Translator: Haruto.

I’m not good at expressing my emotions.

When I’m happy, sad, having fun… I wear the same serious expression on my face.

“Hibari-san is always so serious.”

“Not even the tone of her voice changes.”

“No matter how beautiful or talented she is, someone that cold is just a buzzkill.”

Since I was little, I’ve been disliked, misunderstood, and rejected by others. However, I just accepted it without fighting back because I believed that was simply who I was and that there was nothing I could do about it.

After I graduated from college, I found my place in the workforce as a serious and dispassionate maid. And the person I began to serve was…

“Hey, Maid! Where’s my food?!”  

…a young boy that saw me as nothing more than a tool.

***

“Nooooooooooooooooo!!!”

“…”

To the right, to the left, and another spin… We move at full speed in all sorts of directions. Hibari and I are currently riding a roller coaster. Squinting, I throw a little peek at her but she looks as serious as always.

The roller coaster accelerates further, and…

“Hyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!”

I was not able to keep my cool. I’ve been screaming like crazy the entire time. I haven’t even had a chance to enjoy the scenery. All I can do right now is wait until this ordeal is over…

“Haa, haa… H-How was it, Hibari…? Did you like it…? Phew…”

“How about we take a little break, Yuuji-sama? I’ll go buy something to drink.”

“T-Thank… you…”

Great, I’ve made Hibari worry because of my motion sickness, even though having fun should be the only thing on her mind right now.

I’m pathetic… but like, who wouldn’t get sick after all those turns…?

“Here, Yuuji-sama. It’s tea.”

“Thanks… Gulp, gulp… Haa! That hits the spot…”

“It seems you’re not great with roller coasters.”

“Yeah, spinning around at full speed isn’t for me… I get pretty nauseous.”

“If you knew that, why did you decide to ride it anyway?”

“Since this is your first time at an amusement park, I want you to ride all sorts of attractions and find new things to enjoy. So, don’t worry about me, and focus on enjoying your time here.”

“…I’m grateful for your consideration, however, let’s choose a slower attraction next time.”

“Alright…”

Hibari is more mature than me so she just naturally takes the lead.

While I look like Kasashima Yuuji, inside I’m still a virgin who’s never even had a girlfriend before, so escorting a beautiful girl like her is kind of hard for me… But I don’t care! Hibari asked me to do this so I’ll make damn sure this is a day she will remember!

After drinking half of my tea, I start feeling better.

“Hibari, I’m fine now. Don’t worry, I’ll make sure to choose an attraction you’ll definitely enjoy this time!”

“I actually enjoyed the roller coaster quite a bit. It was a very stimulating experience. But, more importantly, Yuuji-sama…”

“Hm?”

“May I sit next to you?”

“Ah, sure…”

Hibari takes a seat beside me after having spent all this time standing. She must be tired too…

“Are you having fun being with me, Yuuji-sama?”

“I’d like to ask you the same thing.”

To think she’d go out of her way to ask me that… Is this her way of teasing me because of how pathetic I look right now?

“It’s just, you’ve been working hard to let me enjoy myself today, and yet my expression remains terribly serious.”

“Ah, I guess that’s true.”

It’s the same deadpan expression she always has.

“But it’s not like you can help it, right? You’re just not good at expressing your emotions.”

“Uh… That’s correct… however, hearing you say that so bluntly is making me a little angry.”

“Why are you getting mad at me?! Everyone has flaws! Being perfect would just make you a weirdo!”

Regardless of what I said, though, it seems Hibari is still feeling apologetic. She feels bad for not being able to let her enjoyment show on her face, no matter how hard I try to give her the best time ever.

I take a deep breath and say calmly, “It’s true that you always look extremely serious, making it hard to know what’s going through your mind…”

“I knew it… I’m so—”

“But just hearing you say that you’re having fun is enough for me.”

Hibari’s eyes widen in surprise.

I continue, “Just like you, I know well how it feels to have a hard time because of the way people see me. This morning at the café, for example, there were a bunch of people talking about how scary I was. They even said that I must have paid you to be with me.”

It’s difficult to change the first impression you make on others. I know I shouldn’t be too hard on people for it, though. To a certain degree, it’s in our nature to judge things by their appearance.

“That’s why you don’t know how happy I was to hear you say that you enjoy hanging out with me.”

I personally enjoy being with you.

Even if she said it with her usual cold expression, being told that kind of thing by someone who spends so much time with me made me incredibly happy. She wasn’t trying to be polite; that was just how she really felt. She likes to joke around a lot but I feel like she would never lie to me.

“No matter how menacing I look, or how awful the rumors people spread about me are, you’ve never once thought of me as that type of guy. Likewise, even if you look so serious and you have a sharp tongue, I know you’re a great girl and that’s why I’m here with you.”  

I take a moment to clear my throat and then say, “I ended up rambling a lot, but the point is… I get you, Hibari. And you get me. So, seeing how we understand each other well, I’d like us to have a relationship where we’ll never have to hold back or hide how we really feel!”

That last part lacked a little bit of polish, but I still managed to finish my little speech, and I even threw a smile at the end.

“…Yes, I’d like that, too.”

Ah, she’s smiling.

Not from ear to ear, of course, but she’s still smiling softly.

I feel kind of… moved…

“You’ve really changed, Yuuji-sama.”

“Huh?! Aah… Um, you think?”

“Until not too long ago, you only saw me as a tool.”

“…It may have been your imagination.”

I freak out, trying to answer her the best I can. I totally forgot to keep acting like the old Kasashima Yuuji. I hope she hasn’t realized I’m someone else inside… I’m even sweating now…

“My stomach is killing me… Sorry, Hibari, I’m going to the restroom for a bit.”

“We’re having a nice moment here.”

“Sorry for ruining the mood!!”

I run to the restroom, fully aware that my stomach was not the only thing ruined.

Now sitting on the bench by herself, Hibari touches the matching keychain she bought with Yuuji and whispers, “Yuuji-sama gets me… He’s become such a kind person.”

***

“Phew… All good now…”

The pain in my stomach is completely gone after I relieved myself. Unfortunately, I had to sacrifice the nice moment Hibari and I were having.

“I need to pull myself together… I can’t keep looking so pathetic in front of her.”

As I think of our next destination—most likely the haunted house—I begin walking back to Hibari, until…  

“Huh? Kasashima Yuuji… Why…?”

I turn around reflexively to look at the person who just whispered my name, and I find one of the two sisters I’ve been trying to stay away from. Rina, the younger sister, is staring at me in shock…

“…”

Meanwhile, I feel like I’m about to start screaming louder than when I was riding the roller coaster.

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