CH 15

 Chapter 15 - It seems that JK Idol-san is interested in zoo (part 1)

"Himahara-kun said I'm cute..." 

After the call ended, Himahara-kun's words kept spinning in my head.

Himahara-kun, to me.

"Hehehe, I'm cute, huh..."

Oh, Himahara-kun...

Hugging my plushie, I lay on my bed, basking in my happiness.

Next week, I can go to school and meet Himahara-kun after so long...

I gaze at the photo of Himahara-kun that I took while we were out.

"Himahara-kun..."

+×+×+×+

Even though I go to school, I feel a distance between Himahara-kun and myself in the classroom.

Despite being in the same room, I sense a gap between Himahara-kun and me.

I want to talk to him more.

But I have to be patient. It's for the sake of both of us.

I don't want to cause any trouble and make things difficult for Himahara-kun because of strange rumors.

As I glance at Himahara-kun from the side, I see Nanamisawa-san talking to Himahara-kun.

Nanamisawa-san is lucky.

I see how effortlessly she starts conversations with anyone.

Of course, there's a difference in the distance between Himahara-kun and me when he talks to me compared to when he talks to Nanamisawa-san (both physically and psychologically).

If we could talk freely like we used to, maybe we could become closer. Holding back until the end of school feels like torture.

After the homeroom period is over, I immediately head home.

And then, I wait for Himahara-kun at our meeting spot on the way home.

Our meeting spot is in front of an empty lot a little far from school.

After waiting for a few minutes, Himahara-kun arrives.

"Sorry for keeping you waiting."

"No, I wasn't waiting. Come on, let's go."

Finally, we can talk.

Excitement overflows naturally, and I smile without thinking.

"Is something good happening?"

"Huh? Ah, no, nothing special."

"...I see."

Himahara-kun always matches his pace with mine, walking on the side of the road closer to the cars. Even though he's usually indifferent and insensitive to everything, he has this gentleman-like nature.

"Is there a place you want to visit today?"

"Hmm, I want to go somewhere where we can talk for a long time."

"We've talked a lot on the phone, is there something else you want to talk about?"

"It's okay, right?"

"Alright, alright, I understand. In that case, let's find a place where we can sit for a long time, oh... wait."

Raindrops start to fall.

Today was supposed to be sunny all day according to the weather forecast.

"Sakurazaki, did you bring an umbrella?"

"Today, I thought it would be sunny all day, so I didn't bring one..."

"Right, I didn't bring one either. Let's go to a place where we can seek shelter from the rain before it pours."

We run and take cover under a roofed bench in the nearest park.