LIGHTNOVELSTORY chapter 37
37. Outer and Inner Moat
“W, why…”
“Today’s the school anniversary, so there’s no classes. I was bored, so I texted you and you seemed free too. Plus, I’ve always wanted to see what university was like.”
“Even so, coming here suddenly…”
This was bad. Just a moment ago, I had been talking about heroes with Izaki. And right after we’d talked about Philanspink’s appearance, he might recognize Momo’s face and realize her true identity.
I cautiously glanced at Izaki’s expression.
“Hey, who’s this girl? Your junior, Asagi?”
His face was slack with a somewhat vulgar expression. It was the same look he’d had when we were talking about Nightingale’s chest.
“Yes! I’m Sempai Sora’s junior from high school. My name is Momo. Nice to meet you.”
As Momo bowed politely, Izaki’s face turned into a leer, and slapped me on the back.
“Hey, hey, what’s this? You didn’t tell me. If you have such a cute junior, you should’ve said something.”
It seemed I had worried for nothing. At least this idiot wouldn’t realize Momo’s true identity.
“What would I have said, idiot?”
“You could’ve introduced me to your high school girl friend! Or rather, I’d rather have Momo-chan. Are you two dating? If so, I’m so jealous.”
While I was relieved that Momo’s identity was safe, this was turning into another kind of problem. Though neither of us was underage, Momo looked so young that it felt almost criminal.
“Ahahahaha, as if!”
Momo replied before I could deny it.
“Because to you university upperclassmen, a kid like me wouldn’t be interesting, right? Sempai Sora is always like that. He’s kind, but he never gets excited around me.”
“W, what, Momo!?”
Momo and I locked eyes for a moment, and she gave a mischievous little laugh.
“Nooo, that’s not true. Asagi’s just being a tsundere. He’s just pretending not to be interested. If I had a cute girl like Momo-chan around me, I’d be over the moon.”
“Really? That makes me happy, but it’s embarrassing to be called cute.”
Momo responded to Izaki’s emphatic denial with exaggerated innocence.
“Wow, she’s seriously cute. Hey, Sora!”
“Y, yeah.”
It was awkward, and I felt like I was being teased by using Izaki. I wanted to tell him that the girl he was calling cute was the one inside the Philanspink costume he’d just been saying looked like a guy. But if Momo found out about that, it would be a disaster.
“Momo, you came to see the university, right? I’ll show you around. Izaki, go home.”
It was hard to talk comfortably with a civilian around, and if we stayed with them any longer, strange rumors might start to spread.
“What, am I a nuisance?”
Izaki pouted exaggeratedly.
“Whatever. I have to go to work anyway. I’ll leave you two alone today. See you later, Momo-chan.”
“Yes, next time, please tell me about your senior, Sora-senpai, at university~”
I managed to somehow get rid of Izaki like that. It was awkward in two ways, but at least the crisis was over for now.
Well, there were a lot of things I wanted to ask Momo, but it wouldn’t be good to talk while standing in the rain.
“You came to see the university, right? I’ll show you around.”
As I turned around to start walking, Momo’s small hand tugged at my hem.
“No, it’s okay today.”
“You came all the way here for nothing?”
“Umm…”
Momo continued in a small voice, a little shyly.
“It was just an excuse to meet you, senpai.”
“Huh?”
I wondered if it was okay for her to say that to me in person. An excuse? That made it sound like she came all the way to the university to meet me.
It was somehow too much like the behavior of a normal couple or a girl with a crush, and I became overly conscious of it. I thought the same thing when Uguisu-san made me a home-cooked meal. I can recognize yandere-like expressions of affection as fear or trials to overcome, but when she acts like a normal girl like this, my low tolerance for women in general makes me nervous.
I’ve been surrounded by beautiful girls lately and I tend to forget, but I’m just an ordinary college student who’s the same age as everyone else. I don’t think I’ll ever get used to being toyed with by s*xy older women or teased by cute and devilish juniors.
“Somehow, I feel like I’m being led around by the nose…”
I scolded myself in a small voice that the sound of the rain drowned out.
“Speaking of which, senpai, you haven’t had lunch yet, right? Could you tell me about any recommended restaurants nearby?”
She must not have wanted me to talk about the ‘excuse’ thing any more, because she quickly changed the subject. Maybe this refreshing attitude is also one of her techniques to keep me on my toes. The fearsome Philance Pink.
“W-well, about that…”
I didn’t want her to think I was acting weird over something so trivial, so I calmly switched my mind to senpai mode.
“Sorry, but I don’t know any places that Momo would like.”
Of course, I don’t know any trendy places that high school girls would like, or any stylish places to go with a girl alone. It might be nice for Momo to eat at the university cafeteria, since it would be a new experience for her and it would also be like a university tour, but it gets really crowded during lunch hours and it wouldn’t be comfortable for an outsider to hang around. It would also be troublesome if she was mistaken for my girlfriend.
“What do you want to eat, Momo?”
Either way, I’m not having ramen today. It’s a shame, because I was really in the mood for some iekei ramen, but I can’t make Momo line up at a small and sticky ramen shop. Or rather, a girl like Momo probably wouldn’t go with me. I read in an article online that guys who take girls to ramen shops are a no-no. What a terrible thing to say.
“Hmm, I’m in the mood for ramen today. Do you know any good places?”
“Really, is that okay?”
I was genuinely happy about her unexpected suggestion. What was that online article? It must not be very reliable.
“I’d like something rich, if possible. I might not look like it, but I love to eat a lot. It’s embarrassing to go alone as a girl, but I’d be fine if I was with senpai, so I thought this was my chance.”
I hadsumed that small and cute creatures lived on small and cute things, but it seems I was prejudiced. Of course, Izaki’s comment that high school girls are made of macarons was also nonsense.
“If you don’t mind waiting in line, I know a delicious iekei ramen place.”
As I said that, I thought about the route to Minakami in my head.
“That sounds great, a ramen shop with a line! That’s perfect. Is that okay with you too, senpai?”
“Yeah, I wanted to go there anyway.”
“hehehehe, we’re on the same wavelength.”
I really think so. It makes me a little happy. Maybe Momo and I have similar tastes in food, not just in TV shows and manga.
“Oh, before that…”
Before we started walking, I remembered my promise to Momo.
“…and your casual clothes are cute too.”
“hehehehe, right?”
Momo realized it herself before I could even ask her for the first time. My promise to Momo was to always tell her she was “cute” when we met. Even if she didn’t need me to tell her that, since it’s obvious that Momo is cute, and she probably gets told that all the time, I think it’s something that came out of Momo’s yandere nature.
Momo’s abnormalities are hard to detect, and despite being in frequent contact these past few days, I haven’t noticed any new signs. Rather, she seems much more self-reliant than those young girls who often post about their illnesses or attention-seeking behavior on SNS. If she can become a proper heroine just because I said she’s “cute,” I’d be more than grateful.
“The fact that you specifically mentioned ‘in your casual clothes’ earns you extra points~”
For some reason, this time she even included an edit.
Momo spins around on the spot with a satisfied expression, showing off today’s outfit. A coral pink off-the-shoulder shirt with a tank top peeking out from the neckline. A knee-length denim skirt with subtle lace-up detailing that beautifully accentuates Momo’s slender, fair legs. She’s wearing long boots that look like ordinary boots at first glance, but they seem to combine appearance and functionality, which is also nice.
I don’t really know what Momo usually wears, but I feel a little embarrassed when I think that she might have dressed up a bit to meet me. Well, that might just be me being self-conscious.
“…Senpai, I’m happy you complimented me, but it’s a bit embarrassing when you stare at me like that?”
Oops, I stared too long.
“S-sorry.”
“Well, Momo is really cute, so it’s no wonder you’d be captivated. Come on, let’s hurry to the store.”
As she says this, Momo switches the hand holding her umbrella and stands right next to me.
“Oh, Senpai, yours is a folding umbrella. We can’t share an umbrella like this. Momo’s is small.”
“No, I have my own umbrella.”
“That’s beside the point.”
Amidst the sound of rain echoing from the dome-shaped space above, Momo’s slightly high-pitched voice is clearly audible. I can’t help but hear her words, spoken with puffed-out cheeks as if she’s pouting.