Chapter Fifty-Two: I Will Cherish It for a Lifetime
Inside the women’s clothing store.
After Alice and the others finally cleared up the misunderstanding, the young sales clerk repeatedly apologized. To make amends, she showed great enthusiasm toward Chika and took her to the fitting room, determined to style her in the cutest outfit possible today.
Meanwhile, Nagi and Alice casually browsed the hangers.
“Alice-chan, aren’t you going to try some on?”
“No, I’ll pass…”
“Even if Alice-chan can’t fit into size S, there’s still size XS…”
“That’s not the point!”
While Alice complained, she glanced at Nagi’s chest and revealed a bitter expression.
“And even if I wore it, I wouldn’t look cute anyway…”
Alice gently rested her hand on her right cheek. Her golden heterochromatic eyes gave her strength but also made her appear as a monster in the eyes of others. Therefore, Alice was not keen on dressing up, knowing that it wouldn’t make her cute anyway—
“That’s not true~”
Nagi’s soft voice interrupted Alice’s self-deprecating thoughts.
“By the way, Alice-chan, I’m sorry.”
“Eh? Why are you apologizing, Nagi-san…?”
“Because that day after school, Alice-chan was on the rooftop and told me your secret, but I didn’t get a chance to reply on the spot…”
Nagi lowered her gaze, filled with regret.
“No, that was beyond my control…”
“I’m sorry it took me so long to reply to Alice-chan—”
“I think Alice-chan’s eyes are very beautiful, like jewels~”
“Nagi, Nagi-san…” Alice turned her head to meet Nagi’s gaze.
“At that moment, I was so captivated that I couldn’t reply immediately, Alice-chan~”
Nagi bashfully scratched her head.
(“—After seeing this, will Nagi still be willing to treat me as a friend?”)
“So my answer is—”
“Yes, I hope I can continue being friends with the cute Alice-chan, is that okay?”
“……No.”
“Eh?!”
“It should be good friends,” Alice said, mimicking Nagi’s smile from that day.
“Mm-mm! Good friends~!”
Nagi’s sunny smile revealed a radiant cuteness.
—Really, these childhood friends are too gentle…
—Tsukimi, if you don’t make an effort, such a gentle child might really be deceived by some bad man.
Alice sighed inwardly.
—Is it true that I appear cute in others’ eyes too?
At the same time, she felt warm inside from Nagi’s earlier words.
—Should I also try it on…
“Sorry to keep you waiting~” The sales clerk’s voice interrupted Alice’s thoughts.
Immediately, Alice turned her head to see Chika next to the clerk, blushing and flustered in a light, flowing spaghetti strap dress.
The delicate outline of her figure accentuated by the dress inadvertently made Alice glance down at her own chest—
She quietly placed the clothes back on the rack.
……
……
When it was time to gather.
However, the group quickly dispersed due to Rin, the top-level wingman.
“So, we’re going to buy some gifts for later when we visit, and also check out a video tape of the movie we’re going to watch today.”
“Kanade and Nagi can just browse around here and wait for us~”
Rin said in a commanding tone as she was about to leave with Alice and Chika.
“Ah, wait, if that’s the case, I need to buy a gift too…”
“(So, please understand that we’re leaving for who specifically!)”
Rin looked exasperated and pulled Kanade aside to whisper.
Alice quickly noticed Kanade’s anxious expression and could guess what this boy was planning, so she agreed to Rin’s suggestion.
Meanwhile, Chika had been excitedly fantasizing in her mind about the upcoming opportunity for Nagi and Kanade to be alone together.
“Ah, they’ve walked away… There wasn’t any need for all this trouble…”
Nagi murmured as she watched the three depart.
“Y-Yeah… then shall we go too…?”
Once it became just her and Nagi, Kanade started to stutter while speaking.
“Mm~! Let me have some rare alone time with Kanade-kun… just joking~”
Thump thump.
Kanade felt his heart race wildly.
“Can… can I hold your hand?” Nagi said, extending her delicate white hand toward Kanade.
“Y-Yeah, because there are a lot of people, so it would be a hassle if we got separated…”
Kanade stammered out some words of reassurance as he took Nagi’s soft little hand.
Even though the mall was air-conditioned, he felt an inexplicable heat rising in his cheeks.
The two strolled aimlessly along the way.
Nagi’s dark hair and the flowing skirt swayed with her steps, complementing her adorably fair face and eyes that sparkled like countless stars, capturing the attention of passersby.
As Kanade walked alongside such a beautiful girl in public, he endured the envious and jealous glances of other boys.
During this time, Kanade’s heart raced; partly due to the nervousness about his next action, and partly because—
“Hehe, holding hands with Kanade-kun like this feels like… like we’re on a date…”
Nagi occasionally made heart-racing statements like this.
She also walked closer than usual today.
Whether it was Nagi’s cuter-than-usual outfit or the faint scent wafting from her, Kanade was left feeling restless.
Although he wanted to give Nagi the gift he had in his pocket, he struggled to find the right moment.
“Mm!?” At that moment, Kanade suddenly sensed an unsettling gaze fixed on him.
He abruptly turned his head towards the source of the gaze.
There, a shadow flashed past, blending into the crowd.
Ever since Kanade had signed the contract with DD-chan, he had become hypersensitive to the gazes directed at him.
Thus, he could easily distinguish this unusually odd gaze among many.
(Hmph, trying to tail me, do you even know what professionalism is? You’re completely overestimating yourself…)
DD-chan’s voice echoed in Kanade’s mind.
(It seems like a very suspicious middle-aged man… Should we escape?)
Floating in the air in spirit form, DD-chan accurately pinpointed the target who had been following Kanade and Nagi.
“Hey, Nagi, over here—” Kanade tightened his grip on Nagi’s small hand.
“Kanade…kun!?”
Using the flow of people and following DD-chan’s lead, Kanade successfully lost the suspicious man trailing behind them.
“…..Kanade-kun, do you really want to play the claw machine that badly?”
Finally letting out a sigh of relief, Kanade realized he had inadvertently led Nagi to an arcade, where a row of claw machines stood beside them.
“Y-Yeah~” Kanade quickly took over the conversation.
“Which one does Nagi like?”
“Eh? Are you… getting this for me?”
Nagi looked surprised and then shyly lowered her head.
“As long as it’s from Kanade-kun… I’ll love it…”
“Alright, even if it means going bankrupt today, I must—” Kanade’s face flushed, as if this line was written all over it, and he excitedly approached the counter to exchange for game tokens.
“Whew~” Nagi also let out a small sigh of relief, then began to think about the person who had been tailing them.
There was no magical reaction, and the gaze contained no hostility; he should be an ordinary person.
But judging by his expert tracking skills and the obviously worn clothing, it seemed he was well-versed in such actions.
He might be some private investigator or journalist.
Such people used to surround her frequently.
But now, why was he following her?
Shouldn’t she, no longer the child prodigy, have nothing juicy to offer them…?
What could he possibly want?
The stars in Nagi’s eyes began to flicker wildly—
“No, wait—”
Nagi suddenly shook her head, interrupting the thoughts that were beginning to form.
—He is just an ordinary person, and I can’t use my abilities against ordinary people like this.
—Plus, Alice is nearby; if I use my abilities like this, it could expose me.
“……Nagi?” Kanade, returning with the game tokens, looked at Nagi, who seemed dazed.
“Sorry, I just thought something was really cute, and I got a bit lost in thought~”
“Is that so? Which one did Nagi see—eh?” Following Nagi’s gaze, Kanade noticed that a certain toy in the claw machine looked oddly familiar.
The toy had parted hair, denim overalls, and a white T-shirt, but was far from grotesque; it bore a rather cute doll face.
“This toy seems to be the iconic mascot of this mall from before…” Nagi explained.
“Oh, is that so…”
Seeing Kanade’s slight twitch at the corner of his mouth, Nagi probably understood he was thinking of DD-chan.
—Even if you can’t catch it, you could just give me the real DD-chan, right?
Nagi smiled inwardly.
She then watched with gentle eyes as Kanade started to show off his skills in front of this claw machine—
And returned empty-handed.
After spending a significant portion of his savings on gifts for Nagi, Kanade was left with very little pocket money, and even spent all of it without managing to grab a single toy.
At one point, Kanade considered letting DD-chan float inside and pretend to be captured.
As expected, he still couldn’t become the kind of protagonist who would effortlessly snag a toy for the heroine on a date~
Kanade hung his head in disappointment in front of the claw machine.
“Kanade-kun?”
Nagi was comforting him from the side.
“Being able to hang out with Kanade-kun is already the best gift I received today, so don’t force yourself…”
Hearing that, Kanade took a few deep breaths and, as if steeling himself, raised his head.
For some reason, his face turned slightly red.
“Even though I couldn’t catch a toy, I still have a gift I want to give to little Nagi…”
As he spoke, Kanade took out a delicate small box from his pocket, holding it with both hands and offering it to Nagi.
“Eh?”
Nagi appeared genuinely surprised.
“Is it really okay?”
“Mm… I hope little Nagi can accept it…”
After receiving Kanade’s reply, Nagi slowly extended her hands to accept the box from him.
At that moment, Kanade’s face was already completely flushed.
Nagi’s cheeks also tinted with a tempting blush.
“…..Can I open it?”
Kanade nodded stiffly.
As Nagi’s slender, delicate fingers untied the ribbon on the box and opened the lid, what met her eyes was a fashionable bracelet adorned with star elements. Its silver material shone dazzlingly in the light, illuminating Nagi’s starry eyes.
“Although it’s not something precious, I felt it suited little Nagi a bit… If you’re willing, please accept it…”
Kanade spoke, so shy that he couldn’t help but lower his head, with his eyes glued to the floor as he stuttered.
He had heard that giving a girl jewelry who isn’t a romantic partner could potentially be misunderstood as having romantic intentions…
It was a very sly, unspoken confession.
But this time, Kanade had already decided to take this step, hoping to convey to Nagi his desire to get closer, even just a little—
After Kanade finished speaking, he still did not hear a response from Nagi, which made him a bit anxious.
“But… this is just a cheap gift; if little Nagi thinks it’s tacky, you don’t have to feel obligated to—”
“No, that’s not it—” Nagi’s soft and slightly trembling voice interrupted Kanade’s words.
This made him involuntarily lift his head.
Then their eyes met; Nagi’s were glistening with tears.
She cupped the bracelet in her hands and held it close to her chest, showcasing the happiest smile Kanade had ever seen.
“This isn’t a cheap gift; it’s the most, most, most precious gift I received from Kanade-kun—”
“Thank you, I will cherish it for a lifetime.”
…..
…..
The group purchased their items and was now on their way to Nagi’s house.
“Eh? This bracelet is really beautiful~” Rin remarked, as if she had just made a discovery.
“N-No, I won’t give it to you~” Nagi replied with a guarded expression, gently gripping the bracelet on her left hand with her right.
Then her mouth naturally curled into a happy smile.
“Of course, I wouldn’t want it…”
Seeing Nagi’s expression, even Rin lost the interest to tease further.
Chika, on the other hand, was almost dizzy with excitement at the scene unfolding in front of her.
“How wonderful~” Alice quietly exchanged glances with Kanade, who was still blushing.
The latter shyly averted his gaze, pretending he didn’t hear.
But his eyes quickly fell back on Nagi, who was bouncing happily in front of him.
—It would be great if this peaceful daily life could continue.
Kanade recalled the unsettling gaze he had sensed in the mall and silently made up his mind.
This time, he wouldn’t make the same mistake as last time; he would definitely protect Nagi well.
—And someday, he would take a step toward a romantic relationship with little Nagi, always staying by her side…..
……
……
“This is getting really interesting…”
In an exquisite and luxurious detective agency.
A distinguished man in the industry handed over all the materials he had investigated during this summer to the client sitting across from him.
The latter browsed through the photographs and information with a smile.
This prompted a displeased expression on the private investigator’s face.
Yet he couldn’t say much about it.
Although the materials before him were collected in adherence to his professional ethics, the targets of the investigation were just children.
And children with tragic pasts at that.
He gradually began to regret taking on this commission.
The client’s expression seemed to reflect that of someone who had found a fascinating toy as he scanned the photographs of a cute girl with black hair with an almost predatory gaze.
“Well then, the commission ends here.”
Unable to tolerate it any longer, the private investigator stood up to show the client out.
“Yes, I am quite satisfied with your work~”
The client stood up, extending a hand as if to shake hands with the private investigator: “Let’s collaborate again next time~”
However, the latter ignored the gesture and coldly replied, “Thank you for your appreciation, but I just wish you would get the hell out of my office right now.”
“Hahaha~” The client was completely unfazed by this attitude.
Before leaving, he raised the materials in his hand.
“I’ll make sure you get to see a good show next time~”
