Date a Live Volume 18-22

Fragmentary Chapter/ 2: Friends

"Fuhufufu......"

While humming a suitable tone for a song she couldn't remember the name of, Takamiya Mana passed through the entrance of her house. As she turned through the corridor, the tip of her ponytail made rhythmic swings against her slightly sweaty sailor fuku.

"───Eh?"

As Mana passed through the living room, she stopped both her legs and humming. The reason was simple, it was because there a familiar figure in the living room.

"What are you doing? Mio-san?"

As Mana asked while slightly tilting her head, the figure heard her voice as she slowly turned around.

"Mana."

While speaking, the charming girl with a face of an angel turned to face Mana.

Takamiya Mio. A girl who had been living in this household for a while.

Although she had the same Takamiya surname as Mana, she was not a relative. In fact, she was a mysterious girl (saying it in that manner gives the feeling that a minor crime had been committed) brought home by Mio's older brother Shinji. Since she did not have a name, for the sake of convenience Shinji had given Mio her name.

As Mio turned around, Mana saw that there was something hiding behind her. Apparently, it seemed that Mio had spread out a dictionary on the table in order to investigate something.

Although she had mastered Japanese at an extraordinary rate, there were still a large number of things she did not yet understand. Mana breathed out a small sigh before placing her bamboo sword bag on the sofa and sitting down next to Mio.

"Do you have something that you don't understand? If you don't mind, feel free to consult with Mana."

After saying that, she patted her chest with a "don" sound as if saying "leave it to me".

Although Mana harbored a bit of distrust towards Mio at first, repeated contact with Mio's frank and lovely demeanor had Mana act like an older sister (contradiction) to Mio.

"Really? That's really...a great help."

As Mio said so, she pursed her eyebrows upward like she was troubled over something.

"Language is difficult. Even though I understand the meaning, the context changes depending on the circumstances and the emotions put in. I intended to grasp the meaning at that time, but now that I think about it I feel uneasy about whether

Shin's words were captured accurately......"

"Hmm, Nii-sama's ......wait, what?"

Hearing that, Mana made an exaggerated twist of her neck.

"......That, what exactly did he say to you?"

Although she did not think it was possible for Shinji to do so, but if Mio could not understand it, it could be something obscene in Japanese. While thinking of an act of corruption being undergone, she tightened her grip on the bag of her blade Dorōmaru while in cold sweat.

Immediately afterwards, Mio replied while pointing to a page of the open dictionary.

"Shin asked me if I want to go on a date."

"──Huh?"

After hearing what Mio had said, Mana's eyes monetarily flickered as she let out an unexpected voice.

"D-date......is that so?"

"Un. But a date means a man and women deciding on a time and place to meet. Or perhaps that isn't the meaning of a date? Giving the context of what Shin said, I believe it is the former. But I already see Shin every day, so I don't understand what he meant by a agreeing to establish a meeting time. I thought it was a metaphorical expression or something, but since I already replied, I feel bad about asking Shin again."