Strange Taxi

"I almost forgot to give you this."

Akira remembered something, and opened his school bag.

Shouko was confused hearing this, but after seeing Akira take out a carton of blueberry yogurt milk, she asked:

"This...?"

Putting the milk box into Shouko's hand, Akira said awkwardly:

"Didn't I promise yesterday I would buy you a drink? Sorry, I can only give it today."

Yesterday there was a Fitness Test, the students had to pair up. Akira asks Shouko to pair up with Hitori, who is alone.

"I think Akira forgot about it." Shouko said this as she stuck a straw into the milk and drank it.

"Cough Cough... I didn't forget, it was just delayed due to some trouble." Akira coughed several times.

"Akira is thirsty, right? Take this."

Shouko handed over the box of milk she had just drunk with a blush.

"Thank you, I happen to be a bit thirsty."

Akira wasn't one to care about indirect kisses or anything like that. Opening his mouth, he sucked on a straw as Shouko held the milk carton.

From an outsider's perspective, this scene resembled a girlfriend giving her boyfriend a drink.

After a few seconds, Akira stopped drinking, and intended to wipe his mouth with his arm.

"Wait a minute, Akira." Shouko stopped Akira.

"Hmmm....?"

Under Akira's confused look, Shouko opened her school bag, took a handkerchief, and wiped Akira's mouth with her handkerchief.

"Shouko is very considerate, I envy the man who marries you in the future." Akira spoke carelessly.

Shouko's hand stopped, she looked directly into Akira's eyes, and she asked:

"Does Akira still remember my dream?"

"Become a bride, right?" Akira answered without thinking.

He remembers when, in the fourth grade of elementary school, the teacher asked students to write down their dreams. Most children who write want to be policemen, soldiers, soccer players, CEOs, etc. But Shouko is different, she writes about her dream of becoming a bride.

Shouko nodded while keeping her handkerchief in her school bag.

"As expected of Akira, you have a good memory."

"That's normal---..."

"But the current Akira makes me unhappy."

Before Akira finished his sentence, Shouko said with a disappointed expression.

"Did I say something wrong, Shouko?" Akira was confused where the mistake lies.

Shouko asked sadly: "What for Akira, am I just a childhood friend?"

Akira was silent, and did not give a straight answer.

From the beginning, he is not a solid person, he is aware of the girls around him, has feelings for him. Usually, he would pretend not to notice the affection shown by girls. Because according to him, these girls were underage, and he wasn't a pedophile in the first place.

If I have to choose, Akira prefers mature women like Onee-san and MILF.

Taking a deep breath, Akira had a confused expression on his face, and acted like Orimura Ichika.

"What is Shouko talking about, aren't we really childhood friends?" Akira said while scratching the back of his head.

Seeing Akira's reaction, Shouko bit her lip, took a bold action, she cupped Akira's face, and said :

"How much longer is Akira going to act like this? You really think I can be fooled by your ugly acting, Akira?"

"What I want to know, does Akira like me?"

Their faces were only a few centimeters apart, and Akira could feel Shouko's breath every time she spoke.

"Sigh~... Looks like I can't dodge anymore."

The expression of naivety, and ignorance on Akira's face was replaced by a serious expression.

"Before that, this position caused others to misunderstand."

Akira grabbed Shouko's hand that was cupping his face, then gently pushed Shouko away.

"I want to hear your real answer, Akira." Shouko said, smoothing the hair behind her ear.

Akira felt dizzy, he had only been in a relationship once in his previous life. He didn't have much romance experience, so when a beautiful girl asked for his answer, he didn't know what to say.

After pondering for a while, rather than lie to Shouko, that would hurt her feelings. Akira chose to answer honestly.

"If asked to choose I like or dislike, then I choose like."

Shouko's eyes glittered, an expression of happiness clearly visible on her face. Then she took out a piece of paper from his bag, and handed the paper to Akira.

"What's this?"

Akira took the paper, and read it.

"M-Marriage form!" Akira spoke hoarsely, and his hands trembled.

"Un, uncle Maruo, and aunt Rena gave the stamps, only the stamp from Akira is left." Shouko said with a smile.

Unlike in most other countries, which use a signature as validation of a document. The Japanese use stamps as a substitute for signatures.

*Gulp*

Akira swallowed his saliva after confirming that what Shouko said was the truth. On the marriage form, he sees a stamp on his parents' consent, already stamped by the stamp. Not only his parents, but Shouko's parents have also given their stamps.

"Huuuu... Haaa..." Akira took a deep breath, and exhaled.

"When?" asked Akira.

"Grade 5 of elementary school, when I played over to Akira's house." Shouko answered honestly.

"Well, Shouko, you know marriage should only take place once one reaches the age of 18. This marriage form is not valid in the eyes of the law."

Akira returned the marriage form to Shouko's hands.

"I know that, we will submit this marriage form after high school graduation." Shouko said it earnestly.

Hearing Shouko's answer, Akira's back was drenched in cold sweat. He didn't expect Shouko to be so determined to get married at such a young age.

His right hand was massaging his forehead, Akira had a headache thinking about this problem.

"Akira doesn't want to marry me?"

Seeing Akira, who looked reluctant, and returned the marriage form without giving a stamp, Shouko's eyes looked terrible, and in her hand was a stun gun.

"Calm down, Shouko, this doesn't mean I don't agree, but I don't have a stamp with me."

Akira held Shouko's hand while holding the stun gun, so as not to attack him.

"I see, Akira was right, I was too hasty."

Shouko's eyes returned to normal, and she put the stun gun away.

"Phew~..."

Akira wiped the imaginary sweat off his forehead.

Picking up the cell phone in his bag, he saw it was 5.40 p.m.

"The sun is almost setting, let's go home."

Akira stood up, and patted his butt, cleaning the dirt off his pants.

"Un." Shouko nodded in agreement.

The two walked away to the entrance of Koishikawa Korakuen Garden.

Arriving at the sidewalk, Akira raised his hand to stop a taxi.

The taxi stopped in front of Akira and Shouko.

"Goodbye, Akira." Shouko said while sitting in the passenger seat.

"Yeah, goodbye, Shou---..."

Akira's sentence stopped when he saw the sly smile on the taxi driver, who was a young man in his 20s.

Akira's paranoia made him use [Universal Sense] to check the taxi car.

(Bastard!) Anger surged inside Akira.

How could it not be, he found that this taxi had been modified in such a way, and he found that there was a liquid that he thought was a sleeping pill or an aphrodisiac in the engine.

"Akira?" Shouko called out, seeing Akira standing still in place.

"Ah, it's nothing, I changed my mind, I'll drive you home."

After saying that, Akira also got into the taxi.

With [Universal Sense] focused on watching the taxi driver, Akira noticed the taxi driver was very annoyed as soon as he entered.

"Where are you going, customer?" the taxi driver asked with a fake smile on his face.

"Take us to xxx..." Akira mentioned Shouko's home address.

"Understood."

The taxi started driving down the highway.