CH 21

I was going out with Hiyori today.

“Hidetsugu-san, Thank you for waiting.”

Hiyori slung a small bag over her shoulder.

“Shall we go?”

Then We left the apartment together.

“It’s hot again today.”

“Yeah.”

Jiiwah, Jiwah

(T/N: Sfx for cicadas chirping)

The heat seemed to be pressing in on us. The chirping of the cicadas also fueled the heat.

“…H-Hidetsugu-san.”

“Yeah”

“I’m cold.”

“Oh, I see. Girls tend to get cold, don’t they?

“Yes. That’s why… my hands are cold.”

Hiyori lowered her head slightly as she said that, and held out her small hand.

“I-I see.”

I touched her hand.

“Ah, it’s really …. cold.”

“Y-Yes. So, if you hold it …… now, it might feel good.”

“Well,…let’s try then.”

I gently held Hiyori’s hand.

“…Hidetsugu-san, your hands are really warm.”

“S-Should I let go?”

“I-I like it this way.”

“I-I see.”

Hiyori squeezed my hand. I could feel Hiyori’s pulse through the fingers of her small, delicate hand. I held Hiyori’s hand firmly, but not too tightly.

“Oh, Hiyori. Isn’t your head hot?”

“Huh?”

“Because you might get heat stroke. ….”

I gently placed my hat on Hiyori’s head.

“Ah,…”

“I’m sorry, it might smell like me… but if you don’t like it, you can take it off, okay?”

“I-I don’t hate it. ….”

Hiyori held my hand and pressed the hat.

“….Hidetsugu-san, you are unfair.”

“Eh, why?”

“You always make me so …. nervous.”

“W-well, that makes two of us. …… You’re the one who’s too cute.”

“… Mou~, no more.”

Hiyori was getting dizzy.

“O-Oi. Don’t tell me you really have a heat stroke?”

“I-It’s not that…  I’m just…. lovestruck.”

“You .. idiot.”

I pressed my hat even deeper on Hiyori.

“Hyah!”

“Come on, let’s go.”

I pulled Hiyori’s hand.

“Yes.”

Hiyori’s voice was lively.

******

We arrived at a shopping mall.

“Phew, air-conditioned and well-equipped, it’s an oasis,” I said,

“Hiyori, you want to take off your hat? It’s getting cooler.”

I asked, and Hiyori shook her head.

“This is fine as it is… it’s convenient.”

“Convenient?”

“It saves me from having you see my … embarrassed face.”

“Hiyori …… as for me, I’d love to see your pretty face, but… I can’t …”

“Kyuu~~..”

Suddenly Hiyori made a strange voice.

“Hey, you okay?”

“… it’s not really okay”

Hiyori said, pressing her hat, deeply.

“… I know I’m not behaving properly…, but I’m going to stay like this for a while.”

“Oh, okay. I understand.”

I nodded. Then I pulled Hiyori’s hand and entered a clothing store.

“Hiyori, you only have a T-shirt, right?  Therefore, you should wear more girly summer clothes… But I don’t know about them.”

I looked around.

“Ah, excuse me.”

“Yes, yes,~~.”

An amiable female clerk came over to me.

“Um, I’d like to pick out some girly summer clothes for her …”

“Understood, What kind do you like, Kareshi-san?”

“Well, let’s see… …, for now, prim and proper .”

“Well, a one-piece dress, then.”

“I think we bought a one-piece dress before …. but was that for spring?”

“There are lots of cute summer dresses too~!”

“Okay, Then.”

“And, for my part, I think I’ll try to match it with a hat, too.”

“A hat?”

“I like the boyish look of that men’s stuff, but I was thinking … about a more girly hat.”

“Ah, sorry. This is mine.”

“Ara”

The clerk covered her mouth with both hands,

“…… Ahem. Then, May I borrow your girlfriend for a while?”

“P-please.”

“Then, please return this hat to your boyfriend…then, come over here, Kanojo-san… Fufufu, my hands are itching for the first time in a while.”

I thought I saw the clerk’s eyes glitter but …… well, I’ll leave it to you. Then Hiyori looked at me and waved her small hand. H-How cute can she get?

I put on the hat I got back and hid my blushing face.

******

Then I waited for about 30 minutes.

“I’m sorry~, she’s so cute, I couldn’t resist dressing her up…I was having a hard time matching!”

“I-Is that so?”

I was standing in front of the dressing room right now.

“Now, are you ready?”

“Uh, yes.”

I nodded, and the clerk smiled.

“O~pe~n!”

The curtains were opened.

Immediately after, my eyes widened. Hiyori was dressed in a pure white one-piece dress. It was, of course, prim and proper, but with the shoulders exposed, there was a hint of sexiness about it.

And on her head was a small straw hat ……

“… this can never get dirty.”

“Mou~! Kareshi-san! Suddenly a dirty joke!, I don’t dislike it, though!”

(T/N: 汚せない: Means “To Defile”/ To make Dirty)

“I-It’s not that!, I meant that you can’t get it dirty with food!”

Seeing me hurriedly denying it, the clerk giggled.

“H-Hidetsugu-san”

I turned around.

“H-How is it…?”

Hiyori said, crossing her hands behind her back and fidgeting.

“….Cute, Very Cute.”

“T-Thank you.”

The, Me and Hiyori stared at each other for a while.

“….. Um~, am I interrupting?”

Then we both gasped. The clerk was grinning.

“I-I’ll buy this.”

“Thank you very much~!”

Then, after paying the bill, we left the store.

“I’m sorry, Hidetsugu-san. Again, making you pay for it ….”

Hiyori, clad in new clothes, said.

“Don’t worry about it. It suits you very well. It’s really cute.”

When I said this, Hiyori pressed her cheeks with both hands. I just noticed that the blush on her cheeks and other parts of her body stand out because of her pure white dress. ……

No, no, no, no. Don’t think about anything strange.

“Shall we have lunch?”

“Yes.”

“Let’s eat where we can get napkins so we don’t soil that dress.”

“Understood. It’s an important dress that Hidetsugu-san bought for me. I’ll do my best to eat it without making it dirty!”

Hiyori struck a gut-pose with both hands. I couldn’t help but laugh.

“eh?”

“Ah, I’m sorry… I just thought that you are very cute.”

“H-Hidetsugu-san is the one….who’s cool”

“Wha… T-that counter is  foul, you know?”

“I-I’ll return the favor once in a while.”

“Idiot… let’s go.”

“Yes, ….”

I grabbed Hiyori’s hand and started walking again.