I'm in Love with the Gorilla Sitting Next to Me - Volume 1 Chapter 6.7

Secrets are meant to be revealed 7

“Over there? It looks dark, but are there any stalls?”

“There are stairs right after the torii gate. I think there are some stalls once you climb up.”

“Experienced, I see.”

“I don’t feel happy being praised for something like this… Ah, looks like it’s fine.”

Whether they were heading towards the riverbank or not, the families coming out from beyond the torii gate were equipped with festival masks, cotton candy, shaved ice, and other festival gear, all excited and noisy. It seemed like there might be something to look forward to.

“By the way, are you hungry, Gossan?”

“Of course. I’ve been sweating in club activities. Plus, you’re treating me, right?”

“…A samurai does not take back his words. Well, I’m not a samurai, but I promised.”

“That’s a good attitude. Then I won’t hold back—though, when I left, I was given some pocket money for the festival, so just treat me to one thing.”

That’s an offer too good for my financially strapped self. It’s like a saving grace.

“I’m moved by Gossan’s spirit. Heck, I’ll treat you to not just one but two things!”

“Isn’t it supposed to be ‘I’ll treat you to everything’?”

“Honestly, I’m not sure if I have enough money. Plus, you eat well, Gossan. I know the appetite of someone from a sports club after practice.”

“…It’s offensive to be treated as if I’m a big eater. I might hit you, you know?”

“I didn’t say that, and I think girls who can eat well are better. Besides, you want to try various things at these stalls, right? And they’re pricey.”

“I agree with that. The portions are small too.”

“Right? That’s why I choose to only treat to two items, even if it looks a bit uncool, rather than nd up saying I can’t pay later.”

“…I feel like it’s more than just a bit uncool… but as the one being treated, I shouldn’t say more. I’ll gratefully accept your generosity.”

Gossan slightly bowed her head, and her mouth seemed to be smiling just a bit. Whether that was the right move, I couldn’t tell. It’s really hard to read the facial muscles of a gorilla.

But just seeing that face made me feel happy, probably because I like her.

Walking side by side with Gossan, we passed under the torii gate and climbed the somewhat long staircase. Soon, we were greeted by a gravel-covered approach lined with various stalls on both sides.

“Takoyaki, yakitori, yakisoba, kebabs, beef skewers, shooting gallery… there’s more variety than I thought.”

“There are also stalls behind the shrine. They used to serve amazake before.”

“That’s some nice service. But I’m not a fan of amazake. It makes me go ‘ugh…’ “

“I like it. It just doesn’t go well with the stall menu.”

“Yeah, lots of flour-based stuff. I can’t even think of any food that goes well with amazake.”

While having such a conversation, I was thinking about choosing something from the classic menu with the enticing smell of sauce, but Gossan passed by the stalls without buying anything.

“Hey, Gossan? Aren’t you buying anything?”

“We came to the shrine, so we should pray first.”

“Oh, I see. I was so distracted by the festival that I didn’t think of that.”

“You don’t have to if you’re not here for worship. I just feel uncomfortable if I don’t. Plus, you can wash your hands.”

Even just that last part makes it worth doing. Praying to the gods is dubious for me because of the curse issue.

“Then, let’s pray first and then take a full round.”

“That’s a good idea. Even if it’s the same food, the price and quantity can vary between stalls, so we should choose carefully after checking them out.”

“You’re thorough, I… think that’s really nice.”

I give a thumbs up, but I almost blurted out ‘I like that about you.’ Normally it would be fine, but since we’re not on a date—just the two of us—I made sure to emphasize that, so I can’t afford to say anything careless. If my feelings for her were to be revealed, things would get complicated from there.

I did receive Tora-senpai’s gracious permission, ‘If by any chance things seem to go well, you can confess everything, including about me’, but for today, I’ll just play it cool along the friend route. Regardless of how she feels, as long as Gossan has fun, that’s good enough for me.

“Well then, shall we go pray? But are they still open at this hour?”

“The office is probably closed. But you can still pray and draw omikuji even at night.”

“Got it got it. Then, let’s just pray for good health.”

Truthfully, what I really want is to somehow deal with whoever must have seen me and Tora-senpai’s almost-kiss scene on the rooftop earlier, but if I don’t even know who or where they are, how can I silence them? Can I really rely on the gods when I can’t even come up with a plan myself?

Hmm… well, I’ll pray for that just in case. I’m desperate enough to grasp at straws, and besides, my family hardly ever gets sick—we’ve had expired cold medicine lying around for years.

So, Gossan and I purified our hands and mouth at the temizuya and finished our prayers. We then strolled through the food stalls lined up in the shrine precinct and the parking lot behind it. We shared freshly made takoyaki that Gossan had bought and discussed our plans.

“Phew, hot… I think I’ll go for the beef skewers and grilled corn over there. The grilled squid is tempting, but considering the shaved ice and apricot candy, it’s unfortunately out of the running.”

“…I’m definitely getting beef skewers, shaved ice, and then yakisoba and chocolate banana… Ah, hot…”

The gorilla with the stern face is quite intimidating, but when paired with the takoyaki in hand, it’s somehow soothing. Despite the fairly large size, when Gossan holds it, it feels as small as a marble.

Normally, the sight of a high school girl in a yukata eating hot takoyaki would make one’s heart flutter with the feeling of summer, but with a gorilla in a yukata, it’s just bizarrely amusing.