Chapter 64 – Girls are made up of sweets

“Well, I’m sorry for talking in secret, Haruka. So, that feeling? I’m sure it’s fear.”

“Is that what it is…?”

“I’ve been talking with Mizuki lately, but the person Haruka is closest to is Nihama-kun, right? So after a long time of not seeing him at school and seeing someone I don’t know next to him, I’m worried that she might take my best friend.”

I’m replacing the love-like element with friendship, but I don’t think it’s a wrong analogy.

”For now, just understand that I’m scared that my best person is about to be taken.’”

“It’s… certainly one of those things. When Nihama was busy preparing for the festival, we didn’t have much time to study together, and it made me feel uneasy.”

“Right? And the solution is seriously simple.”

Once Haruka understood her condition, Mizuki leaned forward and said.

“You call Nihama-kun, who is at the center of this story, and ask him, ‘Who was that girl you were walking with?’”

“Well, that’s certainly true, but if that girl is a very intimate person and says he’s not going to be ready for me anymore…”

When Haruka was frightened by the solution Mizuki offered, we both said together, “There’s no way…!” I made a face in frustration.

Oh my god! It’s so frustrating that she has no idea how many love arrows are pointing at her!

“If it’s too difficult to ask, Mai or I can ask him for you, okay? We exchanged email addresses just before summer vacation.”

“Yes, yes, just call Nihama-kun right here and now, and that’s it!”

“If you want, you can call him here.”

“…That’s… no, I’ll ask him myself. It’s really nice of you to offer to help, but somehow I feel like I have to ask him myself.”

“Haruka-”

I was more than a little impressed with Haruka, who said this with resolution despite being frightened by unknown emotions.

I had talked to her a few times before I became friends with Haruka, but at that time I was impressed by her innocence and her gentle demeanor as a young lady.

But the Haruka of today seems to have added even more core strength to her.

Perhaps this is also due to the influence of Nihama-kun?

“I see, I understand Haruka’s intentions. So, if that’s what you’ve decided, let’s give it a boost! The sweets have just arrived too!”

Just as we had reached the end of our conversation, the waitress brought out a number of plates and placed them on our table.

It seemed that Mizuki had ordered first.

“Wow…!”

“Oh!”

Haruka and I shouted in admiration.

What shone before us was a glorious pancake.

Three layers of fluffy white pancakes, topped with syrup, fruit, and whipped cream.

There was also a plate piled high with colorful macaroons and an à la carte selection of miniature cakes and scones, which naturally dazzled both Haruka and me.

“I took the liberty of ordering a lot of sweets for Haruka, who was feeling down and out!　When you’re feeling down, just eat sweets! There’s no better cure for a girl whose body is made of sugar!”

“Oh, Mizuki! Nice! A lot of sweets is justice after all!”

“I’m sure that eating something sweet will make you feel better, no questions asked!”

Haruka and I agreed with and praised Mizuki’s powerful argument.

Boys may not understand this, but high school girls need sweets as fuel.

“I’ve ordered a pot of tea, so let’s eat it together! I mean, I can’t take it anymore, so I’ll eat!”

“Ha, yes! I’ll have some too!”

“I can’t wait either! Let’s eat!”

And with that, we all got to work on our pancakes.

Our smiles couldn’t help but bloom on the spot.

“Haaaaah, delicious~! I thought pancakes were just… well, pancakes, but they’re not fluffy like these!”

Strictly speaking, soufflé pancakes and western pancakes are ultimately different things, but I don’t really care about that. As long as it’s tasty and fashionable, that’s justice for girls! [TLN: Pancakes in Europe and the US are wide and thin, whereas pancakes in Japan are what we call soufflé pancakes, which have a smaller diameter but are taller and are very fluffy!]

“Yes, it has a great texture and goes well with whipped cream. It has syrup, so it’s a guilty pleasure with a lot of calories.”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa! Don’t say the most forbidden words when eating sweets!”

I said it because I wanted to see that kind of reaction, but when I thought about it, I realized that I, who hates exercise, would definitely put on more weight than Mai, who is in the exercise club, and I’m secretly having a hard time with that.

“What are you doing? Isn’t Mizuki a bit of an idiot sometimes?”

As we were joking around over sweets…

“Huh… ahaha!”

Haruka was laughing.

As in, it’s fun.

“I’m sorry, I was just so happy to see the two of you interacting in such an interesting way. ……”

Haruka, who had regained her normal state, took another bite of the pancake.

Sweets seem to be great after all, and the sweetness that pervades her face makes Haruka smile.

“As I told you both, I haven’t had any friends for a long time, so this is the first time I’ve ever been to a gathering of girlfriends.”

“Haruka ……”

To tell the truth, before we became friends like this, I had a special view of Haruka.

I thought she was a beautiful woman, a high-class woman, with a lot of experience in love, and that she would have a large group of friends.

So when Haruka came out to me about her lack of friendships, I felt embarrassed that I had been looking at her in a very selfish way, and at the same time, I thought, “I have to do a lot of friendly things for her!” I promised myself that I would do my best.

“I’m really happy to have been friends with you two…!”

Her eyes moistened with tears, and she smiled with delight.

The destructive power of that pure and beautiful smile was so great that I not only lost consciousness for a moment, but also fell completely in love with her even though she was the same sex.
(It’s too cute…! Oh my god, this is bad! It’s like the girls are together, but their heads went blank!)

I know it’s a little late, but really, Haruka is just too beautiful in every way…!

“To make such an angelic girl so depressed just because of jealousy… Shouldn’t Nihama-kun explode, just once?”

I nodded my head in my mind at Mizuki’s whispered comment.