Original Author: ひのはら (Hinohara)
Date Submitted to Kakuyomu: 2021/09/13
After school, Aira doesn't go straight home to Ichijou Ema's apartment.
Ema never told Aira to not come back, but after offending her like that, it has become too awkward to return there.
"...What do I do?"
She enters a fast food restaurant and takes the counter seat closest to the corner before sitting there for an hour.
The ice in the drink she ordered had already melted and she couldn't drink it anymore.
She stirs her drink with her straw as she wonders what to do.
At that time, despite all the empty seats, a salaryman takes the seat right next to her.
Then, he talks to her in an overly familiar manner.
"Sorry, did I keep you waiting?"
A salaryman in a business suit that Aira doesn't recognize is talking to her, a high school girl in her school uniform.
In this bizarre situation, Aira replies while avoiding eye contact.
"I think you've mistaken me for..."
"You're exactly my type."
Aira slings her bag over her shoulder and walks away without another word.
She's wearing her school uniform, so anyone should be able to tell at a glance that Aira is a high schooler.
Her instincts sound the warning alarms against this adult who ogled her as he tried to hit on her.
Leaving the fast food restaurant, Aira walks along the streets in the evening.
"...Haah."
Why was her mother so insistent about not letting Aira live by herself?
Of course, there's the fact that she's her mother's one and only daughter.
Adding to that though, her mother was well aware of the possibility of her 17-year-old daughter falling prey to bad adults.
One time, when she and her mother were walking on the streets, a man suddenly approached her mother.
"Excuse me, ma'am. My senpai says that your daughter is just his type, so I was wondering if you could give me her contact information?" were the unexpectedly shameless words he said.
Her mother angrily yelled, "Don't screw around with me, get lost!" and desperately tried to protect Aira from that man trying to pick her up.
Aira's appearance stands out much more than others, so that makes Aira's mother all the more worried.
Since it's autumn, it gets a lot chillier in the evening.
Having no place to go, Aira arrives at a bench in a park a short distance away from the apartment building.
It's already 6:00 p.m.
It's gradually getting darker so she can't just stay here forever.
However, she doesn't know how to face Ema.
"Aren't you cold, young lady?"
For a moment, she tries to ignore that pickup line.
Not long after, she realizes who the voice belongs to and raises her head.
"Why..."
The trench coat she's wearing suits her slender figure well.
Her beautiful blonde hair seems to shine in the surrounding darkness.
"..."
"It's already autumn, so you must be cold, right? Let's go home."
"...I'm not cold."
She softly smiles at Aira's bluff.
Aira isn't wearing her cardigan today, so she's completely freezing.
She... Ema surely must have seen through Aira's bluff.
Without saying a word, she drapes the trench coat over Aira's shoulders.
"Let's hurry up and go home."
"...But, I..."
"What?"
"Now that I think about it, I've been a terrible jerk..."
Thinking back, Ema had been kind enough to let her stay over free of charge, but Aira has been wary of her just because she is a lesbian.
She refused to face Ichijou Ema and kept her distance because of her narrow views.
"....You don't don't to worry about that."
"But..."
"I want to smoke... so let's hurry up and go home already."
Ema takes Aira's hand. When she begins to walk, Aira takes a step forward as well.
Ema soon removes her hand so Aira feels that warmth for only a moment.
Aira hasn't completely relaxed her guard, but she wants to get just a little closer to Ema. That's what she thinks as she walks down the street in the evening.
Aira opens the refrigerator door to reveal a dreary sight.
"It's empty..."
Yesterday, she ordered delivery and this morning, she had oatmeal so she didn't notice this until now.
There are cans of beer and some water-in-jelly neatly lined up.
In addition, there are some side dishes that appear to be snacks to accompany the alcohol, but they don't seem to be very nutritious.
She opens the freezer to find a bunch of frozen pasta.
"...What is this?"
"Frozen pasta."
"I can tell by looking... What about nutritional balance?"
"I take supplements. Oh, and I also have nutrition drinks."
"For someone who works the nightlife, their body is their lifeline! You have to take better care of..."
Ema's eyes open wide in surprise at Aira's explosive response.
It's already too late for her to take back her words.
After accidentally touching upon the topic she knew better not to, Aira's gaze wanders restlessly due to the awkwardness.
"Nightlife...?"
"Ah..."
"Aira, do you think I'm in the nightlife business?"
"I mean, you're living in such a nice apartment even though you're a NEET..."
Looking at Aira, whose voice is getting smaller and smaller, Ema smiles in amusement.
On her second day here, Aira finally sees Ema's smiling face.
"I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I don't work in the night business."
"Then why..."
"You wouldn't understand even if I told you."
Ema, holding a cigarette in her mouth, blows some smoke toward Aira.
Aira quickly turned her face away to avoid a direct hit, but that doesn't change the fact that Ema avoided the question.
As usual, her answer is vague.
Aira doesn't understand what Ema is thinking, but she doesn't sense any animosity or malice from her.
Somehow, Ema might not have come to dislike her.
Original Author: ひのはら (Hinohara)
Date Submitted to Kakuyomu: 2021/09/13
After school, Aira doesn't go straight home to Ichijou Ema's apartment.
Ema never told Aira to not come back, but after offending her like that, it has become too awkward to return there.
"...What do I do?"
She enters a fast food restaurant and takes the counter seat closest to the corner before sitting there for an hour.
The ice in the drink she ordered had already melted and she couldn't drink it anymore.
She stirs her drink with her straw as she wonders what to do.
At that time, despite all the empty seats, a salaryman takes the seat right next to her.
Then, he talks to her in an overly familiar manner.
"Sorry, did I keep you waiting?"
A salaryman in a business suit that Aira doesn't recognize is talking to her, a high school girl in her school uniform.
In this bizarre situation, Aira replies while avoiding eye contact.
"I think you've mistaken me for..."
"You're exactly my type."
Aira slings her bag over her shoulder and walks away without another word.
She's wearing her school uniform, so anyone should be able to tell at a glance that Aira is a high schooler.
Her instincts sound the warning alarms against this adult who ogled her as he tried to hit on her.
Leaving the fast food restaurant, Aira walks along the streets in the evening.
"...Haah."
Why was her mother so insistent about not letting Aira live by herself?
Of course, there's the fact that she's her mother's one and only daughter.
Adding to that though, her mother was well aware of the possibility of her 17-year-old daughter falling prey to bad adults.
One time, when she and her mother were walking on the streets, a man suddenly approached her mother.
"Excuse me, ma'am. My senpai says that your daughter is just his type, so I was wondering if you could give me her contact information?" were the unexpectedly shameless words he said.
Her mother angrily yelled, "Don't screw around with me, get lost!" and desperately tried to protect Aira from that man trying to pick her up.
Aira's appearance stands out much more than others, so that makes Aira's mother all the more worried.
Since it's autumn, it gets a lot chillier in the evening.
Having no place to go, Aira arrives at a bench in a park a short distance away from the apartment building.
It's already 6:00 p.m.
It's gradually getting darker so she can't just stay here forever.
However, she doesn't know how to face Ema.
"Aren't you cold, young lady?"
For a moment, she tries to ignore that pickup line.
Not long after, she realizes who the voice belongs to and raises her head.
"Why..."
The trench coat she's wearing suits her slender figure well.
Her beautiful blonde hair seems to shine in the surrounding darkness.
"..."
"It's already autumn, so you must be cold, right? Let's go home."
"...I'm not cold."
She softly smiles at Aira's bluff.
Aira isn't wearing her cardigan today, so she's completely freezing.
She... Ema surely must have seen through Aira's bluff.
Without saying a word, she drapes the trench coat over Aira's shoulders.
"Let's hurry up and go home."
"...But, I..."
"What?"
"Now that I think about it, I've been a terrible jerk..."
Thinking back, Ema had been kind enough to let her stay over free of charge, but Aira has been wary of her just because she is a lesbian.
She refused to face Ichijou Ema and kept her distance because of her narrow views.
"....You don't don't to worry about that."
"But..."
"I want to smoke... so let's hurry up and go home already."
Ema takes Aira's hand. When she begins to walk, Aira takes a step forward as well.
Ema soon removes her hand so Aira feels that warmth for only a moment.
Aira hasn't completely relaxed her guard, but she wants to get just a little closer to Ema. That's what she thinks as she walks down the street in the evening.
Aira opens the refrigerator door to reveal a dreary sight.
"It's empty..."
Yesterday, she ordered delivery and this morning, she had oatmeal so she didn't notice this until now.
There are cans of beer and some water-in-jelly neatly lined up.
In addition, there are some side dishes that appear to be snacks to accompany the alcohol, but they don't seem to be very nutritious.
She opens the freezer to find a bunch of frozen pasta.
"...What is this?"
"Frozen pasta."
"I can tell by looking... What about nutritional balance?"
"I take supplements. Oh, and I also have nutrition drinks."
"For someone who works the nightlife, their body is their lifeline! You have to take better care of..."
Ema's eyes open wide in surprise at Aira's explosive response.
It's already too late for her to take back her words.
After accidentally touching upon the topic she knew better not to, Aira's gaze wanders restlessly due to the awkwardness.
"Nightlife...?"
"Ah..."
"Aira, do you think I'm in the nightlife business?"
"I mean, you're living in such a nice apartment even though you're a NEET..."
Looking at Aira, whose voice is getting smaller and smaller, Ema smiles in amusement.
On her second day here, Aira finally sees Ema's smiling face.
"I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I don't work in the night business."
"Then why..."
"You wouldn't understand even if I told you."
Ema, holding a cigarette in her mouth, blows some smoke toward Aira.
Aira quickly turned her face away to avoid a direct hit, but that doesn't change the fact that Ema avoided the question.
As usual, her answer is vague.
Aira doesn't understand what Ema is thinking, but she doesn't sense any animosity or malice from her.
Somehow, Ema might not have come to dislike her.
