Chapter 22 The Morning After
The Morning After
The morning after I noticed something unusual about Nagi.
“Oh, Nagi! Morning!”
“Eh? Ah, y-yeah. Good morning, Taiki…”
“?”
On my way to university, I ran into Nagi on the way to campus. I greeted him as usual, but for some reason, his face was red again today.
“What’s up? Your face is red again. Did you catch a cold or something?”
“Eh!? My face is red? R-Really?”
“Yeah, it is. Are you feeling okay? Do you have a fever?”
“Ah, n-no! I’m totally fine! Don’t worry about it!”
“Oh, okay… If you say so.”
Nagi shook his head vigorously as he spoke. Seeing him move so energetically, it didn’t seem like he was sick. He should be fine.
With that settled, I started walking with Nagi, casually chatting as we made our way to campus.
“Oh, right. Remember how we talked on the phone about planning that drive? Is the start of next month still okay?”
“Ah, y-yeah! The start of next month works perfectly!”
“Great. I’ll take care of reserving the rental car. Any preference for the type of car?”
“N-No, I’ll leave it to you, Taiki.”
“Alright, got it.”
Saying that, I pulled out my smartphone and opened the rental car app to make the reservation.
“Haha, it’s been a while since our last drive. I’m really looking forward to it!”
“Y-Yeah, me too. Oh, but I’m sorry for always making you drive. I wish I had a license so we could take turns.”
“Nah, don’t worry about it. I actually like driving. Plus, it’s good practice for when I go on a one-on-one drive date with a girl someday. Gotta make sure I look cool behind the wheel, right?”
“Haha, Taiki, you’re always so positive… Wait, ah… A one-on-one… drive date… with a girl…”
“Hm? What’s up?”
When I said that, Nagi froze for a moment, his face turning red again.
“Eh? Ah, no, it’s nothing. I was just thinking, ‘So Taiki wants to go on a drive date too, huh.’”
“Haha, of course! That’d be awesome, right? I mean, it doesn’t have to be a drive—any kind of date would be great. Oh, speaking of which, I wanted to ask you for a favor.”
“Oh? A favor? What is it?”
“Yeah. When we go on that drive, could we stop by an outlet mall? I’d like your help picking out some clothes.”
“Eh? You want me to help you pick clothes? Um… why?”
“Well, it’s kind of embarrassing, but I used to rely on my ex for shopping advice. And I realized I don’t have any winter clothes this year. So I was hoping you could help me out. You’ve got great fashion sense, after all.”
“Ah, I-I see. That’s what you meant. Sure, I’d be happy to help. Oh, actually, I have a favor to ask you too. Would you mind hearing me out?”
“Huh? You have a favor too? Of course! Tell me, what is it?”
Nagi looked unusually serious as he said this, which made me curious. I turned to him and asked what was on his mind.