Seishun Buta Yarou Series - Volume 11 - Chapter 1.2

2

Between hanging out with Yuuma, his class at the cram school, and a shift at the restaurant, Sunday was a long one. Yet Monday still came at him in the morning.

A depressing way to start the week.

He was woken up by his cat, Nasuno, stepping on his face. He made breakfast for Kaede, got ready to go, and left the house—all part of his typical routine.

But that’s where routine ended.

His route to school was not at all typical.

The view out the window wasn’t the one he’d been staring at for six months. From the moment he left home, everything he’d seen was new.

For good reason—Sakuta was sitting in the passenger seat of a car. Mai was driving. And obviously, that meant they were taking a different route.

She’d called shortly after his shift last night. “I’m filming at the studio in town tomorrow. I’ll be driving in, so I can drop you off at campus.”

A morning driving date with Mai. He wasn’t about to turn that down.

And in a car, they didn’t have to worry about prying eyes. Didn’t have to worry about anyone eavesdropping on their conversation. This moment was for them and them alone.

“Will you be back late tonight, Mai?”

“Yeah, almost certainly. Why?”

“I don’t have a shift, so I thought I’d have dinner waiting for you.”

But if she’d be back late, that wouldn’t work.

“You have work tomorrow?” she asked. “Which one?”

“Cram school.”

“Then you’ll be back by nine?”

“If I rush, I can make it by eight thirty.”

“Go ahead and walk. I’ll cook for you. Any requests?”

Everything Mai cooked was good, so this was a tough choice. As he dithered, a very cross voice answered for him.

“Curry.”

Putting on his best scowl, he turned to the back seat. Nodoka was sitting there, glowering even more than he was.

“How long have you been there, Toyohama?”

“The whole time!”

“You shouldn’t have said anything.”

“I let you have the passenger seat, didn’t I? But were you grateful? Nooooope!”

“Thanks for ruining our morning driving date.”

“Then curry it is,” Mai said.

Nodoka’s proposal had somehow won out.

“Do I not get a vote?”

“Serves you right.”

He could see Nodoka’s triumphant grin in the mirror. Despicable.

“You met up with Futaba yesterday, right?”

“I did. And Kunimi.”

“What’d she say?”

Mai left out the specifics, but he knew what she meant. There was no need to make her elaborate. She was asking about the miniskirt Santa—about Touko Kirishima.

The way nobody else could see her was an awful lot like Mai’s own case of Adolescence Syndrome. That’s probably why it was bugging her.

“Futaba suggested I try to get her phone number.”

“You sure do collect female friends.”

Mai’s words were barbed.

“But you’re the only one I love.”

“I’ll allow it. I suppose asking this Touko Kirishima directly is the quickest solution.”

“Is this the miniskirt Santa you met?” Nodoka interjected. She didn’t look up from her phone and didn’t seem that interested. “You sure you weren’t just daydreaming? Nobody would wander around campus dressed like that. Even if they were invisible.”

A sensible statement, really.

“She’s calling you out, Mai.”

To be fair, Mai hadn’t gone for the miniskirt Santa look. Her outfit had been even sexier—a proper bunny-girl outfit. And she’d worn it to the library instead of a college campus.

The moment they hit a red light, Mai reached out to pinch his cheek.

“Owww! That hurts, Mai!”

Mai was smiling pleasantly, but the look in her eyes warned him not to blab.

“True, it is supposed to be our little secret… Ow! Mai, the light! It’s green!”

The car in front pulled out, so Mai let go of him. She stepped on the gas and eased forward.

“Oh, Toyohama,” Sakuta said, rubbing his cheek.

“What?”

“Did Hirokawa ever meet Touko Kirishima?”

Uzuki’s popularity wave had been kicked off by a commercial for wireless earphones that used a Touko Kirishima song. Uzuki had done an a cappella cover of it that got everyone talking.

And if she’d been given Adolescence Syndrome as a present, they might have met.

“She said she wanted to say hi but never got the chance.”

“Huh.”

“The label that approved the song licensing said they do everything through e-mail.”

That was the end of that. No way in or out. Any questions he had would have to wait until he ran into her again. If that happened at all.

“Guess you’ll have to talk to that girl from your junior high.”

“Yeah.”

He wasn’t thrilled about the prospect, but it was a more tangible lead than chasing a miniskirt Santa who might not even exist. Ikumi Akagi was definitely a student at his college.

The view out the windows was starting to look familiar. Up ahead, he could see Kanazawa-hakkei Station, the nearest stop.

They’d left Fujisawa only forty minutes ago. This moment with Mai was all too fleeting.

“Don’t fall asleep in class,” she said as she let them off in front of the station.

“If I get to dream about you, I’d rather sleep,” he joked just before shutting the door.

He watched her mouth an insult, then drive off with a smile.