Finding the Shape of Love - Chapter 15

Tuesday. It’s only the second day, but this week already feels long. Yoko overslept again today, just like yesterday. I had a bit of trouble falling asleep too, but I still got about my usual amount of rest, so it’s fine.

Yoko and I headed to school at different times, and I met up with Koume on the train. It felt natural, but thinking about it, we hadn’t actually made plans for today. Well, Koume’s the one coordinating with me, and there’s no need to deliberately change that.

“Senpai, is it okay if we have lunch together again today?”

“Of course. Since you made me a bento yesterday, I’ll treat you to the cafeteria today.”

“Hmm, Asahi-senpai, I’d actually prefer a bread from the school store.”

“Oh, sure. Let’s do that then.”

The school has a cafeteria, but of course there’s also the school store. Especially during lunch break, a bakery sets up shop under the piloti. They sometimes have experimental breads you can’t get at their main store, and the popular, filling, reasonably priced ones sell out almost immediately.

Back in my first year, I was so into it that I’d rush there every day to make sure I could get whatever limited item they had. I wonder if Koume, maybe because she always brings bento, has never tried the bread from the school store.

“Have you ever had bread from the school store?”

“Actually, no.”

I knew it! In that case, as her senpai, I absolutely have to treat her.

“Alright then, Koume, look forward to lunch break. I’ll choose the best bread for you.”

“Eh? Ah, thank you. Yes. I’m looking forward to it.”

Koume tilted her head slightly and smiled brightly. She’s so honest.

So, what should I get? The classic yakisoba pan is good, and the cream pan is delicious too. For limited quantity items, the curry pan they have periodically is great, but I don’t know if they’ll have it today. I’ll just have to see when I get there.

“So, is the same spot as yesterday okay? Can you go ahead and wait for me?”

“Eh, but, having Senpai go buy it all by herself…”

“It gets crowded, you know. It’s fine, leave it to me.”

“…Okay. Hehe. Then I’ll leave it to you.”

Koume happily agreed. Was I a bit pushy? But honestly, if you wait even a little, it gets really crowded, and if we go together after meeting up, the good stuff will be gone. It’s fine for the first time, right?

Pumping myself up, I thought about today’s schedule. Before I knew it, we’d arrived at school. It’s a short trip whether I’m zoning out alone or going with Koume.

I haven’t walked to school with someone since the group commutes in elementary school. Being alone was easier, but doing this with someone again isn’t so bad either.

I parted ways with Koume and headed to my classroom. Greeting my classmates, I headed for my seat, but I spotted my friend and went over to poke her as she was slumped face down on her desk.

“Morning, Nori. It’s morning~”

“Nnn. Asahi. I know it’s morning. I just got back last night, so let me sleep.”

“It’s been a while, so it’s fine to show your face a bit, right?”

Nori tends to skip school casually, but this time she’d been on a long family trip. Summer break is one thing, but since it was after, it feels like I haven’t seen her in ages, so I ended up bothering her first thing in the morning.

In response, Nori lifted her face from the desk, stretched with a “Uun” while raising her arms, and then yawned.

“Fwaah. Haah, you’re such a clingy one. So pushy. I’ll hang out with you at lunch.”

“Ah, I’m eating with someone else at lunch.”

“Huh? Since when did you have someone to make plans with?”

“Mm. I got a girlfriend.”

“Hanh? …Eh? For real? Hey, hey, hey, you went and got a girlfriend without telling me? You’re sneaky, aren’t you?”

Suddenly energized, Nori leaned in close. Her flashy, dyed golden hair swayed. Her face, staring intently, was trying to hold back a laugh, which was funny.

“I wanted to talk to you about it, but you weren’t here.”

“O-oh. Is that so? Then it’s fine. What, you like me or something?”

“I do like you, but could you please stop with those jokes right now? They feel a bit sensitive.”

“Sensitive? What does that mean?”

“Eh? It’s like, you know, a delicate issue.”

“He~h. You’ve gotten smart, he~h.”

Sorry, I just said that randomly. But it’s probably something like that, so forgive me.

We were chatting lightly like that when the warning bell rang, so we parted ways, agreeing to continue later.

“Ah, sorry about your seat.”

“N-no. It’s okay.”

I hadn’t noticed her when I arrived, but after I stood up, I realized the seat’s owner had been waiting a little behind me, so I apologized. For some reason, she seemed a little intimidated. Ugh, I really am sorry, though.

Sitting down, I idly checked my phone and found a message from Nori: ‘Heey, getting intimidated, Miss Gang Leader.’ Ugh, shut up. It’s Nori’s obviously-dyed blonde hair that’s intimidating. I’m sure of it. It’s her natural hair color, and she doesn’t have any other delinquent traits. Or maybe that girl is just easily scared. Hmm.

“Shaa, first!”

Thanks to dashing out of the classroom right as the bell rang, I successfully arrived first at the school store.

Today’s limited item is… Chocolate Chip Cream Pan? Alright. I’ve decided on you. And the classic yakisoba pan, the croquette pan, and oh, the condensed milk French bread looks good too. They’re all so good it’s hard to choose, but I can’t eat that much, and they’re each fairly large, so two should be enough, right?

“Excuse me~!”

The sound of other students’ footsteps was getting closer, so I made my purchase quickly. As the clerk was putting them in a bag for me, one, then two other students arrived. Perfect.

I saw the faces of some acquaintances lining up as the queue started forming. It’s not like I’m obsessed with being first, but since it’s better not to have to queue anyway, and these were acquaintances who’d given me the stink eye back when I was trying hard to be first, I just avoided eye contact and slipped past them.

I hurried at a jog to the meeting spot. I wonder if Koume is already there?

“Sorry to keep you waiting!”

“Ah, thank you, Asahi-senpai. I’m sorry for making you do something like being an errand girl.”

“It’s totally fine. It’s way less trouble than you making me a bento.”

Besides, ‘errand girl’? Well, if I made Koume do it, it might seem that way. But it’s the reverse, so it’s safe, right?

Sitting on the emergency stairs, I named each bread as I laid them all out on my lap. Koume reacted with a big “Wow!” and looked delighted, which alone made me feel proud.

“Which one do you want?”

“They all look delicious. Could we split them all in half?”

“Sure. Let’s do that.”

I agreed, especially since I was curious about the limited Chocolate Chip Cream Pan. So, we split each one in half and started eating.

“Wow, it’s really delicious. And it’s still warm!”

“They bring them fresh-made to coincide with lunch break. With the variety, some are inevitably cooled down, but the savory breads are usually fresh.”

“Is that so? This bakery is the one on the way from here to the station, right?”

Having eaten them many times, I’m not surprised, but they’re still delicious every time. Plus, being able to share and try multiple kinds is nice. At times like this, having a girlfriend is pretty good.

“Alright, then last is the special one, the Chocolate Chip Cream Pan, which I haven’t tried either.”

“The condensed milk French bread earlier was delicious too, so I have high hopes for the sweet ones.”

“Anpan is subtly delicious too. The one with whole red bean paste. Okay, half and half.”

Ah. Crap. I got careless because it’s softer than the others, and the halves ended up clearly uneven. No helping it, I gave the bigger half to Koume.

“Here, Koume.”

“Thank you. Well, I’d like to say ‘first bite,’ but since it’s a special occasion, would it be bad if I said ‘ahhn’?”

“Eh… w-well, we’re at school.”

“No one came here yesterday either, so it’s fine.”

“No, but…”

“Besides, wouldn’t it be okay even if someone saw? Even if it’s temporary, we are dating.”

“U, uun. Okay then, let’s do it.”

If we were out somewhere full of complete strangers under the pretense of a date, maybe, but at school we might be seen by acquaintances, and I hadn’t really been thinking of just eating lunch together as a ‘date,’ so it’s kind of embarrassing.

But if Koume recognizes this as a date too and wants to go that far, well, maybe it’s okay? Even if someone sees, it’s not like it’s a problem beyond just being embarrassing.

“Then, Senpai, ahhn~”

“Ah.”

After I opened my mouth and received it, in the natural flow, Koume tore off a piece from the larger half I’d given her and put it in my mouth. I realized that if we fed each other the entire halves, I’d end up eating the bigger portion. Did Koume anticipate that too?

“Nfufu, is it delicious?”

“Yeah, it’s delicious.”

“Then my turn, please.”

From Koume’s beaming smile, I couldn’t tell if that was also part of her plan. By the way, the taste was good. The creamy, smooth part with the crisp accent of the chocolate chips, and the compatibility with the bread dough was excellent.

Well, whatever. Koume seems happy. Thinking that, I stopped overthinking and tore off a piece of the bread in my hand, offering it to Koume.

“Ahhn~”

“Ah~, nn. Hehe.”

“Nn.”

Koume ate it happily. That’s fine, but she got a bit carried away and ended up nibbling my finger for a moment. Feeding someone isn’t that big a deal in itself, but usually the pieces are a certain size or you use cutlery, so your fingers don’t touch, which made my heart skip a beat.

Speaking of which, Koume does have desires too, like wanting to kiss me, or go even further. I ended up remembering our conversation from yesterday.

It was kind of like I forced her to say it, and I even made her declare something so bold. Since she was acting normal this morning, it felt like she’d said it in the heat of the moment last night and we were just ignoring it, but it’s not like either of us was lying.

No, no, there’s no point in being conscious of that now. The sun is high, my relationship with Koume is still temporary, let’s keep it wholesome. Wholesome.

“Phew, thank you for the meal. Was it delicious?”

“Yes. Thank you for the meal, Asahi-senpai. It was very delicious.”

“Good. You don’t need to bow like that. It’s not expensive, and it’s a thank you for the bento, so let’s call it even.”

“Tomorrow, I’ll make something so delicious it’ll surprise you, Senpai!”

“Ahaha, I’ll look forward to it then.”

We finished eating safely, and my thought process managed to return without going to any weird places. There’s still half of lunch break left, so let’s just chat and kill time.

“Hehe. Yes. …By the way, Senpai, could I talk to you about something for a moment?”

“Hmm? Of course, but what is it? You sound so formal.”

After both the lunch and the conversation had settled down a bit, Koume suddenly looked serious and broached the subject. When I prompted her, she fidgeted, looking shy. It’s cute, but what is it?

“Um… is it okay if I kiss you?”

“Nn!?”

Eh!? Isn’t that way too sudden!?