Volume 7 Chapter 34 Interlude - Kagami-San's Speed Dating Diary, Part 2
Ten minutes before the scheduled time, Shiori and Ayaka were heading towards the Italian restaurant where the event was taking place.
"Are we cutting it too close with the timing?"
"Ayaka, you just don't get it, huh? Girls shouldn't arrive too early. It raises the guys' expectations while they wait!"
"But what if we don't meet those expectations?"
"Oh, we won't fall short! I even went to the beauty salon just for this day, you know?!"
Shiori's silky hair swayed as she spoke. She couldn't help but feel embarrassed when she reminisced about her high school days, where she was easily swayed by Ayaka. She didn't wear makeup and had a round figure, making her a complete "potato" if she rolled around.
But things are different now. Shiori has developed her feminine charm during her college life.
"Well, I think Shiori has become cute... but isn't the perfume scent a bit strong?"
"That's just how perfumes are! The scent will mellow out and become a pleasant fragrance after a little while!"
The so-called fragrance pyramid consists of top, middle, and base notes, but Ayaka, who doesn't usually wear perfume, just nodded vaguely.
"You know, your name has 'fragrance' in it too..."
"Well, I've been teased for smelling like incense since I was a kid, so I don't have any good memories of it."
"That's... you can't tell that sad story at a mixer, okay?"
"Like I would tell such a thing!"
Ayaka did have a faint smell of incense or something like that, which was different from perfume. I personally found it very soothing.
As we chatted, we arrived at the restaurant.
"Hello, good evening!"
"Oh, Shiori, over here, over here!"
"Hello!"
"Good evening, nice to meet you today."
There were already two women and four men waiting there.
The woman with bright hair tied up in a half-updo was Shiori's friend from college, named Moe.
The other woman had black hair and a slightly dark vibe. Her bangs were long and her face was hard to see. She was Moemi's coworker, but Shiori had never met her before.
The men were all wearing good quality suits, and they looked like they were doing well in their work and private lives.
And they were handsome.
Shiori scanned the eyes of the women around her as she decided on her prey.
The important thing at this time was not to overlap with the others. It was hard enough to get the one she liked, but if there was a clash, she would have to face another challenge of surpassing her rivals.
She knew Moe's type, who was her friend, so she only had to worry about Ayaka and the other girl that Moe brought along.
She glanced at Ayaka, who was squinting at the four men.
Shiori whispered to her.
"What's wrong? Are you surprised by how handsome they are? Moe asked someone from her business partner to invite them. They have amazing salaries too."
"Well, that's important too, but..."
"What else is important?"
Love as an adult was not as sweet and sour as in school days. What they needed was not only personality, but also social status, such as where they worked, how much they earned, and how they looked.
These four individuals were able to clear them at a high level.
Of course, women also have their own expectations. What matters most for women are youth, appearance, and charm.
However, Ayaka should not be thought of as an ordinary person.
"Well, I wonder if there's something behind them..."
"Behind them... What do you mean?"
"It happens sometimes. There are people who carry the vengeful spirits of women they made cry, or have accumulated resentment and their aura becomes dark, or they just seem to be naturally unlucky."
"What kind of perspective are you using to judge people..."
"By the way, that Tachibana guy from the soccer club that you admired when you were a student, he was actually being haunted by multiple female spirits."
"What? Really!? Why didn't you tell me at that time!?"
"Even if I did, you wouldn't have believed me..."
Shiori dug up the past, and she couldn't help but feel like she had been told something like that. When you're a fan, you often tend to overlook flaws.
——Ah, I wanted to keep those beautiful memories intact.
While thinking about such things, Shiori asked Ayaka with a serious expression.
"So, who's out?"
"You better stay away from that glasses guy."
"...Got it."
Shiori secretly liked him, but if Ayaka says so, it's safer to avoid him.
Then, that perm guy is good.
Luckily, Ayaka's eyes are on someone else, and the only one she's worried about is the black-haired woman, but no offense, she doesn't look like the type who's good with men, and she doesn't think she'll lose to her.
With this in mind, Shiori found a way to victory, and clenched her fist in her heart.
* * *
Two hours after the mixer started.
"Whyyy did it turn out like thiiis?"
Instead of a fancy Italian restaurant, in a cheap izakaya that suits takowasa, Shiori was crying with a beer in her hand.
Across from her, Ayaka was also drinking beer as if it was a drink of despair.
There were no men or other women left. It was just the two of them again.
Pressing her cheek against the empty glass, Ayaka muttered.
"Sigh, I knew it was too early for me to go to a mixer. Yeah, I knew that much."
Shiori reacted to those words with a tearful voice.
"...It's your own fault, isn't it? Using magic just because you were flattered. Did you see the look on his face when the glass broke? He was disgusted."
"I didn't plan on breaking it! It was just a small magic trick gone wrong!"
At first, the mixer was going smoothly.
However, Ayaka, who got drunk and carried away, messed up. She performed a magic trick where she held the glass and created ripples on the surface of the alcohol, but ended up shattering the glass into pieces.
The expression on everyone's face when it happened was unforgettable.
Ayaka shook her head as if trying to shake off a unpleasant memory and fought back.
"Well, you couldn't do anything either and were just panicking!"
"I wasn't panicking! It was just an unexpected event..."
"You ended up ruining everything."
"You're so annoying!"
Ayaka's words were spot on.
There was an unexpected surprise in store. It was a woman, not considered an enemy by Shiori due to her black hair. Her bangs made it a bit hard to tell, but she had a down-to-earth charm, and she was a seasoned warrior.
The way she interacted with the men, her tone, and physical contact, it all seemed very natural, even to Shiori. She had an enigmatic allure hidden beneath her gloomy exterior. And it was this contrast that caused the man Shiori had her eye on to be completely captivated.
As the group dating event came to a close, Moe and the woman with black hair headed out into the city for the night with the men. Shiori and Ayaka, on the other hand, lacking the energy to approach the remaining two, found themselves rolling into this izakaya.
"Isn't that unfair...?"
"This is the worst. I even reported to Tsukiko that I had boyfriend."
"That's just silly. You're not supposed to report that in advance."
In the end, the two of them continued drinking until the night grew late. Shiori was no stranger to drinking parties, so she never got drunk, but Ayaka was completely sloshed.
"Ayaka, can you go home? Should I take you?"
"Ugh. Yeah. I'm okay, I'm okay."
"No, you don't look okay at all..."
She seemed to be reliable, but she was actually careless about these things.
Oh well, it seems she'll take her home, Shiori thought as she reached for her wallet.
"Anyway... one of my co-workers was drinking nearby, so... I asked him..."
"Co-worker? Eh, that's rude, isn't it? Besides, he won't come if he's drinking too."
"Ehh. He said he'll come..."
What kind of co-worker is that? Even he would be annoyed if he was told to come over at this time.
"Stop saying weird things, let's go ho――"
"Excuse me. You're Kagami, right?"
Huh? Shiori turned around.
There was a refreshing young man with glasses standing there. He had a slender but well-trained body, and a suit that suited him well.
"Oh, it's Koresawa. You came!"
Ayaka said that, ignoring my confusion, with a cheerful voice.
The man called Koresawa spoke to her with a calm tone.
"Kagami has caused you trouble. I'm Koresawa Rendai, her co-worker. I'll take her home for you."
"Uh, uhh..."
"Also, it's dangerous for women to walk at night, so here you go."
Koresawa said that and handed her a dog folded from origami.
"It's an Okurigami. If you have it with you, no other men will bother you. Well, it's like a charm."
"Wow. I see, Koresawa-san is also like Kagami-san——"
Shiori realized she meant colleague and was about to say that, but Koresawa raised his index finger and cut her off.
"I'm sorry. That's a secret, please."
He said with a smile, and Shiori quickly shut her mouth.
"Then, excuse me. Have a good night."
"Sorryee Shiorii. See youu later."
Koresawa helped Ayaka stand up, who was slurring her words, and bowed to Shiori again before leaving the store.
"..."
Shiori gathered her things and left the store with a blank mind. Koresawa had paid the bill too. He was a very smart man.
"...Let's go home"
And she will never invite Ayaka to a group date again.
With that decision in her heart, Shiori walked home, protected by Okurigami."
Please bookmark this series and rate ☆☆☆☆☆ on here!
Donate me
Support Me with USDC
(ERC20)
Support Me with XLM
(Stellar Lumens)