Kichi didn't expect this would be how things turned out when he asked to hang out with Airi. He would've thought she was the kind of girl who would want to do something more simple and normal. Like going to a cafe to enjoy sweets or maybe even an arcade to play some games.
Not that he took issue with going to some quiet little otaku shop. Just he wouldn't guess that's what a girl like her would want to do as the first thing she ever did with a boy like him. Nor did he expect her to be so interested in their wide selection of all things otaku.
"Wow, these are so beautiful!" She exclaimed in joy over seeing some limited edition manga volumes. While careful not to damage anything, she quickly perused along them all. Most of these were from best sellers, but also some were the type that Kichi certainly wouldn't be open about enjoying if he were in public. One would describe these as the type you would read alone in bed when feeling a specific way you wouldn't actually say out loud.
"They certainly are worth their price." He responded. Considering the circumstances and sudden nature to them coming here. It was clear neither of them had the cash to afford these limited edition volumes. They'd be lucky to be able to afford a regular copy of a light novel at this rate.
This fact did little to deter her excitement. It was like watching a kid in a candy store with how quickly she rushed around the aisles, leaving him behind nearly every time. No wonder Chuuya seemed to take issue with the girl while those two were partners. She was quite the handful.
Even then, Kichi didn't mind it at all. Despite her taking a million steps ahead of him. It was nice seeing someone very passionate over their hobbies. Maybe partially because he also liked some of these things privately as well.
"This is such a pretty poster." Though even if she was accepting of it, he would still get nervous about discussing it with another person. In this case, she pointed out a poster of a popular anime series. This one contained one of the main characters in a bit of a seductive pose in a swimsuit, as it took place on the beach. "What do you think?"
"Uh…" He felt like he had stepped into a minefield. Looking at this poster, this girl had a huge bust. Not to mention she certainly was not lacking in her bottom either. Basically, this was the kind of girl that were he to see in real life. His pants would get a tiny bit tighter.
However, despite her enthusiasm, Kichi wasn't sure if he should speak honestly on the subject. While he'd hold back on his true feelings regardless of the person. This almost seemed like a test seeing as she was a girl. Maybe she wanted to get an idea of his tastes on girls. "It is pretty nice. She's a cute girl." He answered, taking a glimpse at Airi's chest. She was definitely smaller than the one on the poster. Not that it was special seeing as most girls are smaller in this regard. "I prefer chests that are a bit smaller though."
"Wow, so you're into lolis?" She responded in a completely different manner than he hoped for.
"That's not what I said!" He yelled back, his face filling up with a bright red. How dare she say something like that out loud in public? Sure, they were in an otaku store. So it was unlikely that anyone around would care if that were the truth. However, it was far from the truth and he didn't want to be misunderstood. "I'm just saying that size doesn't matter. Big or small, I think all breasts are nice."
"Wow, so bold." She replied. He sighed in her inability to get his point. It seemed like she was taking him to the extreme on his statements on purpose. "I wish I could afford this poster. It'd look great on my wall." Given what she said next, he had to be curious. Was there no chance for them? Was this girl… Swinging for the other team?
"So Airi…" He tried to begin his question without sounding suspicious to her. She'd likely not answer honestly if she knew why he would want to know. "For these posters, you like it better if they're girls or boys?"
"Girls, definitely." She answered without a hint of hesitation. "They're so cute, I wish I could be that pretty."
"Really?" Given her answer, he wasn't certain how to take that. It seemed her preference for them came from something other than simple attraction.
"You ever play those games where a guy has to choose between a bunch of girls?" She asked. He may have once, but those weren't his main form of entertainment by any stretch of the imagination. "Me and Aoi play them sometimes. I like to pretend I'm one of the girls you can choose to date. It's nice to pretend that a boy has to struggle to pick me over someone else. There's like this tension that it might not happen, and I might have my heart broken."
"That's definitely an interesting way of looking at it." Kichi couldn't imagine a single person playing one of those games in that manner. Usually the whole point was to pretend one was that boy in the middle of all those cute girls. A struggle to pick just one while breaking the hearts of all the other maidens. When he thought about it more deeply. Why couldn't there be more with harem endings? At least he wouldn't feel so sad about playing those games. "I have to say, you're pretty open on talking about these things."
"Heheh, you really think so?" She got bashful from what she perceived to be a compliment. He was only making an observation. Whether if one thought this was a positive or not was another matter altogether. "People always say that I'm more talkative than my sister."
"Can't disagree with that." He replied as they headed along the aisles again. This time, she picked up a box containing a figurine of a popular idol as they talked.
"Sometimes I get a little worried about her though." She said. That was uncharacteristic coming from her, he thought. Her tone was nowhere near as cheerful as before. "I feel like lately she doesn't like me that much lately."
"Huh?" He didn't expect her to drop something like that on him. It came out of left field and nearly made him fall backwards in shock. "Why would you say something like that?"
"You already asked why she doesn't sit next to me, but it's more than that." She explained to him that after they had moved into town. Aoi had told her that they shouldn't hang out with each other all the time when they're out in public. "When we're at home, it's a lot of fun. She doesn't mind doing everything with me, but when we go to school. She says that we should only talk to each other when we're walking to and from school."
"I'm sorry to hear that." He said after she gave him her side of the story. "When I was with her, she didn't seem to have any problems with you." Granted that there was no reason for that subject to be brought up. The only issue she sounded off to him was the slight she took when him and Chuuya made that public display on picking between the twins.
"Heh, sorry that I'm telling you this." She giggled. "I don't know anyone here so well yet. And normally I always go to Aoi with my problems, but I guess that doesn't work out when it's about her. You seem like a nice guy, so I'm sure you won't make fun of me. It's kind of silly to be worried about it, right?"
"It's not that silly." He assured her as she placed down the figurine. "If you don't want to ask her yourself, I could do it for you."
"I don't know, it seems like something I should take care of, right?" She made a good point. This was a personal deal between her and her twin sister. However, he understood that it isn't easy to start a conversation of this magnitude with a sibling. That's why he avoided talking to his own sister about issues he faced himself. "And you barely know us, so it's unfair to put that on you."
"But I do want to help." He responded, feeling they had run into a conundrum. This seemed like a good time for him to reach into his ace. "I know how we can figure this out." Kichi pulled out his lucky coin from his pocket. "If it's heads, then you have to talk to her. But tails, well you know."
"You really like to pull that out a lot." Despite knowing him for less than a week. She could tell that for whatever reason, this thing defined him. Airi thought for a moment if she wanted to put her fate up to chance. "Okay, do it." After taking a deep breath, she allowed this coin flip to decide what their next course of action is.
"Great. Here we go!" With a quick flick of his thumb. The coin flew upwards into the air.