Chapter 26
Moonlit Night and the Date
We left the hamburger shop and stepped into the shade.
“It’s only one o’clock. What should we do next?”
“Eh?”
Tsukiyo made a surprised little sound, as if she hadn’t expected that question at all.
“Uh, um, well—”
“Wait, you weren’t planning to just watch a movie and call it a day, were you?”
Tsukiyo nodded apologetically. It’s only the beginning of the afternoon. If we stop now, this whole date plan would fall apart halfway through.
Then again, I have no idea what people actually do on dates either.
“What do you usually do when you hang out with your girlfriends?”
“Let’s see… We chat at cafés, go look at clothes, or sometimes play at arcades.”
“Well, aside from the café, why don’t we go look at clothes? That sounds pretty date-like, doesn’t it?”
At that, Tsukiyo lowered her head, covering her face with both hands, pretending to cry.
“Uuugh… I already spent all my money this month buying these clothes…”
“Oh, I see…”
Sorry, if I were rich, I’d buy you brand-name stuff or whatever you wanted… but there’s only so much a high schooler’s wallet can handle.
With her looks, Tsukiyo could probably catch the eye of some rich boy easily—though she’d definitely hate that.
“So, what do boys usually do for fun? Like, what do you and my brother do when you hang out?”
“We either read books at Seiya’s place or just talk.”
“Now that you mention it, you’re always at home, aren’t you? I’m really sorry about my brother.”
Well, when it’s just guys, we never spend money anyway.
He even plays mobile games completely free-to-play, enjoying how far he can go without paying.
Other than that…
“There’s karaoke, bowling, sports stuff too. Oh! I’d love to hear you sing, Tsukiyo.”
“N-no no no! Absolutely not! I’m terrible at singing!”
“But you’ve got such a pretty voice. I wouldn’t mind even if you weren’t great.”
“No way, no way! I’d bite my tongue and die!”
“You don’t have to take it that seriously.”
With Tsukiyo’s firm refusal, karaoke was officially off the table.
Maybe I’ll ask her friends sometime what her singing’s actually like.
That leaves… something sporty, but—
“With that outfit, exercise is kinda impossible, huh?”
“Ugh…”
Mini skirt and boots—definitely not clothes for moving around. She could change, but she clearly didn’t plan for that.
Still… her pale legs peeking out from under the skirt are almost too captivating.
Tsukiyo drooped her shoulders.
“I’m sorry… I tried so hard to look nice, but I’m just useless.”
Watching her flustered like this is kind of fun, honestly.
I couldn’t help but laugh.
“You don’t have to laugh at me…”
“Sorry, sorry. Then how about we just walk around the mall?”
Tsukiyo cheered up again, and we strolled together through the city’s biggest shopping mall.
Even if we didn’t buy anything, window-shopping like this was nice.
Still…
“People keep heading that way.”
“That’s the event hall, I think… Sometimes celebrities show up there. Wanna check it out?”
We made our way to the event space.
Whoa, tons of people. Who’s here today?
A nearby sign said that the popular idol group 【Ice】 was holding a mini live performance.
“Looks like 【Ice】 is here.”
“They’re so popular! Oh, the live show’s just about to start!”
“The new album they released recently was really good.”
“I listened to it! Lots of gentle ballads this time—I loved it.”
The circular event stage at the back of the mall was packed with people.
【Ice】, a five-member idol group of high school girls, had become incredibly popular lately thanks to their singing, dancing, and stunning visuals.
There was one special reason why Tsukiyo and I were both fans of this group.
The live had just begun.
Each member of 【Ice】 introduced herself in turn.
One of them—a blonde girl with semi-long hair—stepped forward with a light, lively dance and waved to the crowd.
“I’m Hii-chan~! Thanks for coming, everyone~!”
Her voice was bright, clear, and resonant—it carried all the way through the hall. The audience responded with loud cheers. Idols really are amazing.
“Hii-chaaan!”
Tsukiyo shouted back, but of course her voice didn’t reach.
Ah—but Hii-chan looked our way and waved!
Maybe she really did notice Tsukiyo. Impressive.
After about twenty minutes, Hii-chan stepped back, and another member began her solo song.
At that moment, Tsukiyo’s phone buzzed.
“It’s from Hii-chan!”
Yes—Hii-chan was our friend.
