Romantic Troubles of Duanmu-kun

The sunlight pouring down from the heavens quickly drained his vitality, leaving him languid and listless. The Novelist squinted in the sunlight, searching for landmarks and his destination. The cement ground beneath his feet radiated a subtle heat.

His ears were filled with an irritating noise. The conversations around him were like unintelligible radio waves darting through space.

He couldn’t help but think that if his ears were mechanical devices, he could easily turn down the volume and block out the noise! He really wanted to do that.

The streets were packed with people. Vehicles rushing past the sidewalk merged into streams divided by traffic lights. Store employees in mascot costumes distributed flyers to passersby, while silhouettes of bustling crowds moved about in welcoming shops. The air temperature seemed to rise even higher.

The Novelist walked through gaps in the clamorous crowd. Floating faces and chaotic arguments surrounded him, a thicket of human limbs in eccentric clothing spreading through the steel forest.

After brushing past various types of clothing, the Novelist found his appointed companion beneath a bronze statue on the street.

Leaning against the inorganic giant beast claw stood a girl quietly waiting. Because her appearance differed so markedly from the high school uniform he was used to seeing her in, he almost didn’t recognize her at first.

A plain dress in water-blue, sandals on her delicate feet revealing cute toes. Even at the crowded plaza entrance, she maintained an overwhelming presence.

She was an elf-like girl with fair skin, a slender figure, and long limbs. The wide-brimmed sun hat on her head left quite an impression.

Though, unlike the Novelist, who usually paid little attention to appearances and had a weak presence, his heart still stirred with something like, “I found my companion!”

Because aside from having to hold down her overlong black hair, Asami-senpai was yawning quite inelegantly, and moreover, she was swaying back and forth like a pendulum, looking unsteady as if she might fall over at any moment.

Along with her overwhelming presence increasing, Asami-senpai’s eccentric aura rose as well. The frivolous men who had been attracted by her looks and bearing didn’t dare approach her casually.

Seeing a male companion approach her, the men reluctantly departed. The Novelist’s back stung from the heated, malicious stares of passersby.

When he approached, he realized Senpai was already half-asleep, completely unaware someone had come up to her.

Clap!

He clapped his hands and snapped his fingers in front of her. It didn’t seem to have much effect… Hey, is this for real? This is my first time seeing a high school girl sleeping while standing in real life!

Left with no choice, he reached out and gently tapped Asami-senpai’s shoulder.

“Meow?!”

The moment his palm touched the dress fabric, Senpai let out a strange startled cry.

Though apparently insensitive to surrounding sounds, her reaction to physical contact was quite intense. Asami Yuko instantly awoke, wearing a startled expression, instinctively curling her hands into paw-like shapes and warily glaring at the person before her.

…

The atmosphere between them became as rigid as Asami-senpai’s current expression.

“…Senpai, this is the first time I’ve seen a high school girl meow when startled in real life…”

“Uu?!”

Perhaps due to a lack of exercise and spending long periods indoors, beneath the girl’s unusually fair thin skin, a vivid blush showed through.

Asami-senpai’s blushing expression get! That would have to be carefully stored in the album in his mind.

“…Ahem!”

After clearing her throat, Senpai quickly regained her usual calm and composure. She grabbed the Novelist’s sleeve without a word and began dragging him in a certain direction.

“Hey! Hey—wait a minute!”

※※※

The clamor of voices gradually faded away.

Following the coffee shop’s back door led to a narrow, quiet alley. The sky overhead was narrow and dim, with a single line of sunlight falling through.

The detective and her assistant walked one after another down the alley. Their feet stepped on damp ground, occasionally splashing small droplets at their shoes.

The gloomy atmosphere gradually deepened.

“Senpai… are you sulking?”

The Novelist broke the silence.

“Not at all, Assistant-kun… Ohohohohohohohohoho.”

You definitely are angry!

“By the way, there’s something I must point out, Senpai—that state earlier was dangerous. Despite being outside, you nearly fell asleep in public. Your guard was far too low. It’s easy to attract ill-intentioned people that way.”

“…That can’t be helped.”

Asami Yuko’s expression was composed.

“That’s one reason why I hate going out… but don’t worry, I won’t do anything dangerous without preparation.”

“…Is that so.”

Specifically, what kind of preparation?

The Novelist naturally inquired about the next topic.

“That sort of thing loses its power if spoken about.”

…So, what could it be?

Senpai didn’t answer directly.

“Besides, now I have Assistant-kun by my side. There’s nothing to worry about.”

“…Though I don’t know where Senpai’s confidence comes from, I should mention that I’m not much of a fighter.”

Dr. Watson was a veteran who had experienced battlefields, and also a rugby player and passionate cricket enthusiast, with a strong physique and skill in shooting.

The Novelist was completely ignorant in these areas.

“Boys should have more confidence.”

…No, that’s not the issue here…?

Asami Yuko seemed to casually answer his confusion, then stopped at a certain doorway they were passing.

Senpai apparently wasn’t very good at physical activities, lacking in stamina. After walking less than ten minutes, she was already slightly out of breath, with fine beads of sweat appearing on her forehead.

…Being an indoor person was different from Mr. Holmes too. After all, that gentleman was quite accomplished in boxing and fencing, and often went on long trips.

“Is this the place?”

“The map shows this is the place.”

From the sign, it was the back door of an internet café. These places in Japan served social functions beyond internet entertainment. Because of their completely enclosed private cubicles—or rather, booths—they were basically like small hotels.

By the way, when searching for information about the destination, the few comments online about this place included “The meeting cubicles are surprisingly large!” and “You can do strange things with girls here lol” and such reviews.

The Novelist looked up.

The neatly arranged windows on the wall were all tightly shut, rarely ever opened.

“They really picked a good place.”