Ranobe Mo Ore Mo Sukina Gyaru - Volume 1 Chapter 10.4

Gal and the Bakery 4

Only the distinct sounds of the two different types of footsteps resonated from beneath our feet.

” ” …… ” “

In this way, an awkward silence fell between us.

I hadn’t noticed it before because she usually keeps the conversation going, but I guess this is what happens when Tsumakawa-san goes quiet…

Also, for some reason, she had changed her outfit from what she was wearing a few hours ago (a white knit dress) to a black camisole, distressed jeans, white boots, and a short white cardigan.

Does she change outfits like this within a single day?

Isn’t that a lot of laundry, and wouldn’t that be quite a task for her mom?

While thinking about such things, Tsumakawa-san suddenly spoke up with a somewhat awkward expression.

“…Light novel Shiritori, starting with ‘Ri’ ‘Ryuuou no Oshigoto! (The Ryuo’s Work Is Never Done!)’ “

“Why are you suddenly starting a mysterious game? What’s up with her…”

“…”

“Well, it’s Yoda’s turn… light novel shiritori…”

“Ah, right. It’s my turn, huh… Let’s see, ‘To’? Is there anything with ‘To’… Ah! ——’Tokidoki bosotto Roshiago de dereru tonari no ārya-san (The Neighboring Aarya-san who Sometimes Acts Affectionate and Murmuring in Russian.)!’ “

“… Finished?”

“… Sorry. I actually made a mistake just now…”

” ….. “

” ….. “

(TN : A player who plays a word ending with ‘N’ (ん) loses the game, as no Japanese word begins with that character.)

And once again, silence fell between the two of us.

…What’s with this awkwardness? It’s painful and uncomfortable.

As I was thinking that, Tsumakawa, who was beside me, suddenly let out a big sigh, ‘Sighhhh~.

Could it be that she’s disappointed with my shiritori mistake…?

With that worry in mind, she shook her head from side to side and then continued with a relieved expression.

“I guess it’s impossible for me to keep hiding my feelings and stay around you like usual, Yoda. So, I’ll just say it. Yeah, I was waiting for you after your shift ended…Of course, I heard that you finish at 5 PM, so I stayed home until then… From a little before 5 PM, I was waiting for you in front of the bakery.”

“W-Why would you do something like that?”

” ….. “

As I asked her, Tsumakawa-san quietly stopped in her tracks.

So, I also stopped walking to match her pace.

Tsumakawa looked at my face for a moment, then blushed, averted her gaze, and then spoke her mind.

Her words were spun in a voice that was somewhat uncharacteristically shy.

“Actually, um, I didn’t want the last girl you were with today to be Nakamachi-chan… I just didn’t want that…”

“…what?”

Not really understanding what she meant, I asked that back instinctively.

In response, Tsumakawa’s cheeks flushed intensely as if letting off steam, and she quickly turned her face away from mine.

With the setting sun illuminating her features, her profile resembled a ripened apple, glowing in a deep shade of red.

“…Ugh, gross! I’m seriously so gross! Why do I even feel like this?! I don’t get it! This is way more embarrassing than just being jealous! And yet, why did I wait for Yoda like this? I don’t know, I felt like I’d hate myself if I didn’t wait…”

“Huh? Um, Tsumakawa-san? Honestly, I really don’t understand what you’re talking about…”

“Yeah, you don’t have to understand, Yoda. Because this feeling…I just want to keep it to myself. I don’t want sympathy from you or anyone else. This is the kind of emotion I want to treasure, something that’s not meant to be understood by anyone else but me… Well, I guess it’s too girly and gross, though! Ugh!”

She exclaimed like that and then crouched down on the spot, hiding her reddened face with both hands.

She’s suddenly getting angry at the bakery, then embarrassed, and now she’s crouching down like this… She’s really emotionally unstable, this gal.

” ….. “

In essence, I found myself even more unsure about what Tsumakawa thinks of me…at the very least, I don’t think she hates me.

I might not be able to become her friend, but she seemed to think of me as a friend—But if that’s the case, isn’t she showing a bit too much attachment to me, a ‘just friend’?

As I pondered that, I arrived at a hypothesis… Perhaps Tsumakawa is the type of person who tends to get attached to her close friends, not just me.

In other words, I’m not the only special one here. It’s not about me, but rather, Tsumakawa tends to get like this with friends she’s close to.

Once I realized this, something in the depths of my heart felt a bit lighter.

Real-life girls are scary because I can’t understand them, but by interpreting her actions through my own perspective like this, I could finally find a bit of relief——

While I was lost in thought like that, Tsumakawa, who had been crouching down, suddenly stood up and urged me, ‘Hey, let’s hurry and go to the station.’

It was Tsumakawa who had initially suddenly stopped…

Silently protesting inwardly that she had stopped first, we started walking towards the station again.

At that moment, she spoke in a volume just barely audible to me.

“Why is it that only with Yoda, things end up like this…”

” ….. “

——My conclusion, which had just started forming, crumbled with a clatter.

It seemed that truly understanding the rare combination of an otaku and a gal was going to take at least another ten years…

I wish someone would publish a book that covers all things about gals, like the ‘Gal Instruction Manual.’

Otherwise, I’ll never truly understand Tsumakawa-san… And then, without much significant conversation, she and I arrived at the nearest Yono-Honmachi Station.

It seemed that Tsumakawa-san had indeed just brought me this far.

As she watched me enter the ticket gate, she turned towards me, flashing a gal peace sign.

“Well then, see you later! Oh, by the way, come help out at my family’s bakery sometime too!”

“I’ve never heard that your family runs a bakery.”

Upon receiving my retort, she laughed joyfully and then turned on her heel to head back the way we came.

Watching her do that, I found myself pondering once again why Tsumakawa-san had waited for me in front of the bakery just to walk this short way together with me—

『Actually, um, I didn’t want the last girl you were with today to be Nakamachi-chan… I just didn’t want that…』

” ….. “

The words that Tsumakawa-san unexpectedly spilled out keep echoing in my head.

In the end, I didn’t quite grasp the true meaning behind what she said, but one thing I understood even without fully comprehending her words was that when she said those words, she had a slightly embarrassed look on her face, resembling a girl in love——and it was adorable.