Leaving the noisy cafeteria behind, I feel a gaze on me from somewhere as Kiritsuki and I head back to the classroom together.
Even on the way, she keeps up the casual small talk like it’s nothing.
“Himura-kun, you’re not in any clubs, right? What do you do after school?”
“If my parents aren’t home, probably chores. Even if they are, I go shopping or whatever, so I’m not bored.”
“Got it. By the way, I’m—”
“In the track team, right? I heard some guys in class who saw you running say, ‘Not even a millimeter of jiggle, what a tragedy.’”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
She glares at me sharply as she snaps back. Hey, I’m not the one who said it.
“You’re not dense enough to not get it, I’m sure.”
This year, the guys are gonna get to see some big ones bouncing, huh? Lucky them.
As I’m thinking that, I catch an even more exasperated stare from the girl beside me.
“What?”
“Nothing. Just wondering if this is one of those moments where I’m supposed to ask, ‘So, Himura-kun, do you prefer big ones or small ones?’ or something.”
“You don’t need to ask stuff like that.”
Like, if someone asked me, “Do you prefer a big dick or a small one?” would I just answer normally?
No way, right? You’d call it sexual harassment and flip out.
It’s not that different, what she’s doing.
Wait, no, maybe I’m comparing it to the wrong thing.
“Okay, then, what about normal stuff, like your type in terms of looks?”
That’s a decent question, so I think it over. I like to think I have a normal sense of beauty, but growing up around Kaori has kinda skewed my standards, and I’m aware of it.
“…I don’t aim too high when it comes to face, figure, personality, or skills.”
“That’s basically everything about a person, isn’t it? Looks, heart, you don’t care about any of it.”
The more I think about it, the more I feel like a certain white-haired beauty has completely messed up my sense of normal.
If it weren’t for that, there’s no way a kinda introverted guy like me could act normal around someone like Kiritsuki or Miyajima.
It’s a bitter pill, but I’m way too used to dealing with girls.
“If we could both like each other, that’d be enough for me.”
“With Kaori?”
I answered honestly, but she teases me with that question, and I immediately shake my head.
No way I’d aim that high.
“For starters, that’d require me liking Kaori in the first place.”
“I mean, even I’m jealous of you being childhood friends with Kaori. Don’t you naturally fall for a girl like her when you’ve spent so much time together?”
“If that’s the case, then there must’ve been something that made me dislike being around her even more.”
It’s not Kaori’s fault, but she’s definitely the cause. Yet, she’s not the cause—it’s a complicated mess.
Personally, I don’t think anything of Kaori.
“Anyway, back to looks, right? If we’re talking about that, Kiritsuki Kaname from our class is totally my type.”
“…You’ve got some guts saying that to my face.”
Kiritsuki’s a classmate, but she gives off an older-sister vibe at first glance. Since I’m the eldest son, I guess I’m a bit drawn to that kind, someone who might pamper me a little.
“Well, you asked me directly, so there’s no point hiding it.”
I can totally get why Kaori, who’s secretly a bit clingy, is drawn to her as a close friend.
“Wait, am I being hit on right now?”
Kiritsuki says this with a playful, mischievous grin.
Come on, if I were actually hitting on her, I’d come up with something smoother than that.
“I’m not hitting on you. I’m just saying you’re nice to look at.”
“Hmm. So, how’s it been talking to me?”
“Hard to say so far. Guess we’ll see from here.”
After all, the first real conversation we had was on the first day of school this year. It’s only mid-April, so getting to know each other better is something for the future.
I answer without much thought, but Kiritsuki smiles like she already knew what I’d say.
“Wanna put that ‘from here’ into action after school?”
I glance at her face as she says this and figure out what she’s getting at.
“Don’t beat around the bush. Just say it straight.”
“Alright, wanna hang out after school?”
“That phrasing’s gonna cause misunderstandings.”
“You could play along a little, you know?”
I let out a sigh as we step back into the classroom, only to find not a single classmate around.
“Whoa, it’s empty. That’s rare.”
Looks like everyone’s off playing entourage for Kaori and Miyajima.
I head to my seat and start filling out the class log with everything I can for now. Meanwhile, I keep talking with Kiritsuki.
“So, after school… Kaori’s birthday is next week, so you want help picking out a gift, right?”
“Exactly! As expected from her childhood friend. You get it.”
“By the way, last year… we weren’t close enough to celebrate her birthday, were we?”
If my memory’s right, Kaori’s class had some kind of get-together where they celebrated her birthday on the side.
For some reason, even kids from other classes joined in, so it stuck in my mind.
“Kiritsuki-san, when’s your birthday?”
“August eleventh.”
“Did Kaori get you anything?”
When I ask, she proudly shows me her left wrist.
“This misanga. A friendship bracelet, I think it’s called? Kaori made it herself.”
Apparently, Kaori was the one who first called her a best friend.
“You know the Kumojou Festival we have locally in the summer?”
It’s super famous around here but not well-known elsewhere. It’s a decent-sized festival with decent food stalls and decent fireworks.
Then, to close it out, at Kamikumoyama Shrine, the biggest shrine in town, they offer a kagura dance to pray for a bountiful harvest in the fall.
“I’d never gone before, but last year, Kaori dragged me along. She gave me this before we watched the final dance.”
Thinking Kaori’s got some surprising flair, I glance at the misanga on her wrist.
I’m staring at it absentmindedly when Kiritsuki leans in, apparently with more to say.
“Oh, I just remembered, there’s something I’ve been wanting to ask.”
“W-What…?”
“Do you know anything about the dancers in that kagura performance?”
She asks, and I answer right away.
“No clue… Besides, even if I did, I’m pretty sure you’re not supposed to tell anyone.”
The kagura dancers at the Kumojou Festival are men, but they’re deliberately called “maidens.”
The twenty pieces they perform are all intense dances, done almost without breaks by a single dancer, lasting over two hours.
Expecting a woman to have the stamina for that is tough, so men started performing in feminine makeup and attire.
And since the kagura is passed down through a single lineage, sharing the dancer’s personal info with outsiders is strictly forbidden by the town council.
After explaining all that, Kiritsuki stretches with a bored look.
“Kaori told me the same thing.”
“Why do you even want to know? Locals don’t even care that much.”
“I fell in love at first sight.”
Her words make me freeze. As she gives me a puzzled look, I slowly, carefully ask back.
“Love at first sight? …With a dancer dressed up in feminine makeup…?”
“Hey, that’s a rude way to put it. I think it’s impressive! Besides, Kaori called them the ‘Kumojou Festival’s Heart-Stealing First Love.’”
“What’s with that nickname… First I’ve heard of it.”
Probably Kaori’s doing. If so, her naming sense is nonexistent—or at least, way too straightforward.
“Since they’re local dancers, they live in town, right? And Kaori said she’s been watching them since she was little, so they’re probably around our age. They might even go to our school… Doesn’t that make you curious?”
Would a normal person be curious?
To begin with, the kagura is a dance offered to the gods, not for the public…
Though nowadays, it’s talked about as one of Japan’s traditional performing arts.
“Kaori said her first love was that dancer too.”
Hearing that, I freeze again.
“…Oh, you do care about that.”
“No, I’m just shocked Kaori’s even capable of feeling love.”
That’s my honest reaction.
“Come on, Kaori’s a teenage girl too, you know? She thinks about that stuff.”
“Then why’s she always smirking at that reverse-harem situation she’s got going?”
“Who knows? Maybe she’s got someone she likes, and all these other guys crowding around are just a hassle.”
“Maybe”? You’re her best friend—figure it out.
“Don’t you ever think, like, ‘What if that someone is me?’ Especially since you’re her childhood friend?”
“Nope. I’m not that full of myself.”
“You’re a blossoming high school boy, and you’ve got no romance in you.”
If we’re talking romance, you should look at reality first.
Also, I’m pretty sure this isn’t about romance.
For example, if she found out the identity of that dancer she’s supposedly in love with right now, she’d probably be disappointed and lose interest.
In Kaori’s case, she’s not directly involved, but as a childhood friend, she’s in a slightly unique position and knows who it is. Maybe she’s just romanticizing it with “first love” because of nostalgia.
If this girl found out that the dancer is actually me, Himura Aoi, I wonder what kind of face she’d make?
I’m curious, but I’m not bold enough to make that a reality.
