A Mock Date With Toko-senpai!

Toko-senpai asked the little boy, “What’s your name?”

“Shota.”

“Why were you in a place like that?”

“There was a crab.”

“A crab?”

“But I couldn’t catch him.”

So, that was the story. For whatever reason, this boy had been on the promenade alone. He spotted a crab, chased it toward the rocky shore to catch it, tripped, and started crying.

Suddenly, the boy spoke up from my back.

“Are you two on a ‘date’?”

Toko-senpai and I exchanged a brief, startled glance.

“Are you ‘dating’?” the boy asked again.

“Hmm, well, I suppose you could call it that?”

When Toko-senpai answered like that, the boy pressed further.

“Then, are you two lovers?”

“Wh-what?!” we both blurted out at the exact same time.

He had been speaking in such a faltering tone until now; why were these specific words coming out so fluently? As I stood there flustered, Toko-senpai responded.

“Well, what do you think?”

“I dunno. But Mi-chan says people on a ‘date’ are lovers.”

“And who might ‘Mi-chan’ be?”

Even if he gave us a name, we had no way of knowing who that was. But Toko-senpai gave a gentle smile.

“I see. If ‘Mi-chan’ said so, then maybe we are lovers.”

She let out a small, soft giggle. She continued to dote on the boy after that. I remained mostly silent, but I was surprised. I didn’t realize the usually cool and intellectual Toko-senpai was so good with children. I secretly operated my phone with one hand and managed to sneak a photo of her looking like that. It was hard to tell if she noticed or not.

“Ah! Mommy!”

The boy pointed from my back. A mother stood there, holding a smaller girl’s hand and carrying a baby. We walked over to her and I set the boy down. As Toko-senpai explained what had happened, the mother bowed to us repeatedly. Apparently, she had stepped away to take the younger child to the restroom. Finally, Toko-senpai knelt down in front of the boy.

“Goodbye, Shota-kun. You mustn’t wander off away from your mother by yourself anymore, okay?”

She spoke gently and placed a kind hand on his head. I quickly snapped a photo of her in that moment.

Once we were a distance away from the family, I spoke up.

“Toko-senpai, you’re actually quite fond of children, aren’t you?”

“What’s with that ‘actually’? You sound so surprised.”

“N-no, it’s not like that, but…”

I hurriedly tried to correct myself, but though she gave me a mock-glare, she was smiling.

“I do like kids. I’ve always wanted a younger brother, too.”

“Do you have any siblings, Senpai?”

“One sister, three years younger than me.”

If she’s Toko-senpai’s sister, I bet she’s a beauty too.

“Though, what I really wanted most was an older brother.”

As we talked, we reached the car.

“It’s well past lunch. Shall we get something to eat soon?”

We headed north on Route 410. This time, our route took us along the eastern side of the Boso Peninsula. Soon, we arrived at the “Roadside Station WA-O.” Located right near Wadauta Station, it features a massive full-scale skeletal model of a blue whale. We headed into the restaurant there. Looking at the menu, I remarked:

“Wadaura is one of those rare places where whaling is still practiced today. Usually, Taiji in Wakayama is the famous spot for it.”

This was also information I’d picked up from the internet.

“Ah, now that you mention it, I’ve heard there are places in Minamiboso that still do whale fishing. They sell things like whale bacon.”

“I’ve always wanted to try whale meat at least once.”

As I said that, my mind was already made up. I ordered the “Special Whale Donburi.” It was a bowl topped with whale sashimi, whale tatsuta-age (fried whale), and a whale cutlet.

“I think I’ll just go with the ‘Seasonal Local Fish Sashimi Set.’ I won’t be able to eat whale meat if it has a strong gamey taste.”

“But since we’ve come all this way, don’t you want to try a little? At the rate the anti-whaling movement is going, we might not be able to eat it at all in the future.”
Toko-senpai still hesitated.

“Then let’s just order one plate of ‘Whale Sashimi.’ We can share it between the two of us.”

“Alright. Let’s do that.”

The food arrived. The meat was much darker—a reddish-black—than beef. It looked like horse meat. When I tried it, it tasted more like ordinary meat than I expected. It felt like a very lean cut of imported beef. Toko-senpai seemed to have the same impression.

“It has a slightly unique smell, but it tastes like fairly normal meat.”

“Yeah. The color is like horse, but the taste is like an imported round steak.”

“Well, whales originally branched off from the same even-toed ungulates as cows and pigs. It makes sense the taste is similar. Nowadays, they’re actually classified together as ‘Cetartiodactyla’.”

“Whoa.”

“By the way, did you know the closest living land relative to the whale is the hippopotamus?”

“As expected of the ‘Goddess of the Library.’ You’re so knowledgeable.”

At that, Toko-senpai gave me a sharp, upward glance.

“I don’t really like that nickname.”

“Why not? I think everyone uses it in a positive way.”

“I’m not a decoration, and I’m certainly not a goddess. I was just a normal high school girl, and now I’m just a normal university student.”

“Well, that’s true, but…”

“At the very least, I don’t want you to call me that, Isshiki-kun. You’re supposed to understand me to some degree.”

Toko-senpai said it with a hint of loneliness.

“I understand. I’m sorry.”

When I apologized, she flashed that mischievous grin again.

“Then as an apology, buy me a soft-serve ice cream later. I saw them selling it outside.”

Wanting ice cream… she really does have a cute side.

“Understood. Buy two or even three if you want!”

“Oh? You said it! Then I’ll have two: the Honey & Milk one and the Peanut one!”

By the time we finished our meal, it was past 3:00 PM. In the end, we each bought a different flavor of soft-serve and swapped halfway through. It was my “First Indirect Kiss” with Toko-senpai. I took a photo of her eating the ice cream, too.

“You’re taking pictures even while I’m eating~?”

She sounded a bit displeased, but she ate in an unexpectedly childlike way, and I thought that was great.