Episode 43 – Date ?

“Okay, here’s our date today.”
“I’m curious about the “today,” part. ……”

Shizuku san and I came to a shopping mall in Tokyo

Ah, I never thought I would see the day when I would be standing next to someone like Shizuku san. I should have dressed up nicer with nicer clothes.
I don’t have that kind of ability, though.

“Hey, what are you doing, follow me!”
“R-Roger!”

—–Rather than standing side by side, I was just following behind.

By the way, Shizuku san is wearing a mask.
It is said that it was for disguise and to care for her throat as a voice actor.

The first place we entered was a clothing store.

She said that she wanted to buy new winter clothes for the coming winter.

“Hey? Which one do you think is better?”

It seems to be a scarf
A pink and navy striped scarf in one hand and a simple khaki colored and white in the other.

She seemed to be asking which of those would be better.

“E-Ehhhh…..”

This is the pattern. The kind often seen in dramas and animations.

And what a partner it was, the ultra-beautiful Mizuno Shizuku.
There is a lot of pressure on the selector.

Which one is it? I’m not sure if she’s expecting that much, but she looks at me innocently with a look that says, “Which one?”

“U-Uuuu….”
“Hey come one, which one?”

That’s it, Shizuku san is definitely doing this on purpose. She wants to see my suffering face so badly!

I can’t mourn for such things, so I’ll try to think about it maturely.

Close my eyes and imagine Shizuku san put on the two knitted scarves inside my head.

The pink and water scarf gave a fresh impression, while the khaki and white scarf gave a more mature impression.
I am a little uncomfortable with the fact that my brain is reproducing it so well.

“Hmmm~….”

both look good on her. To be honest, it is difficult to choose one or the other.

So what I mean by that is purely which one is my preference.
I’m really indecisive, I wonder if I can choose for such a selfish reason.

“Okay, five seconds ago. Three, two, one.”
“Ehhh!? T-Then, Then go for that khaki one!”
“Yeah! Okay! I’ll buy it!”

With that, Shizuku san went off to buy it.

I really made her buy it with my choice.

That’s it, for now, I’m the guy who will be thinking a lot about whether or not this choice was the right one for the next week.

And then we both came to a buffet-style restaurant.

I wondered what a buffet for two would be like, but apparently she was hungry and wanted to eat a lot.

“Hnnn~ Delicious!”
“Wait, Shizuku san! I told you not to be too noticeable!”

I hurriedly remind Shizuku san while she is happy to eat the food.

Since she is in the middle of eating her meal now, the mask she had on earlier is naturally removed.
So, if someone who knows her sees her, she is immediately recognizable as Mizuno Shizuku.

It’s not good to be found out. Seriously, no.

No, I don’t think I have anything to be guilty of, nor am I in any kind of a relationship with anyone, but if they accidentally suspect me of anything, I’m screwed.

“Well~ I knew I love eating with the man I love.”
“L-Love!? P-Please don’t say it so lightly!”
“Eh, but I love you?”

Shizuku san is still straight-forward and yet frank.
She rolls her eyes and cranes her neck.

— but I was remembering Kotoha’s words when she said she liked me.

[Choose people who like you] she said.

Not Kazashiro Rei, but someone who likes Nagishiro Rin.

So, which of me does Shizuku san like more, it’s not that hard to answer.

Kazashiro Rei.

Because, that is, she had said she liked me from the first (actually second) time she met me.

Even if she knew about Kazashiro Rei at that time, she would not have known about Rin Nagishiro yet.

She likes Kazashiro Rei, a person, a composer, who does not exist in this world.

“I-I see…..”

I’m the one who gets weirdly hurt by her words of goodwill. It’s kind of pathetic.

“What’s the matter, are you out of spirits?”
“N-No, it’s nothing!”

It is not good to spoil the atmosphere during the meal.
I quickly straighten my posture.

Just one last question.

“Do you think I am Nagishiro Rin ? or Do you think I am Kazashiro Rei?”

To such a kind of philosophical question, Shizuku san said bluntly after pretending to be a little worried.

“Hmmm. Both of you, right? You are Nagishiro Rinkun, and Kazashiro Rei kun!”

I felt somewhat redeemed by her smile as she said it with pride.