Chapter 7

That day, I was even more sleep-deprived than usual. I'm often somewhat sleep-deprived, but today was especially bad, and the reason was completely different from usual.

Today was the day I would meet a girl for the first time in my life.

Even though it was the result of a penalty game, it was still my first time meeting a girl. I couldn't help but be nervous.

Baron had told me to be there by 7:00, but I was trying to get to the meeting place even earlier. I woke up because I couldn't sleep, so I took the first train, and it was now 6:30.

I told my mother I had some business at school and left without giving her the full story. I was too embarrassed to tell her I was meeting a girl.

At this rate, I would arrive at the meeting place an hour early. Well, it's much better than being late, and I could pass the time playing mobile games.

I was thinking about this when an unexpected situation left me confused.

She... Nanami was already at the meeting place, an hour before the scheduled time. She stood there, exuding grace... There weren't many people around yet, but the men who passed by all glanced at her.

Hmm? Did I get the meeting time wrong?

...No, my phone says it's 6:30, and her message said 7:30... I didn't get it wrong, and there's no time warp or anything. The time is accurate.

Eh? Why is she here so early?

I was confused, but I didn't want to keep her waiting. Baron had said that being late would make the other person think you don't take them seriously.

Well, I'm not late, but now that I've found her, it wouldn't be right to keep her waiting.

When I saw her, I panicked and ran over to her.

For a moment, she flinched as if scared by my approach, but when she realized it was me, she relaxed and smiled at me.

"Nanami, sorry. Did I keep you waiting? I thought the meeting time was 7:30... Did I get it wrong?"

"No, you didn't get it wrong. I just got here a bit early... Good morning, Youshin."

"Ah... Good morning, Nanami."

It seems I didn't get the time wrong. She just arrived early... Wasn't that a bit too early? I greeted her back, smiling, even though I never thought I'd be greeting a girl like this in my life.

She was wearing her usual school uniform, but her shoulder bag was a bit larger than yesterday's. I thought her bag was more compact yesterday, but maybe she just changed it on a whim, like girls do?

...I was the one she confessed to yesterday, even if it was a penalty game. Even after a day, seeing her again made me feel like it was all a dream.

"But, I also got here early. I woke up early because I had something to do... Youshin, you're early too, right?"

Her words brought me back to reality. ...What should I do? Should I be honest? Well, there's no point in making up a story.

"Yeah, sorry... This is my first time meeting a girl, so I was nervous and couldn't sleep... I woke up early... It's a good thing I didn't keep you waiting, Nanami."

"Hmm... I see. You didn't have to worry so much... But, yeah, it's good that we met early today."

Despite her casual words, she was smiling. Her smile suggested she was happy to see me early, which left me a bit confused. I mean, I'm happy too, but...

Rather, wouldn't she prefer not to spend too much time with me, since we're only together because of a penalty game?

I don't understand girls... But when I looked at her face, I noticed something different about her hairstyle. Yesterday, her hair was straight, but today it was braided.

Come to think of it, Baron said...

"Hey, Canyon, if you notice a small change in her, always compliment it. Your girlfriend is probably a popular girl, so she must put in a lot of effort every day. Don't just say she's cute... If her hairstyle has changed, say something specific like, 'That hairstyle suits you.'"

"Is that something you read online?"

"Of course. I'm the type who gets scolded for not noticing, and in the workplace, it could even be considered harassment. But with a girlfriend, it's a different story."

Yeah, even if it's something I read online, giving compliments is important. I couldn't think of anything to say about her bag, so I'd at least compliment her hair.

...Would this increase her good impression of me? It's a gamble, but... No, I should just compliment her. Everyone likes to be complimented, right?

"Nanami, you've braided your hair today. Uh... That hairstyle suits you... It... It... It suits you."

...I failed. The word "cute" was too hard for me to say. "Suits you" was the best I could manage.

It can't be helped... Yeah... I wonder what kind of person can say "cute" so casually. I wish someone could tell me. I'll ask Baron about this later.

"Does... Does it suit me? That's good... I'm glad it suits me... I did it for you, Youshin."

"Really? For me...?"

"See, the icon on your messaging app is a girl character with this hairstyle. I thought you might like this hairstyle."

I felt a chill run down my spine at her words.

Crap! I forgot to change my icon after exchanging contact information with a girl! And it's a character from my favorite mobile game!

I don't usually exchange contact information with many people, and they're all guys, so I didn't think much of it... But I should have changed it to something more neutral...

"Don't look so disappointed. It's fine to have an anime icon. It's not unusual these days. I go to anime movies too. If you like it, that's great."

An angel stood before me.

She must have understood me from the start, since she came with the hairstyle of my favorite character. I was the one who jumped to conclusions and felt disappointed, but she didn't mind at all.

...What a wonderful girl.

"Do you like this hairstyle? How about it, is it cute?"

She pinched the braid slightly with her fingers and tilted her head, asking me.

After all she's done for me, could I hesitate to say this one thing? No, I can't. Even if I'm a bit of a recluse, I have my pride. I need to return kindness with kindness.

Imagine this is not reality but a chat in a mobile game. I can write "The new character is cute" in the chat. This is an extension of that, so... I'll say it!

"...Y... Yes... It's cute, Nanami. That hairstyle suits you and is cute."

I said it!! I said it!! I said the words I hesitated to say earlier!! But it was exhausting. I feel like I used up all my stamina for the day... I need to recover with an item... No, that's not right. This isn't a mobile game, so get a grip, Youshin.

When I came back to my senses, I saw her blushing and showing me the same beautiful smile she showed me yesterday. She seemed happy and was fidgeting a little.

...I don't need a recovery item... Just seeing her made me feel like my stamina was fully restored.

As we were chatting, it was exactly 7:00. We were half an hour early, but standing around talking any longer seemed awkward, so we decided to go to school together.

Just as I was about to start walking with her, she extended her right hand to me.

"Huh?"

"Huh?"

I didn't understand what she meant by extending her hand and saying one word.

Ah, is this it? Is she asking for a payment?

That makes sense, since she did so much for me. It's only natural to charge. Trying to enjoy it for free would be too good to be true. Maybe a few pulls from a gacha would be enough...

No, that's not right, Youshin. Don't mix this up with a mobile game. Besides, I'm basically a free player.

As I fumbled for my wallet, I came to my senses and looked at her. When our eyes met, she blushed slightly and spoke.

"Since we're dating... Let's hold hands and go to school. Or... Do you... not want to hold hands with me?"

"I don't mind."

I answered immediately. Would anyone hesitate to answer this?

When I heard her words, I instinctively took her right hand with my right hand.

...Yeah, this is a handshake. We did this yesterday. I panicked too much.

My action must have been strange, because she giggled and laughed.

"Ha ha ha, this is just like yesterday's handshake. We can't walk to school while shaking hands."

"Right... How about... this?"

I took her hand with my left hand this time. As I thought yesterday, her hand was soft and small. It was a bit cold, probably from waiting for me.

"You seem a bit embarrassed, don't you?"

She smiled at me, her face blushing. I finally realized that I was holding hands with a girl, and I blushed too.

...What should I do, Baron? I've already achieved my goal.

I silently reported to Baron, who had given me advice and set a goal yesterday.

Interlude: Nanami's Thoughts at the Time

(Wow!! Why did I suddenly suggest holding hands?! Because he said I was cute?!)

Feeling the warmth of Youshin's hand, I was excited by this first experience.

...I hope I'm not sweating or anything weird...