Prologue
After school, the supermarket near the school, having wrapped up its Valentine's Day promotions, had already stocked the White Day corner with leftover chocolates.
As I strolled past, the sweet scent of chocolate tickled my senses, triggering a wave of fresh memories.
The familiar electronic tunes, drifting from somewhere, summoned a sense of nostalgia. While leisurely pushing the cart, my attention was captured by the special section featuring Hina dolls.
"Oh, right, next week is Hina Matsuri, isn't it? We have Hina dolls at home, but in my childhood, Kaju insisted, 'This is me and Onii-sama,' making the claim her own, much to the amusement of those around."
"Ah, this," I mentioned, reaching for the adjacent sweets instead of the Hina dolls. Inside the flat package were neatly arranged small square peach-colored rice cakes—an evocative and nostalgic snack. "Ah, those bring back memories, don't they? Did you ever try skewering them with toothpicks? I never got around to it."
The person energetically tossing items into the cart was Anna Yanami, a fellow member of the literary club. "I never did. I just got a bit curious because Shikiya Senpai was eating them the other day," she explained.
"Shikiya Senpai?" I said, surprised. Yanami, for some reason, glared at me."Eh, why all of a sudden?" Yanami stared at me without answering.
"You, Nukumizu-kun, have been a bit odd lately. Don't you think so yourself?""I don't think so. What do you mean by 'odd' anyway?"
Yanami, looking displeased, started pushing the cart and walking."In other words, the 'nu' in Nukumizu is... the 'nu' in 'Nukegake'—a sneak attack." (TL note: Idk wtf she's saying here she said 抜け駆け which is translated to running away or being sneaky or something. So she's saying that Nukumizu is being sneaky by being close to other girls? didn't she have a bet with him saying or something like who gets a boyfriend/girlfriend first wins? God fucking damn it this is why I hate Kanji or Japanese in general I guess I should just gitgud huh).
"Hmm."With my indifferent response, Yanami directed a reproachful look at me.
"We're members of the alliance that doesn't make lovers, right? And yet, lately, Nukumizu-kun, have you started oozing a bit of charm?"
I had never heard of such an alliance, and there was a vast and deep trench between making and not making lovers. And recently, Yanami felt like she was on the same side of the trench.
"It's not like that with Shikiya Senpai. Well, let's quickly finish shopping and return to the clubroom."
Yes, Yanami and I were here to buy sweets at the request of Tsukinoki Senpai. Just when I thought we hadn't been in touch for a while, it turned out to be a shopping request. That's very much like those people.Yanami hopped onto the cart and peered into the shopping basket.
"We've got all types of chips and chocolates, and there's juice and tea too. Is there anything else we need?"
I also peeked into the shopping basket.
"Do we need a large quantity of instant noodles? The request was for sweets and juice, not instant noodles."
