The next day.
Minase had said, “Then, let’s meet at ten,” and I’d replied that I understood—but we hadn’t actually decided on the details. Was she coming to get me? Or should I go to her? Or were we meeting outside somewhere?
While I was hesitating, the clock struck ten.
I was already ready to go. If I had time to hesitate, I might as well move. Sitting at home, waiting for her to come pick me up when I was already ready to leave—that’d just be arrogance.
I left the house, locked the door, and headed upstairs. When I arrived at Minase’s apartment, I pressed the doorbell.
“Comiiing!”
Her voice came from the intercom. At least today, she didn’t fling the door open without warning.
“It’s me, Aoi. You ready to head out?”
“Just a second! I’ll open up right away.”
The intercom cut off, and not long after, the door opened.
Minase stood there, wearing a cropped top that barely covered her stomach and short shorts. Both pieces were plain in design—clearly loungewear.
“Sorry! I was actually planning to come get you.”
That was the first thing she said when she appeared.
“Yeah, I don’t think you’re exactly dressed to go anywhere right now…”
“Uh, yeah, there was a bit of an unexpected situation.”
Minase gave a dry laugh.
“Anyway, come in and wait for a bit. I just need to change.”
With that, she disappeared inside.
Was it really okay to enter a girl’s place when she’d just said she was going to change? As I stood there debating, the door—unsupported—slowly began to close on its own.
A few seconds later, it opened again. This time, Minase stuck her head out, just her face visible.
“What are you doing?”
“Ah, well…”
Tilting her head in confusion, she didn’t seem to mind me coming in at all.
I stepped inside. She didn’t hand me slippers today—probably too busy. I walked to the living room in my socks.
Then, I caught the smell of curry. Maybe she’d cooked it earlier, planning to eat it when she got back. The “unexpected situation” she’d mentioned might have been that she lost track of time while cooking.
“I’ll just change real quick.”
Leaving that behind, Minase disappeared into her room. I was left alone in the living room.
So, what now? Yesterday, Yukari had watched TV while waiting, but somehow I didn’t feel right about touching someone else’s remote. I reached for it, then stopped mid-motion. Yeah, Yukari really was bold.
I considered looking out the window, but something I shouldn’t see was hanging on the balcony, so I quickly looked away. In the end, I sat on the familiar sofa and scrolled through my phone as I waited.
After about five minutes—
“Sorry to keep you waiting!”
Minase finally appeared.
She wore an oversized cut-and-sew top and short pants. It looked a lot like what she’d worn before, but this was clearly meant for going out. What made the difference? The design, maybe?
“How do I look?”
She spun around. A small backpack rested on her shoulders.
“Looks cute.”
“Really? Thanks!”
She beamed with a bright smile.
“So, what about the bare legs?”
“No comment.”
I turned my back on her teasing grin and stepped outside first.
“Well, you do see them at school all the time… Oh, wait, I get it—you prefer miniskirts?”
“Shut it.”
Why did she keep trying to paint me as some kind of leg fetishist? Not that I didn’t think she had nice legs or anything.
“So, where are we headed today?”
She asked as we walked toward the station.
“Let’s stay local today.”
“Got it.”
Good—she didn’t seem to have any specific destination in mind. Easier for me.
“I invited Koreda-san too, but she said she had plans.”
“That’s too bad.”
I almost said, “Yeah, I figured,” but stopped myself. If I did, she’d wonder how I knew. I didn’t want her finding out I’d seen Yukari yesterday.
“If she came, you’d have flowers on both arms, huh?”
Her tone was teasing—I didn’t need to see her face to know she was smirking.
“You and Yukari get along?”
I asked, changing the subject.
“Hmm… I guess just normal?”
She answered uncertainly.
From what I could tell, Minase was the type who got along with everyone—boys and girls alike—but didn’t form particularly deep bonds. To her, everyone was just “normal.” Maybe the only exception was her close friends from acting school.
“Koreda-san’s really pretty, huh?”
“Yeah.”
No denying that. Even as a tomboy, she’d always had sharp features, and five years later, she’d grown into a stunning beauty. It was surprising, but it made sense.
“You two ever dated? You’re childhood friends, right?”
“Don’t be stupid. She’s way out of my league.”
To most guys, Yukari was untouchable. Being her childhood friend might have lowered the barrier a little, but not by much.
“I don’t see her that way anyway. Neither of us does.”
Honestly, I’d never really thought about romance at all. It wasn’t about who—it just wasn’t something I considered.
“Maybe you’re just too close to notice?”
She tilted her head playfully.
“You’re making wild guesses,” I muttered, half tempted to ditch her right then and there.
***
We stood on the station platform, waiting. Soon, the train slid in.
“Even more crowded than yesterday…”
I couldn’t help sighing.
It was the second day of Golden Week, and the trains were packed. I could tell before the doors even opened.
“Wait, you took the train yesterday too?”
Minase caught the slip.
“Had some stuff to do.”
“Oh, okay.”
She didn’t press further—whether she thought it wasn’t her place or just didn’t care, I wasn’t sure. Or maybe she just dropped it because we were about to board.
The doors opened. A few people got off.
No seats left, obviously. I’d learned my lesson from yesterday with Yukari—standing side by side and holding onto the straps was safest.
“Let’s stand over there.”
But before I could move, Minase made a beeline for the empty space near the opposite door.
“Perfect.”
She stood with her back against the door. With no choice, I stood in front of her—just like yesterday.
“Something wrong? You look tired.”
“Just… a lot of people.”
I must’ve looked annoyed. I brushed it off with a vague answer.
The train started moving.
“Do you work during Golden Week too?”
“Of course.”
The café, *Miss Me Blind*, didn’t have set holidays. Even during Golden Week, it stayed open every day. I could take time off since I was part-time, but the manager basically lived there.
“You took today off for this, didn’t you?”
“Technically, yeah. But it’s flexible—I’ve taken time off for dumber reasons before.”
When exams came around, I’d always been allowed to cut back or take the whole week off, so it wasn’t a big deal.
“I see.”
She let out a small sigh of relief.
“You’re not going home?”
“Only during summer and New Year’s.”
“Right, because we’ve got school in between Golden Week.”
She chuckled.
She was right. TV liked to say “a miracle five-day holiday,” but that was for adults who could take time off. For students like us, those midweek school days broke everything up.
And truth be told, I hadn’t gone home last summer. I’d quit the soccer team right before the break. After forcing my parents to let me attend a school far away for soccer, I couldn’t face them after quitting so soon.
I went back for New Year’s, but I still hadn’t told them the truth. I’d have to eventually.
The train reached the next station. More people got on.
“Whoa—”
The crowd pushed from behind, and I instinctively braced my hands on either side of Minase’s head.
“Oh, this is that *kabedon* thing, right?”
“It’s not, idiot.”
Sure, if you looked at it out of context, it definitely seemed that way—but what situation would ever justify this otherwise?
“Sorry, it’s a bit cramped, but bear with it.”
This way, at least, I wouldn’t crush her, and the distance wouldn’t shrink beyond arm’s length. A few more stops, and the crowd should thin out.
The doors closed, and the train rumbled forward.
“It’s weird, isn’t it?”
Minase said suddenly.
“What is?”
“Trains. You can stand shoulder-to-shoulder with complete strangers and not care, but when it’s someone you know, you suddenly get all self-conscious. Shouldn’t it be the other way around?”
“You’ve got a point.”
Unless it was someone who made my skin crawl, I never cared who stood near me in a crowd. But with Minase—someone I knew—I was careful not to get too close. Yeah, she was right. It was the opposite.
“Ah, but you’re fine, Aoi. You can get even closer if you want.”
“Yeah, no thanks.”
Her sense of personal space was still completely broken.
Still, while her face being this close was awkward, it wasn’t as nerve-wracking as being across from Yukari yesterday. Maybe that was because Yukari had that flawless beauty, or maybe it was because Minase’s personality just didn’t let tension stick around.
Wait—why was I even thinking about Yukari now?
Yesterday, she’d said: “Minase-san might look carefree, but she’s got a surprisingly good figure.”
Today, Minase’s loose shirt hid her shape, but even then, I could tell her chest had a definite presence—not huge, but enough to notice once you did.
“It’s an 86D, by the way.”
“Guh—!”
The sudden assault of that information made me choke.
“What the hell!?”
“Ahaha, I just noticed you were looking.”
Right. She was ridiculously sharp when it came to noticing stares.
“Still, you didn’t need to say it out loud!”
“So you’re not denying you were looking, huh?”
“Well…”
I trailed off, looking away toward the window. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw her smiling mischievously.
“So, it’s not legs for you after all—it’s boobs, huh?”
“I never said that!”
I tried to protest, but even I knew my words didn’t sound convincing.
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