My extroverted girlfriend has zero sense of boundaries — Is It really wrong to take her home right after we meet? - Episode 11

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It had turned into a troublesome situation.

That message had come last night.

Recently, it had become a routine to exchange casual chatter with Ayano before going to sleep. Things like how that TV program was interesting, or how the stray cat she spotted on the street was cute, or simply sending each other meaningless stickers. Then, out of the blue, she uploaded a photo.

【I got this from Sayo-chan! She said it’s a birthday present!】

Together with a sticker of a happy dog, she had attached a picture of cosmetics that were without doubt purchased at that department store.

The first thing that went through my mind was shock — when had they become so close?

Because of the incident with the earrings, I had been certain there was some kind of contact, but it seemed their relationship had already been established completely outside of Kyousuke’s knowledge.

She had once said things like,『If I talked to her directly, I’d die』but of course she hadn’t died.

Well, that was fine. The fact that Sayo was able to befriend the person she admired was something very pleasing.

The problem was this:【Sayo-chan said that Fujimura-kun is also preparing an amazing present, so I’m looking forward to it!】

Not only had Sayo spoiled the surprise but she had also raised the hurdle to an absurd height.

With the midterm exams looming, classes weren’t progressing much, and it felt more like self-study. Club activities had also entered their suspension period.

When today’s classes ended, the classroom was filled with colorful voices — let’s go hang out, let’s hold a study session. Friends who usually couldn’t match schedules because of club activities could spend time together freely during this short period. The studying itself wasn’t all that difficult yet, so perhaps that also made everyone relax their guard.

Up until just yesterday, Kyousuke had been diligently putting effort into reviewing and preparing, thinking that since he lived such lazy days, he should at least do the tests properly. But right now, that was the last thing on his mind.

One day left until Ayano’s birthday.

After the lunch break, when she left early due to work, he glanced at her empty seat and let out a sigh.

He could not get Sayo’s careless words out of his head — that『amazing present』.

“Uh, um…”

Having finished packing her things to go home, Sayo approached Kyousuke cautiously with a bitter smile, like someone gauging the mood of a wild beast. When he glared at her, she wasn’t truly frightened because Kyousuke lacked any real intensity, but she still kept her lips curved up in a nervous smile as sweat beaded on her forehead.

“Y-you’ve got it wrong, please listen to me.”

“…Ah.”

“I was able to become friends with Ayano-chan.”

“Well, that’s good.”

“And, um, I wanted to give her my present directly.”

“Yeah.”

“At that time, she asked me about what happened at the department store. Apparently Ayano-chan had been watching us.”

“And then?”

“She asked if I bought the present together with Fujimura-kun, so I nodded.”

“…”

There it was. That was where the problem lay.

Noticing Kyousuke’s suspicious expression and guessing what he wanted to say, Sayo leaned forward onto the desk and exclaimed,『But listen!』

“Are you telling me to lie to Ayano-chan!?”

Perhaps because Sayo, who usually never raised her voice outside of class, suddenly shouted, the stares from those around them pierced sharply, and she cleared her throat in embarrassment.

“…If you spoiled it, then it’s fine that you spoiled it.”

The one who had come up with the idea of a surprise in the first place was Kotarou. Kyousuke had agreed to it, but it wasn’t something he was particularly eager to do. Even if he announced beforehand that he would give a present, Ayano would happily accept it.

“What the hell is this amazing present? I never heard about it.”

“…That was, well, more like lip service. Ayano-chan seemed to be looking forward to a present from Fujimura-san so much that…”

Mumbling, Sayo trailed off, and after a few seconds of silence, she bowed her head and said,『I’m really sorry』.

Kyousuke wasn’t actually angry. She had been so swept up in the excitement of talking to the person she truly admired that her ability to think had simply shut down. That was understandable.

What he felt was simply impatience.

Even if he gave her chocolate, she would probably be happy, but it wouldn’t fit the idea of something『amazing』. It wasn’t hard to imagine the disappointment she might feel from being let down.

“Hey, Sayo, let’s go home already.”

From the classroom door left wide open, Kotarou suddenly appeared.

It had been a while since Kyousuke had seen him, and other than his arm, all his injuries seemed to have healed, and his relationship with Sayo also appeared to have returned to normal. The moment he saw Kyousuke and Sayo deep in conversation, Kotarou stepped into the classroom with a casual,『What’s up?』

“Well, you see…”

After listening to the whole story from Sayo, Kotarou sat down in a convenient seat, nodding along with a series of『hmm, hmm』. Once he had heard everything, he turned his gaze toward Kyousuke with a 『I see』, and said,

“Looks like it’s my turn.”

Where that confidence came from, no one knew, but he grinned like some skilled strategist. At that expression, the two of them sent him a chilly breeze.

“Hey, hey. I’ve been giving Sayo all sorts of huge presents up until now.”

“And most of them only made me angry.”

“Then the person you should rely on is obvious.”

“Are you even listening to me?”

“There’s no one else but me.”

“I think even a tapeworm would be better than you.”

Watching Kotarou, who never listened to a word and Sayo, who was dead set on not letting him give any advice, Kyousuke let out a sighing laugh, as if to say,『Take your flirting home』.

It was true that Kotarou’s advice usually wasn’t reliable at all, but right now Kyousuke simply wanted any information he could get.

“Toujou, what would you do? If you were in my position, and had to give Sasagawa-san an amazing present?”

“The safe bet would be something like a homemade cake, wouldn’t it? It’s her birthday, so it’d feel special.”

To everyone’s surprise, his words were fairly reasonable. Sayo looked at Kotarou with slightly shaken eyes, as if to say, You actually pulled it off this time, and even Kyousuke, who hadn’t trusted him in the least, was impressed by the decent suggestion.

“But I can’t make a cake. I don’t even have the equipment.”

“You could make one with a rice cooker, but it’s hard to whip up something tasty overnight.”

“As long as it’s got heart in it, that’s enough, even if it’s crappy.”

“…That may be true, but eating sweets that don’t taste good is tough. And besides, Ayano-chan is always on a diet.”

“Hmm, yeah, that’s true.”

The whole reason he had bought dark chocolate in the first place was because it was good for beauty and for maintaining her figure. Giving her an amateur’s calorie bomb now would make Kyousuke feel guilty.

“To be honest, I feel like if you just spend money, you can solve it. What about that, Fuji?”

“…I still haven’t found a part-time job, so maybe I could stretch to around five thousand yen, but…”

“Wouldn’t Ayano-chan worry about that? If it’s something expensive?”

“Then it’s got to be something that doesn’t cost money, is guaranteed to make her happy, and feels special, right?”

Faced with those narrowing conditions, the group frowned and racked their brains.

“Shijima-san, if it were you… what would fit those three conditions if it were from Toujou?”

“From Kotarou-kun? Hmm… maybe a travel voucher or something?”

“You mean you want to go somewhere with me?”

“A solo trip to a hot spring, to relax at your own pace, that’s something to admire, isn’t it?”

“What about me?”

“No, before that, it costs money, so…”

With a cough and a quick,『I was joking』she stole a glance at Kotarou. Not understanding the meaning of that look, Kotarou tilted his head in suspicion.

“I want you to change your hair color back. From that bad-for-the-eyes blond, back to your natural black.”

“Eh? But you were the one who—”

“Enough already. How long are you going to keep it up?”

Kotarou tried to say something, but Sayo cut him off and forced his mouth shut.

Playing with his bangs with a dissatisfied expression, he murmured weakly, “But I’ve actually gotten kind of attached to it.”

“…Um, about the present, I don’t think it necessarily has to be something you buy. Something like a shoulder massage ticket, that sort of thing.”

“Ah, I see.”

That made sense. When he was a child, he had given his mother『help tickets』and to his father,『sake-serving tickets』. Handing over some kind of right could certainly be an option.

“Toujou, if it were you, what would you want to receive from Shijima-san, within those conditions from earlier?”

“Well, Fuji, that’s obvious. It’s gotta be that. No doubt about it.”

He gave a proud snort,

“I want Sayo.”

“Return to the earth.”

At his full-powered cool expression, Sayo sent him a glare as sharp as an icicle.『Don’t be ridiculous』, she snapped, conveniently forgetting what she had just said earlier. Kotarou, however, only laughed even more boisterously, as if proud of himself.

Watching the exchange between the two, Kyousuke quietly lowered his gaze and parted his lips.

“…Giving myself… that could be an option.”