Chapter 405: Likes and Likes

Returning to the hotel, she pushed open the door.

Shiina discovered Ayano waiting for her in the room.

“Ah, Shiina, you’re back. Do you have that draft you showed me last time? Did you bring it from home?”

Miss Iida cut straight to the point.

“No.”

Though confused about why the draft was suddenly brought up, Mashiro still answered honestly.

“So, could you make a trip home and bring the draft?”

Seeming quite anxious, Miss Iida clasped her hands together toward Mashiro.

“But…”

Going back meant facing Akito again.

At this particular time, she really didn’t feel ready to do it casually.

“Please!”

But Miss Iida, who had always taken good care of her, was pleading with her like this.

“I understand.”

Mashiro wasn’t very good at saying no.

…

“Huh? Half-price!”

The female teacher’s voice, filled with sudden interest, jolted Himekoji awake from his silence.

“What?”

He reflexively made a questioning sound.

“Beer is half-price! What a steal, what a steal!”

Following the female teacher’s direct gaze, Himekoji also saw it. The half-price sale poster outside the supermarket opposite their apartment building downstairs was very eye-catching, impossible to miss, especially for an alcoholic like Sensei.

Though, with Sensei’s practically gold-plated salary, half-price or full-price hardly mattered, right?

That retort quickly passed through his mind.

“Want a drink?”

When he snapped out of it, he heard Sensei’s eager invitation like that.

“Huh?”

He was startled.

“What’s with that shocked face?”

It’d be weirder not to be shocked!

“N-Not a good idea.”

Anyway, drinking with this alcoholic never ended well. At times like this, rejecting was definitely the right move!

“What’s not good about it?”

Not waiting for Himekoji to refuse, the female teacher smoothly opened the car door and got out.

She headed straight for the supermarket on her own, leaving Himekoji alone in the car.

“Honestly, Sensei is way too fond of deciding things herself…”

If it always ended like this, why even bother asking his opinion…

“Aiih.”

He sighed, sounding quite resigned.

But surprisingly, he didn’t dislike this feeling.

Perhaps Sensei’s refreshing and self-assured way of doing things was exactly what he longed for and admired.

…

Even as he carried a huge pile of canned beer up the stairs, Himekoji couldn’t hold back his grumbling.

“Didn’t you say just one drink? Why buy so much for one drink?”

“Alright, alright, stop nagging. A big sale like this is rare. If you don’t grab the chance, you’ll definitely regret it later.”

“……”

Himekoji had nothing to say, he could only marvel at how powerful the marketing strategy was, it really had a tight grip on consumers’ psychology.

However, a reminder was needed here: often, it’s precisely because you seize the opportunity that you end up regretting it later.

Because during sales, you end up buying a bunch of stuff that later turns out to be completely useless…

Himekoji was someone who had learned this painful lesson many times.

“Right, want to call Akiko too?”

Taking the keys from Himekoji, whose arms were too full of beer to move easily, the female teacher opened the door while saying this.

“Oh, Akiko went back to the Arisugawa family today.”

“Hmm?”

“It’s her adoptive parents’ home. She goes back to stay there for a day or two every month.”

Himekoji explained.

Though nights without his Imouto always felt a little… not used to.

Usually, every night before bed, he’d be constantly guessing between “will she come” or “won’t she” and agonizing over “lock the door” or “don’t lock it.” Suddenly not having to do any of that actually felt awkward.

“So, that means it’s just the two of us tonight?”

Sensei assumed a thoughtful pose, resting her chin on her hand.

Just the two of us?

“Huh?!”

He instantly picked up a dangerous scent.

“Please don’t have any strange ideas, Sensei! Aoyama will be back after his part-time job ends!”

“Strange ideas? What are you talking about? The one who shouldn’t have strange ideas is you, right? You were just saying in the Park that you liked me, Sensei. Don’t try using the ‘just the two of us alone’ situation to push things further with booze, okay? Pervert-kun~~”

“Cough! Cough!”

He choked instantly.

“That ‘like’ wasn’t that kind of meaning!”

He argued back, feeling embarrassed.

Besides, that “Pervert-kun” from Hiratsuka-sensei suddenly made Himekoji think of someone else. It was a strange feeling.

“Enough, just drink!”

Hiratsuka Shizuka shoved a beer into Himekoji’s mouth to shut him up. She absolutely did not want to hear him explain exactly what kind of liking he meant about her.

The two of them started chugging beer, one gulp after another.

Himekoji didn’t usually like drinking alcohol, but tonight he didn’t feel any dislike. That spicy warmth traveled down from his throat through his belly, feeling unexpectedly pleasant.

Of course, his alcohol tolerance was still low. Soon, he became very tipsy.

The sober Himekoji was awkward and refused to be honest, keeping all words buried inside himself alone.

But the drunk Himekoji was the opposite. His urge to pour out his feelings was so strong that when Hiratsuka-sensei asked, he answered every question.

“Do you like them?”

“Yeah.”

“Do you like both of them at the same time?”

“Yeah.”

……

When Nanami got back from work, she saw Mashiro standing outside the door.

“Huh? Mashiro? You’re back? Why not go in?”

No answer came. Mashiro’s attention wasn’t here.

Nanami walked forward quietly. Then, she learned the reason.

Because through the thin door, she could hear a worrisome conversation coming from inside—

“What about Nanami? What do you like about her?”

“Aoyama always tries her hardest… She takes everything seriously…”

That was Himekoji’s voice.

Hearing this, Nanami’s heart nearly skipped a beat.

Himekoji liked her!

She couldn’t help feeling joyful.

But she immediately thought of something else. Worried, her eyes unconsciously drifted to Mashiro.

Mashiro was biting her lower lip hard, looking ready to cry.

Nanami wanted to comfort her, but couldn’t find the right way.

Would it seem like gloating? Like a winner’s cheap pity?

The conversation inside continued—

“Is that so?”

“Yeah. Also… that slightly stubborn side of her. She gets mad when teased. Sometimes she becomes very troublesome, yelling ‘Pervert!’ at me. But… she’s cute.”

“It feels strange… She’s independent and capable, handling her own things perfectly. A personality that shouldn’t need others to worry. But seeing her try too hard… I just can’t leave her alone.”

“When she’s anxious or shy, she slips into Kansai dialect… And, I made a promise with Aoyama. A promise to work hard together. She’s truly supported me all along!”

“She worries about her weight a lot too… But get this—last week, she insisted eating two ice creams just because she’d ‘waste the coupon’. That part… it’s totally girly. Ah, anyway…”

Like this…

So many feelings, overflowing like this, were too much for words. Completely real.

“Then… what about Mashiro? What do you like about her?”

……

“Huh?”

Outside the door, Mashiro looked lost a moment earlier. Then, her eyes suddenly lit up as she lifted her head.

“?!”

Meanwhile, Nanami—nervous, shy, but also feeling bad for Mashiro—now felt shock replace those emotions inside.

“Hitting a goal with everything you have.”

Himekoji answered quickly about Mashiro.

“Is that all?”

Hiratsuka-sensei’s voice was gentle. She kept asking.

“She always… only looks straight ahead…”

“What else?”

“She likes Baumkuchen.”

“Really?”

“She treats me like I’m broken. So very selfish, so very stubborn. Things have to go exactly as she thinks. Gets mad for no reason… Yeah, she’s always silently pushing me down…”

He sounded like he was listing faults. Yet he smiled naturally. Because the person was Mashiro.

Not a pet. Not a burden. It was Mashiro… the Mashiro he liked.

“All of that… all of this… it’s because of Shiina—!”

Strong thoughts… strong longings… strong feelings… so strong they choked off his words.

He… couldn’t speak anymore.

“Do you like her?”

Hiratsuka-sensei said what Himekoji couldn’t finish.

“Yeah.”

Himekoji’s throat felt blocked. This was all he could do… nod his head over and over.

……