Chapter 89

The final exams were over, and the first semester of the second year ended without any issues.

As summer vacation began, the temperature soared as if it had been waiting, and the season officially entered the height of summer.

On the first weekend of the break, in such sweltering heat, Yuki was summoned by Keitaro and had come to the front of the station.

"Hot..."

"You've been saying it's hot since just now."

"Hot, really..."

"Got it, I'll buy you ice cream later."

Keitaro's neck was also damp with sweat as he tried to calm Yuki down.

It was past three in the afternoon. The sky was cloudless, and the strong sunlight beat down mercilessly.

The usually bustling square in front of the station was now mostly empty, with people seeking shade and watching from a distance. Many people were gathered under the eaves near the station entrance.

Yuki and the others were a bit further away. They had wandered over here, finding the crowd and the heat unbearable.

"Why did it have to be such a hot day..."

"Well, it's been hot for a while now. Still, it's pretty impressive how you don't hide your bad mood."

"Actually, you should have invited Enoda instead of me."

"Shut up. If I go with someone like him, no one will come near us."

"Maybe bugs will."

"You're pretty harsh, you know."

Keitaro, fanning Yuki's face with a fan, laughed as if he found it amusing.

--- I'll get a girlfriend this summer.

The root of this whole situation was Keitaro's sudden declaration near the end of the first semester.

He had been making excuses about not having any opportunities, but then he decided that it had to be through pickup lines, and Yuki was dragged into it against his will.

Of course, Yuki had zero enthusiasm.

He had only come because Keitaro had invited him with the promise of a free meal, but he felt completely deceived.

"You'd be fine if you didn't say unnecessary things."

"What are unnecessary things?"

"That's what I'm talking about."

In other words, it seemed like he was telling Yuki not to say anything else.

"Anyway, just follow my lead and keep quiet," Keitaro said, lowering his sunglasses and scanning the crowd.

Keitaro's hair was so light it would be completely out of place in school, and he was wearing a flashy shirt, making him quite noticeable.

His sunglasses added to the suspicious look.

Yuki stared at Keitaro's head.

"Is your hair okay like that?"

"No problem. I'll dye it again at the end of summer."

"You're going to dye it, huh? Haha."

"What's with that mocking tone?"

If you're going to school like that, I'll laugh at you! Keitaro started to protest, but Yuki didn't really care.

By the way, "Keita" is a nickname only Yuki uses.

At first, it was just because calling him "Keitaro" was too much trouble, but it somehow became a nickname that Keitaro really liked.

"Whatever, if you're going to do it, do it quickly."

"Well, it's not like I can just pick anyone. I haven't found the right one yet..."

"Just do it quickly."

"Stop talking like you're in a hurry to eat. You're coming with me, remember?"

While saying this, Keitaro kept looking around without taking any action, and time passed uselessly.

He wandered around aimlessly, groaning, "Ah~."

In fact, they had been like this for over an hour since they arrived.

Yuki had thought that Keitaro, who so casually talked about pickup lines, must be quite experienced, but it turned out to be his first time.

Was he even in a position to choose? Yuki didn't really care. He just wanted to give up and go home.

He had a strong feeling that nothing would happen and they would end up doing nothing.

"Of course, no one would follow a stranger just because they were called. Even kids know that."

"No, I'm not a kidnapper or anything. ...Ah!"

Keitaro suddenly took off his sunglasses and fixed his gaze on a point, standing still.

His eyes were following two women who had just come out of the station entrance.

"What's up?"

"T-they're there...! They're exactly what I'm looking for...! I, I have to go now!"

"Really going?"

"Of course, I said I'm going! Come on, let's go!"

Keitaro, speaking with determination, started pulling Yuki's arm.

Yuki thought he should just go alone, but he was half dragged along as they quickly approached the two women.

As soon as they got close, Keitaro called out to them from the front.

"Hi! Um, do you have a moment?"

One of the women had wavy, light-colored semi-long hair and a thin long skirt.

The other had short black hair and a pants outfit, making her look more athletic.

One seemed gentle at first glance, while the other had a more boyish vibe.

Both were lightly made up and looked more mature, appearing slightly older than Yuki and Keitar.

However, both women only glanced at Keitaro out of the corner of their eyes, as if they were passing by a flyer distributor.

There were actually a few people handing out flyers, so it was understandable if they were mistaken.

Even if they weren't, Keitaro's behavior was slightly suspicious, his voice was high-pitched, and his speech was hesitant, making him seem very awkward.

This is hopeless.

As Yuki watched the situation from a distance, the woman with long hair suddenly stopped and looked at Yuki's face.

"Oh? Oh my!"

She tilted her head and approached, and Yuki instinctively took a step back.

"Hello~"

She greeted Yuki with a mischievous smile, looking closely at his face.

It seemed a bit forced, but this was a new situation for Yuki.

Thinking it might be a custom, he returned the greeting.

"Hello."

But she continued to look at Yuki, waiting for him to say something.

Not knowing what to do, Yuki asked directly.

"Um, is there something?"

The woman's eyebrows furrowed for a moment.

But she quickly smiled and turned to Keitaro.

"Is there something you need?"

"Um, if you don't mind, would you like to have some tea nearby~?"

The short-haired woman whispered something to her, glancing at Yuki and Keitaro.

It seemed like she was saying, "No way, seriously...," and Yuki could hear it.

Well, it's natural to react that way when someone suddenly asks you to have tea, Yuki thought.

"Sure, why not?"

"Wait, Maki?"

"Ryoka, it's fine, right? I'm thirsty anyway."

Maki, the one with long hair, immediately agreed and forced a nod from Ryoka, the one with short black hair.

She seemed soft and gentle, but she had a surprising presence when it mattered.

"Really? Great! Let's go, then!"

Keitaro's face lit up, and he turned to Yuki.

"Stay here," but before Yuki could escape, his arm was taken, and they headed to a nearby café.

Chapter 3 is the summer vacation chapter. New characters will appear.

If you have the book version, you might recognize the new characters.

If you don't have it, you won't know. You'll have to buy it.

If you do this, you might get unbookmarked.

There's a button to buy the book version from the link below, so feel free to press it.