Originally, Tatsuya was truly getting a little worried, but it appeared
that Haruka was already getting sick of him. Thinking back to his
usual behavior and previous run-ins, Tatsuya shrugged as he came to
the conclusion that "being misunderstood couldn't be helped".
"Meeting sensei here was purely coincidental. Today, I am serving as
your guide."
"I see, so that's how it is. Still, if calling a high school student a guide
is a little pushing it...... Then that earlier honorific "sensei" may be a
little problematic."
At Tatsuya's words, Haruka furrowed her brows from the back seat.
Indeed, for a modern high school student, a single day visit to the
shrine did not necessitate an adult chaperon.
Simply put, a "guide" was just an excuse, as the actual purpose was
for them to "accompany" them.
Furthermore, even for random bystanders, since he was not a faculty
member, using the honorific "sensei" may easily lead to terrifying
delusions that lay in perilous territory.
"Let's think about it as we go. Shouldn't we be leaving now?"
Miyuki made this suggestion after Tatsuya opened the car door.
Without paying any heed to the ruminating Haruka, Tatsuya waited
until Miyuki boarded the vehicle, closed the door, and took his seat in
the driver's seat. After Tatsuya closed the door, the car automatically
took off.
After switching onto the train at the station despite unprecedented
attention, the four of them got off at the meeting place again under
intense scrutiny and walked for five minutes.
"Hey, Miyuki, you look great!"
This was the first sentence that greeted Tatsuya and Miyuki at the
meeting place. Wearing a leather jacket over her long dress, Mizuki
was gazing at Miyuki mesmerized. To the side, even Tatsuya was
under suspiciously warm scrutiny.
"Happy New Year, Shiba-kun. Your attire suits you, however
unexpected."
Dressed in a kimono just like Miyuki, Honoka seemed to be slightly
cowed by her classmate's loveliness, but upon catching sight of
Tatsuya's plain but altogether different aura, her heartbeat spiked and
she immediately took on a coy smile.