Can't We Skip Dating?

"Aoyama-san?"

Hearing the clatter of the spoon hitting the floor, the male clerk turned in surprise and saw his coworker leaning against the counter, panting slightly. 

"Are you okay? Don't push yourself..."

"Sorry! I just tripped a little!"

The girl turned around with a seemingly bright, but actually forced and awkward smile. 

She bent down to pick up the spoon on the floor, laughing at herself as if to hide her embarrassment. "I really am so clumsy, haha..."

She failed the first time but succeeded on the second try.

Anyone watching could tell she wasn't in good condition.

Akira walked up to the counter, his face expressionless, which made him seem a bit stern. "Miss, are you sick?"

"No no no, not at all! I really just lost my balance. Thank you for your concern, sir—ahahaha..."

The girl returned a bright smile while firmly denying it.

Akira looked down at the ice cream freezer. "Alright, then I'll have vanilla. What about you, Kasumigaoka-san?"

Utaha's mind wasn't on the ice cream at all. She was entirely focused on figuring out what Akira was up to. 

So when he asked, she responded offhandedly, "Same for me."

"Ah... okay, just a moment!"

The girl went to the back of the shop to rinse the ice cream scoop and washed her face with cold water. 

Holding onto the edge of the sink, she caught her breath for a while before wiping the scoop clean and returning to serve the ice cream.

At that moment, Utaha was sure that Akira had something in mind. 

Otherwise, seeing that the girl wasn't feeling well, he wouldn't have gone out of his way to insist she serve them. That would've been terribly ill-mannered.

But she didn't understand why.

Back when he approached her, it was probably because she already had some fame, was talented and beautiful, and caught Akira's interest. 

But this girl, clearly an ordinary part-timer struggling through summer work with a body on the verge of collapse—what could have possibly drawn Akira's attention?

Utaha never even considered that it might be her looks. 

After all, this girl was merely ordinarily pretty. If Akira wanted that kind of beauty, he could find dozens just like her.

So the only explanation must be... concern for her health?

???

Utaha felt there was something off with that conclusion, but it was the only one she could come up with. 

So she gave up trying to understand and decided to keep watching.

Then she turned her head—and saw Akira was watching her.

They locked eyes in this "deep" gaze for a good seven or eight seconds before Utaha couldn't help but ask, "Why are you looking at me?"

Akira glanced at the price list, then looked back at her for a few more seconds. Finally, with a look of realization, he took out his wallet.

Utaha suddenly remembered she had said she would pay. 

Her face flushed as she reached for her own wallet, raising her other hand in front of him. "Oh no, I didn't forget my wallet—I just forgot..."

Her hand touched the one Akira was using to get money.

She drew back like she'd been shocked by electricity, hurriedly paid for the ice cream, and stared straight at the girl scooping behind the counter, not daring to meet Akira's eyes.

Her heart was racing.

Realizing this, Utaha was struck by a wave of self-loathing.

Even though she knew her flustered reaction wasn't because of love or shyness, but rather because she remembered how Akira had pinned her on the bed last time—and that made her overly sensitive to physical contact...

Still, she couldn't help but feel that she was acting like a terrible woman. 

One who, having just decided to end everything with Tomoya, was already starting to feel things for someone else.

She finally stole a glance at Akira—only to find that he wasn't even looking at her. His attention was entirely on the girl scooping ice cream.

She let out a sigh of relief—then felt a bit upset. Without thinking, she lifted her foot slightly, intending to kick Akira.

But she held herself back from that irrational and impolite impulse.

Akira seemed to notice something. 

He glanced down at the foot Utaha had just set back down, then looked at her—and casually patted her on the head.

Even when he retracted his hand, Utaha hadn't fully recovered—Did I just get patted on the head? Is he treating me like a child?

She felt like Akira had been acting more and more gentle lately. 

And thinking that way made her feel like she was the one becoming more and more broken.

"Hi—Alrighty! Two vanilla ice creams, here you go!"

The girl finished preparing the order. With a no-longer-so-forced bright smile, she handed over the ice cream.

Akira reached out to take them, but in a slightly unusual way—rather than grabbing them directly, he held his hand out just short of touching, waiting for her to hand them over to him.

The girl instinctively leaned forward to place it in his hand—but due to her dizzy state, that small action, requiring a bit of precision, went awry.

She ended up pressing a scoop of ice cream right onto Akira's fingers.

"Eh? Eh eh eh, I'm so sorry! I'll get you a new one right away!"

In a panic, the girl burst into a thick Kansai accent and bowed repeatedly, apologizing nonstop.

Akira handed the untouched ice cream to Utaha, then calmly reached back toward the shop. His face gave away no emotion. 

"Do you have tissues?"

"Right here! Please! I'm terribly sorry!"

The girl, just about to make a new ice cream, quickly set down the scoop and handed over some tissues with both hands.

Akira wiped his hand clean, dabbing off the melted bit of ice cream stuck to him, and said in a neutral tone, 

"No need to make a new one. But you should realize—forcing yourself to keep working in your current state isn't really doing a job. You're just creating trouble for others."

"I..."

Having made a mistake and been so bluntly called out for pushing herself—and told she was being a burden—the girl stared at the tissue and ice cream in Akira's hand. 

She had no words to refute him.

Since she couldn't argue back, the mental strength she'd been clinging to collapsed all at once.

"Today... I really don't feel well." She forced a smile and turned to the male clerk. "I'm sorry, can I leave early?"

"Of course, Aoyama-san. I'll explain to the manager. Please go home and rest. Be careful on the way."

"Yes, sorry for the trouble."

The girl bowed, then bowed to Akira as well, and trudged back to the rear of the shop.

Akira took a bite of his ice cream and turned to walk toward the car. "If there's nothing urgent, don't go back yet. I need your help."

Hearing that Akira actually had something to ask, Utaha was more than happy. "What is it?"

"Convince that girl to go to the hospital. If possible, also convince her to come back to my place."

"???"

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