Big Love From Ultra Deep Space ch4: It's Cultural Exchange

After school following exams = the best

Ten-sama~!
It's the last day of exams! Good work!

Thanks...

How did you fare with the more difficult ones?
Hmm.
I guess I did okay...

How about you, Lulu?
Must've been boring standing by in a different room for the past four days, right?
No! Not at all...

This book the principal lent me to pass the time was very interesting...!
It's part of a series, so I've borrowed the next volume.
I was wondering what that paper bag was about...

Well.
I'm glad to hear it.
Let's head home.
Okay!

What should I do about lunch...?
...Maybe I can get permission to take Lulu to the nearby park?

Making some rice balls and sandwiches
and eating them in the park would be... Hm?

Ah.

It's Teradate-san!
You're from the other day... erm...

Oh man! I never told you my name, did I?
It's Rina! Sugiyoshi Rina!

Thanks a lot for the other day~!
Eh, what...? You know each other...?

They looked after my little sis after we got separated at the supermarket.
Eh? So you're friends with these two too, Megu?
...I wouldn't say we're friends exactly...
That's right!

Megu-sama was the first person besides Ten-sama to call out to me!

Heh~ Is that so?
Well...
I guess...
Seems awkward...

How about you, Sugiyoshi-san... and Akamatsu-san?
We're been friends since grade school...
We've been together for a long time~

So like, we've made plans to go to karaoke with our buds from middle school.
To celebrate the exams being over!
Kalaokay...?
Never heard of karaoke?

I am aware that it is a place... where you sing songs,
but I do not know what it is actually like...
Eh!? That so.

Then do you wanna come with?
Eh?

Don't mind me! I wouldn't wish to intrude upon you and your middle school friends...
It should be perfectly fine.
They said they'll be bringing along a friend they made at their high school too.
Wh-...

You're okay with it, right, Megu?
Eh? Yeah... I guess...?

B-Besides,
I need permission to go to places outside of the school...!
Then just go get permission.
You can say it's cultural exchange or something.

Feel free to come if you're interested! We're totally down!
It's fine if you can't, though!
Wh-...

Why is this happening...?

Yay! Thenk you!
Noisy much?
It's not "thenk you".

You're such a downer, Megu~
Liven up a little~
It feels like I'm on the away team...
or rather, like I've gotten completely lost...

Learn from Princess-chan over there!
Just look at her shaking that tambourine!
Wah~
She adapts well...

I'm the only one who doesn't fit in...
Hey hey, Terachi!

You and Princess-chan are engaged, right?
Terachi?
Erm, yeah...?
Eh~? So like, so like.

How'd you get hooked up!?
Do you both like girls!?
Eh?
Um.
Or is this one of those political engagements!?

Erm~...
Seena!

p10

You shouldn't pry into other people's business.

Eh~? But I'm so curious!
I'm asking cos I wanna get along with her!
Then ask after you start getting along.
Eh~!?

You wouldn't like if someone you've only just met kept asking you about your family, right?
Geh! I'd hate it! Super hate it!!
Was I like that just now!?
You were.

Eh~? I'm sorry, Terachi!
No, it's fine...

Sorry to you too, Princess-chan~!
It's fine!

p11

Wait, was that nickname I gave you creepy too!?
Not at all!
It had a friendly vibe to it
and made me very happy!

Want some potato chips, Princess-chan...?
Oh my! Are you sure?
Eat as much as you want~
You're acting like my grandma, Seena.

Ahaha...

p12

Hm?

...Are you okay?

Eh? Yeah...?
We did practically force you to come here, after all.

I figured you'd be bad with noisy places like this, Teradate.
! Aah...

I wouldn't say I'm bad with it... but I was kinda nervous...

p13

...The thing with Seena
is that she's the type who wants to ask about anything she doesn't already know.
But she means well. She's just a little too honest for her own good.

As for Mio... she may not talk much,
but she goes with the flow and is pretty fun.

Rina's a really good kid.
She's really got it together,
and like you saw earlier, she would never try to hurt someone.

In fact, everyone besides me...
are all nice girls.

That's why...

p14

...What's with that look?
Eh?

Well... I was just thinking
that you really love your friends, Akamatsu-san.
Huh!?

What are you talking about...!?
Me and Lulu... and your friends too.
You worry about all of us.

You said everyone besides yourself was kind,
but I don't think someone who would make light of others
would go out of their way to apologise like you did.

p15

I think
regretting something you've done that hurt someone
makes you a kind person too.

...That's

not true...
I just have a terrible personality...

...Thank you, Akamatsu-san.

p16

Why are you thanking me?
You were considerate of me, after all...
...I just didn't want things to get awkward is all.

...Also, you can drop the -san.
Eh?

I'm calling you Teradate,
so it's awkward if you use -san with me...

Okay, got it.
Megu.

p17

My first name!?
Eh? Was that no good...?

I didn't say that...
Ah! They're back!

You seem to have a good mood going on!
You looting for love, Megu!?
Kya~
WRONG!!

Oh right, Shiori says she's arrived.
And this Shiori-san person is...?
A friend from me and Seena's high school.

Yeah, yeah. We were planning on coming here together,
but she got stuck getting lectured in educational guidance.

p18

Oh!? Speak of the devil!

Shiori~!
I'm totally sorry! That lecture took forever!
Nice to meet you~ I'm Seena's friend Shiori...

...Teradate-san?

p19

Eh!? What's this?
Do you know each other...?
...Why is that girl here?
You mean Teradate-san?
...Also, why?
What do you...

Are you okay, Seena? She didn't do anything to you, did she?
Eh, what? Shiori? What's gotten into you...?
Ten-sama...?

I mean, that girl

p20

stalked her classmate in middle school.