The Gal Next to Me Is Trying Too Hard to Make Me Fall in Love With Her
This Christmas date—I planned the entire course myself.
Just dressing cute and walking together won’t suddenly win his heart now.
With this carefully crafted date course, I’ll grab Saeki’s heart with both hands!
“I-I’m terribly sorry…! Due to an error on our part, your reservation wasn’t properly processed…! Furthermore, we’re fully booked for the entire day today…!”
“…Huh?”
First things first: food.
I’d researched this popular restaurant relentlessly for two months, even going to try the food myself to confirm the taste. I was absolutely certain this place was the one.
‘Amagi, it’s amazing you know about a place like this! Let’s come together next time!’
That was the plan—a straightforward approach to winning favor, at least for me.
I intended to project the image of a capable woman.
But no table was available, and the pale-faced manager could only bow repeatedly. Far from stumbling at the first step, I took a huge tumble, my mind going completely blank.
Amidst this, Saeki quietly stepped forward. “I understand. We’ll come back another time to eat,” she told the manager, then glanced at me.
“S-sorry, Saeki! What do we do? What do we do?! Um, then let’s go to another place—”
“At this hour, unless it’s a gyudon place or something, I think it’ll be hard to find a restaurant with openings.”
“Y-you’re right… Then, um…!”
Think, think, think.
Arisa-chan is smart! She should be able to solve a little trouble like this brilliantly! If not, I’ll disappoint Saeki!
“Um, um… Hah, aaaachoo!”
Maybe because I prioritized cuteness and dressed a bit lightly, a cold breeze made me sneeze.
Ugh, this is the worst. I’m not cute at all right now.
This is exactly when I should be smiling.
I should be cheerful and lighten the mood.
I know that, but my body won’t cooperate. My gaze drops, my mouth turns down, and I just feel utterly depressed.
If only there was a reset button like in a game. If I could, I’d start over from choosing the restaurant.
“…Um, Amagi-san?”
He called out, and I looked up.
He seemed a bit nervous as he said, “Th-this…” and pulled something out of his bag.
“Please use this if you’d like. It might help a little with the cold.”
As he spoke, he wrapped something around my neck.
It was a cream-colored scarf.
“This… is this… a Christmas present?”
“Yes. I was wondering when would be the right time to give it… If you hadn’t sneezed, Amagi-san, I might never have been able to give it to you. So… um… ah, thank you.”
I hadn’t expected to be thanked for sneezing, and I couldn’t help but laugh.
He scratched his cheek, looking embarrassed, and his mouth curved into a similar smile.
“…This is really warm…”
“Really? I’m so glad…! It’s been a while since I made one, so I was worried it might not be perfect…!”
“W-Wait, you made this yourself!?”
“I thought you might like it better than something store-bought. …D-Did you prefer something store-bought instead?”
I shook my head vigorously. I shook it hard.
I touched it with my hands, then pressed my cheek against it, savoring the sensation.
Fluffy and warm.
I imagined him finishing his studies and chores, knitting the scarf alone at night. Just that thought made me feel warm and fuzzy inside.
“I’m sorry about the restaurant… but I know a nice place instead. Would you like to have dinner there?”
He smiled gently at me and offered his hand softly.
I nodded and took it. Our hands touched, his warmth transferred to me, and just that alone made me unbearably happy.
It was winter, and the wind could freeze you, yet between us, just a few dozen centimeters apart, spring lingered. There was a comforting warmth, almost sleep-inducing.
“Hey, Saeki.”
“What is it?”
“I like you. I really like you.”
my sudden confession of affection made him flinch.
He furrowed his brow in confusion, then relaxed his cheeks with a hint of happiness. “Let’s go,” he said, pulling my hand.
He had such a big back.
I thought things like, I want to follow him for the rest of my life… which wasn’t really like me at all.
I chuckled to myself, stepped forward, and walked beside him.
◆
“Whoa!! Amazing!!”
“I started planning this about a month ago. I was hoping to come with you when the timing was right. Now, shall we look around?”
The Christmas market.
A winter market originating in Germany.
A giant Christmas tree stood in the center of the square.
Various stalls decorated with illuminations lined up around it, bustling with families, couples, and many others.
“Snow globes are so cute! Can we take a look at this shop?”
“Sure, of course.”
“Wow! Santa mugs! This one’s so cute♡”
“Alright, I’ll buy that one. For you, Amagi-san. I’ll keep it at my place. you have been using a mug every day lately.”
“Really!? Thanks! —… Oh!”
“Hm? Is something wrong?”
“Eh? Hehehe♡ You know, just now… that conversation sounded so couple-like.”
“…Well, I-I guess?”
“Should we start dating?”
“No, we shouldn’t.”
“Cheapskate!”
We exchanged our usual banter while looking at this and that, buying things here and there.
Holding hands so we wouldn’t get separated, occasionally checking to make sure she was still there, feeling happy seeing her smile.
After a while, we got hungry and bought some food.
Since it seemed to be a German-origin event, we got a sausage platter and a stew pot pie. The adults were pairing theirs with alcohol, but we had hot caramel milk tea.
The food stalls lined up under the cold sky. We lucked out finding an empty seat and clasped our hands together, saying “Itadakimasu.”
“The sausage is sooo good! Saeki, try some too, here, this!”
“N-no, I’ll eat it myself—”
“Here, open wide ♡”
“…!”
She speared a sausage with her fork and took a bite.
Her eyes sparkling with delight, she brought the now-halved piece to my lips.
Feeding each other wasn’t new. But doing it in front of this many people was a first. Even knowing no one was paying us any attention, I couldn’t help but feel my cheeks flush.
“Hurry up! You’re not gonna eat my sausage!?”
“Th-that phrasing… feels weird. Could you please stop…?”
“After you eat this, next you have to give me Saeki’s sausage too, okay? ♡”
“The way you say it!! You know exactly why you’re doing it, right!?”
I let out a small sigh and stuffed the offered piece into my mouth.
The skin was crisp. With each bite, the juices and aroma of herbs burst out, incredibly delicious.
Delicious, but…
“Saeki! Next it’s my turn, Ahnnn!”
“A-ahhnn…”
“Mmm-hmm♡ Sooo good♡”
Doing this somewhere that wasn’t home or school felt unfamiliar, making it hard to fully focus on the taste.
Needless to say, Amagi-san couldn’t care less about anyone watching. She was fully enjoying flirting with me while simultaneously giving her all to the meal. Thanks to her, I’d grown a bit myself, but this particular habit? I doubt I’d ever be able to pull it off.
“Hey! Take a picture of me eating!”
“Sure, but are you going to post it on Instagram or something?”
“Nope, I’m sending it to Mom! To show her I’m on a date with Saeki!”
As requested, I snapped a photo of her eating the pot pie.
She looks cute even in photos… I thought, getting distracted by unnecessary thoughts, as I sent the data to her phone.
“Thanks! I’ll send it right away!”
“…………”
“Huh? Saeki, why are you smiling?”
“Nothing. Just glad you made up with your mom. I never really found out how things turned out after that whole thing at the festival.”
Family matters I had no place meddling in.
Since she didn’t say anything, I didn’t ask either, but seeing her like this, it seemed things hadn’t turned out badly, which was a relief.
“Made up… well, I guess you could say that…”
“Is there still some problem?”
“It’s not a problem! It’s not that… When I asked, it turned out I was the one at fault, or rather…”
She mumbled the words around in her mouth, looking down awkwardly.
I took a sip of my milk tea and offered, “This is really delicious,” trying to break the strange silence.
“Whoa, you’re right! Delicious!”
“The heart-shaped marshmallow on top of the whipped cream is cute, so I’ll give it to you, Amagi-san.”
“Really!? Then I’ll give my marshmallow to Saeki instead!”
“W-wait, what’s the point of—”
“Here, Ahhn ♡”
“…Ah, fine, fine.”
Amagi-san… open wide… she really loves doing that.
Well, whatever.
If it makes her smile, I don’t mind.
“Ah!! Hey, Saeki!! Look at that!!”
She suddenly stood up, pointing toward the center of the plaza.
The Christmas tree, which had been glowing a faint orange the whole time, began emitting lights of various colors—red, blue, green. Everyone let out cheers in unison, focusing their attention, and began shuffling toward the tree.
“It’s so beautiful!”
She looked down at me, revealing her white teeth.
Her face was faintly flushed in the light the tree emitted.
Amagi-san’s eyes immediately turned toward the tree. Under the winter sky, only her smile still held traces of summer, and I squinted against its overwhelming brightness.
I wanted to keep watching her forever… or something embarrassing like that, and I chuckled inwardly, feeling a bit self-deprecating.
But no matter what, I couldn’t take my eyes off her.
“…Yes.”
I murmured.
“It’s beautiful. Very beautiful.”
Nothing else mattered except Amagi
Maiban