Her straight black hair flowed down to her waist, gleaming with a luster like stars twinkling in the depths of a midnight sky.
Her clear, cool eyes were framed by long lashes that gave every blink a melancholic grace. A sharp, refined nose lent her an air of untouchable elegance.
Despite her strikingly small face, she was taller than me, with perfect eight-head proportions, and even through her clothes, her generous bust and flawless figure were impossible to ignore.
She was overwhelming in her beauty.
And yet, two crude men were ruining the scene by harassing her.
"Hey, missy, come have tea with us."
"..."
"What, you deaf or something? Don't act so high and mighty. Let's go."
One of the men reached out toward her.
"Stop it."
Before his hand could touch her, I grabbed his wrist.
"Huh? Who the hell are you? This ain't your business."
"Maybe not, but I can't just stand by and watch a girl get bothered."
"Hah? Let go, bastard!"
The man swung his free fist at me.
I twisted the arm I was holding inward, disrupting his balance, then used my other hand to push his elbow, flipping him onto the sidewalk.
The man collapsed spectacularly onto the ground.
"Gah!! What the hell was that?!"
"It's an Aikido technique called kotegaeshi."
As part of my job supporting celebrities, I had trained in martial arts so I could protect my sisters from any sudden attackers or stalkers.
(Still… I've got a long way to go. Master would have resolved this far more peacefully…)
"You two still want to keep going?"
"Damn it… remember this, kid!"
"Hey! Wait for me, you idiot!"
Terrified by a technique they couldn't comprehend, the two men scrambled away and disappeared.
After making sure they were gone, I turned to the girl who was still frozen in place.
"You okay?"
"Y-yes…"
Her voice was unbelievably cute—completely at odds with her breathtaking, unapproachable appearance.
(That voice… it sounds strangely familiar… but this is definitely our first meeting…)
"You must have been scared. It's safe now."
Saying so, I gently patted her head.
"Eek…"
"S-sorry! I just… I didn't think…"
It was a habit left over from comforting my sisters before work, whenever they were nervous or down, a head pat always seemed to cheer them up and help them perform better.
But at some point, they stopped asking for it.
"No… it's okay…"
Her face, once so perfectly composed and distant, had turned a vivid shade of red.
(Great… I just treated her like a child. She probably hates it…)
"Um… thank you very much for helping me…"
"Ah, yeah… no problem! It was nothing, really."
My martial arts master had drilled one lesson into me above all: always help a girl in trouble.
(Well, the troublemakers are gone now. Time to cheer up and head to the dorm.)
"Alright then, take care."
The moment I turned to leave—
"—Ah!"
My legs suddenly gave out beneath me and I collapsed.
(This is bad…)
"…! A-are you okay?! Please don't die…!"
The girl rushed over and caught me, helping me back up.
(Whoa… her chest is pressing against me… so soft…!)
Even as my consciousness began to blur, my mind wandered to the most inappropriate place.
"Sorry… I think I've reached my limit…"
"Did you… get hurt somewhere just now…?"
She looked completely flustered, on the verge of tears, yet her beautiful features remained flawless.
Her worried expression was, ironically, adorable.
(I showed her such an uncool side… but I really can't go on…)
At that exact moment—
*Guuuu〜*
A loud, unmistakable growl echoed from my stomach.
"Huh?"
"I'm… hungry…"
My hunger had finally reached critical levels.
"Delicious! I feel alive again! Thank you for the meal!"
"N-no, thank *you* for saving me…!"
With her support, I managed to drag myself to the nearest family restaurant using the very last of my strength.
"How many days has it been since I ate something this good? Lately it's just been nutritional jelly packs…"
(And I didn't even eat yesterday…)
"Eh?! That's… that's terrible…!"
"Yeah… I guess it is kinda weird, haha."
I had managed my sisters' nutrition and meals perfectly, but my own meals had always been whatever scraps of time I could steal.
"By the way… is it really okay for people without families to come to a family restaurant? Won't they kick us out…?"
"…? I think it's fine…"
"Oh! So it's okay because they see us as family?!"
"Family?! No! Anyone can come here…"
"Really?! Family restaurants aren't actually just for families?!"
"Fufu… how did you even come to that conclusion…?"
She let out a soft, gentle laugh.
Her smile was as beautiful as a flower finally blooming.
"Well… I'm not exactly smart or anything… Oh, right! I haven't even introduced myself. My name is Atsumu Sakasegawa. I just arrived in town today. And you are…?"
I was never allowed to use the Amagasaki name; I always used my father's surname, Sakasegawa.
"I'm… Tsukiyo Himeji. Nice to meet you…"
"Himeji-san, nice to meet you. Did you come out today because you wanted that strawberry parfait?"
"Yes…!"
In addition to the meal in front of me, an enormous limited-edition strawberry parfait sat proudly in front of her.
According to the menu, it was only available once a month.
Himeji-san's eyes sparkled as she gazed at the towering dessert.
"Hmm… it's kind of surprising. You don't look like the type who'd be into something this cute and sweet."
"Huh? Isn't that normal? Don't girls usually like strawberries, sweets, and cute things…?"
Her already large eyes widened even further in surprise.
(Did I say something weird again?)
"Is that… normal…?"
"Yeah, totally normal!"
"…! It's normal…!"
With that, Himeji-san happily began devouring her parfait with genuine enthusiasm.
(She's eating it with such joy… she really loves it.)
"Um… can I ask you something…?"
After we finished eating and I felt human again, she spoke up hesitantly.
I could tell she was naturally shy, yet she seemed to be gathering courage to say what was on her mind.
"Hm? What's up?"
"Um… earlier, you said something about… having no family…?"
"Ah, that…"
(Oh… I guess I let it slip during the conversation. It's only natural she'd be curious…)
"I-I'm so sorry…! That was so insensitive of me…"
"No, no! It's totally fine! Don't worry about it. It's not even that big a deal… Would you like to hear the story?"
For some reason, I felt like I could tell her.
"…and that's how, starting today, I ended up living in this town."
"…uu… …sniff…"
Himeji-san was crying softly, tears rolling down her cheeks.
"Eh?! Wait, what's wrong?! Here, use this!"
I quickly pulled out the handkerchief I always carried and handed it to her.
"…sniff… Thank you… very much…"
She accepted it with trembling hands.
Hearing about the situation of someone she'd just met and crying over it… Himeji-san really is a kind-hearted person.
"…uu… It's… too sad…"
"Well, it is what it is. I really was half-baked and useless, so it's only fair."
"That's not true… at all! You saved me…!"
"Thank you… that makes me happy to hear. But honestly, I'm already over it. Even if I'd stayed with them as 'family,' things would've only gotten worse. Looking back now, getting cut loose was probably the best thing that could've happened."
"Muu…"
She still didn't seem convinced. Her cheeks puffed out slightly in a pout.
It was ridiculously cute.
"Thanks for listening to my long story! A lot happened today, but meeting you made it all worth it. If we ever run into each other again, let's say hi, okay?"
"Y-yes…! I'm… glad I met you too… Yes. Please… let's meet again…"
And so, we parted ways in front of the family restaurant.
Today had been full of things I never could have imagined.
I found a place to live, made a new acquaintance in Himeji-san… today was actually pretty good.
And starting tomorrow, I'll finally be going to a normal school. I'm genuinely excited.
So many unexpected things happened in just one day.
I wonder what the future holds?
…It'd be nice if I could see Himeji-san again someday.