"Wow! Wow! Sensei, Sensei, look over there!"
The girl beside me excitedly tugged at my sleeve and pointed toward the stage, at the figures twisting and moving—
Several staff members wearing different mascot costumes were dancing strange dances to cheerful music.
Below the stage, the enthusiastic cheers and chatter of fans filled the air, nonstop since earlier.
I had to admit that the momofriends series under the momogroup corporation was indeed extremely popular in Kivotos.
Even so, since their designs were not cute in the traditional, widely accepted sense, there were plenty of people who felt indifferent to the series, or even disliked it.
Unfortunately, I was one of them.
Of course, I did not hate it. Personally, I was just relatively uninterested.
But I could understand Hifumi's hobby, and I was willing to accompany her to watch a performance I had no interest in, to become someone she could share her joy with.
Or rather, while I had no interest in momofriends, I was very interested in the person beside me who loved momofriends.
The moment I saw Hifumi's excited and delighted expression, I suddenly felt that those strange-looking mascots on stage were actually kind of cute.
They were just a bit too noisy, to the point that my ears hurt.
Time passed quickly, and the performance came to an end.
After taking a commemorative photo together with the mascot-suited staff, and receiving the couple-only limited merchandise from them, Hifumi and I left the venue and found a nearby café to rest for a while.
With the spoils of the trip laid out on the table, Hifumi had still not come down from her excitement. She enthusiastically poured out her impressions of the performance to me:
"Sensei, you saw it, right? That scene at the end where everyone danced Peroro's Peroro Dance together was really super touching. Ah, and the earlier solo dance by Wave Cat was also really good!"
"Ah, yes, it was indeed," I echoed.
However, Hifumi's smile froze for a moment, turning into an awkward and apologetic expression. "Ah… sorry for talking nonstop. Whenever it comes to momofriends, I accidentally get too excited…"
I looked at her with a gentle smile. "It is fine. I am very happy too."
"Ahaha… if Sensei is happy too, then that is great."
She said that, but Hifumi did not smile again. She still looked troubled.
I waited patiently for a while. The girl finally let out a sigh and began to confide in me. "But… when I talk about momofriends, there are quite a few friends who get impatient. They think these mascots look very awkward, and that they are all just strange characters…"
…To be honest, I kind of thought that too.
If Hifumi did not like them, and if I did not like Hifumi, I probably would not have had much patience to listen with a smile to stories about these mascots.
I fully understood the passion Hifumi had for this series, someone whose backpack and phone case were both Peroro-themed, and who had collected a large amount of momofriends merchandise.
Because of that, I could also understand how distressed Hifumi felt when her preferences were not acknowledged.
Of course, setting that aside, I personally also liked listening to Hifumi talk about the things she liked.
"But I think that is exactly where their charm lies. Having personalities that are different from ordinary people and other characters, I think that is something wonderful."
Hifumi lowered her gaze, bent her head slightly, and took a sip of iced lemon water through her straw.
Slowly stirring the straw in the cup, she said softly, "Because I do not really have anything special about me, I am just an ordinary person… so when I see characters like that, I cannot help but feel a bit of longing…"
How is that ordinary?
As a rare healing-type beautiful girl, to be this shy…
That really has my style!
But this excessive behavior will not do.
My gaze sharpened. I felt that at times like this, it was once again my turn to step in and restore the confidence a girl ought to have!
"Is there anything bad about being ordinary?"
I threw out the question, then shook my head and answered myself. "I actually like ordinary things quite a lot."
Hifumi froze slightly, then scratched the back of her head and smiled. "Ah, ahaha… hearing you say that makes me feel a little embarrassed."
"Besides, strictly speaking, does something truly ordinary even exist? Is there any standard for it?"
"Umm, I do not think you can say it like that…"
"That is true. Discussing extreme cases is meaningless. But."
I looked straight at the girl in front of me and changed the direction of my words. "At least in my eyes, Hifumi is also a special kind of person to me."
"…Eh?"
Letting out a cute sound of confusion, Hifumi's cheeks flushed red. She seemed to grow a little restless in her seat, yet there was a faint hint of anticipation in her eyes.
I took a deep breath. "Being this cute, having such a gentle personality, and being able to give your all in pursuing the things you like… it is precisely these seemingly ordinary traits that come together to form the unique Hifumi. That is what I think."
After hearing my words, the red-faced Hifumi hurriedly waved her hands in denial. "I, I am not as good as you say!"
"What!?" I stared at her in shock. "Are you saying that I am lying!?"
"Uu… that is not what I meant either…"
Seeing Hifumi with a wretched expression, yet unable to hide the joy between her brows, a sense of victorious delight immediately welled up in my heart.
I gave her some time to recapture her emotions, then continued, "So, I really like Hifumi. I also really like listening to Hifumi talk about the things she likes, such as momofriends. Hifumi, happily talking about what she loves, is also very, very cute."
"Ah wawawa… I-is that so…"
Muttering softly, Hifumi patted her cheeks and took a few deep breaths, trying to calm herself down. Then she stiffly changed the subject.
"Ahaha, sorry, we got carried away without noticing. Since Sensei wants to hear about momofriends, then I will keep talking!"
That is fine too.
"Oh right, Sensei, do you know 'Big Brother'?"
Hifumi picked up one of the limited items we received today, a small blue bird wearing a doctoral cap, and enthusiastically introduced it to me. "Big Brother can know everything just by staring at someone, so it is also very popular as a good-luck charm for exam takers!"
"I see," I said with a smile. "Then let me wish you in advance that you will achieve ideal results in tomorrow's exam."
"Ehehe∼ thank you∼"
After thanking me, Hifumi picked up another item. "And then this one is… huh? Sorry, let me check my phone."
It seemed Hifumi had received a message from someone. Taking advantage of the moment, I took a sip of my drink to moisten my throat.
"…Eh!?"
Staring at the screen, Hifumi's expression froze, and her eyes suddenly widened.