Chapter 3: Encounter

Her straight black hair flowed down to her waist, gleaming with such luster that it sparkled—like countless stars twinkling in a deep black night sky.

Her sharply defined, cool eyes gave off a melancholic air with every blink of her long lashes, and the slightly upturned shape of her nose created a sense of aloofness.

Her face was extremely small, and yet she was taller than me, with a perfect eight-heads-tall figure. Even through her clothes, the presence of her large chest was undeniable—she had an absolutely stunning figure.

There was an overwhelming “beauty” in front of me.

But that beauty was being ruined—two guys were harassing her.

“Hey, pretty lady, why don’t you come have some tea with us?”

“……”

“Oh, ignoring us? Acting all high and mighty, huh? Come on, let’s go.”

One of the guys reached out to grab her.

“Hey, cut it out.”

Before his hand could touch her, I grabbed his wrist.

“Huh? Who the hell are you? This ain’t got nothing to do with you.”

“Well, maybe not. But I can’t just ignore a girl in trouble.”

“What? Let go of me, punk!”

The guy swung his free hand to punch me.

“Heh—nope.”

I twisted the wrist I was holding inward, breaking his balance, and used my other hand to push his arm.

He fell down, hard.

“Oww! What the hell!?”

“It’s a move from aikido called Kote Gaeshi.”

Since I used to work as support for celebrities—and because I never knew when a thug might appear—I had trained in martial arts to protect my sisters.

(Still, I’ve got a long way to go. If it were my master, he could’ve handled this even more peacefully…)

“You still wanna go?”

“Tch… Y-You’ll regret this!”

“Hey! Don’t leave me behind!”

The two of them, spooked by a technique they couldn’t understand, turned tail and ran.

Once I made sure they were gone, I turned to the girl who was still frozen in place.

“Are you okay?”

“Y-Yes…”

Contrary to her elegant appearance, her voice was incredibly cute.

(That voice… sounds familiar somehow… But I’m sure this is the first time we’ve met.)

“That was scary, huh? Don’t worry, it’s all over now.”

I said that and gently patted her on the head.

“Eh… Ah, um…”

“S-Sorry! I didn’t mean to…”

I had instinctively patted her head the way I used to do with my younger sisters.

(Back then, they used to ask for head pats when they were nervous before work, saying it gave them strength… It’s been a long time since I’ve done that.)

“N-No… it’s okay.”

Her beautiful face, which had looked so unapproachable, was now turning red.

(She probably didn’t like being treated like a kid… I really messed that up…)

“Um… thank you… very much… for saving me.”

“Oh—uh, don’t mention it! I just did what anyone would do.”

My martial arts master always told me: “If you see a girl in trouble, always help her.” That principle had become second nature to me.

(Anyway, now that the bad guys are gone, I should get going to the dorm.)

“Well then, see you.”

Just as I turned to walk away—

“Ah—”

Suddenly, I lost my balance and collapsed.

(Uh-oh… this is bad…)

“A-Are… are you okay!?”

The girl rushed over and helped me up.

(Her chest… it’s… soft…)

Even as my consciousness faded, my brain couldn’t help but think something inappropriate.

“Sorry… I think I’ve reached my limit…”

“Could it be… you’re hurt from earlier…?”

She was flustered and clearly on the verge of tears, yet her face still remained stunning. Her worried expression was almost… cute.

(Guess I showed her a pretty pathetic side of myself… But seriously, I’m at my limit…)

Growl—

A sound completely out of place in this moment echoed from my stomach.

“Huh?”

“I’m… hungry…”

I had hit my limit from sheer hunger.

○ ●

“So good! I feel alive again! Thanks so much for the meal!”

“N-No… it’s a thank-you… for helping me…!”

She had helped me to a nearby family restaurant, where I used the last of my strength to make it inside.

“I can’t even remember the last time I ate a proper meal like this. I’ve been living off those nutritional jelly drinks lately.”

(I didn’t eat anything yesterday either, after all.)

“Wha…! That’s… not normal…”

“Is it weird…? Haha.”

Even though I took care of my sisters’ nutrition, I often neglected my own meals—too busy running around to support them.

“By the way, is it okay for people without families to come here? I won’t get arrested or anything…?”

“? I… I think… it’s okay…”

“Oh! You mean because we look like a family, right?!”

“F-Family!? N-No! I meant anyone can come here!”

“Wait, really!? I thought ‘family restaurant’ meant you had to be a family!”

“Hehe… what kind of joke… is that?”

She laughed softly, her expression gentle and warm.

It was like a flower had bloomed—truly beautiful.

“Ah, right! This isn’t a joke or anything… Oh, that’s right! I haven’t introduced myself yet. My name is Atsumu Sakasegawa. I just arrived in this town today. And you are?”

I was never allowed to go by the name Amagasaki. I always used my father’s surname, Sakasegawa.

“I’m… Tsukiyo Himeji. Nice to meet you…”

“Nice to meet you, Himeji-san. Were you out today because you wanted that strawberry parfait?”

“Yes, that’s right…!”

In front of her on the table was a large strawberry parfait, aside from the food I was eating.
It was apparently a special, limited-edition parfait available only once a month—at least that’s what the menu said.

Himeji-san’s eyes sparkled as she gazed at the parfait.

“I-it’s kind of weird, right? Someone like me liking something like this…”

“Huh? I don’t think it’s weird at all. Isn’t it totally normal for a girl to like strawberries, sweet things, and cute stuff?”

At that, she looked genuinely surprised, her already big eyes growing even wider.

(Wait, did I say something weird again?)

“Normal… you say?”

“Yeah, totally normal!”

“Y-yes…! Normal… it is!”

Then, Himeji-san happily began eating the parfait in small bites.

(She’s eating it so happily. You can really tell she loves it.)

◯ ●

“Um… may I ask you something?”

Having finished her parfait and looking content, she hesitantly asked me something.
She always seemed a bit shy, but this felt like something even harder for her to bring up.

“Hm? What is it?”

“Well… when you said you didn’t have a family… what did you mean by that?”

“Ah… that.”

(Guess that slipped out earlier in conversation. Of course she’d be curious…)

“I-I’m sorry… that was inconsiderate of me…”

“Eh? No, don’t worry about it! It’s really not a big deal… Would you be willing to listen?”

For some reason, I felt like I could talk to her.

◯ ●

“…So, that’s what happened. And that’s why I ended up moving to this town today.”

“…Uuuh… sniff…”

Himeji-san started crying, tears gently falling down her cheeks.

“Ah! What should I do? Here, take this!”

I pulled out the handkerchief I always carry and handed it to her.

“Sniff… thank you very much.”

To cry over the story of someone she just met…
Himeji-san really is a kind-hearted person.

“It’s just… too sad…”

“Well, it couldn’t be helped. The truth is, I was halfway useless. That’s just how it is.”

“That’s not true…! You saved me…!”

“Thanks. That means a lot. But I’m really okay with it now. Even if I’d stayed with them as a ‘family,’ it probably wouldn’t have ended well. Honestly, I feel more free now. It’s a relief.”

“Mmm…”

Himeji-san still didn’t seem convinced.
Her puffed-out cheeks were kind of adorable.

“Thanks for listening. A lot happened today, but I’m really glad I met you, Himeji-san. If we ever run into each other again, I hope we can get along.”

“N-no…! I’m really glad I met you too… Y-yes. Let’s meet again sometime…”

And so, we parted ways in front of the family restaurant.

I had no idea how things would turn out,
but I found a place to live, and even made a friend in Himeji-san.
Today turned out to be a good day.

Starting tomorrow, I’ll finally get to go to school. I’m really looking forward to it.

So many things happened today that I never could have imagined.

What in the world lies ahead?

I really hope… I’ll get to see Himeji-san again.

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