"Where are we going now?"
Outfit bought, Mio hugged Yumiko's arm and asked the question with open curiosity.
Yumiko looked at the shops lining both sides of the street. "I don't really know. Let's just wander for a bit—maybe we'll figure out where to go as we walk."
"Didn't you always draw up some super strict plan before a mock date? How come there's no plan this time?"
"Because this one came up too fast. Besides, isn't it kind of nice to just go wherever the mood takes us once in a while?"
"Either way's fine by me. As long as Yumiko's by my side, that's enough." As she said it, Mio nuzzled her cheek against Yumiko's, savoring the soft, smooth sensation. So this was why girls were always cuddling up to each other—Mio finally got it.
If they were going to act, they were going to commit to the full performance.
Mio's little move shattered the hearts of more than a few passersby stealing glances at them—though that heartbreak was quickly followed by excitement. After all, two pretty girls cuddling up close? Who wouldn't love that?
Hearing Mio's words, Yumiko bit down lightly on her lip. If only lines like that weren't being said during a mock date—how wonderful would that be.
The shift in Yumiko's expression was obvious, but at that moment Mio's attention had been hijacked by a crepe stand nearby. She tugged at the hem of Yumiko's clothes and said in a sugary tone, "Yumiko, I want that."
"Sure, eat it—what flavor do you want?"
"Chocolate, then."
So they could trade flavors, Yumiko ordered two different ones.
Mio took a small bite, and the taste of cream and fruit flooded her mouth. A look of pure satisfaction spread across her face.
Funny—before she transmigrated she hadn't been much for sweets at all, but ever since, she'd found herself liking this stuff more and more.
Mm. It's definitely Shiina Mashiro's bad influence.
Feeling some cream on her face, Mio was just about to reach for a napkin when Yumiko stretched out her index finger, wiped the cream from Mio's cheek—and then popped the finger into her mouth.
Catching Mio's stare, Yumiko tilted her head. "What is it?"
"N-nothing."
Honestly, Mio hadn't expected Yumiko of all people to pull a move like that.
That kind of thing was usually her job—with Yumiko playing the flustered, embarrassed one. Now the tables had turned, and Mio was the one a little at a loss.
To keep Yumiko from noticing how rattled she was, Mio could only duck her head and pretend to be checking her phone.
Yumiko caught sight of Mio's reddened ears, and the corners of her mouth curved up into a smile.
It was right then that the two of them heard a familiar voice.
"Hayato, look at those two over there—isn't that Shirai and Yumiko?"
That voice was unmistakably Tobe's. On reflex, Mio grabbed Yumiko's hand, ready to bolt.
But to her surprise, Yumiko showed no intention of running at all. She even turned around and waved a greeting at Hayama and the others standing not far off.
Mio blinked. The last time they'd run into Hayama Hayato on a date, Yumiko hadn't acted like this.
It was odd, but to keep them from catching on, Mio forced herself to settle her emotions and step out of the girlfriend role.
"Yo, what are you two doing here?" Tobe walked up, asking with curiosity.
"Shopping. Is that a problem?"
"Course not, just didn't expect to bump into you here." After offering his grinning explanation, Tobe went on, "Oh right—Hayato and I are about to head to school to play some ball. You two wanna come?"
"No thanks."
"Hm?"
Tobe shot Yumiko a slightly startled look. In what he'd just said, the ball wasn't the point. The point was Hayama Hayato.
In the past, the odds were near certain Yumiko would've tagged along.
And maybe it was just his imagination, but lately Yumiko seemed to have cooled toward Hayama quite a bit.
Of course, by "cooled" he meant in the romantic sense—their friendship hadn't changed at all.
Right then Hayama walked over too, greeting the pair with a smile. "Yo. I'm not interrupting anything, am I?"
Yumiko looked at Hayama Hayato long and hard. In this moment, she could say for certain that the feeling she'd once had for him was gone. She gave a small shake of her head. "Not at all. Mio and I just won't be playing ball, that's all."
"I see. You two keep enjoying your shopping, then. Tobe and I will head off first—we'll probably be at it until noon, so drop by anytime if you feel like it."
"Sure."
Once Hayama and the others had disappeared into the distance, Mio finally spoke up. "Yumiko, why didn't you duck out of sight back there?"
Yumiko reached out and ruffled Mio's long, silver-white hair. "With hair colors like ours, where exactly would we hide once we'd been spotted? Even if we did hide, it'd just make us look guilty."
And besides—there was no longer any need to hide.
"That does kind of make sense. Lucky we were eating, though. If they'd caught us snuggled up together, that would've been hard to explain."
"It's fine. Worst case, I'll just tell them you're my girlfriend."
Mio didn't take the words to heart at all. She wolfed down the rest of her crepe and said, "Let's get going, find somewhere else."
"Where to?"
"Anywhere. Staying here just doesn't feel safe," Mio said under her breath.
On the other side, Tobe—walking the road toward school—thought back over what had just happened, then said, "Hayato, don't you think Yumiko's attitude toward you has changed lately?"
"Has it?"
"It has. Pretty obviously, too. She used to be the first one to rush over to your side the moment she saw you. Lately she hasn't done that at all."
Now that he really thought about it: back when the popular clique would hang out and chat, Yumiko was always bringing up Hayama Hayato every so often. But these days the topic of Hayama came up a whole lot less.
More and more, she was off whispering about something with Shirai, the two of them constantly huddled together all secretive.
Don't tell me those two are actually into some yuri stuff?
Tobe's mouth twitched. He'd nearly cracked himself up with his own thought.
Tossing that out-of-nowhere idea to the back of his mind, Tobe picked up his pace and caught up with the main group ahead.
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