Chapter 148: A Real Shojo Protagonist
The pair went inside the place of a popular patisserie. It was filled with many patrons, but more importantly, it was also filled with plenty of delicious treats and sandwiches for them to eat.
Arata had never been here before, so he was in awe at just how many options there were to choose from. Akiba, on the other hand, had frequented this restaurant multiple times with friends and family. So she was more accustomed to the vibe of the location as she directed them to sit at a table for two. It was situated right besides the window, allowing the pair to peer out and enjoy the view as crowds of people passed by on their daily errands.
"If you get confused, don't be too shy to ask me." She told him as they read their menus. He scanned along the items for sale, trying to make sense of the selection. Everything on it just looked so appetizing to him.
"I don't even know where to begin." He told her. It all looked so good, but nothing was standing out to him either. "What do you recommend?"
"I've tried out most things." She responded. "But, I'd have to say my favorite is… the shokupan, made with Kashi dough." That along with some freshly made jam was heaven for her. "It's a little boring, I know."
"I think it sounds pretty good." So he ordered it along with her. Akiba also ordered a coffee to go along with it, of course with a lot of cream. Arata was more of a fan towards soft drinks. As that was his preferred option to keep himself awake during those late nights watching anime.
Now that he had the opportunity to chat with her while they waited for their meal. The boy wondered what would make for good topics? This was to be a day for them to forget their worries, so none of their friends could be used for subjects. So, what was their to talk about?
"So…" He awkwardly attempted to start a conversation. "You come here often?"
"I've gone plenty of times with Yogi and Akaki. Hmm, I guess I've never really taken anyone else though." It certainly made him feel a tiny bit more special, seeing as he was that other person getting the chance to be with her here. Though Arata was already unique in that he knew about her secret spot in town. "What about you? Don't you have some places you like to frequent?"
"Well, I think you already know about one place." He answered while slightly turning his head to avoid her gaze. The location referenced being the otaku shop, but he didn't like that being his only answer. It made him sound like a stereotype of those dweebs whose only personality was their hobby. "To be honest, I'm kind of a boring person."
"I don't think that." She countered. "If I'm being completely honest, it's a lot of fun to spend time with you."
"You're just trying to make me feel better."
"I'm being serious." She spoke a little more firmly. To her, he was someone that she felt a little more… Free with. Aside from getting a lot of stress relief when they messaged each other on the phone. Akiba did enjoy having him among the friend group. There was a contrast from before he became friends with everyone. Perhaps it was the interesting situations he found himself in. Such as their beach trip, or when he lost his memories. "It's even nice that you're an otaku, since I also enjoy some manga here and there." Quickly, she shied away from the subject after bringing it up. "Not that I'm one or anything."
"Right, I doubt you've got posters scattered across your walls, or figurines on top of your shelves like I do." He understood where she was coming from. Not from the factor that she was nowhere near his love for the hobby, but from her reluctance to admit enjoying it in the first place. Obviously none of the others cared or disliked it, but they didn't exactly know about the subjects within it. "I take it that you don't get the chance to talk about the manga you've read outside of online forums."
"Yeah…" She admitted it like it was something to be ashamed of. "I'm glad that Yogi and Akaki are understanding and they try, but neither of them really get anything that goes on.
Finally, their food and drinks came in. It was placed before them, with the pair of them giving thanks before digging in. Despite its plain concept, the shokupan was absolutely scrumptious. He was really glad that she suggested it, as she also took a bite into her own piece.
Akiba had on a cute face as she smiled in the delight of their food. To wash it down, she took a sip of her coffee, which had a lot of whipped cream on top of it as requested. When she placed her cup down, there was a bit of a cream mustache left above her cheek. Seeing it, Arata couldn't resist giggling at the sight of it.
"What?" She asked, confused by his reaction. He couldn't hide his growing smile, as the boy pointed towards it, barely able to answer in his laughter.
"Your lip, you've got a little something there." Realizing what he meant when she checked her reflection in the window. Akiba began to join him in the laughter. Being able to enjoy this time with her, the young boy couldn't believe just how precious his time with her truly was. "You know, you're a real shojo protagonist."
"Hmm?" Her laughing stopped when he said so. Now replaced with a bewildered look on her face. "What do you mean?"
"I mean, you really have the look of one. And I think that you've got their attitude too." He explained to her. "You've read plenty by now. Surely you've felt how relatable their stories are?" Of course, a lot of manga do design their characters to allow the readers to self-insert themselves as.
"Maybe." She replied. "But, they're genuinely nice, and they've got boys who have crushes on them." He could see that she was still unaware of Akaki's feelings for her.
"But you are nice." He countered. "It's just that you've got… Other feelings too, like jealousy and hate." It was weird to say those things out loud to a person. Those are not usually words that someone would say to another person's face. "I've seen every side of yours, so I know you're not the bad person you put yourself out to be."
"You really mean that?" She was stunned to hear that coming from him. Then again, this was also the same boy who took a hammer to the head for her. Even despite her outburst towards him. It made her really happy to see that he didn't change the way he looked at her. Or perhaps, it only added onto what he originally believed her to be when she was simply the friend to his seatmate.
The pair of them continued on with their food. Exchanging discussion on multiple topics that didn't involve their friends. Most of it revolved around the things that entertained them, with a little bit about future plans with their Spring vacation coming up as well. They would've talked about the holiday that was coming up much quicker were it not for their agreed upon plan to avoid talking about romance.
Finally, they finished up their food and it was time for them to head out and really get their day started. If only they planned things out, since everything was happening to them in an impromptu manner. Their next destination was going to have to fall into their laps for them to decide on it. Or in this case, they were going to have to run into it, literally.
"Oof." Arata said as she stumbled into someone as they rounded the corner away from the bakery. "Sorry about that." He said as the boy looked towards the person he ran into. To his surprise, it was someone he knew. That being Yuriko, who fell onto her back. From his perspective, he got a real nice view of what was under her skirt.
"Eh?" She was still a little bit confused as she shook her head in an attempt to regain some bearings. When her vision regained focus, she realized the poor position she was in and immediately pushed down her skirt to hide her decency. The girl's harsh glare hit Arata real hard. "Pervert." She whispered under her breath, but loud enough for him to hear.
"I'm so sorry." He sprung into action as he reached down to aid in the girl getting back on her feet. "I'm surprised to run into you here."
"And I guess you're also surprised to see us too." Erina spoke up, which caused him to turn his head to look at her. She wasn't along either, as Akaki was standing right besides her. This revelation was more than enough to cause him to nearly fall over from the shock.
"What are you all doing here!?" He asked with an amplified tone.
"My mom needed me to help out one of her friends with something at her shop." Yuriko explained. She asked the other two to help her out with the task and that they could perhaps hang out since they'd be in the downtown area at the same time. "You already knew about this, I asked you yesterday when we watching the kids."
"Oh right." He did recall her sending out the offer to him. Arata had declined since he was going to have tea time with Hine, so he believed that there wouldn't be any time for him to make it for her. This ended up slipping out of his memory after he talked Akiba.
"I hope it wasn't too bad for all of you." Akiba spoke up. "If you told me about it, I would've loved to help out." Seeing the three of them here was a little bit of an odd sight for Arata. Though he had to keep it in his mind that despite all the romantic tension, everyone here are also friends. Except even with that, wouldn't Yuriko at least have asked Yogi to help out? That seemed like a good time to take a shot.
"I don't know, it looks like you had plans for today." Yuriko responded. They could easily see that Arata and Akiba were hanging out together here before running into them.
"Yeah." Akaki just had to ask the million yen question. "What are you two doing here together?"
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