Chapter 68

Translator: mii

Editor: Ryunakama

＃　＃　＃

Thursday, November 23 is a national holiday. Break time. Gratitude to all the workers.

It’s Labour Thanksgiving Day.

At 10am in the morning on such a holiday, I was walking next to Kouhai-chan for some reason.

「Why am I going with you, isn’t that just weird?」

「But senpai, you come in the end anyway, didn’t you?」

「Then I’ll go home now.」

The moment I stopped walking, Kouhai-chan grabbed my wrist.

「You can’t.」

The destination she dragged me to was Kinko’s.

Copy, print, and poster print. It seemed like an amazing shop that can do anything, as long as it’s within the range of「printing」.

I said “seemed” because this is the first time I came here. But I felt like I heard its name alone quite a lot on the internet.

「Err, this should be the place, right?」

「Why do you sound so unsure?」

「This is the first time I have come to this kind of place.」

「Me too, okay!」

The school festival would start on Saturday, but the deadline for Kouhai-chan to bring the data to print her illustration was on Thursday. This Kinko’s shop was quite amazing, and it seemed like it would be easy to make special prints such as posters and panels here. I just found that out a while ago, though.

Kouhai-chan approached the counter with a flashdisk in her hand.

I daydreamed a little, and before I knew it, Kouhai-chan returned back to my side.

「Senpai.」

「Ah, you’re done?」

「Yeah. They said it should be finished tomorrow.」

How fast. How amazing…

「Then, let’s go home.」

I started my map app, checked the direction to the station, and left the store.

Now then, let’s go home and sleep again.

「Wait, senpai! Why are you going just like that?」

「But we’re done with our business.」

「I mean, you don’t have to be that impatient. Senpai doesn’t have any appointment anyway, right?」

「My appointment to go home and sleep is…」

「You don’t have, eh. I understand.」

I was completely ignored.

「Lunch… it’s still too early, eh. Let’s have some tea now.」

＊　＊　＊

We looked for an affordable place, and in the end, we got into an eye-catching McD.

Senpai ordered an apple pie and coffee, and I ordered a cocoa. We settled on the second floor of the building.

「Fuu, how warm.」

Senpai sighed, wrapping his hands on his cup of coffee. That’s right, he was sensitive to cold as well.

「It sure is warm~」

「No, this is not the time to appreciate the warmness of McD, you know.」

「Why?」

I took a sip of my cocoa. The sweetness spread into my mouth, and I felt like my tired body was thoroughly healed.

「Why did you make me come along with you, even if this is the art club’s affair?」

「You’re going to ask that now?」

「I also know that it’s too late, though.」

Today was two days before the cultural festival started. There were no lessons to attend, but people had started to set up for the cultural festival. Of course, the art club was no exception.

「Because everyone in the art club is currently at school.」

「Ah, to prepare?」

As expected from the student council president, he was quick to understand.

「Eh, but isn’t Kouhai-chan also a member of the art club?」

「I’m currently in the middle of finishing up my illustration.」

「Is it something that a person who is currently drinking cocoa at McD should say?」

「I only need to prepare for the set-up properly, so this should be fine, right?」

「Isn’t that what Kinko’s are doing…」

「Isn’t it fine to have a little snack time?」

＃　＃　＃

I wondered what would happen if I told my classmate, Idezuka what she was currently doing.

But of course I wouldn’t do it just because I thought of it, and it was also unclear how much this ghost member was considered as an important force.

「By the way, senpai.『Today’s question』.」

We sat facing each other, so I could see her eyes directly.

「Senpai, do you come to this kind of store often?」

「I don’t really go to other stores, but I come to McD quite a lot.」

Kouhai-chan who was resting her chin in one of her hands seemed like she was enjoying this a little bit.

「When do you come, and what do you usually order?」

「At weekends.」

「So there are times when senpai would also leave the house at weekends, eh.」

「Of course I have. How rude.」

I took a sip of my coffee to clear my throat. Even though it was still late autumn, the air was dry, and winter was steadily approaching.

「Hee…」

「On my way home from buying books,」

「Yes.」

「Or on my way home from buying used books.」

I often went to book-sales.

「Aren’t they the same?」

「Don’t make bookstores and book-sales out as the same thing.」

Because they’re completely different. First of all, how they arranged the books was different.

「Then, there would be times when I went home from buying books at noon. I would use this on those occasions.」

I took out my shareholder coupon from my wallet and show it to Kouhai-chan.

「What is this?」

「It seems like this is what a shareholder will get, so I can eat for free no matter what the value set is.」

Kouhai-chan tilted her head a little.

「Eh, senpai, do you have stocks here?」

「Ah, my grandmother has it, and she gave it to me since it was too much.」

「Hee…」

Well, it’s not that interesting to look at the shareholder coupon.

I put it back to my wallet and took a bite on my apple pie.

The crunchy texture and the sweetness of the apple that melted inside were nice.

「Then, here comes my『today’s question』for Kouhai-chan. Do you come to McD often?」

「I usually come when I don’t have enough money for small talks after school.」

「How specific.」

Her reply was very smooth.

＊　＊　＊

「So what do you usually order? As I thought, is it cocoa?」

I had to think a little to this question of senpai’s.

Usually, I will order…

「Fried potato?」

「How normal.」

「I don’t really drink cocoa that much.」

「Is that so? You have an image of someone who will drink that all the time, though.」

「It’s only for today.」

After all, sometimes, I want to embrace this sweet feeling, senpai.