I Went Out With a Losing Heroine, But Before I knew It, My Childhood Friend, Who’s Supposed to be Th

Proofreader: Mowaso

“…”

“Are you still bothered?”

　When they arrived at their destination, Marin was still blushing and fidgeting, and Yō felt awkward as he called out to her.

　Then Marin looked up at Yō with moist eyes.

“You can’t stay calm after being told something like that…”

　When Marin said this, two women who had just passed her looked at her with shocked expressions and began whispering to each other while glancing at Yō.

　It was definitely a weird misunderstanding, but since Marin didn’t seem to have any bad intentions, Yō couldn’t complain.

　Then he gave up and decided to talk about something else.

“Do you know where we are?”

“‘Ushimado Town, right? I’m sure I heard the driver say that.”

　This time, Yō and the others visited a town facing the Seto Inland Sea in the southeast of Okayama Prefecture, where they lived.

　It’s not far from where Yō lives, but it’s very far from Marin’s place.

　Maybe that’s why Marin sounded a little disappointed.

“I would have liked to have come in the morning anyway…”

　Hearing these words, Yō scratched his cheek awkwardly.

(This girl is pretty natural for a smart person… Looks like she’s misled a few guys so far.)

　Marin’s earlier statement could be taken by some listeners as a statement that she wanted to play with him in the morning.

　Adolescent boys, in particular, tend to take the words of girls they are interested in to their own advantage.

　It was easy for Yō to imagine how upset the boys would be by Marin’s casual remark.

“Have you always wanted to come here, perhaps?”

　Naturally, Yō understood what Marin meant when she said that, and he tried to imagine what she was feeling and tried to match her answer.

　And then Marin gave a small, embarrassed nod.

“Ushimado is also known as the Aegean Sea of Japan, and is home to many tourist attractions such as the Kuroshima Venus Road and Olive Garden… I’ve always wanted to come here…”

　When Yō heard those words, he thought it was a mistake to bring Marin here.

　Because the spots that Marin had just mentioned were places related to love.

　On the Kunoshima Venus Road, a sandy path appears at low tide, and you can walk along it connecting three islands.

　It is said that if two people touch the heart-shaped stone called “The Goddess’s Heart” on Nakanoshima island, their love will be fulfilled, making it a popular power spot for love.

　And the Ushimado Olive Garden was even called a holy place for lovers.

　There were also other shrines in Ushimado where you could pray for love, and Yō could understand why Marin wanted to come.

　He had brought her here to show her the beautiful scenery, but being unfamiliar with romance, he hadn’t taken that into consideration.

　He felt sorry for that, but opened his mouth.

“Someday, you’ll be able to come back.”

　That was all Yō could say at the moment.

　Looking up at Yō, Marin gave a small chuckle.

“I’m not sure why I keep making you worry about me. Don’t worry about it, I feel much better thanks to Hazakura-kun.”

“Is that so?”

　Yō wondered if she was just being tough or if it was her true feelings.

　Unfortunately, he couldn’t tell from Marin’s expression.

　So while Yō replied curtly, he looked at Marin’s expression.

　Then Marin put her hand over her mouth and giggled cutely.

“You’re so kind, Hazakura-kun.”

“The next time you say those words, I will force you to leave.”

“And you’re still a tsundere.”

　When Yō glared at her when she said he was kind, Marin did not care and gave him a cute and gentle smile.

　The words seem to be provocative, but it is clear that she is saying them with a completely different meaning.

　Because of this, Yō was unsure of what to say.

(It’s really hard to deal with this person…)

　Yō complained in his mind and turned his face away from Marin.

　Then, on the contrary, Marin looked into Yō’s face a little more happily.

“Oh, by the way, they have really good gelato, don’t they? It looks like we still have a little time before we get the view we want, so why don’t we go get some gelato?”

　With a cute, childlike smile, Marin invited Yō to join her.

　Even though it was still in the transition of season from spring to summer, it didn’t mean that they couldn’t feel the heat.

　So, to be honest, Yō agreed with Marin’s words, but unfortunately the time was not right.

“Unfortunately, it closes at 5:00 p.m.”

“E-ehh!? Is that so…?”

　Marin invited Yō to join her in a rather light-hearted manner, but as soon as she found out that she couldn’t eat, she became quite disappointed and depressed.

　Apparently, she was just mending her words, but in reality, she really wanted to try it.

“…”

　With a depressed Marin in front of him, Yō began to think.

　And then, remembering Marin’s words from earlier, he decided to make a suggestion.

“Tomorrow― Would you like to come here again in the morning?”

　When Marin heard Yō’s words, her eyes rounded and she stared at Yō’s face.

　She didn’t expect Yō to ask her out like this.

　In addition, Yō understands what kind of place Marin wants to go.

　It was not surprising that Marin was surprised by the invitation.

　However, from Marin’s point of view, it didn’t look like Yō was interested in her.

　So Marin decided that this was an invitation for her.

“If it’s not too much trouble for you, Hazakura-kun…”

　And then Marin replied with a distant affirmative.

　The answer came, and now Yō got surprised in the opposite direction.

　He knew that there was a possibility that Marin would nod since she wanted to come, but he thought it was more likely that she would refuse since she wanted to go to a romantic spot.

　However, as long as there was an affirmative reply, the person who invited her couldn’t pretend it didn’t happen.

　Therefore, it was decided that Yō and Marin would come here again tomorrow.

　―But for some reason, right after that, Yō felt an inexplicable chill, but that’s a story between us.

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Translator’s Comments: As expected, Kasumi’s trailing behind the two. Also, the places mentioned have clickable links if you want to learn more about it or are curious of how they look!