The social phobia substitute will not dream of the band girl

"Let me see... There's a sound, maybe there's a layer underneath or something." Higuchi Enka took the box, shook it, and then said.

"Ah, speaking of which—"

Come to think of it, Xin-chan did say something about "the end of small animals" at that time. Could this be what he was referring to?

"Then let's open it together and take a look!"

After getting the consent of the owner, Koito, the four opened the compartment of the box and found——

"Is this... a building block?"

"Ahaha~ I've never seen this before~"

"...The instructions say the name of this thing after it's assembled is something like... [Thunderbolt Arceus]? There's also a black card included with it, and it's glowing with a strange light. Koito, do you know anything about this?"

Higuchi Enka glanced through the instructions but still didn't understand what it was. After all, there was nothing on it except the product name, renderings and assembly instructions.

"Eh... um, um, I'm not really sure... Ah, there are cute little animals here with strings attached. They should be used as pendants, right? Let's each have one!"

Really? And there are exactly four of them. What a coincidence!

"Then... Koito, you choose first."

"Hey, can I?"

"Well, it's Koito's after all."

"Then - this is it." Fukumaru Koito took the cute pink bunny.

"Then...this is mine." Toru Asakura took the blue seal.

"Ahaha~ Then Hina (I) want this kitten." Hina Ichikawa took the orange kitten.

"Then... this is me."

Somewhat reluctantly, Higuchi Enka picked up the last remaining pendant.

"Hey, what kind of animal is this?"

"I heard it's called 'Wide-eared Fox'. It looks very cute."

...Really, what's so cute about a cunning creature like a fox?

......

...

..

"Well, I'll be rude today. See you all on Saturday~~"

After saying goodbye, Fukumaru Koito set off on her way home. Today was considered a late stay. If it were in the past, she would not have stayed out so late because she had to go to school tomorrow. After all, she really had to thank Nobu-chan a lot.

No... Now I should call him Ping Xin Ge, hehe~

"Ahaha~ Then Hina (I) will be going back too. Toru-senpai, can I leave the snacks I got here?"

"Yeah, okay."

"Then leave it here. We've already eaten enough today. Let's eat together tomorrow~"

With that, Ichikawa Hina also said goodbye to the two of them and was the second one to set off on her journey home.

"...Higuchi, what are those two boxes over there?"

"It's a spare snack someone gave me—"

Higuchi Enka piled the chocolate treats Hiranobu had prepared for Koito and Hina, along with the treats Hina had left behind. She wondered if tomorrow she'd think the treats had given birth to smaller treats. This wasn't embezzlement; it was eating the candy coating and spitting out the cannonball.

I used the gift he gave me as a favor. This time I win, Mr. Fox.

"Well, I'll leave this to you. I'm going home."

"Eh... Um—what is this?"

"...It's a gift from Asuka Ma. I happened to bring it back today when I passed by."

"Ah... it's flowers."

Why did you open it so suddenly? Now I can’t leave.

However, the question that Asakura Toru asked at the end was different from what she thought, or it was completely different -

"This...my destiny?"

"...Who knows?"

Who knows which one is his natal star? And how many natal stars does he have?

"That's my destiny, then."

Asakura showed a smile that was familiar to Higuchi Enka, but it seemed different from her usual smile.

“…I went back.”

Finally, feeling a little upset, Enka also left, leaving only Asakura Toru alone here.

Chapter 40 When the Cherry Blossoms Bloom

After lying down for a while holding the box, Asakura Toru suddenly sat up from the bed.

"Speaking of which...I got it."

Asakura Toru had just received a gift from Koito, and was told to open it later. But judging by the way Hina opened it, it was probably Valentine's Day chocolate.

Logically speaking, there was nothing strange about this. What was strange was why he hesitated when handing it to her, and why he had already given her one portion in the morning and another portion of chocolate in the evening.

Just now, she was lying in bed with him, and besides thinking about the chocolate flowers melting, she felt strange. So she put the box of chocolate carvings on the table and opened the box.

"......gem?"

After opening the box, Toru Asakura saw the contents inside, a chocolate packed in a brocade box... No, it should be said that it is a gem crystal. If something has the crystal sparkle, gorgeous edges and corners of a gem, and the clearness and transparency of a gem, then it should be a gem.

"So light...and there's something inside."

The transparent crystal appears light blue with golden liquid flowing inside. No matter what it is, its beauty alone is enough to be called a work of art.

After observing it carefully for a long time, Asakura Toru put it on the bed, because if it was placed on the ground, it might be stepped on and broken at any time. Only then did she discover that there was a small card in the box with some gold-plated fonts printed on it.

"Cheers to you and our golden friendship."

There is also the reverse side.

"Every encounter in the world is a reunion after a long separation, and perhaps it is the same between us. I look forward to meeting you.

——To Tou-kun"

After a brief moment of contemplation, Asakura Toru gave up. She lay on her bed, holding up the clear crystal to the indoor light. Suddenly, she realized something. There was only one person left who would still call her "Toru-kun," and that was him.

Then she carefully placed the crystal on the soft bed and went to look for the small box -

"...Instructions?...I made this myself using special techniques. Although it looks like crystal, the outer layer is actually a frozen wafer frozen with natural water for a hundred years...Eh, really?"

Toru Asakura looked at the "crystal" on the bed. No wonder the weight was strange, and there was something inside.

Then he read on: "It contains mai...mai...ru...Luca honey, which can only be collected from the secret flowers that bloom in the valley at an altitude of 2000 meters?"

With the help of mobile phone input method and search engine, Toru Asakura finally got the pronunciation right, and also realized what a great Valentine's Day gift this was.

"'Honey that only the chosen among humans can taste'... Then, am I the one you chose?... Hehe."

Regardless, receiving two of his carefully prepared gifts today was already a joy enough. If this continued, wouldn't the gifts each time be doubled?

"...Let's just forget it—"

After returning to his usual calm demeanor, Asakura Toru continued reading the instructions. It was strange that even a Valentine's Day gift required instructions, but if it was "him," it didn't seem strange at all, because he had always been a different person.

"Ah... He must have made that, too, (Koito's) cookie. Not good, that's amazing."

She was a little surprised that the other person's femininity was even higher than hers, but it eventually turned into a smile on her face. The better he was, the happier she felt, even happier than when she received the amulet (black card) from him before.

"Because of its special craftsmanship, it can be stored for a long time. It only becomes edible when it comes into contact with human saliva... Magic? So please fully appreciate the artwork I made with my own hands and bear witness to it... PS: It originally had sharp corners, but I smoothed them down because they might hurt people."

Ah, come to think of it, that's indeed the case...

Asakura Toru looked at the "crystal" in his hand and smiled, but the smile quickly disappeared and finally turned into a long sigh.

"...We still have two months to go until April, the right time."

After all, it's an agreement with "that person", so... just wait.

"Life... is really long..."

......

...

..

On February 2017, 2, Asuka and Higuchi signed the famous "Three Rules", which are as follows:

First, no physical contact is allowed without the woman's permission.

Second, in any case, talk through the chat software first and refrain from interfering in the other person's life without permission.

Third, during the (temporary) relationship between the two, it is forbidden to harass other women

After listening to this, Ping Xin could only say——

"Wow, so protective... Some people aren't even adults yet, but they already act like mothers."

"...Who are you calling an old woman?"

"Enuka...Enuka...ah—you're up already, time to go to school, huh? I've already packed your gym clothes for PE in your bag."

“Haa ...

February 2th was a Thursday, and there were still three days until their next date.

"Ah... I'm hungry."

"Chocolate, do you want some?"

Hearing Asakura Toru's voice, Higuchi Enka took out a box from the desk, a box that looked familiar to her.

"This is?"

"Koito gave it to me yesterday...you'll see if you open it."

What Koito gave to Enka yesterday...wasn't that what he gave to Enka? Now that he mentioned it, Toru was indeed a little curious.

"...clown, and English."

When I opened the box, there was a card on the top with a green-haired clown and a line printed on it: Hello, I want to play a game.

"...What's this?"

Asakura Toru turned the card over, and sure enough, there was a line on the back: Sweet or sour, make your choice.

Looking back at the box, he saw two identical chocolates. He instantly understood. This was just that sweet, sour dessert, a two-choice game.

"So...are you coming?"

"Um...you choose first?"

"Then—I want this."

"Well, that's me."

Asakura Toru picked the one closest to him, and Higuchi Enka also picked up the one closest to her. Everyone got what they wanted.

"......" Enka covered her mouth.

“…” Tou closed his eyes and his expression became serious, as if he was savoring something carefully.

Could it be that Higuchi Enka tasted something sour?

“…Ugh—so sour.”

"...very sour, especially—"

"Eh?" x2