I met up with Himesaki at her first-year classroom, and the two of us headed out together.
Walking together drew some stinging stares from the people around us, but after everything I’d been through with the Beautiful Girl Trio, I was used to it. I didn't let it get to me.
More importantly, though, I had a bigger concern on my mind.
"Hey, Himesaki. You mentioned hanging out, but what exactly did you have in mind?"
"Huh? Oh, right."
"'Right' my foot... Look, just so we’re clear, I’m a total loner. I don't have the slightest clue how extroverts spend their time."
"Is that really something to be proud of?"
It was the truth. Even though I was close with the Beautiful Girl Trio, we didn't exactly do "normie" stuff.
Airi just wanted to do kid stuff, Yuria was a fellow otaku, and Rui was always too busy for games. Honestly, I wasn't sure I could keep up with whatever Himesaki had planned.
(She’s a returnee, so she probably did some wild stuff back in the States. What if she’s a total party animal? What if she wants to hit up a disco or a club...?)
"...Wait, hold on. At a place like that, there might be a chance I’d get picked up by some hot older woman."
"Good grief... You’re thinking about something disgusting again, aren't you? You're talking to yourself, Ryouta-senpai."
"Alright! Let's go to a disco, Himesaki!"
"A d-disco?! I am not doing that!"
"Aww, man. And here I was hoping to get picked up."
"Picked up? Like takeout?"
"No, not like—well, let's just say it's like a perverted version of takeout."
"That makes even less sense."
Just as I thought, she didn't get the double entendre... Man, English is hard.
"Anyway, back to the point. Where do you actually want to go?"
"Um, well... This is embarrassing, but even though I’m the one who invited you, I don't really have a plan."
Himesaki gave me a shy, bashful smile.
I’d assumed she’d picked a spot and was going to drag me around like a dog on a leash, but I guess I was wrong. Well, she’d only come back to Japan for high school, so it made sense she wouldn't know the area well.
"If you don't have a preference, we could check out the mall by the station. They've got an arcade, an Anumate, and plenty of other stuff."
"An arcade? Anumate?"
"Ah, so that's where we're at. Well, those were just examples. There are cosmetic boutiques and gacha shops that girls like you usually enjoy. You'll probably have a good time."
"I see... I live with my grandparents, and their house is in the opposite direction of the station, so I've never really been over there. This might be my first time."
"Wait, seriously?"
The station mall was basically the ultimate high school hangout. By evening, it was usually crawling with students from all the local schools.
"Don't you ever come here to hang out with friends? I saw a bunch of gyarus in your class earlier."
"......"
"Himesaki?"
When I asked, Himesaki fell silent, looking awkward.
"Um... Ryouta-senpai, I think you might have the wrong idea about me."
"The wrong idea?"
"Well... to tell you the truth, I don't actually have any friends yet."
"Wait, what...?"
It was shocking... but at the same time, everything suddenly made sense.