Ranobe Mo Ore Mo Sukina Gyaru - Volume 1 Chapter 8.2

Gal and Friends 2

“Hey, Yoda, if you have a bike, want to do Niketsu?”

“Niketsu, you mean riding together?”

“Yeah, it means like riding a bike together. Isn’t that kind of like a romantic comedy? Doesn’t it spark love or something?”

“…Riding together is just a violation of traffic laws, and rather than sparking love, it’s more about violating the law and sparking guilt.”

While having that conversation, we arrived at the bicycle parking area.

It seemed Tsumakawa commuted by train, as I’d seen before, so only I was pushing my bicycle along.

When we arrived at the school gate, Tsumakawa said to me again

“Alright then, let’s do Niketsu!”

“Eh… I mean, I don’t really want to commit a misdemeanor…”

“Well, just try it once. If there are cops around, you can just stop immediately.”

“Don’t call the police ‘copsサツ’ when you’re not against them, okay?”

While saying this, I climbed onto the saddle of my bicycle.

Then, Tsumakawa straddled the back of my bicycle and put her arm around my stomach!?

Whoa, whoa, wait! W-wait a minute!

“T-Tsumakawa-san…? Is there nowhere else you can hold on to other than hugging me from behind?”

“No.”

“No? …I-Is that so?”

“Hmm, I could lean back and hold onto the rear handle for stability, but—I won’t do that.”

“Why not? Even though there are other ways,, why won’t you do that?”

“Okay, enough. Can we just start moving already? Let’s do something romantic for a change!”

With those words, Tsumakawa began to tap my back playfully.

Gals are too casual with their physical contact!

If she suddenly hug and squeeze my stomach, an otaku with no immunity to girls like me could easily fall in love!

…Huh, fall in love?

No, I’m not really bothered by this. Yeah, I’m not bothered at all.

If I had to point out something abnormal, it would be that my heart rate is at around 200 BPM, yeah——Wait, isn’t that dangerously fast!?

After joking around in my brain like that, I started pedaling my bicycle——Then I heard Tsumakawa’s puzzled voice from behind me.

“Whoa… Wait… Aren’t we swaying too much!?”

“Haa, haa, haa, haa——Pedal, pedal harder! We need to hold on!”

“You’re putting so much effort into this, huh… Wait, no? The two-person rides I know are more like, ‘Oh, the wind feels so good!’ and have a sense of ‘Ehehe, ahaha!’ about them! Why does it feel like we’re on a small boat going through a big storm?!”

“Haa, haa, haa——Ooh…My right leg… I’m begging you! Please hold and take me to the McDonald——”

“That’s enough. I’m getting off this small boat——
and don’t look so tired. That’s disrespectful!”

“Haa, haa, haa——By the way, Tsumakawa-san. Right now, a question comes to mind… Is this phenomenon happening because I’m weak or because of Tsumakawa-san’s weight? Which one is it?”

“The fact that you’re doubting my weight makes you a failure as a man!”

As soon as I stopped the bicycle, Tsumakawa, who had just dismounted from the bike hit my shoulder with those words…It’s understandable to be hit…

But as someone who had been slandered as weak, I couldn’t help but ask…!

And so, after our two-person bike ride failed, we headed to the nearest train station on foot.

After leaving the bicycles at the bike parking near the station, we took the train and headed to Omiya Station, where the McDonald’s was located.

By the way, right after the failed Niketsu attempt, Tsumakawa, who seemed unhappy, said, ‘It’s not like I’m that fat, seriously… So it’s not my fault… but I feel down for some reason…’

Now, she seemed to have gotten over it and returned to her usual cheerful mood.

And so, as the two of us stood side by side in the train, holding onto the straps of the train, for some reason, Tsumakawa suddenly looked up at me with upward eyes, gazing at me meekly, and said,

“Hey, you know, I’ve never had an after-school date with a boy before… Ehehe…”

“Can you please stop making such obvious and cheesy comments? Besides, this isn’t an after-school date… and honestly, there’s no way someone like you, a sparkling gal like Tsumakawa, never had after-school dates before…”

“Hehe, can’t you just believe me for once? I’m serious. Well, if I keep saying ‘I’m serious’, it might not sound as serious, so I won’t emphasize it too much. But seriously, I’m serious.”

“I think you don’t want me to believe you anymore…By the way, Tsumakawa-san? I saw you and Horito, a classmate, walking home together yesterday. Wasn’t that an after-school date?”

“Oh, that? That’s because he decided to go out for dinner, and I just happened to leave school at the same time as Shōta, that’s why we use the same road together. It wasn’t like we went off somewhere alone together, you know?”

“…Ah, I see…”

“Huh?… Jealous? Yoda, are you jealous because I was with another guy? ——Ah, I’m so happy! I mean, Yoda hasn’t told me that he likes me much, right? That’s why I’m super happy that you said you were jealous seeing me with Horito! You should keep saying more things like that in the future!”

“Um, Tsumakawa-san? I’m not jealous, so stop trying to make it seem like I was.”

I said in reply, but Tsumakawa-san simply responded with a ‘Sure, sure, I got it,’ not acknowledging my statement…

It’s slightly irritating to be misunderstood like that…I’m not jealous!

After that conversation on the train, an hour later.

” ….. “

“Hey, Yoda. What are you spacing out for? Are you listening to me?”

“Huh? Ah, sorry… I wasn’t listening…”

“Come on. Don’t leave me alone when I’m here with you.”

I was snapped back to attention by Tsumakawa-san’s words.

We were currently at a McDonald’s near Omiya Station.

Since the restaurant was quiet today, we were sitting facing each other at a table with two two-seater sofas, nibbling on fries, and having a light conversation.

Looking around, I could see men in suits who seemed like new office workers, university students with their laptops open, and high school couples in uniforms…

I wonder if people see us as a couple too?

After pondering that briefly, I found myself smiling a little.