Vol. 2 Chapter 90 – The Sea, Popular Types, and a Luxury Resort (14)

“Come on, say aaah.” (Hikaru)

She pushed the piece of meat, held with disposable chopsticks, even closer to my mouth.

It wasn’t a misunderstanding or anything; she was really trying to do the “feed me” routine in front of this crowd.

“N-not right now…” (Reiya)

“Not right now… why…?” (Hikaru)

Her gentle smile from moments ago vanished, replaced by a sticky, intense gaze.

Apparently, she was still holding a grudge about me being fawned over by the other girls earlier.

I felt the silent pressure from her, wanting to show everyone our proper standing once more.

“Look… everyone’s here right now…” (Reiya)

However, Asahi Hikaru was a natural-born beloved character whose every action drew people’s attention.

Naturally, everyone’s eyes were currently fixed on us.

As I stared at the offered meat, thinking I’d never found this talent of hers so troublesome—

“Don’t be shy, just eat it!”

A voice came from among the girls.

Starting with that, words of teasing and encouragement began to bubble up one after another.

“Yeah, yeah, Hikaru’s offering to feed you.”

“Come on, hurry up and eat.”

“Seriously, though, aren’t you two a little too close with the ‘aaah’ thing?”

Although it was partly teasing, given the flow of events up to now, it didn’t feel all that bad.

If this is part of the process for everyone to acknowledge Hikaru and me as a couple, then maybe I just have to do it. (Reiya)

“Here, say aaah.” (Hikaru)

“A-aaah…” (Reiya)

Steeling myself, I opened my mouth and accepted the meat Hikaru offered.

As squeals of excitement echoed around, I took a bite of the slightly large piece of meat, and my mouth filled with the flavor of blended spices.

Contrary to its tough appearance, it was tender when I bit into it, and then the taste of the meat spread.

Thanks to the appropriately used spices, the characteristic smell of beef was completely absent, resulting in a finish where only the deliciousness of the meat could be savored.

It's obvious if you think about it, but she's actually pretty good at cooking too... (Reiya)

“Is it good?” (Hikaru)

“Yeah, it’s delicious. It has a sort of rustic flavor… like, this is what barbecue is all about.” (Reiya)

“Then, one more… say aaah!” (Hikaru)

As if it were a matter of course, the next piece was offered.

Resigned, I opened my mouth and silently ate it.

“Is it good?” (Hikaru)

“Of course, it’s delicious, but…” (Reiya)

“Right? Aaah… is it good?” (Hikaru)

If it happens twice, it’ll happen three and four times.

If I answered that it was delicious, she’d get pleased and bring the next piece of meat—an infinite loop.

“Geez… you’re totally showing off. You’re too into your own little world…”

“Somehow, watching you is making me embarrassed… it’s so sweet, it’s almost giving me indigestion…”

“But Hikaru always seemed like the type who wouldn’t see anything else once she fell for someone.”

“I know, right? It’s just as expected.”

“Ehh…? Did I really seem like that…?” (Hikaru)

Hikaru sounded a little dissatisfied with her friends’ assessment.

“It’s not ‘seemed like’… you’re literally doing it right now, in real-time.”

“Ehh… you think so~…? I think I pay attention to all sorts of things~…” (Hikaru)

At Hikaru’s words, exasperated voices saying, “No, no, no…” rose from those around.

“But isn’t it tough for Kageyama-kun too? You know, Hikaru is… basically a child.” (Matsunaga)

“Hahaha…” (Reiya)

“Hey, Reiya-kun! Why did you laugh just now!? Are you admitting it!?” (Hikaru)

“…Well, about half of it.” (Reiya)

“Half!? If anything, I’m older because my birthday is sooner!” (Hikaru)

“Yeah, that’s the kind of thing she means.” (Matsunaga)

Matsunaga-san’s accurate jab sent a wave of loud laughter through the area.

Meanwhile, the guys seemed somewhat bewildered, finding it strange how I’d suddenly been accepted into the girls’ circle.

“Speaking of which, isn’t Hikaru’s birthday next week?”

“Yep, it is! August 8th, I’ll be 17!!” (Hikaru)

“Right? Well then, it’s a bit early, but happy birthday!”

“Thank you!” (Hikaru)

With the barbecue atmosphere still lively, everyone raised their drink-filled cups in celebration.

It felt somewhat strange to find myself near the center of this kind of upbeat, Popular Type vibe.

“…So, by any chance, are you two spending her birthday together?”

As I was eating the seventh piece of meat Hikaru had offered almost mechanically, one ofika the girls asked.

“Umm… well…” (Reiya)

“Yep! We’re planning to eat cake together at Reiya-kun’s place!” (Hikaru)

As I was wondering how to answer, Hikaru casually replied from my side.

“Eh? Kageyama-kun, you live alone, right? So, does that mean you’ll be alone in his room together?”

“That’s right. Actually, it’s always like that, not just on birthdays.” (Hikaru)

Hikaru continued to answer nonchalantly, seemingly without any thought to the possibility of inviting misunderstandings.

“Is that so?”

“Ah, ahh… yeah, well…” (Reiya)

When she turned to me for confirmation, I answered honestly, albeit with some hesitation.

Am I just overthinking things, worrying that her frequently visiting a guy's room while still in high school might start some unpleasant rumors...? (Reiya)

“But you’re not just eating cake, right? It’s her birthday, and you’ll be alone with the person you like…”

“Of course, we’ll do lots of other things too! It’s a special birthday, after all.” (Hikaru)

“L-lots of other things… like what?”

I could hear the girls gulping audibly through the air.

“That’s~… a secret just between us~!” (Hikaru)

When Hikaru said that, drawing it out teasingly, high-pitched squeals of “Kyaa!” erupted.

I don't know what on earth they're imagining, but the reality is we're just going to play a hot new game I've been saving for this day, the two of us. (Reiya)

“Still, I’m jealous~… Watching you two, I’m starting to want a boyfriend too~…”

“When you’re this lovey-dovey, it really makes one feel it, huh~.”

“I want to be an adorable lovey-dovey couple like that too~…”

Sometime during all this, our external evaluation had apparently been promoted (?) from “the mismatched, ‘handle-with-care’ couple” to “an adorable lovey-dovey couple.”

I should probably be happy about this. (Reiya)

“Hey, hey, you’ve all been focusing on Reiya’s group, haven’t you forgotten someone!?” (Shuu)

Shuu cut in, as if he had something to say to us.

“When it comes to being a lovey-dovey couple, we won’t lose either! Right, Haruna! Let’s do the ‘aaah’ thing too—” (Shuu)

“Eh? No way, that’s just embarrassing…” (Haruna)

Leaving him to his sorrow, the barbecue continued to liven up.

I was made to eat almost all the additional meat Hikaru put on the grill, for some reason a curry secret ingredient championship was held and I ended up winning, and after the sun set, we all had fun with fireworks we’d brought.

There were still moments where I found the vibe of the Popular Type group exhausting, but by the time it ended, I think I had managed to fit in somewhat.

And so, after we finished cleaning up, we split into male and female groups and headed back to the lodge. All that was left was to decide on our respective bedrooms and go to sleep.

Just as I started thinking that, someone naturally proposed:

“…Alright, time to head over to the girls’ place!”