Chapter 27
Moonlit Date (Part 4)
“Taiyō, Hii-chan says to meet her in front of the second-floor backyard in fifteen minutes.”
“The schedule says she’s on a mid-break right now. Let’s go, then.”
Hii-chan—Amano Hiyori—was a student of Kōchū Academy, the same school I attended. She was in my class, the same year as me.
Apparently, she used to be childhood friends with Seiya and Tsukiyo. They’d been pretty close back then.
When Tsukiyo and I arrived at the meeting spot, Hii-chan appeared right on time.
Her semi-long blonde hair shimmered, and her makeup accentuated her well-defined features. That charming, magnetic beauty—she really looked like an idol.
At school she seemed like an ordinary girl, but in her idol form, she was undeniably cute.
“Hey!”
While I was staring in admiration, Tsukiyo pinched me hard.
Was it wrong to be captivated!? It’s not like we’re actually dating… oh wait—this is supposed to be a “practice date,” so maybe it is wrong.
“Tsu-chan, thanks for coming!”
“Hii-chan, you look amazing! The new song was awesome too!”
By the way, Seiya’s nickname is “Sei-chan.” Childhood friend privilege, I guess.
“I’m surprised you spotted Tsukiyo from the stage. You could really see her?”
“I always pay attention to the audience’s faces. And Tsu-chan stands out—she’s adorable.”
That was… true. She really was cute enough to stand next to an idol and not look out of place.
“I heard about this, Yamaaadaaa~ You’re calling her by her first name now? Finally going on a date?”
That voice came from none other than the group’s resident loudspeaker, Kagayasui Rika.
The girls in the group always shared gossip among themselves. Normally, she couldn’t care less about me—except when she wanted to tease me.
“It’s not that big of a deal. Anyway, Amano-san, are you coming to the next school attendance day?”
“Hey, call me Hii-chan.”
Scary! “Hii-chan” was her idol nickname, and she was determined to have every student in school call her that.
In a way, that’s admirable professionalism… but when I accidentally call her “Amano-san,” she gets really mad. Her voice carries, too, so it’s terrifying.
“The only one allowed to call me Hiyori is Sei-chan. Everyone else must call me Hii-chan. That’s final.”
“Is it even okay for an idol to be in a relationship?”
“Ice doesn’t have a no-dating policy. And besides, we’re not actually dating. I just pour my feelings for Sei-chan into my songs and deliver them to my fans.”
“(But Hii-chan’s the worst singer in the group, though.)”
“(You can’t say that out loud!)”
Hii-chan was popular for her looks, dancing, and talk skills. Maybe that confidence helped her gloss over the rest.
“But you two should get going. Some students from school were at the mall.”
“Eh?”
Tsukiyo and I spoke in unison.
“If anyone spots Tsu-chan hanging out with a guy, Yamada, you’re dead meat.”
“Please don’t say scary things like that…”
The mall wasn’t exactly close to school, but since Ice was performing today, there were bound to be students around.
We’d better make our exit while we could.
“My break’s over, so I’ll head back. Our new single comes out next week—make sure you buy the Hii-chan limited edition, okay?”
“Yeah, I’ll definitely buy it!”
“Yamaaadaaa, you’re buying at least three copies.”
“Got it. But I’m actually a Mii-chan fan, so I’ll get hers instead.”
“…Hey.”
Ice was a five-member group. My favorite was Mii-chan, the “adorable little sister” type who made you want to protect her.
Honestly, I didn’t really care much about Hii-chan. Maybe it’s because I actually knew her personally.
Tsukiyo and I hurriedly left the shopping mall.
I felt bad for leaving mid-concert, but there’d be another official live show soon—we could look forward to that.
It was just past 2 p.m. when we reached the street outside.
“So, what should we do now?”
“Well, if it’s a date… it has to be a park, right?”
That was the classic choice. Two people walking together, chatting affectionately, maybe holding hands here and there… that sort of thing.
I decided to go along with Tsukiyo’s idea. There was a large nature park nearby, so we headed that way.
Thirty minutes later—
We were at the library.
“Yeah, trying to walk around the park under this blazing summer sun was a terrible idea.”
“This time of day really isn’t meant for being outdoors.”
Within ten minutes, we were drenched in sweat and retreated immediately.
The mall had been so cool we’d underestimated the heat.
In the end, even dressed up and on a “date,” Tsukiyo and I realized something important:
Sitting in the cool, quiet library, reading books together—
that was the best kind of date for the two of us.
