didn’t.
Kanzaki Sou accepted it calmly, and with a smile as gentle as a spring breeze, dissolved all the unformed awkwardness.
A quiet sense of satisfaction from being respected spread in her heart.
The embarrassment she felt at being alone with him in this unfamiliar environment also seemed to fade under the warmth of his smile.
“I thought you might not be the type who likes desserts, Miura-san…”
Kanzaki Sou maintained that smile, speaking with a slight hint of apology.
“Really, I just realized I never confirmed it at all.”
“I almost thought I invited you without considering your feelings.”
“Eh?”
Consider her feelings…?
Miura Koharu blinked, then realized what Kanzaki Sou meant.
“—No, it’s not like that at all…”
“So, dessert is okay then?”
“Mm…I guess I don’t really have any issues with desserts…”
……He probably thought she was the kind of girl who really cared about her figure.
Even she knew that a lot of young girls avoided sweets for fear of gaining weight—of course, that knowledge came from all those romance adventure games.
Female high school students in “this world” were probably the same.
“That’s good.”
Kanzaki Sou didn’t comment further.
He brought back that bright atmosphere and spoke with a gentle smile.
“Then I’ll order, Miura-san.”
“……—Mm!”
Maybe her mood was lifted by that smile.
The girl heard her own voice respond with a slightly higher pitch.
***
In the end, Kanzaki Sou ordered tiramisu, and Miura Koharu ordered soufflé.
It wasn’t to cater to the girl’s taste… Miura Koharu had always liked the texture of soufflé.
Of course, she naturally got Kanzaki Sou’s “so it really was this” kind of comment.
“Do you want to try, Miura-san?”
After the waiter brought over the tiramisu, Kanzaki Sou spoke to Miura Koharu.
“They say the tiramisu here is their specialty.”
“We can use separate spoons, right?”
“Eh?”
Still waiting for her soufflé, Miura Koharu was startled.
“This… Isn’t it bad? Kanzaki-san, didn’t you order the tiramisu?”
“Hmm…”
Kanzaki Sou showed a bit of surprise, then thought for a moment.
“I don’t mind… But if Miura-san does, then never mind?”
“But, it really does taste good.”
Kanzaki Sou scooped up a spoonful and put it in his mouth.
“If you come again next time, I’d recommend trying the tiramisu.”
“Eh?! Eh—come again?”
“Didn’t you say you might come again if you got along well with Haruka?”
Kanzaki Sou asked in confusion.
“Ah…”
Miura Koharu froze.
So he meant that.
……She’d thought when Kanzaki Sou said “if you come again next time,” he meant coming again with her.
That scared her to death.
Miura Koharu instinctively looked up.
Kanzaki Sou was quietly eating his dessert.
A brief silence fell between them, but as Miura Koharu waited for her dessert, she no longer felt the anxiety and tension from when they first sat down.
She also naturally lowered her head, but from time to time, she’d lift her eyes to secretly watch the boy across from her.
Kanzaki Sou was almost always looking at his phone, not glancing around, just calmly scooping up the richly fragrant dessert and bringing it to his mouth.
Outside the window, the street flowed with endless people, and the lines of the boy’s profile looked gentle and clear under the afternoon sun.
……Kanzaki Sou was different from herself.
From the start, he never seemed awkward being alone together.
There was no ambiguity in his manner or anything out of the ordinary.
He didn’t act any differently than usual, nor did he make her feel uneasy.
That composure was also one reason Miura Koharu’s restless heart gradually calmed down.
……And it was at this moment that the girl finally realized she’d been thinking the wrong way from the beginning.
She always instinctively labeled every interaction with Kanzaki Sou as a “capture event.”
Whether it was dealing with her own matters with Kanzaki Sou, or with Kondo Haruka and Kanzaki Sou, she was always tense, full of ulterior motives.
……But for Kanzaki Sou himself, maybe it wasn’t such a big deal.
Even meeting at the bookstore was just a coincidence.
Even eating dessert together alone was just a simple act of thanks to him…
Yet she kept worrying before understanding, unable to settle her mind.
—She overthought things, and that’s what wore her out.
“Miss, here’s your soufflé~ Please enjoy.”
While Miura Koharu was deep in thought, the staff brought her order.
“Thank you……”
“Speaking of which—”
At that moment, the staff’s appearance broke the peaceful silence.
Kanzaki Sou followed the staff’s words and spoke to Miura Koharu.
“Miura-san, is studying for the midterms going well?”
“—Uh?… It’s…okay…?”
“…Thanks to your study materials, Kanzaki-san…I feel like I have a better grasp of it.”
“That’s great.”
Kanzaki Sou said gently.
“If there’s anything you still don’t understand—just send me a LIME message on a rest day.”
LIME?
“…Mm, thank you.”
Miura Koharu lowered her head and voice.
Last time I messaged you, you replied in just a few words…
Thinking about that made Miura Koharu feel a bit frustrated.
Because Kanzaki Sou seemed a bit indifferent when chatting through LIME last time, she was hesitant to contact him again, afraid the conversation would end quickly or she’d be ignored.
“……”
At that moment, Miura Koharu didn’t notice.
As she was secretly sulking, Kanzaki Sou, sitting across from her, was watching her with a thoughtful expression.
***
Although the LIME topic threw her off a bit, the conversation remained light and pleasant.
With a favorite dessert as a buffer, Miura Koharu began to feel a dynamic sense of calm in her occasional exchanges with Kanzaki Sou.
Unlike at the library, even in this dessert shop she’d just gotten used to, Miura Koharu felt she could immerse herself in the atmosphere.
After laughing at Kanzaki Sou’s teasing about the student council teacher, Miura Koharu had to admit—she’d experienced an almost happy feeling for the first time while alone with Kanzaki Sou.
It had nothing to do with calculation or self-preservation, just simply Miura Koharu and the boy called “Kanzaki Sou,” sharing a peaceful afternoon.
***
Time passed before she realized.
When the second Matcha Latte reached the bottom of the cup, and the clouds outside the window turned orange, the leisurely time for conversation came to an end.
“Miura-san, is your home close by?”
Leaving the shop, Kanzaki Sou asked.
“Do you need me to walk you to the station or something?”
“N-no, it’s fine!”
Miura Koharu hurriedly waved her hand.
“My house… isn’t far from here.”
“I can get home myself, no need to escort me… Really, thank you for today, Kanzaki-san.”
These words were truly from Miura Koharu’s heart.
Just for this afternoon, she didn’t want to trouble Kanzaki Sou with anything else.
She’d unexpectedly spent a joyful time—happier than when she left home in the morning, met him at noon, or entered the shop in the afternoon.
……All of it was thanks to Kanzaki Sou.
She had no intention of asking for more.
Also, calling it running away… wasn’t quite right either.
But Miura Koharu knew she needed some time alone—to digest the emotions from this overly rich afternoon.
“I understand.”
Kanzaki Sou didn’t press further.
He shook the cloth bag holding his books in his hand and spoke gently to Miura Koharu.
“Then take care on your way home, Miura-san.”
“…Mm, you too, Kanzaki-san… Please be careful.”
At the busy dessert shop entrance, Miura Koharu said goodbye to the boy she’d spent the afternoon with.
“Well then, see you at school on Monday, Miura-san.”
“Mm…See you on Monday.”
The two turned away together, leaving the dessert shop entrance.
“……”
“……”
But, they didn’t separate.
They were heading in the same direction.
“…Pfft.”
“Hahahahaha.”
“—Kanzaki-san… You’re going this way too…?”
“Yeah, I’m headed to the station.”
Kanzaki Sou, walking the same side of the street as Miura Koharu, seemed to find the situation funny and laughed out loud several times.
“—Guess we said our goodbyes too early.”
The smile he couldn’t hide made the curve of his lips and narrowed eyes stand out in the sunset.
It was a dazzling smile that made it impossible to look away.
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