And so, I got to know the two Tachibana Ioris.

From now on, I’m sure I’ll slowly get to know Tachibana Iori better over a long period of time. She’ll surely get to know me too. Our relationship will develop at a walking pace. That was the feeling I had.

──Or so I thought.

“Are you free today?”

That message was what woke me up. What was that about a walking pace? Tachibana Iori was the type to take off at full speed the moment she got the signal.

And so, without really understanding the situation, I was heading to the meeting place—a certain train station. The station Tachibana Iori specified was the busiest one in the area, the kind of place where people would naturally get off when going shopping.

After about thirty minutes on the train, I arrived at the destination.

“I’ll be waiting in front of the south ticket gate,” the message said, so I exited from there and immediately spotted Tachibana Iori.

…Or rather, things had gotten a little out of hand.

“Wow, that person is so cool…!”

“Oh my god, what do I do? Should I ask for a picture?!”

Somehow, a crowd had formed around Tachibana Iori, watching her from a distance. She was standing at the center of it all, leaning against a wall, eyes fixed on her phone.

What stood out the most was her outfit. She was wearing a gray shirt and slim black pants—completely masculine clothing. No one here would ever guess that she was actually a girl.

Then, all of a sudden, Tachibana Iori lifted her gaze. Since I was directly in front of her, our eyes met straight on.

“Hey, Natsuki. Sorry for inviting you out so suddenly.”

As soon as she noticed me, she flashed a bright smile and raised her hand in greeting. The surrounding women followed her gaze to see who she was looking at, and just like that, I became the center of attention. A wave of nervous tension ran through my body.

“Uh, yeah. I didn’t have any plans, so it’s fine.”

Ah… they’re whispering about me.

I could feel it all over—those women around us were murmuring as they watched us. What were they saying? Maybe something like, “We thought she was meeting up with some stunning guy, but it’s just some plain high schooler?”

…Well, they’re not wrong. Walking beside Tachibana Iori was an incredibly high hurdle.

“Glad to hear that. Actually, I’m here to buy some clothes today. I really wanted to hear your opinion, Natsuki.”

“Clothes?”

I echoed back, and Tachibana Iori leaned in closer. Her face drew nearer and nearer, stopping right beside my ear. Some of the surrounding women let out alarm-like shrieks.

“…Women’s clothes. I actually don’t own any.”

“Ah, I see.”

Now everything made sense.

She had been living with just this side of herself for so long that she didn’t have any women’s clothing. That’s why she had shown up dressed like this today.

But this was a bit of a problem. I hadn’t expected this kind of errand.

“Uh… I don’t know anything about girls’ fashion. Wouldn’t it be better to ask someone from Suzakura High School?”

I had zero knowledge of what was trendy. She should definitely be asking a girl for advice.

Hearing my response, Tachibana Iori blinked in surprise, then immediately smirked.

Uh-oh. I have a bad feeling about this.

“What are you talking about? I’m only showing it to you, so your opinion is all that matters.”

“Eh… what…?”

Only showing it to me…? What does that even mean…?

“Besides, there isn’t a single girl at Suzakura who would want to see me in a dress.”

She said it so nonchalantly that I felt more awkward about it than she did. She didn’t seem to care at all, so I figured I shouldn’t either.

“Anyway, that’s the deal. I’ll be counting on you today.”

“Wait, hold on—!”

Tachibana Iori suddenly grabbed my hand and started walking. A wave of excited squeals erupted from the crowd.

Why were people getting so excited about two guys holding hands?! Wait, no—Tachibana Iori was actually a girl, but still?!

My brain couldn’t keep up with the situation. The only thing I knew for sure was that we were now holding hands.

“H-Hey, Tachibana Iori, your hand—”

“Is there a problem? I did invite you on this outing with the intention of it being a date, you know?”

She had that usual teasing smirk on her face, the one she always had when messing with me. She was really something else. She might’ve been saying it lightly, but did she have any idea how much this was making my heart race?

“I mean… if you put it like that, I don’t know how to respond…”

…Come to think of it, this was the first time I had ever held hands with a girl.

I never expected it to happen with Tachibana Iori of all people.

Her delicate, slender fingers were firmly intertwined with mine.

“Then there’s no problem. Look, Natsuki—everyone’s shocked.”

“Of course they are… they all think we’re just two guys holding hands.”

Just imagining someone from Suzakura High School seeing this made my stomach twist. The thought was terrifying.

“These days, a couple of guys dating isn’t that unusual, you know?”

“That might be true, but…”

It was just that one of those “guys” happened to be an unbelievably handsome person, which was why everyone was staring.