Chapter 184
After holding Mineo for a moment and voicing the thoughts in her heart, Eli departed on her own. Once her figure had disappeared from sight, Mineo turned around and walked toward a large tree not far away.
"After watching for so long, does Nozomi-chan have any impressions to share?"
Hearing Mineo's voice, Nozomi—who had been leaning against the tree trunk while holding her phone—flashed a helpless, thin smile.
"As expected, Mineo-kun is a man with sharp senses. You even managed to find me here."
Nozomi stepped out from behind the tree, wearing a mischievous grin as she said sweetly, "I wasn't stalking you, okay!"
"I just wanted to see what the process of your date with Eli-chi would look like. I didn't expect to actually see such a mainland, attentive side of Mineo-kun!"
"Weren't you afraid of Eli catching you?"
"Not at all. Eli-chi wouldn't have been able to find me. Unless Mineo-kun told her I was here, I would have stayed hidden perfectly well."
"After all, Eli-chi's entire attention was focused on you. She had no intention of noticing anything else in her surroundings."
Nozomi looked at Mineo with a teasing smile, her voice sounding a bit playful. "I didn't expect Mineo-kun's way with girls to be so formidable. In such a short time, you already managed to coax Eli-chi. If given a bit more time, I imagine Eli-chi would find it very hard to escape your palm."
Hearing Nozomi's words, Mineo asked with a chuckle, "Why put it like that? Since when did I use 'tactics'? I was clearly having a very serious conversation with Eli just now."
"Hm? Mineo-kun didn't use any tactics?" Nozomi tilted her head. "The Tarot cards I brought somehow mysteriously ended up in Mineo-kun's hands. And then, making Eli pull The Lovers upright over and over again like that! That's a trick I never would have thought of before..."
Looking at Nozomi, Mineo showed a slight smile. "I did indeed borrow the Tarot cards you brought. However, when Eli was drawing those cards, I didn't do a thing."
"Why didn't Nozomi-chan consider the possibility that Eli herself was the one who pulled The Lovers consecutively?"
"Eli-chi drew them herself?" Upon hearing Mineo's words, the expression on Nozomi's face froze for a moment. "So you mean... those things just now were real?"
"Whether it was real or fake, Nozomi-chan should have her own judgment in her heart."
Seeing the serious expression on Mineo's face, Nozomi fell silent. A moment later, she showed a faint smile and said, "In that case, it seems I was the one overthinking things. I didn't expect Mineo-kun and Eli-chi to truly have such a special destiny. No wonder Mineo-kun feels so strongly about her."
"Alright, it's getting late. Mineo-kun, hurry up and go handle your important business! Right now isn't 'my' time. I won't hold you back from heading to your next date."
Nozomi walked up to Mineo, reaching out to take her cards back. Then, she turned her back to him and remarked, "This kind of destiny is truly a magical thing."
"Isn't it the same between us?" Mineo asked.
Mineo stepped forward and wrapped his arms around Nozomi's slender waist from behind. Nozomi shifted her body slightly within his embrace. In the next second, she rested her head against Mineo's chest.
"At first, I was still thinking—Mineo-kun is clearly a big scoundrel who likes to change his heart, so why do I still like you? Now I see. It really is this kind of destiny that's eroding my common sense."
After parting ways with Nozomi by the artificial lake, Mineo immediately headed toward the location of his next date. This time, the person he was meeting was Nishikino Maki.
The location was a busy pedestrian shopping street. By the time Mineo reached the destination, Maki was already standing at a street corner waiting for him.
Upon seeing Mineo's figure, Maki—who was carrying a small shoulder bag—walked over step by step.
"Maki-chan, good morning!"
Seeing Mineo greet her, Maki didn't speak. Her eyes stared at him coldly. Only after several minutes had passed did she finally speak in a somewhat chilly tone.
"Mineo-kun, I think you owe me an explanation. Why do you know the Student Council President? Why do you know Kosaka-san and the others? Asking me to join the group μ's was because you wanted to help them achieve their dreams, right?"
Glancing at Maki, Mineo smiled and said, "Let's talk while we walk. If we keep standing here, people are going to start staring."
Seeing Mineo start walking, Maki gripped the strap of her bag tightly. A second later, she took light steps to follow him, walking side by side.
As they walked, Mineo spoke to Maki. "Roughly three years ago—around the time you and I first met, Maki—I also happened to meet Kotori and the others. There isn't really a special reason. I personally feel that being able to know all of you is a destiny granted to me by God."
"Whether it's you, Maki, or Kotori and the others, you are all friends I treasure very much. I suggested you join μ's not just to help Kotori, but to help you as well."
"To help me?" Hearing this, Maki's footsteps faltered. She looked up and stared at Mineo with a calm face. "I don't understand what you're trying to say, Mineo-kun."
"It's quite simple. I feel like you're living too tired a life, Maki. I want you to find something you actually enjoy doing, and just... relax for a bit."
"Going out to sing, dance, and making some genuine friends... isn't that a wonderful thing? After all, since you were a child, you've never really made a choice for yourself, have you, Maki?"
— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
Join my Patreon here:
patreon.com/FaaanzKun
— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —