Chapter 48

Translator: mii

Editor: Ryunakama

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I woke up at 11 o’clock.

Even though today is Friday, I don’t need to go to school. I wonder if this kind of wonderful Friday will last forever. No, there’s no way (cri).

Right. This Friday is a public holiday. November 3, the cultural day.

After a short investigation, it seems like they are celebrating「the love for freedom and peace, while promoting culture」. I never knew about that. Freedom and peace, huh.

Even if I have to recommend my culture, what should I do anyway?

Due to the influence of the Happy Monday system etc, there are quite a few three combinations on Saturday-Sunday-Monday, while Friday-Saturday-Sunday is quite rare.

While I was messing around with my smartphone inside my blanket, coupled with the warm sunlight that came in through the window, I became sleepy again. Even though I have a place I want to go if I wake up early, but forget it already. I’ll just sleep.

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In my dreamland, I felt like I could hear the sound of my LINE notification sound, and my mother’s voice woke me up.

Maharun♪：Senpaiii

Maharun♪：You must be still on your sleepyhead mode anyway, right?

Shut it. Who is a sleepyhead? Me?

Iguchi Keita　：Morning

Maharun♪：Ah, good latening, senpai

Iguchi Keita　：Don’t just change words as you like

Maharun♪：Eh, isn’t it fine?

Uhn. There is a strong sense of incongruity when putting it in letters.

It might be different when I hear them from Kouhai-chan’s voice, though.

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After sending him my good morning greeting (but it’s already noon), the time passed for a while.

I remembered a matter when it is already evening, making me open my LINE again.

Maharun♪：I forget to say this, but,

Maharun♪：This weekend is finally sunny

Iguchi Keita　：It’s been a while since we last had weekends without typhoon

Maharun♪：It’s pretty late to say this today, but tomorrow, er

Senpai, you haven’t forgotten it yet, right?

You said that you will teach me bicycle, didn’t you?

Maharun♪：That, bicycle,

Iguchi Keita　：Ahh, uhm. I have something to do tomorrow

Huh???

Senpai has something to do, in a holiday?

What the heck actually happened?

Maharun♪：Huuhh?

Maharun♪：Senpai, having plans?

Maharun♪：Will the son rise in the west tomorrow?

I am too surprised, making my fingers that operate my smartphone tremble, and I sent the word incorrectly.

If we keep chatting via LINE, senpai surely won’t tell me anything.

Iguchi Keita　：Eh, not really

Look. He becomes like this.

Maharun♪：[Maharun♪ started a call.]

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Hey, come on now.

Please at least give me a word of warning. You need to ask if I’m home, or if my family is nearby. Stop calling me so suddenly.

But then, the day when my thoughts will reach her will probably never come.

「Ah, senpai? Good latening.」

That greeting. When I actually listened to it from Kouhai-chan’s voice, the refreshing element of it being purely as the first greeting of the day and the contempt element of telling me about how I wake up too late in the morning intermingled, expressed with her nice voice. Somehow, it becomes too complicated.

Thinking how this is limited only to the weekends, it might not be that bad itself.

「Hey now, stop calling me so suddenly already.」

「Huh? Senpai, you don’t need to cover yourself in the blanket anymore?」

「I already gave up.」

My mother knew about the existence of this girl already anyway. There’s nothing I have to hide anymore.

Maybe that ‘nothing’ is not true. Well, what’s important here is that I don’t need to suppress my voice when talking to her through calls anymore.

「Then, senpai. Here is my『today’s question』. You need to especially answer me properly on this matter.」

Kouhai-chan who is on the other side of the call is asking me the daily question, but starting it with a strict introduction first.

Her tone expresses that if she is in front of me right now, she will press me for my answer while drawing closer towards me all the way.

「What is that appointment tomorrow!?」

Even if you ask me what…

When I am mulling over on how I should explain it to her, she pressed even more.

「Who are you going with? What time in the morning? Where will you go in the first place?」

「Ah, yes, yes. I will answer now, calm down.」

「Yes.」

It is an event that I look forward to every year.

「First, I will go to Jimbocho.」

「Yes.」

Jimbocho is a town that holds the title of「world’s best book town.」

It is located between Akihabara and Kanda, with the memory of Otonokizaka High School 1

The school’s name in Love Live! series.) located in there still fresh in my mind.
「Then, there will be a three day festival held at that place, starting from today until the day after tomorrow.」

「A festival?」

「Yes, it’s a festival held by the book lovers, for the book lovers. It is called the,『Jimbocho Book Festival.』」

「…Book festival…」

「Hearing you wondering what’s so amazing about it makes me feel a little hurt, but basically, you can buy new books there for half the price.」

「Er,」

「Book is an item that one can resell, right? The resale version is a little cheaper even on Amazon. So in that annual festival, you can buy them directly from the publisher for half the price. That’s what the book festival really is, actually.」

「I understand. It’s me who was surprised that is stupid.」

Kouhai-chan’s voice that came out of my phone sounds disappointed.

「Thanks for that.」

「I’m not praising you senpai.」

「I like books after all.」

「I know that.」

「I see. So you know, huh.」

「Yeah. Ever since a long time ago.」

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When I heard that senpai had an appointment, I really thought about what I should do.

But now, I felt a little relieved.

Actually, I’m embarrassed after panicking that much. Since we are talking about senpai, I should be able to predict that he will go to that kind of place if I think calmly. Seriously.

Well, if this is the case, then…

「Can I go together with you?」

Senpai said that he has a place that he wants to go to, and it is very rare itself.

It’s not like I completely don’t like reading books, and I want to know how amazing the「festival」that makes senpai that excited.

「Uhnn…」

Senpai’s voice in my phone sounds like he is mulling over it.

After all, senpai is the type that wants to go to that kind of place and look carefully at the books alone.

「I won’t disturb senpai at all.」

Rather, I can even help you carry some of your luggage.

「I’ll say this first, okay? I won’t go there to accompany you, okay?」

Yay! It means I can go together with senpai, right!

「Please look forward to my Yamato Nadeshiko’s style of following you three steps behind!」

I’m too happy, and those words come smoothly out of my mouth.

「Don’t you have a bright hair color? If we’re talking about Yamato Nadeshiko, you will need to be black-haired.」

「My heart is a Nadeshiko, so it’s valid.」

「Does it mean your heart is pink?」

「It’s a pink heart.」

「I don’t understand what we’re talking about at all.」

I also don’t understand anymore, senpai.

「Ah, I forgot. It will be quite crowded, is it alright for you?」

Oh my. So he remembered that one day when I felt sick on the crowded train. I’m impressed.

「I’ll be alright, since I’m going together with senpai.」

「I really think that your way of phrasing it is really unfair… Well, fine. Tomorrow, 10 AM in Jimbocho.」

Senpai one-sidedly informed me the time and place, and he dropped the call when he finished his rabid talking.

Seriously. I am embarrassed too, alright?