Chapter – 47
It feels kind of strange to be walking home alone after a long time.
Normally, Kana-neechan and the others would be waiting in front of the school gate, but today, no one was there.
I figured they were probably busy preparing for the cultural festival.
That meant, for a while, Kana-neechan wouldn’t be coming to the school gate.
As I started heading home alone, my phone buzzed.
It wasn’t the ringtone for a call, so it must be a message.
I wondered who it could be, took out my phone, and checked. It was from Kana-neechan.
“Are you at school now? Looks like I won’t be able to make it today.”
Well, I guess all I needed to do was reply, “Okay, got it.”
As I hesitated a little, a voice came from nearby.
“…Huh? Kaede-kun?”
I turned my gaze toward the voice I recognized.
There stood a girl with twin tails—Misa-san.
She was carrying a lot of shopping bags in her hands and approached me without any hesitation.
Seeing her, I looked thoughtful and asked.
“Huh? Misa-senpai, what are you doing here? Aren’t you supposed to be busy preparing for the cultural festival starting today?”
“Yeah. Just like you said, we start festival prep today.”
Misa-san held up the bags to show me.
The amount was too much for just personal shopping, so it must be for some event at the cultural festival.
“I see… sounds tough.”
“Yeah, it’s tough. My class got assigned to the banner-making group.”
“Huh? Then what about Kana-neechan?”
“Not sure about her. I think her group is running a café…?”
“A café?”
“I don’t know the details, but according to Kana-neechan’s friend, it’s supposed to be a maid café.”
“A maid café?”
“Oh? Kaede-kun, are you interested?”
“Just a little…”
I said it modestly. Well, “just a little” was an understatement.
Kana-neechan in a maid outfit… it would probably suit her surprisingly well.
But she definitely wouldn’t want me to see it.
“When I get confirmed info, I’ll let you know… How’s that?”
“Ah, could you do that?”
“Of course! One date will be enough.”
“One date…? Is that really okay with you?”
“Yeah! After I gave you my panties, we’ve never gone on a date, so I kinda want to ask you.”
“W-wait… your voice is too loud!”
“Oh, sorry, sorry. Got carried away…”
“Anyway, one date is fine, so please give me the info.”
“Got it. Kaede-kun, you sure do like that kind of info, huh?”
“Yes. Seeing Kana-neechan in a maid outfit is something that hardly ever happens.”
Kana-neechan is basically serious, and she would never wear something like that.
Outside of an event like this, it’s impossible.
“I get your point. I’ll let you know when I hear something. Meanwhile, you should do your best at your part-time job.”
“Yes, I’ll do my best.”
I replied like that. I hadn’t forgotten, but I had a shift at my part-time job today, so it might be hard to see Kana-neechan.
“Well, I have to take these bags to everyone, so I’ll be off now.”
“Ah, okay. Good luck with the festival prep.”
“Thanks, Kaede-kun!”
“…!?”
Misa-san leaned in and kissed me on the cheek, then turned on her heel and walked into the crowd.
Misa-san and Nao-san both do unpredictable things.
They always catch me off guard with sudden kisses.
I need to be more careful in the future.
For now, I should reply to Kana-neechan’s email so I don’t forget.
When I got home, I checked my phone and saw another message from Kana-neechan.
“I feel a little lonely, but I won’t be able to come to your house today. So, hug the panties I gave you earlier as if they were me while you sleep. Oh, and I want to exchange lunchboxes tomorrow morning, so please make one for me again.”
Hugging Kana-neechan’s panties… what a pervert thing to do. There’s no way I would actually do that.
And a lunchbox…
She’s probably planning to make a “mutual love” lunchbox again.
“…If she asks like that, I guess I have no choice. Do I have the ingredients?”
I muttered to myself as I headed toward the fridge.
“What’s wrong, Kaede?”
As I looked inside the fridge, my mother spoke.
I responded vaguely,
“Uh… nothing, just…”
My mother had a knowing smile.
“Let me guess, Kana-chan asked you to make a lunchbox again?”
“How did you know?”
“If I see you staring at the fridge with that gloomy face, it’s obvious.”
“So you really can tell?”
“As a mother, it comes naturally.”
“You think so?”
“You can’t say no when asked, can you? Especially when it’s Kana-chan asking.”
“Yeah… unfortunately.”
“Then you should make a good lunchbox and show your good qualities.”
“Show my qualities? Isn’t that a bit much?”
“What are you talking about? Your strength is being responsible. That’s something girls rarely notice.”
“I guess…”
“A boy who can cook well is unusual, so take pride in it.”
“Uh… I’ll try my best, though I’m not sure if I can be confident. I’ll make a regular lunchbox as usual.”
“Good.”
My mother smiled at me.
For tomorrow’s lunch, there’s no problem with the ingredients.
Now it’s just a matter of seeing what kind of lunchbox Kana-neechan will make.
If there’s one thing I hope doesn’t happen again, it’s that she doesn’t draw hearts on the rice like last time.
