Mob Character Reincarnation Loner: As a Result of Supporting the Heroine Who Had Been Rejected, I Ended up Being the Recipient of Her Heavy Emotions…
After school, I was on a pretend date with Serizawa Misuzu, Nanase Hiyori’s best friend.
…How did this happen?
I couldn’t help but clutch my head, but unlike last time, Serizawa-san and I had overcome many difficulties and shared a lot of time together since then.
In other words, our mutual understanding had deepened compared to back then.
I should be able to understand at least a little of what Serizawa-san is thinking right now.
I glanced over at Serizawa-san.
“That cloud… looks like boobs.”
…I have absolutely no idea what she’s thinking.
Sighing, I looked at the cloud Serizawa-san was staring at.
“Ah, really… it does look like boobs… that’s dirty.”
“Right? So naughty.”
Wait, what are we even talking about…
“Um, is this fake date also a test to see if I can satisfy you?”
“Hmm, today’s task is a bit different.”
“Oh, really… So what is today’s task?”
“Make my heart race on this date.”
That’s impossible…
Feeling slightly hopeless, we arrived at our destination, the cafe.
A staff member came over and showed us to our seats. The interior was stylish, fitting for a popular spot, and we got a nice table overlooking the courtyard.
The surrounding tables were packed with couples, so the staff probably thought we were a couple too and tried to be considerate.
“…Are you nervous?”
Serizawa-san asked, looking up from the menu across the table.
“Well, a little.”
“Heh, Irie, it’s probably your first time alone with a girl in a cafe, so it’s no wonder you’re nervous.”
“Whoa, don’t underestimate me. I actually had a parfait alone with Nanase san before, so this is my second time.”
“Eh…”
Well, back then I was just desperately trying to provide mental care for Hiyori after she got dumped by Tenma, so it wasn’t a date or anything.
Come to think of it, that Hyper Mega Jug Parfait was delicious…
“…Somehow, that pisses me off.”
Serizawa-san turned her gaze back to the menu with a sulky expression.
Huh, did I maybe pick the wrong conversation option…
“Have you decided on your order?”
The waiter must have sensed my blunder and came over to take our order.
“We’ll have the Couple’s Exclusive Lovely Parfait Set.”
“Huh?”
“Understood. The Couple’s Exclusive Lovely Parfait Set, then. Please wait a moment.”
“Um…!”
Just as I tried to call out, the server darted swiftly into the kitchen.
Looking at Serizawa-san, flustered, she was calmly drinking water as if nothing happened.
…As expected, I have no idea what she’s thinking.
While I waited, fidgeting, the server returned with drinks on a tray.
“Here you go, the Peach-Scented Lovey-Dovey Tea Soda.”
A large glass was placed in the center of the table.
The glass held the peach tea soda, pierced by a heart-shaped straw with two mouthpieces.
I know this. It’s the kind of thing lovey-dovey couples sip together while flirting on dates.
Serizawa-san put her lips to the straw and stared intently at me.
“…Irie, aren’t you going to drink?”
“Eh, drinking at the same time is a bit much… Ah, no… I’ll drink.”
I gave in to Serizawa-san’s pressure and put my mouth to the other straw.
“…………………………”
“…………………………”
The two of us drank our peach tea soda in silence.
Somehow, it wasn’t what I expected.
Sipping my soda, I glanced at Serizawa-san’s face.
…Yeah, Serizawa-san really is cute. Her features are well-defined, and maybe it’s that mysterious aura, but she has a slightly mature charm.
She got confessed to the other day too, so she’s popular, huh.
“…Honestly, staring at me like that makes me embarrassed.”
As I stared at her unconsciously, Serizawa-san flushed and looked away. This reaction is pretty rare.
…If I said something nice here, could I make Serizawa-san’s heart skip a beat?
“Blushing Serizawa-san… you’re cute.”
“… idiot.”
She muttered it like a whisper and turned away in a huff.
Ugh, I messed up. Maybe I should’ve said something else…
As if sensing my second blunder, the waiter arrived at just the right moment with our parfaits.
“Sorry to keep you waiting. Here’s your ‘Feed Each Other Lovey-Dovey Parfait’.”
What kind of name is that for a parfait?
The server, smiling for some reason, placed the parfaits on the table. Mine was a strawberry parfait, and Serizawa-san’s seemed to be a peach one.
“Irie, Irie, let’s take a picture! The one where we make a heart together!”
“Serizawa-san, you look so happy…”
We had the waitress take a photo of us making a heart pose while holding both parfaits.
When she smiled and said, “You two are so lovey-dovey,” it felt kind of embarrassing.
“…Mmm, delicious.”
Serizawa-san was happily stuffing her face with her parfait. Peach parfait looks good. So tasty.
As I watched Serizawa-san happily eating her peach parfait, she scooped up a portion with her spoon and thrust it right at me.
“You want some, don’t you? Fine. I’ll give you a bite. Here, Ahhn.”
“Eh, no… I don’t need the ahnn, do I?”
“This is a ‘feed each other’ lovey-dovey parfait.”
“…That’s the one with someone’s mouth on it, right?”
“Huh. You did an indirect kiss with Kirifuji, but you don’t want to do it with me? Wow.”
“I’ll gladly accept.”
In the end, true to its name as a “Lovey-Dovey Parfait for Feeding Each Other,” we fed each other our respective parfaits until they were completely finished, then left the cafe.
When paying, the staff member said with a genuinely innocent smile, “This is the first time we’ve seen a couple actually feed each other like that!!” Honestly, I felt like I was gonna die from embarrassment.
We stopped at a nearby taiyaki shop, and she bought me taiyaki in return.
“Irie, thanks for hanging out today. It was fun.”
“I’m glad. So, did I actually make your heart skip a beat, Serizawa-san?”
Serizawa didn’t answer that, instead saying,
“…Actually, there’s something I’ve wanted to ask you for a while.”
She brought that up.
“Huh? Uh, sure.”
When I nodded, Serizawa opened her mouth with a more serious expression than I’d ever seen before.
“Do you like Hiyori?”
“Huh? Ah… well, yeah.”
“…So, that’s it. You want to date her… right?”
“No, not at all.”
“? …???”
Oh, Serizawa’s eyes are darting around in confusion. It’s fun seeing so many different sides of her today.
“Um, Irie, what do you mean…?”
“For me, Nanase is my favorite heroine.”
“What do you mean…!?”
“Well… like, even if you really like an idol, you don’t seriously want to date them, right? So Nanase is just my favorite heroine, that’s all.”
Serizawa-san stares blankly at my smug face as I explain.
“Um, Serizawa-san? Did you get it?”
“…Heh, heh heh.”
“Huh? Wh-what’s wrong? Are you okay?”
When I call out worriedly to Serizawa-san, who’s laughing strangely, she wipes away tears of laughter and says this.
“I wavered. Even I’m surprised at how much.”
Wavered? What does that mean? Did she get flustered?
“Yeah… I think I like Irie… No, maybe it has to be Irie.”
“Um, what do you mean—”
“Hey, Irie.
Let’s go out.”