"Thank you for today, Shido-san."
Suguha slightly lowered her head as she bowed to Shido, expressing her gratitude. After their conversation in the café, Shido had proposed taking her to look around the area. Suguha was a little surprised and embarrassed, but she still shyly agreed and didn't reject his invitation.
Even though Shido didn't often wander around Shibuya, he still knew the places people usually visited.
"No worries. I actually rarely go out, so this was quite fun," Shido said.
"Fufu, is that so? Mn! I also had fun today."
It was quite surprising for Suguha that someone as outgoing and friendly as Setsuna, no, Shido would say he rarely go out. He didn't look like one at all, and his disposition certainly suggested otherwise.
The sun was already setting as their little tour came to an end, and their figures were bathed in the golden-orange glow of twilight, casting a single, elongated shadow of the two standing close together.
They were about to go their separate ways now that evening was approaching, but before that…
Suguha grew a little fidgety and stole a quick glance at Shido, her cheeks slightly red. It looked as if she wanted to say something, but was too embarrassed to voice it.
But Suguha took a deep breath, gathered her resolve, and said, "Um, Shido-san…"
Shido was curious about what she wanted to say, so he didn't interrupt her and simply replied, "Yes?"
Even though she was nervous and embarrassed, Suguha still continued, "Is… is it okay if we exchange numbers?"
"..." Shido.
Being silently stared at by Shido, whose thoughts she couldn't read, made Suguha even more nervous. She started to worry that he might think he was an easy girl but in the next second, Shido smiled and nodded.
"Okay, let's exchange contact info."
"Really?! That's great!" Suguha's eyes immediately lit up, and all her nervousness vanished in an instant.
Seeing her bright smile and excited expression, Shido couldn't help but smile inwardly, wondering why this girl was getting so excited over something so simple. Nevertheless, he took out his phone from his pocket, and the two of them began exchanging numbers.
"Done."
Seeing the new number added to her contacts, Suguha smiled brightly and thanked Shido.
"You don't need to thank me. I actually wanted to have your number too," Shido said casually.
"...Is that so?"
Suguha felt her face heat up, and she was certain she was blushing. It made her even more embarrassed, but fortunately, the warm rays of the setting sun hid the redness on her cheeks… or so she thought.
"I enjoyed our time today, Shido-san. Thank you for showing me around. If you ever visit Saitama, then I'll be the one taking you around. So… please tell me if you're coming, okay?"
Shido smiled and nodded at her. "Got it. I'll message you if I happen to visit."
Hearing Shido's response, Suguha's eyes sparkled, and she revealed a bright smile, one so dazzling that even Shido couldn't help but pause for a moment.
In the end, the two of them parted ways. Suguha told him that her mother had sent her a message asking where she was, so she had to excuse herself and return to where they were staying.
Shido nodded and told her to say hi to Lisbeth and the others when she saw them later which Suguha agreed and felt amazed yet a little funny since Shido was so busy this days to become the new leader of the Imp Race so he didn't have that much time to visit them.
But now… he should have some free time, right?
Still, Suguha's lips twitched when she recalled how Sakuya acted like a little girl whenever the topic of Shido came up. She knew that woman had definitely taken a liking to him, which made Suguha feel helpless, and also a little resentful toward Shido for "seducing" her leader.
Before parting, Suguha had asked Shido something while looking a bit shy. Shido was surprised at first but he agreed since he definitely wouldn't reject her invitation. Seeing Shido agree, Suguha's face immediately brightened, and she happily said goodbye before walking off, humming a tune.
Shido watched Suguha's fleeting back until she disappeared into the crowd, a small smile tugging at his lips as he thought about the promise they had made. Then, he turned around and headed back toward his apartment.
...
"I'm back."
Suguha removed her shoes and change into indoor slippers as she entered the house where she and her parents were currently staying.
The moment she stepped into the living room, she was greeted by the sight of two mature women, who didn't quite look their age, talking and laughing together.
"Suguha, did you have fun touring around the area?" One of the women who bore a slight resemblance to Suguha and hardly had noticeable wrinkle on her face asked with a smile as she noticed Suguha had returned.
"Yes, Mom. I met a friend of mine, and he showed me around," Suguha replied, nodding with a bright smile. Her expression, however, made the woman, Kirigaya Midori who was also Suguha's mother to feel a little strange, as if there was something more than simple happiness in her smile.
As if understanding something, Midori let out a knowing smile, causing Suguha to stiffen slightly and feel a little uneasy under her mother's gaze.
Meanwhile, the other woman beside her mother was more frank and spoke directly."Hmmm… I know that expression. Was the person who accompanied you a boy, Suguha-chan?"
Though she felt as if she were being exposed, Suguha still nodded shyly with her face already blushing. "...Un."
"Kyaaa~!" 2x
The two women squealed at her response. They couldn't believe that this tomboyish girl would actually make such a flustered expression when talking about a boy.
As her mother and aunt knew her all too well, they understood Suguha's brash and somewhat unladylike personality. Both of them wondered what kind of man could possibly melt this girl's heart.
Suguha felt completely speechless as her mother and aunt squealed like teenage girls. She also had the vague sense that they might be thinking something a little… rude about her, but she didn't dwell on it. Instead, she knew she had to clear up the misunderstanding.
She stomped her foot on the floor, feeling embarrassed, and said,"Mooo, it's not like that! We… are just friends… and also…"
Suguha trailed off, her thoughts drifting to her friend Lisbeth, who most likely to also have feelings for Shido, causing her to smile wryly.
Seeing her expression that was both happy and complicated on Suguha's face, her mother and aunt, both experienced adults, immediately understood what was going on. They exchanged a knowing look and silently decided it was time to give their daughter and niece some love advice.
But before that…
"Say, Suguha-chan, did you two take any photos? Can we see them?" Suguha's aunt asked, and her mother nodded eagerly.
'What are you two? High school girls?!' Suguha thought, seeing the excited expressions on their faces. Nevertheless, she nodded, since they had taken photos together, both at the café and while visiting some of the tourist spots.
"S-So, handsome!" 2x
Her mother and aunt were dumbfounded as they looked at the photos on her phone. On the picture was the picture of Shido and Suguha standing close together causing their bodies to touch. Shido was smiling on the camera while Suguha can hardly smile and was blushing madly.
Her mother and aunt didn't comment on Suguha's awkwardness on the photo, but they had to admit, they felt a little jealous of her being together with Shido.
Then they turned their gaze to Suguha, looking at her strangely, they hadn't expected this girl to actually know someone so good-looking.
Still, for some reason, both of them felt that this young man seemed oddly familiar, but they didn't dwell on it. Instead, they began asking Suguha for more information about him while offering little bits of love advice. Suguha blushed at their teasing, but she listened carefully nonetheless.