What If I Told Tomori-san, The Girl Who's Cold Only Towards Me, That I Knew Her Secret Account? - V1 Chapter 8.1

Events on a Snowy Day ② 1

What do you need to study?

A calm environment.

Gentle background music.

And, of course, glucose, which is essential for your brain to function.

So, it was Sunday.

I came to my favorite coffee shop to study.

The name of the shop is Hoshimiya Coffee.

The interior is unified with an antique style and has a tranquil atmosphere.

On the table, there are reference books, coffee, and pancakes.

Usually, it’s an environment where I can concentrate without any complaints, but…

(I can’t get into my rhythm.)

Ever since the night that I had a call with Chifuyu a few days ago, I have not been able to concentrate.

I keep thinking about Tomori.

Though I haven’t checked her secret account since that night.

(Maybe it won’t bother me after a while.)

[That’s why no matter how much I like K-kun, I won’t confess my feelings first.]

Tomori declared that on her secret account before.

If those words are true, a connection between us won’t be formed unless I take action.

Just as I thought something like that, the doorbell of the coffee shop rang.

“Huh?!”

Exactly two seconds later, a soprano voice that I recognized all too well resounded.

I couldn’t help but glance towards the door and held myself back.

Three seconds later, the doorbell rang again.

It seemed like the owner of the voice had left without taking a seat.

“…This is bad.”

Just hearing that one voice dealt a mortal wound to my concentration.

“Hey, wasn’t the girl who just came in so cute?”

“Ah yeah, she’s pretty cute. Is she on Instagram? I should follow her.”

“Do you want to invite her to hang out through DM or something like that? You don’t stand a chance. If she’s that cute, she probably has a boyfriend.”

“Ugh, well, that’s probably true… But why did she suddenly leave?”

I overheard a conversation between a male and a female college student inside the cafe.

Probably, I assume, the reason she left was because of me.

As I tapped on my smartphone, I looked at tomochan’s secret account for the first time in a few days. And I read:

《Why did I get so surprised?》

《I got scared and ran away…》

《Today’s outfit is too casual to show K-kun!》

Azusa Tomori was screaming for help on SNS.

“It seems like it was just a coincidence after all.”

I thought I was being followed again, but it seems that wasn’t the case.

However, it’s quite convenient.

Regardless of the reason, Tomori won’t return to the coffee shop if this was the case.

“Hmm?”

But, 15 minutes later…

A new tweet appeared on the secret account.

《Candidate ①… A boyish coordinate by combining a shirt and shorts.》

It was a mirror selfie using such a caption and a full-body mirror.

She skillfully hid her face with the smartphone, but there was no mistake, it was Tomori in her shorts.

(Could it be that she went home and changed her clothes?)

Moreover, the tweet included hashtags like

#PleaseSpread

#Don’tKnowWhatToWear

#ChooseAGoodOutfitToMeetSomeoneYouLike.

I see, she intends to gather opinions on the internet.

(That way, she can objectively choose her outfit.)

As expected of the model student, it’s a well-thought-out strategy.

《Candidate ②… The Virgin Killing Sweater C-chan gave me last Halloween, designed to eliminate any innocent boy. A deadly exposure coordination that puts everything on one blow!》

(TN: A halter-top or turtle-necked sweater that is exposed on the back or side. Backless or side-less.)

…Please, no.

Rather than using her brain, it seemed that her thoughts were completely glitched.

There’s no way anyone would choose something this ridiculous.

“Does her IQ drop when it comes to love…?”

Hoshimiya Coffee is my oasis.

If I end up in such an embarrassing situation, sitting next to a classmate dressed like this, I won’t be able to come back to this place.

《Candidate ③… A safe and conservative outfit. A slightly uninteresting coordinate.》

I unintentionally held my breath.

A white summer knit that suits the early summer, paired with a casual black skirt.

And a slightly smaller and adorable beret.

Certainly, it may lack the excitement of an exposure coordinate, but sometimes the conventional choice is the one that takes the high road.

(Option 1 is also tempting, but Option 3 suits her the best.)

Or rather, unexpectedly…

She was so cute that I found myself wanting to see her directly with my own eyes.

《These are the three candidates! Please give a ‘like’ to the outfit you like the most!》

Alright, Option 3 is nice.

I hope someone gives a ‘like’ to Option 3, but it’s not receiving any likes.

Tomochan’s account has zero followers.

No matter how cute the uploaded photos are, it’s difficult to get likes.

(Well, for me, it’s better that way.)

If there are no likes, Tomori won’t come here.

But I can’t help but imagine it.

Clothes scattered on the floor.

A classmate who takes mirror selfies changes outfits and earnestly uploads the images.

Azusa Tomori. Nervously hopes for likes, anxiously staring at her smartphone, afraid that nobody will find her in the sea of social media…

“…Today is the last time.”

Muttering to myself, I use my Otaku account to give a ‘like’ to Option 3.

(She shouldn’t be able to figure out my true identity here.)

It’s account I used to talk about anime impressions in tweets and doesn’t reveal any personal information.

[Thank you for the like!] Tomochan dutifully expresses her gratitude.

This coffee shop must be close to Tomori’s house, I suppose.

Because five minutes later, Tomori enters the cafe again.

(She made an effort to choose her clothes, so I should compliment her if she starts a conversation.)

” … “

However, as I pretend not to notice, I observe her behavior.

Tomori takes a seat away from me.

Then, saying, [Alright, let’s study!]. She opens her reference book and notebook.

But occasionally, she glances in my direction, looking hesitant.

《…I can’t do it. I’m so nervous, I feel like I’ll die. It’s impossible for me to initiate a conversation on a day off.》

She expresses her torment on her secret account.

《But… I want to be praised… I want him to compliment the clothes I carefully chose…》

With that determination, she succumbs to the approval-seeking monster.

《Initiating a conversation from my side would be too forced, so…》

《Let’s do a charm spell! Look at me, K-kun! I’ll say ‘I love you’ in my heart a lot of times!》

What’s with that girlish spell?

Even my face is starting to feel hot.

I want to believe it’s just a problem with the air conditioning, but most likely, it’s because of that intense secret account girl’s love toward me.

(Ah, seriously…)

But, her heart is too sunshiny. (日心々しすぎる)

Her clumsy appearance is very far from the [Everyone’s friend] image known as Tomori, and I couldn’t just leave her be.

(Besides, today might be my only chance.)

The opportunity to repay the favor from that day, a year and a half ago, when Tomori saved me…