Vol 2 Chapter 5 (2/2)
A person with long wavy hair chipped into the crowd
“The skills aren’t good, but it contained the drawer’s warmth”
Kaori took the drawing that was almost publicly displayed, rolled it carefully, and handed it to me
“…yeah, you’re right”
Kitagawa i to Kaori’s opinion, and apologised to me
They apologised, but I couldn’t just forget what rude things they had spat Evenwas Kaori’s attitude towards this incident
The teacher then came into the classroom, and the students returned to their seats
I stole a peek at Kaori sitting at the back diagonally from me
Did she kneas shi+ori who drew the drawing? Or was it that she could tell it was her drawing from its distinctive features?
If that was the case, there was so I had to do this week
With that in mind, I turned to Nayuki who sat in front of Kaori
I wrote a ave it to her
Nayuki seemed to have fallen into afternoon slumber, and made a soft squeak when I poked her The teacher almost found out about the memo
After school, I ain
On the way ho with her here and there was also shi+ori’s important dream
“Let’s go, Yuichi-senpai”
“How about the shopping district? Today I’ you like to eat”
“Woah Really?”
“But I have to choose the restaurant”
“I can’t wait”
shi+ori walked to the shopping district with a light ju pace
“Here it is”
Many pots and floere growing out of theand the wall As the narow in this shop in all four seasons
“My cousin told me the strawberry parfait here is delicious”
I pushed the dark brown door
“What a beautiful shop…”
The floor was the sa on the table, while wreaths made with dry flowers on the wall
This indeed seeirls would like In this period, it was filled with female students and lovers The air was stuffed with noise, coffee aroma, and other desserts and sweets
“This place is great I’ve always drea to a place like this”
shi+ori praised with awe We lucked out and had a seat near the
Having received the menu, shi+ori examined one item after the other
“Yuichi-senpai, you’re treating ht?”
“You can think it like that”
“Can I pick whatever I want?”
“…Of course”
The shop assistant then came over to ask anted to order
“Coffee, please”
“I want this, the Giga Deluxe assorted Buffet”
“Okay”
The shop assistant took her menu and walked away
“Hey, shi+ori”
While wiping irl
“What food is that thing you called with that strange name?”
“It’s a buffet”
“You said giga or soe”
“Yes Because it costs 3500 yen”
“Three…”
I stopped This price could get me an album with two CDs
“I can’t wait”
No, I couldn’t say it It was I who said she could pick anything
And today…
The doorbell rang and new customers came in
“I think I’ to retreat…”
“Woah, don’t suddenly go outside!”
“I don’t feel like going to this place today”
They ca at the door
“I’ you today The strawberry parfait here is delicious”
“I know I’ve come several times”
“Didn’t you skip lunch lately? You have to eat, otherwise its’ bad for your body”
“…Okay, if you say so, Nayuki…”
She stopped halfway
“My sister…”
The girl sitting to the same table as me called her in a voice as if no one could possibly hear
“Hey, isn’t that Nayuki and Kaori? These seats are still vacant, why don’t they come and sit with us?”
I called to the two of them alked in at last
Although I made a face at Nayuki, she didn’t see at the blackboard written ‘Today’s Special’
I guess it was fine
The four of us sat around the table
shi+ori showed a stiff smile Kaori looked down blankly
Nayuki broke the ice, “Well, it’s the first tiht?”
“Oh, it’s nice to meet you hello”
“I’ to you, Yuichi…”
“hello Nice to meet you”
shi+ori spoke with a polite and distancing attitude, lightly lowering her head
“I’m Nayuki Minase, Yuichi’s cousin This is my friend, Misaka Kaori”
“…I’m shi+ori”
Shoiri didn’t tell her her surname Nayuki didn’t ask her what it was
A female shop assistant in an apron came to take the order
“A strawberry parfait, please”
“Weren’t you looking at the Specials?”
“I thought about it, and decided to have a strawberry parfait What about you, Kaori?”
“…Orange juice”
Nayuki looked very worried that Nayuki didn’t pick anything to eat, but the shop assistant just said, “Thank you for your order,” and walked to the counter
The sunlight shone through the s onto the flowers and the girls Yet the atmosphere was sullen
“What did you order, shi+ori?”
The one to start the conversation was still Nayuki It seemed she wanted to kill the silence, or perhaps she was just talking, being unaffected by the atmosphere
“I ordered the Giga Deluxe assorted Buffet
“Woah I have alanted to try that one”
“Then why don’t we share?”
“Can I?”
“Yes Because Yuichi-senpai is treating us”
“…Yuichi, you’re rich…”
Nayuki looked at me enviously
“I don’t have that much, really…”
“Yuichi-senpai said we can order whatever ant”
“Really? I think I want to order a strawberry crepe”
“That sounds delicious too”
“Hey, wait!”
Nayuki and shi+ori laughed softly at my irritated face The tension was successfully resolved, but Kaori was still looking down
“Here is your order Thanks for waiting”
In the end, on the table were a nore juice, a strawberry parfait in a triangular glass vessel, and so bowl
“…Hey, is this the big guy?”
In the glass washi+ng boere vast a creaht syrup were inserted in it artistically
“It’s huge…”
shi+ori looked iiven her usual small appetite?
“We have to eat this together”
I guess it was made to be shared anyway Four spoons were now stuck on that
“Good”
“I’ whether we can finish it even if we all eat this…”
Nayuki and I took our spoons Only Kaori drank her juice silently
shi+ori showed a bit of loneliness, but it was quickly changed to a s her first spoon of ice cream
“It’s fantastic”
“Some shops mix watery ice cream in their assorted buffet, but ‘A Hundred Flowers’ uses quality ice creaood”
I calmly shoved my spoon to Kaori
“Aren’t you eating too, Kaori?”
“…”
She didn’t even respond
If I had to experience the pain of losing her, it would have been better if I hadn’t had a sister in the first place
On that day, in the snow, Kaori cried in front of ?
It was painful for her She should be enveloped in fury to see shi+ori sitting in the same table as me
But if she really were angry, she shouldn’t have stayed here
The afternoon sunlight gently shone on shi+ori, Nayuki, and Kaori
“Eat more, Yuichi…”
Nayuki spoke, dish shi+ori and Nayuki worked so hard, they couldn't e the assorted buffet
“It’s delicious”
Sed me to eat more Still her lowered left shoulder betrayed her depression
“Can you still do it, shi+ori?”
“It’s a bit sad, but…”
“It’s fine You can stop eating if you want, shi+ori”
“I can still e”
shi+ori insisted she should work hard to finish it because she was the one who ordered it I thought her reason adorable
“You don’t need to force yourself Nayuki, you’re also full froht? Let me take on the rest”
“Eh, really?”
“Don’t you know I’ Yuichi Aizawa?”
Of course, no one would believe, but it was just the striking line for what I was going to do I took the glass bowl todown chunks of ice creaulped some coffee to relieve it with its bitterness
“It really shrank…”
Nayuki’s and shi+ori’s eyes were glued to what I was doing
The sweetness was slowly going away, replaced by the plain nu icy solids Still I pushed myself to continue It occurred to me somehow that the curry before and the assorted deluxe noouldwith shi+ori
Fatness , but ‘that day’ would really come
“Two bites to go”
“One bite only”
“…I’m done…”
I threwthe finishi+ng line
“Congratulations”
“Yuichi, you’re incredible”
I looked up upon hearing the two praising voices, showing off with a haughty look
But when hter
“Yuichi, cream is on your face…”
“And two colours of syrup…”
“D-Don’t mind the details”
“…hehehe…”
I looked at Kaori with astonishhter upon seeing my face
“Aizawa-kun is…funny…”
Kaori laughed out loud Her softened look made shi+ori happy from the inside
The sisters were s in the same place
My chest was getting hot I forgot the pain from the coldness in my stomach
“It was fun today”
Nayuki and shi+ori was still standing around talking after we left the shop
“Yeah Why don’t we have lunch at school together next time?”
“Can we?”
“Of course, because you are an important person to Yuichi, shi+ori”
“Eh…”
Shoiri looked down as her face reddened
“Hey, what do you mean by that?”
It was e for her to speak of this important person in front of others
“Aren’t you Yuichi’s girlfriend? Even though it’s a bit sad you’re given to Yuichi…”
“Mind your own business”
I stood beside shi+ori as getting more and more flustered and said deliberately in a crude tone
“Yeah, s
Kaori who had been silent till now murmured in an even more crude voice
“You too”
“It is my business”
Kaori looked gently at shi+ori
“Because shi+ori is my sister”
“Eh…”
Kaori said it out of the blue It stunned shi+ori, who opened her eyes wide
“I’ back”
Kaori turned away, in a bit of shame
“I’ time with Nayuki”
And so she left I gave a push to shi+ori, as still stunned
shi+ori nodded and chased Kaori
“…Hey wait, sister”
Then she turned around and flashed a smile at me
“See you tomorrow, Yuichi-senpai”
“See you”
“…Thank you…”
shi+ori gave a boith her head lowered, and vanished along the direction of the setting sun
“I see”
On our way ho, Nayuki spoke
“When you gave me that memo on the lesson, I wondered what it was”
Nayuki took the memo from her pocket
“Nayuki, you’re Kaori’s best friend, right? Can you bring Kaori to ‘A Hundred Flowers’ today? Thanks”
“You don’t have to take it out”
I wanted to snatch away the memo, but Nayuki evaded
“Do you knohat’s going on with Kaori and shi+ori?”
Nayuki shook her head
“Kaori don’t really talk about herself”
“I can tell”
“But I know so her And since you asked her about her sister, I thought it would be related to the ave me I trusted you and did what you told me to”
“Incredible Even though you look to be spacing off ht”
“You can leave out that spacing off aspect of
“It would be great if they could get along with each other”
“If they could, yeah”
Problems and tension in people’s hearts wouldn’t be solved with a snap
Probably, Kaori would hate me afterwards
But her acknowledgeh
“Yuichi, you treasure shi+ori very much”
“…Yeah”
What I did today wasn’t really for Kaori, but for shi+ori In shi+ori’s drea that couldn’t become true Still, I thrive to make it true
“By the way, can you still eat dinner tonight?”
“I have another stomach for desserts No problem”
“Yuichi, you sound like a girl…”
We had al district when I saw soe of my view I quickly looked to the other side
Ayu was beside the shop selling kid stuff She see into the shop, looking at the wave of people in and out
But when I wanted to call her, she had run off from my field of view
“Eh?”
Nayuki seeed backpack
“What, do you know Ayu?”
“Is she called…Ayu?”
“What do you know about her?”
I was uneasy about Nayuki’s rare stammer
“Forget about it Itoo
Letting that question hang around in my mind, I followed her