CH 19

At midnight, when the full moon passes directly overhead, the traffic on the streets has dwindled, and the lights in the nearby houses have mostly gone out. It is a time when people are settling down to sleep.

“Fufufufufun, fufufun fu~n,” Nanami, wearing a cool-looking half-sleeved, half-pants pajama, swings her long, white legs while looking at her smartphone, her cheerful aura in full bloom.

On the table in front of her are sliced lemons that were bought at a convenience store, a fruit platter, and concentrated grape juice.

It looks as if a mini-fruit party is about to take place.

“Hey, what are you doing at this time of night, Nanami nee-chan?”

Haru appears in the living room, yawning and holding his waist for some reason.

“Oh, Haru.It’s rare to see you up at this hour. What’s up?”

“Nah, just fell out of bed and woke up,” Haru responds.

“Hahaha, you haven’t changed since you were a kid. Your sleeping habits were terrible back then. You used to kick me all the time when we slept together,” Nanami teases.

“Shut up. Don’t bring up stories from when we were kids,” Haru retorts.

Despite his complaints, Haru was not angry,  he was just trying to hide his embarrassment. He was thirsty after waking up, so he opened the refrigerator, took out a 2-liter bottle, and poured himself a cup of green tea.

“So, what are you doing at this hour, Nanami nee-chan? Don’t tell me you’re planning to go to bed? Judging by how lovely you are,” Haru asked Nanami while pouring a cup of green tea in the kitchen.

“Oh, do you want some too, Haru? I bought too much fruit, and it’s more than enough for me,” Nanami replies.

“I think you just wanted someone to talk to, right? You always do that when you go on a shopping spree,” Haru teases.

“That’s partly true, but I really can’t finish all of this fruit. So, how about I give you some, and you keep me company? It’s like a trade,” Nanami proposes.

“Fine, but keep it brief. I’m really sleepy,” Haru agrees.

“I think you’ll forget about being sleepy once you hear what I have to say,” Nanami says with a mischievous smile.

Haru takes a fruit fork out of the cabinet and sits across from Nanami in the living room, where they start their late-night chat while snacking on the fruit.

“So, let’s get to the point. How is Toma-kun doing?” Haru asks.

“What do you mean? Are you asking about his feelings towards Mio-senpai?” Nanami replies.

And so, the two continue their conversation, munching on the fruit platter, late into the night.

“Uh-huh. It’s been a little while since then, so I wanted to ask. Did Toma-kun say anything about Mio-chan?”

“Oh yeah. Today we happened to talk about it and he said,’I wouldn’t have any complaints. I think it would be strange if it didn’t happen.’ “

“Wow. As expected of Toma-kun! He really understands Mio-chan well!”

For Mio, Toma’s words were the highest praise. Even her best friend Nanami was nodding her head up and down with joy.

“Mio-senpai was voted the number one woman that guys at South Public University want to walk with, so it’s reasonable. By the way, second place is Honoka-san, who goes to the same University as us, apparently.”

“Is there really a ranking like that? Even if you tell me she’s second, I don’t know…”

“By the way, Mio-senpai is popular among guys who like older women, and Honoka-san is popular among guys who like younger women.”

“That’s why I don’t know!”

It wasn’t out of anger for falling off the bed, but rather due to the excitement of the night that Haru was using an attack that Toma had previously used on Nanami.

“I’ll get the pictures next time if I can.”

“Well then, I’ll ask you to. If she’s in second place, she must be a really cute girl.”

“I don’t know the details, but she’s apparently very cute.”

“Hmm. But we’re getting off topic! We’re talking about Mio-chan, right? Did Toma-kun say anything else? Did he just give her compliments?”

Nanami, who had the ability to bring the conversation back on track, wasn’t missing the main point. She asked if there was anything else Toma had said, implying, “Are there any other compliments?” As expected of Nanami.

“Ah, I remember now. He said something like, ‘There’s a part of me that sees Sasaki-san as just a customer and hasn’t quite seen her as a woman yet.’ Well, that’s understandable. Mio-senpai seems to be a regular at the bar where Toma works,” said Haru.

“Hehe, just as I thought… Toma-kun sees it that way,” said Nanami with a smug expression, as she had predicted.

“Your face looks kinda awkward,” said Haru.

“Oh, wanna take a picture? It’s 500 yen for one, and 10,000 yen for a hundred shots,” said Nanami, teasingly.

“No thanks, it’s not even worth a penny,” replied Haru.

“Ugh, that’s why Haru can’t get a date. You’re putting a value on people’s faces,” Nanami said, mockingly.

“Well, you put a value on yourself, didn’t you? And why are you so pleased with yourself?” Haru retorted.

“This is new information~ Mio-chan is getting serious about trying to win over Toma-kun soon,” said Nanami nonchalantly as she popped a lemon slice into her mouth.

“What?!?” exclaimed Haru in disbelief.

“Seems like Toma-kun is still seeing Mio-chan as just a customer. So let’s make a plan and help her win his heart! Haru, I’m counting on you to give Toma-kun some love advice,” Nanami said with a mischievous grin.

“No way! What?!?” exclaimed Haru in shock.

Even though Nanami had just made a shocking revelation, Haru couldn’t keep up with her rapid-fire dialogue. The reality of the situation had not fully registered in her mind.

“Toma-kun’s going to be quite a sight to see as he keeps seeing Mio-chan only as a customer. We’ll make a solid plan to help her win his heart. Haru, I’ll be counting on you for Toma-kun’s love advice. I’m sure you’ll be quite busy,” Nanami said with a chuckle.

“What?!?” yelled Haru once more, unable to process the sudden confession that had come from Nanami in the middle of the night, her voice echoing through the living room.