I’m in Hokkaido with Nana, the older schoolgirl type.
After checking out of the hotel, we headed to a ramen shop for lunch.
Since Nana said she’d be happy wherever I wanted to go, this was the place I picked.
The two of us sat down at the counter. ”……”
Nana was fidgeting quietly, doing something.
She lifted her chair slightly, moved it a bit closer to mine, and then sat back down in it. “Hehe~♡” ”……?” What the hell was that just now?
Looking at my confused face, Nana said this, blushing.
“It’s just that it was pretty far away. I only wanted to sit by Sensei’s side as much as possible♡”
Nana smiled elegantly. This girl is really so reserved. If it were my sister Akari, she would have clung to me without a care.
“It’s not like it’s a problem, you know. You can get much closer.”
“W-Well… this is enough. Any more than that and… ah, no”
Lately, I’ve learned something about Nana.
She’s the type to be restrained about everything.
Even if I tell her it’s fine, she’ll absolutely hold back. It’s just part of who she is.
So, I’m not going to force her into anything. I want to let things go whatever way feels natural for her. “Which ramen do you want?”
Pulling ourselves together, we decided to eat ramen.
Nanako nods and thinks it over. This isn’t her being reserved; she’s genuinely deliberating.
I stay quiet until she gives her answer.
“I’ll have this one, Miso Ramen.” “Then I’ll do the same, then.” “Hehe ♡ Matching! ♡”
Nanako gets incredibly happy over small things. She’s a lot like Akari in that regard.
While we wait, I have a bit of casual chat with Nanako.
“Do you eat ramen, Sensei?”
“Well… sometimes, I guess. What about you?”
“I eat it occasionally too. Akari-chan usually makes dinner for us, and we hardly ever went out to eat.”
Akari’s cooking skills are at a professional level, you know.
Also, these girls’ home situations are a bit unusual.
It seems like their parents didn’t really fulfill their parental duties. After all, they haven’t sent a single word even though both kids have already left the house.
…Wait, I shouldn’t overthink this. Nana is feeling suffocated; if she thinks I’m brooding because of something related to me, that would be bad.
“It’s not like you hate eating out, right?”
“Yes. I do like fast food places and stuff!”
“Is that so? Then how about we eat out on weekends?”
”! T-that’s… too much of a burden…”
“It doesn’t cost anything, so it’s fine. Honestly, I’d be happier if you guys enjoyed yourselves. After all, she is my girlfriend, and so are you, and Akari.”
“Sensei… thank you!”
While waiting, I suddenly realized that I never really had casual, personal conversations with them like this before.
I’ll make time to talk like this more often from now on. Right now… everyone is my girlfriend, after all.