Love Live! New Mixed Gender Project!

chapter 27: Mingling With Riko

Keitan could not go far, as he had already stopped near the school gates to catch a breather. He was never athletic in the first place. He never wants to.

"Why did I r-"

"Shairu-kun!" Keitan heard Chika's voice, and when he turned around, he saw both her and Riko, atill running towards him. It was only when they were close to Keitan that they stopped.

"W-what?" Keitan said, slightly confused.

"Why were you running off like that?" Riko asked.

"I. . .  Don't know. The headache's gone now, but. . ."

"But what, Shairu-kun?" Chika asked.

"I. . ." Keitan heaved a sigh. "Can't explain at all."

"Oh. . . You still want to go back to the inn?" Chika asked.

"Yeah. Sometimes, I need some. . . Uuhhh. . . Time off," Keitan stated, of course in doubts. The two girls were unsure of Keitan's answer, but complied anyway, as they nodded.

"Let's accompany you, th-"

"I dunno. Is that really necessary?" Keitan cuts off Chika's request.

"Uhm. . . ."

"Well you girls can still train," Keitan stated.

"Not without you. Like you said, you are our boss, or probably a manager as the appropriate term," Riko said.

"Hm. . . . Well then, tell them that training's over," Keitan replied. Chika obeyed and went back to the rooftop. Keitan was now alone with Riko. It was utterly awkward. Keitan now wished he actually brought something that could entertain him during that time being. Riko seemed to be in the same situation. Finally, Riko decided to speak up.

"What do you do in your free time?"

Keitan looked at Riko, before he gave a face that obviously means that he was nervous. That was because he does not know what was his favourite thing to do before he lost his memories. He does remember having a bass guitar, so maybe that was what he played during his free time. Then again, Keitan could not be sure. With a small, heaved sigh, he decided to answer honestly.

"I don't. . . Really know. I don't have anything that can entertain me back at the inn. Wish I had my bass," Keitan replied, his face shows to be sad, when he was not. Even though the memory of him holding onto a bass was brief, he decided to think that it was a big deal.

"Ah. So you remember some bits of yourself now?"

"Yeah. I only remember having my 17th birthday, having a sweet tooth, and now, my two friends and my bass."

"You had friends? Maybe they're looking for you!"

"I don't know. I think it's unlikely, since they seemed to be younger. Either I made friends with people who are younger than me, or that was. . ."

"You when you were young."

"Yeah. I think that's likely."

Riko slowly nodded, getting to understand Keitan just by a little bit. Even though he had remembered just a bit of his own memory, Riko knew that he would cherish those memories. Maybe he would also cherish the memories he is currently making.

"So, what do you in your free time, Sakurauchi-san?" Keitan asked.

"Oh. . . I read mangas."

"Mangas. . . What type of mangas do you have?"

Riko seemed to flinch, before she fiddled with her fingers, while looking down, clearly nervous. Keitan tilted his head at Riko, but decided to let her speak for herself.

"I read the shoujo and. . . And. . ."

"Go on."

This made Riko blush even more. How does Keitan manage to pressure her in just a single question? Riko seemed to shake nervously, and Keitan knew he had to stop right then and there. Before he could, Riko spoke.

"And yuri."

Keitan, upon hearing her statement, decided to not move. He had never heard, or even knew, what the term, yuri, was.

"What's that?" Keitan asked, causing Riko to look at Keitan in disbelief. She had never met someone like Keitan, who had no idea what yuri was. Just as she wanted to say something, Chika appeared.

"Hey you two! Uh. . . Riko-chan, why is your face red?" Chika asked Riko. When Riko held onto her face, it was clear that she was blushing, as she felt her face completely warm. Warmer than normal.

"Did something happen when I was gone?" Chika asked them both. Riko attempted to deny this by shaking her head, but thanks to Keitan being utterly blunt, he had to tell the truth.

"We were just talking about what we would do during our free time. Nothing much," he stated. He kept silent about the fact that Riko knew of the memories he remembered.

"Ah, I see! Let's go back home then!"