"Tomoya, it's time to go."
Only after hearing Eriri's voice did Aki Tomoya reluctantly close his novel and head straight for the register.
After paying, Aki Tomoya noticed Eriri was empty-handed. He asked curiously, "Eriri, didn't you find anything suitable?"
"No. I haven't found anything I want to read yet."
A trace of confusion flashed through Aki Tomoya's eyes. Although he had been completely immersed in his book, he had still noticed the passage of time.
So much time had gone by that he had assumed Eriri, like him, had found a novel she wanted to read and become absorbed in it.
The two left the bookstore together. Aki Tomoya pushed up his glasses and was just about to ask Eriri where they should go next when his phone suddenly rang.
Aki Tomoya answered the call, spoke for a few moments, then hung up and turned to Eriri. "Sorry, Eriri. One of my coworkers is sick and they need me to cover their shift. I might have to leave first."
"Oh. Then go ahead. We were almost done anyway."
"I'll get going, then. I'm really sorry."
With that, Aki Tomoya turned and left. Judging by his hurried departure, the matter truly did seem rather urgent.
Watching Aki Tomoya depart, Eriri sighed softly. She had originally planned to see a movie with him or something, but apparently that was no longer happening.
In the past, a situation like this should have upset her. Yet now, she hardly felt upset at all. If anything, she felt a sense of relief.
At least she no longer had to worry about Aki Tomoya noticing Shirai Mio.
This was fine too. Shirai Mio's appearance had already ruined her plan for the day, so there was little point in continuing.
At that moment, Shirai Mio's voice sounded beside Eriri's ear. "Eriri, where did Aki-kun go?"
"Something urgent came up at his part-time job, so he left early."
"Huh?! He seriously just left?"
"By the way, you have time now, right? Perfect. Come watch a movie with me."
At Eriri's words, Shirai Mio asked curiously, "Why do you suddenly want to see a movie with me?"
"I bought two tickets in advance. If I go alone, the other one will go to waste."
"Since Eriri put it that way, of course I have time. Even if I didn't, I'd make time somehow~"
With Aki Tomoya gone, Shirai Mio no longer needed to hide. She walked openly beside Eriri without worrying about the quest failing. Honestly, waiting for a quest to complete itself like this felt rather nice.
Eriri had chosen a recently released animated film. Both its production quality and story were excellent.
As Aki Tomoya's childhood friend, she knew he had no interest in movies, but animated films were another matter. That was why she had chosen this one. She simply had not expected that the person who ended up watching it with her would be a certain white-haired little bitch.
Eriri instinctively turned to look at Shirai Mio and found her smiling back.
"W-Why are you looking at me instead of the movie?" Eriri whispered.
Shirai Mio could not reveal the quest, so she could only make up an excuse. "Maybe because you're prettier than the movie."
"Tch."
Eriri turned away and pretended to be displeased, but in truth, Shirai Mio's words had made her heart race.
From what she knew of Shirai Mio, the white-haired little bitch often said such things just to tease her. There was no need to take it seriously.
Yet even after half the movie had played, Shirai Mio was still looking at her. That made Eriri feel as though Shirai Mio might have meant what she said.
Shirai Mio continued watching Eriri until the movie ended.
The time Eriri spent outside Shirai Mio's field of vision during this quest would not reset. Once the full half hour was used up, the quest would fail. That allowance was intended for situations such as bathroom breaks, so Shirai Mio had no choice but to keep Eriri in sight throughout the entire film.
Fortunately, by the time they left the movie theater, less than an hour remained before the quest would be completed.
As long as she held out another half hour, she could basically declare the quest finished.
"Eriri, it's getting rather late. Shouldn't we head home?"
"Mm. Let's go. Also, now that we're out of the theater, could you stop staring at me?"
"No."
Shirai Mio's answer was exactly what Eriri had expected. If Shirai Mio were that obedient, Eriri would not constantly call her a white-haired little bitch.
The two arrived at the station. Not long after they boarded the train, Shirai Mio's quest was completed ahead of schedule.
Now that the quest was finally over, she could at last move her gaze away from Eriri. In the crowded carriage, however, there did not seem to be anyone else as pleasant to look at.
By the time they emerged from the station again, the sky had already darkened.
Shirai Mio rubbed her stomach. "Eriri, should we find somewhere to eat before going home? I remember there's a good family restaurant nearby."
At Shirai Mio's suggestion, Eriri could not help thinking of Aki Tomoya's workplace. He also worked at a family restaurant, if she remembered correctly.
It might not have been the same one, but to avoid running into Aki Tomoya, Eriri ultimately took Shirai Mio to an upscale restaurant instead. She had said before that she would treat Shirai Mio to something delicious, but had never found the chance. Today, she finally made good on that promise.
During dinner, Eriri noticed that Shirai Mio had at last stopped staring at her.
Even so, Shirai Mio's behavior that afternoon remained vivid in Eriri's mind. She was now struggling with how to respond to Shirai Mio's feelings for her.
The simplest solution would naturally be to reject her outright.
But whenever she looked at Shirai Mio, she found herself completely unable to voice a rejection.
What was she supposed to do?
Even by the end of dinner, Eriri had not found a suitable answer.
The two did not part ways after eating. Shirai Mio took the initiative to escort Eriri home.
Standing outside Eriri's house, Shirai Mio smiled. "Eriri, don't forget our date tomorrow~"
"What date? We're just going out to gather references, okay?" Eriri snapped.
Wait. Could this white-haired little bitch have asked her out under the pretext of reference gathering?
······