Read Online Book Girl and the Captive Fool by Mizuki Nomura - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Mizuki Nomura
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sweet, like youth.”
Somehow or other, she seemed to have recovered, and I relaxed.
Just then, I noticed Akutagawa looking down into the box of cookies with a critical eye.
His expression was pained, as if he saw something he didn’t want to see.
A chill ran through my heart.
“Is something wrong, Akutagawa?”
My question seemed to hit him physically, then a complicated smile came over his face. “No, it’s nothing.”
He took a cocoa-flavored cookie and ate it.
“I’m not a big fan of sweet things, but even I can eat these. They taste good,” he said.
Was that dark look he’d had just now because he didn’t like sweet things? I didn’t think that was all it was, and something stirred deep inside me.
Akutagawa reached for another cookie. When he’d eaten the next one, he got another—he continued eating steadily with a detached look on his face. That stirred up even more anxiety in me. It seemed like he was forcing himself to eat something he didn’t want to eat.
On the other hand, Tohko popped cookies into her mouth with a sunny smile.
Akutagawa and Tohko—did either of them really enjoy what they were eating?
Tohko’s tongue at least wasn’t detecting anything, no matter how sweet it was. She wasn’t capable of tasting.
When Tohko reached for the very last leaf-shaped lemon cookie, I shot my hand out and grabbed her arm.
“You’ve had a lot, Tohko. I want this one.”
Tohko’s eyes widened.
I picked up the last cookie and put it in my mouth.
Akutagawa and Takeda looked at me with surprise on their faces.
Kotobuki gaped at me, her face bright red, as I gulped down the cookie.
Silence filled the stage.
“Uh—um, because… because these cookies are really good!” I offered quickly in my defense when I realized how that had looked. Kotobuki rolled her eyes.
“D-don’t be stupid. You think it makes me happy to hear you complimenting me?”
“Ooooh, you’re blushing, Nanase.”
“Shut it, Takeda.”
Kotobuki glared at Takeda, her face bright red. Takeda giggled.
My cheeks were burning, too. Geez, what was I doing?
“Um—practice! Let’s practice!” someone shouted. But just then, the pocket of Akutagawa’s pants vibrated.
Akutagawa was startled and looked down at his pocket. He took out his cell phone and looked at the screen, and then his face became even more tense.
“Sorry. I have to go do something, so I need to leave early.”
He ducked his head, then slung his bag over his shoulder and left.
“I wonder what that was about.”
The three girls looked puzzled. I also wondered who had been on the other end of the line. Could it have been Sarashina?
But rehearsal quickly started back up, and I had to play Omiya for Akutagawa.
In the scenes where Omiya and Sugiko shared lines, Kotobuki tripped up several times, and she would complain, her cheeks flushing, “You’re really bad at this, Inoue. This is so hard.”
That evening, when rehearsals were over, Tohko rushed out, saying she had forgotten to record the cooking segment of some news show or other.
Takeda also waved and bounded off with a “See you tomorrow, guysss!” leaving Kotobuki and me by ourselves.
Once I’d packed up my script and notebook, my eyes met Kotobuki’s. She had already finished getting her stuff together and was standing around, looking out of place.
“Huh? Aren’t you going home, Kotobuki?”
“Yes,” she snapped, then immediately looked away in embarrassment. “Um… you think I should make more cookies?”
“Huh?”
“It looked like you wanted more.”
“Yeah, they were really good. But doesn’t it take a lot of time? I wouldn’t want to trouble you.”
“N-not at all. I actually kind of like cooking. Although you probably think I don’t look like the type who would. Plus Tohko seemed to like them.”
“Yes, well…”
See, Tohko? This is what happens when you gobble up cookies you can’t taste and pretend that they’re delicious. Geez, now what?
Maybe
Somehow or other, she seemed to have recovered, and I relaxed.
Just then, I noticed Akutagawa looking down into the box of cookies with a critical eye.
His expression was pained, as if he saw something he didn’t want to see.
A chill ran through my heart.
“Is something wrong, Akutagawa?”
My question seemed to hit him physically, then a complicated smile came over his face. “No, it’s nothing.”
He took a cocoa-flavored cookie and ate it.
“I’m not a big fan of sweet things, but even I can eat these. They taste good,” he said.
Was that dark look he’d had just now because he didn’t like sweet things? I didn’t think that was all it was, and something stirred deep inside me.
Akutagawa reached for another cookie. When he’d eaten the next one, he got another—he continued eating steadily with a detached look on his face. That stirred up even more anxiety in me. It seemed like he was forcing himself to eat something he didn’t want to eat.
On the other hand, Tohko popped cookies into her mouth with a sunny smile.
Akutagawa and Tohko—did either of them really enjoy what they were eating?
Tohko’s tongue at least wasn’t detecting anything, no matter how sweet it was. She wasn’t capable of tasting.
When Tohko reached for the very last leaf-shaped lemon cookie, I shot my hand out and grabbed her arm.
“You’ve had a lot, Tohko. I want this one.”
Tohko’s eyes widened.
I picked up the last cookie and put it in my mouth.
Akutagawa and Takeda looked at me with surprise on their faces.
Kotobuki gaped at me, her face bright red, as I gulped down the cookie.
Silence filled the stage.
“Uh—um, because… because these cookies are really good!” I offered quickly in my defense when I realized how that had looked. Kotobuki rolled her eyes.
“D-don’t be stupid. You think it makes me happy to hear you complimenting me?”
“Ooooh, you’re blushing, Nanase.”
“Shut it, Takeda.”
Kotobuki glared at Takeda, her face bright red. Takeda giggled.
My cheeks were burning, too. Geez, what was I doing?
“Um—practice! Let’s practice!” someone shouted. But just then, the pocket of Akutagawa’s pants vibrated.
Akutagawa was startled and looked down at his pocket. He took out his cell phone and looked at the screen, and then his face became even more tense.
“Sorry. I have to go do something, so I need to leave early.”
He ducked his head, then slung his bag over his shoulder and left.
“I wonder what that was about.”
The three girls looked puzzled. I also wondered who had been on the other end of the line. Could it have been Sarashina?
But rehearsal quickly started back up, and I had to play Omiya for Akutagawa.
In the scenes where Omiya and Sugiko shared lines, Kotobuki tripped up several times, and she would complain, her cheeks flushing, “You’re really bad at this, Inoue. This is so hard.”
That evening, when rehearsals were over, Tohko rushed out, saying she had forgotten to record the cooking segment of some news show or other.
Takeda also waved and bounded off with a “See you tomorrow, guysss!” leaving Kotobuki and me by ourselves.
Once I’d packed up my script and notebook, my eyes met Kotobuki’s. She had already finished getting her stuff together and was standing around, looking out of place.
“Huh? Aren’t you going home, Kotobuki?”
“Yes,” she snapped, then immediately looked away in embarrassment. “Um… you think I should make more cookies?”
“Huh?”
“It looked like you wanted more.”
“Yeah, they were really good. But doesn’t it take a lot of time? I wouldn’t want to trouble you.”
“N-not at all. I actually kind of like cooking. Although you probably think I don’t look like the type who would. Plus Tohko seemed to like them.”
“Yes, well…”
See, Tohko? This is what happens when you gobble up cookies you can’t taste and pretend that they’re delicious. Geez, now what?
Maybe
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