Episode 27: A Long Overdue Introduction

Beep beep… beep beep…

Yawn… alright… I managed to get up on the first try.

Last night, I went straight to sleep without playing any games or reading manga.

This gives me plenty of time.

Since we’re meeting up, getting there early is just common sense.

Fixing myself up in the bathroom… hmm…

It’s a daily thing, but looking in the mirror makes me realize I’m not exactly good-looking, even by the most generous standards.

I’d be happy just being categorized as「average」…but there’s nothing I can do about it, so I’m not going to stress over it now.

Well, I have time to stop at the convenience store, so I’ll grab a quick breakfast and head out.

I buy a rice ball at the convenience store meetup spot and check the time on my phone.

I still have about 15 minutes until the meeting time…

I kill time on my phone while glancing around every so often, and about five minutes later, I see Senpai and her friend.

They’re earlier than I expected, but I’m glad I got here first.

「Good morning, Takanashi-san. I’m sorry, did we keep you waiting?」

「Good morning, Senpai. No, I just got here earlier than I thought, so I haven’t been waiting at all.」

The woman standing next to Senpai spoke up too.

「Morning, Takanashi-kun!」

「Ah, good morning, Natsu… um.」

I found myself struggling with how to address her…

If I just say「Senpai」, I won’t know which one I’m calling for… but calling her Natsumi-san right off the bat feels too familiar.

「Oops, you’re right. This is a perfect time to introduce ourselves. I know a bit about you, Takanashi-kun, but you probably don’t know much about me.」

「Sorry, I know that you’re Senpai’s friend, but…」

「Takanashi-san, I apologize for the late introduction. This is my friend, Yuzuki Natsumi-san. I call her Natsumi.」

「We’ve met a few times already and talked a bit, but let’s do this properly. Nice to meet you, I’m Yuzuki Natsumi. Looking forward to getting to know you, Takanashi-kun.」

「Nice to meet you, I’m Takanashi Kazunari. Is it okay if I call you Yuzuki-senpai?」

Up until now, I’d just been calling her「Senpai’s friend」in my head.

「Hmm, that’s fine, but most people I know just call me Natsumi. Being called Yuzuki feels like I’m being addressed by a total stranger, which is a bit weird. You’re being too formal anyway, so feel free to relax and just call me Natsumi, okay?」

I thought this when we spoke before too, but talking to her like this makes me realize she’s actually pretty easy to talk to, or rather, very friendly.

「Got it. Then is Natsumi-senpai okay? Sorry I didn’t greet you properly before, even though we’ve met several times.」

「No, it’s fine. I’d heard about you from Sara, so I ended up talking to you like we were already friends.」

I guess I was just going with the flow of the conversation too.

「I felt like I just kept missing the right timing. Oh, Natsumi-senpai, I’m sorry this is late, but thank you for your help on the rooftop the other day. You really saved me.」

「Ah, I was panicking back then too. I had a bad feeling, so I rushed to grab Daichi.」

Daichi… the person who showed up back then was the student council president, right? What was his name again…?

「Is Daichi… the student council president?」

「Yep, his name is Uesaka Daichi. Well, he’s a third-year, so even if you know he’s the president, you probably wouldn’t remember his name.」

I see, so the student council president is Uesaka Daichi.

But calling him by his first name with no honorifics… they seem pretty close. Could they be… a couple?

「Oh, wait, if we keep standing around talking here, we’ll be late. Let’s talk while we walk.」

「Yes, you’re right. Well then, Senpai, let’s g… Senpai?」

?

Come to think of it, Senpai hasn’t said a word…

She looks like she’s smiling… but the aura, or whatever it is… I can almost see a rumble rumble effect behind her. It’s a bit scary…

「Hm? Sara? What’s… what’s wrong?」

It seems Natsumi-senpai noticed it too…

「No, it’s nothing at all. …Nothing.」

No, that definitely didn’t sound like nothing.

What? Did I do something to make her mad?

「Um… Senpai? Seriously… did I do something…?」

I feel like she’s getting grumpier every time I call out to her…

「Senpai?」