Chapter 23: 1.3

The following day.

 

As planned, we went to the pool together.

 

There was a pool nearby that we could go to, but instead of going there, we went to the most famous one in the prefecture. To get there, we had to take a thirty minute train ride.

 

And so, we decided to meet up at Maebashi Station first at 9am.

 

Because my internal clock was a mess during the summer vacation, it was hard for me to wake up at nine. Though, that problem was resolved because Hina barged into my house and woke me up.

 

I got ready and went to the station.

 

“Are we too early?”

 

When we arrived, no one else was there.

 

If I knew this would be the case, I’d just go back to sleep instead.

 

“Better to be early than late. We have to fix that tardiness of yours.”

 

Said Hina. I couldn’t retort to her because I knew that she was right.

 

The station was deserted at this hour. The quiet atmosphere made it hard to believe that this was normally a bustling station. There was a McDonald’s nearby, so Hina and I went there to eat our breakfasts while waiting for the others.

 

The first one to appear was Yuuka.

 

As usual, she tied her black hair in a side tail. The simple short-sleeved shirts and long skirt matched her gentle-looking face and gave her a calm impression. Overall, her outfit fitted her personality perfectly.

 

“Good morning. It’s been a while, Godou. When was the last time we hung out together, again?”

“The last day of school, so it’s been a while. I heard you hung out with Hina a couple of times?”

“Mhm! She always called me whenever she wanted to go shopping. Why didn’t you join in?”

“Hina never invited me. Well, you guys probably hung out when I had a shift.”

“That’s one reason. But the real reason why I didn’t invite you is that you are always trying to find a reason to go home early.”

“Because you always take a long time to shop!”

 

I went shopping with Hina occasionally, but doing it with her was extremely tiring. I knew that girls normally took their time to shop, thanks to my mom’s guidance, but Hina’s shopping time easily doubles your average girl’s.

 

While I was getting fed up by the thoughts of accompanying Hina shopping, Shinji sent me a RINE.

 

I told him to go to McDonald’s and he sent a sticker of a bear chasing after butterflies. I didn’t know what he was trying to convey here.

 

I asked Yuuka, who was drinking her coffee.

 

“Why aren’t you with Shinji?”

“Why are you asking that? We aren’t always together, okay!”

 

Her lips twitched a bit in dissatisfaction.

 

At that moment, Shinji came over to our seats.

 

“We actually went together. She said that she doesn’t want you guys to get the wrong idea, so she made me hide in the toilet and went ahead to meet up with you guys.”

“S-Shinji!”

 

Yuuka blushed and tried to block Shinji’s mouth with her hands, but the latter parried her move well and sat down right next to her. Seeing her plan failing, Yuuka puffed her cheeks.

 

“You should just keep quiet, dude.”

 

Though, seeing the normally calm and composed Yuuka being this upset was quite something.

 

“I was going to, but the timing was just right.”

 

Shinji shrugged his shoulders as he let out his usual frivolous smile.

 

He was wearing a short sleeved blue shirt and black loose shorts. There was a silver necklace hanging by his neck and a watch on his wrist. He also wore cool-looking sandals.

 

Overall, he looked stylish and fashionable. The gap between his appearance and mine was like heaven and earth.

 

“Hehe, you two are as close as ever.”

“We are not! I brought him with me because I was afraid that he’d be late!”

“Sure, sure~”

 

Hina shrugged off Yuuka’s excuse..

 

“You’re such a handful.”

 

I said to Shinji.

 

“Look at yourself in the mirror. You’re as tardy as me.”

“For the record, I came here fifteen minutes earlier than you.”

“Only because Hina dragged you out of your bed earlier.”

 

Even without Hina, I knew that I was a better person than him.

 

“You both are the same.”

 

Muttered Yuuka as she stared at our quarrels.

 

And so, the four group of friends gathered inside the Maebashi Station’s McDonald’s in the early hour.

 

“Only Mai-chan left, right?” Hina asked.

 

I looked at my watch and noticed that it was already nine. It was unusual for her to be late. That girl was the kind of person who’d wait for an hour before the appointed time. Did something happen to her?

 

 

 

“I’ll give her a call.”

 

Just as I said that and opened my phone, Shiina called me.

 

{S-Sorry! I-I’m almost there… I think…}

 

 

I could hear her rough breathing over the phone. Is she running?

 

“Alright. What happened to you, though?”

 

Something big must have happened if Shiina, out of all people, was late.

 

{U-Um… I-I got lost…}

 

Her response broke my serious mood.

 

“Eh…”

 

Right, even back in her previous life, she had no sense of direction whatsoever.

 

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{I-I haven’t used the train much, okay?! I-It’s a given that I’d be lost!}

 

Excuses.

 

Even though she hadn’t used the train much, how could she not know where the station was?

 

She had been living here since July, how could she not know about this?

 

“Whatever. We’re at the McDonald’s in the station, so come here quickly.”

 

Honestly, I didn’t understand what was going on in that head of hers. I had a premonition that something messy was about to happen today.

 

*   *   *

 

A few minutes later, we left the McDonald’s and met up with Shiina at the entrance.

 

She was wearing a white blouse and black shorts. Her long black hair was tied to a ponytail. 

 

I saw her in her casual outfit just yesterday and today she wore a different style of outfit. For a clumsy girl like her, she was surprisingly stylish…

 

“Woah, Mai-chan in a ponytail! Cutie!”

 

When Shiina was still apologizing with teary eyes, Hina hugged her with a twinkle in her eyes.

 

“You’re only three minutes late, no need to apologize.”

“T-Thank you…”

 

When Yuuka smiled calmly at her, she let out a sigh of relief.

 

“Alright, let’s go!”

 

Yuuka led the way and the rest of us followed behind her.

 

Honestly, I didn’t know the way to the pool, but Hina and Yuuka should know it.

 

Although the students were having their summer vacation, the adults were still working. Thanks to that, the train was empty. Everyone was sitting side by side. Shiina sat on my left.

 

…For some reason, she sat really close to me. Our arms even touched.

 

Shinji, who sat on the left side of Shiina, looked at me with bafflement. From his point of view it felt like Shiina was avoiding him.

 

“I-I’m so nervous…”

 

Whispered Shiina to me.

 

“Why?”

 

I should be the one who’s nervous here.

 

“I never went to the pool with my friends before…”

“Correction, it’s your first time hanging out with your friends.”

 

When I teased her like that, she retorted,

 

“The karaoke counts, okay?! A-Anyway, this is the first time I’m riding a train with everyone…”

 

I understood what she meant. Unlike back when we went karaoke together, today’s outing had a different feeling to it.

 

“W-What am I supposed to do in the pool?”

“Swim. If you can swim, it’ll be fun playing around in the pool.”

 

After I said that, I remembered that she told me that she couldn’t swim just the other day.

 

“…You’re going to teach me how to swim, right?”

 

When she looked at me with a nervous gaze, I turned my head away.

 

“I-I’ll do my best…”

 

With her physical abilities, it would be hard for her to be able to swim right away.

 

Still, she seemed to be bringing a float with her, so she’d be able to have fun on her own.

 

“Still, wouldn’t it be better if Hina or Yuuka were to teach you instead?”

 

When I asked her that, she tilted her head.

 

“…How so?”

“I mean, you know…”

 

If I were to teach her how to swim, I might accidentally touch her body or something…

 

Gradually, her face turned red as she understood what I was talking about.

 

“I-If it’s you… I-I don’t mind…”

 

She turned her head after muttering something like that.

 

…

 

No, wait, what the hell was that?!

 

You don’t mind? What?!

 

Seriously, she drove me crazy. She always said something like this nowadays, I couldn’t understand her anymore!

 

“…”

“…”

 

And so, we fell to silence.

 

The air between us turned awkward.

 

When I tried to look around, there were only empty seats around us. Shinji, who sat next to Shiina, was absorbed in his phone game. Hina and Yuuka were planning our schedule while looking at a pamphlet.

 

I couldn’t bring any of them to the conversation.

 

What should I do now?!

 

Unaware of my inner thoughts, Shiina smiled and said,

 

“I’m looking forward to it.”

“…Yeah, me too.”

 

I smiled wryly in response.

 

The former witch, Shiina Mai, managed to smile from the bottom of her heart. I didn’t want anything much. If I could be part of the reason behind that smile, that would be enough for me.

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