Chapter 7 Discovering a New Shop on the Way Home

Discovering a New Shop on the Way Home

“Haha, I knew it! …Wait, huh?”

“Hm? What’s up?”

On our way home, I suddenly stopped in my tracks when I noticed a shop I hadn’t seen before.

“I had no idea there was a shop here! Is that a tapioca place?”

“Oh, you’re right. It wasn’t here yesterday. Maybe it just opened today.”

“Yeah, that’s probably it.”

Ahead of us was a newly opened tapioca shop, with girls lined up, all looking excited.

I remember when tapioca was a huge trend a while back, but I never got around to trying it. Judging by the line, it must be pretty good.

“Tapioca is those little black, sweet, chewy balls, right? Nagi, have you ever tried it?”

“Yeah, I had it once or twice in high school with some friends.”

“Oh, I see. So, what does it taste like? Is it as good as everyone says?”

“Eh? What does it taste like…? Wait, Taiki, have you never tried tapioca before?”

“Nope. I know it was all the rage for a while, but I’ve never actually had it.”

When I said that, Nagi looked a little surprised.

“Really? That’s surprising. Even though you had a girlfriend, you never went to a tapioca shop together on a date?”

“Well, we didn’t really go on dates much in the last few years… So no, I never went to one with her. But I’ve always been curious about it.”

“That makes sense. You do love sweets, after all. Fufu, it’s no wonder a sweets lover like you would be interested in tapioca.”

“Exactly! I’ve wanted to try it for ages, but tapioca shops are always full of girls. Going alone as a guy is kind of intimidating, so I’ve just avoided it until now.”

“True. Tapioca places do have a reputation for being popular with girls. And look at that line—it’s all girls.”

Nagi nodded, laughing at my observation, before offering a suggestion I didn’t expect.

“Fufu, in that case… Why don’t we try it out today? If you’re too embarrassed to line up alone, I’ll wait with you.”

“Really? That’s an awesome idea!”

“Yeah, no problem. You’ve been wanting to try it, right? Oh, but I won’t get one for myself since it’s almost dinner time.”

“Eh? You’re not getting one?”

“Nope. I’d like to, but tapioca is pretty high in calories, you know.”

“Ah, right. Yeah, I heard tapioca drinks are loaded with calories.”

Tapioca is made from starch, and the drinks are packed with sweeteners like syrup and milk. No wonder it’s so calorie-heavy.

Still, it’d feel weird to enjoy one all by myself while leaving Nagi out… Besides, he did say he wanted to try a little.

“Hmm… Oh, I’ve got it! How about we share one tapioca milk tea?”

“Wait… Eh? But wouldn’t that…?”

I made the suggestion casually, but Nagi looked unusually flustered. It was rare to see him like this.

(Hmm… Ah, could it be?)

Sharing one drink would mean sharing a straw, which is basically an indirect kiss. Maybe Nagi wasn’t comfortable with that?

These days, people are pretty cautious about things like that, so I figured I should confirm with him.

“Oh, are you not okay with the idea of an indirect kiss? If so, sorry for suggesting it.”

“Eh? Oh, no, it’s fine. Back in high school, we’d often share drinks during basketball practice, so it doesn’t bother me. If you’re okay with it, then I don’t mind.”

“Gotcha. I’m totally fine with it too. Let’s share one, then!”

“W-Well, if you’re okay with it… Sure, let’s do that.”

Nagi agreed, though he still seemed a little flustered. But I didn’t think I’d said anything strange.

I couldn’t figure out why Nagi was so flustered, but whatever.

“Alright, so what flavor should we get? They’ve got milk tea, juice, matcha, hojicha, and more. Any preferences?”

“I’m not picky, so go ahead and pick the one you want to try most.”

“Alright then. Let’s go with the classic milk tea! Okay, let’s get in line!”

“Yeah, let’s do it.”

And so, after deciding on our order, we joined the line at the newly opened tapioca shop.