It's a 20-minute walk from home.
That's the time it takes me to get to school. The fact that it's fairly close was also one of the reasons I chose this school.
It was a high school for me that was a bit advanced, but I wanted to reduce the commute time as much as possible, so I studied hard for the entrance exams. Thanks to that, I was able to take my time on the way to school in the morning.
(Today... hmm, maybe this would be good)
On the way, they stop at a convenience store and buy some food for Hime and Kiyoshi to eat.
As I walked towards school again, I wondered if I should give it to him again at lunchtime...and then...
"yeah?"
An unusually luxurious looking car passed by, and then it stopped just a few meters in front of me.
Curious, I looked over to see what was going on, and then the door slowly opened...and a child with a school bag on his back jumped out.
"--It's Youhei-kun."
It was Hime walking up to me, her long, beautiful white hair bouncing.
"Good morning♪"
"Huh? Ah, yeah. Good morning."
To be honest, I was surprised at how suddenly he showed up.
Hime seems to find my face funny, as she seems to be enjoying it.
"Hehehe. I'm so lucky to meet Youhei this morning. It looks like today will be a good day♪"
...No, that's not it.
It's not that my face is funny, it's just that Hime seems to be happy about this encounter.
He was a really good kid. I'm ashamed of myself for taking the wrong view.
"Uhh...Hime-chan, why did you suddenly get off?"
A little later, Himeno's older sister, Kiyoshi, opened the car window and peeked in.
Perhaps he was sleepy, or perhaps he had been asleep, but his voice was softer than usual.
"Big sis, it's Yohei! There's Yohei!"
"...Ah, you're right. This is a great Yo-hei."
It's like he's found a rhinoceros beetle.
As Hime tugged on my sleeve, I gave a slight bow to Hijiri.
"Oh, good morning."
"Yeah, good morning."
I felt a little awkward because of what happened yesterday, but Hijiri didn't seem too bothered.
That's good. For now, I'll put what happened yesterday aside and try to act as natural as possible.
"Yo-hey, leave Hime-chan to me."
"...Isn't Hijiri getting off?"
"Saji doesn't want to walk."
"Big sis...wouldn't it be better for your diet if you walked a little?"
"Big sister will do her best starting tomorrow. Driver, please take care of it."
With that said, Kiyoshi got into his car and headed off to school.
"I'm sorry. My sister is a homebody."
"Huh? I don't mind that image... or rather, I don't think there's anything to apologize for."
"No... my sister is a pain, so married life might be difficult. I thought I'd apologize in advance."
"No, no. Hime is being hasty."
I shrugged with a wry smile, and the princess grabbed my hand tightly.
"Well, that's fine. Let's leave Onee-chan to the driver and head to school."
"Hime... I was just wondering if this is a bit embarrassing."
It was school time, so naturally there were many students around who attended the same school.
Moreover, Hime was already attracting a lot of attention. There would be even more people there if they were closer to the school, and if he was holding hands with Hime, he would definitely be the center of attention.
"...No? Are you embarrassed to hold hands with me?"
However, Hime had a sad look on her face, and my embarrassment disappeared in an instant.
"That's not what I meant! I love you very much though."
I hastily shook my head and denied it.
Of course, it wasn't that I disliked Hime... I wanted to convey that feeling, so I tried to add more.
"--Huh? I, I love you...that's so embarrassing♪"
Wow, he's a good kid after all.
Hime's feelings were conveyed in just one word. Although her face was red, her lips were quivering with delight.
At least there was no misunderstanding.
"Hehehe. I love you too, Youhei."
What's more, he said that with such a cute face that all my embarrassment disappeared.
Who cares what others think? If Hime is happy, then attracting attention is no big deal.