Aren't You Too Sweet Salt-God Sato-san? Chapter 2

I'm hungry

That "Salt-G.o.d Sato-san" 1 was crying while her face was buried in my chest.
I froze for some time due to experiencing something out of this world.

—c.r.a.p, whatever the reason may be, I cannot allow a girl's crying face to be seen out in the open.

「Sorry, father, I will go to the back for a second.」

「Sure! I will do my best in this 1 player mode!」

Father agreed even without asking for the reason. And what's more, he answered while making some macho-man pose for some reason.

…..?
Can I perceive that as a sign of "Leave this to me?"
Well, that aside.

「Let's go there, Sato-san」

I lent my shoulders to Sato-san, and proceeded to the place that is detached from the cafe. In other words, to my room.

※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※ 2

Even if she's "Salt-G.o.d Sato-san," she'll still be scared if she gets hara.s.sed by three college students.
For the time being, I had her sit on the chair and waited for her to calm down, but that didn't seem to be happening anytime soon.
That's why,

「……Tasty.」

That was the first word she said, at least one that I could understand.

Sato-san closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
By the way, what she's holding with her hands is a steaming cup of tea.

「That's Earl Gray, I always drink that one.」3

I said so while sitting on my bed. After that I also drank my own cup of tea.
I smelt the complementing graceful aroma of Bergamot and the refres.h.i.+ng scent of citrus.
Well, let's leave the complicated things aside. Basically it has a relieving taste that makes you sigh naturally. 4

After sipping tea for several times, it seems that Sato-san was finally starting to understand her current situation.

While making an apologetic face, she looked at me with upturned eyes.

「You're Os.h.i.+o-kun right?…. We're on the same cla.s.s….. Do you remember me?」

「……」

I don't think there is anyone doesn't know who "Salt-G.o.d Sato-san" is.
I decided to bury that comment in my heart.

「Yes I do, I was thinking whether I should call out to you or not, but you were so serious with that smartphone of yours, so I decided not to.」

I will take a role of a naive high school male student here, and so….

「What were you doing?」5

「Uuu~…..」

Is it something that she doesn't want anyone to know?
Sato-san started to blush until she was completely red while fidgeting her fingers.
…….Where is the "Salt-G.o.d Sato-san" that I heard of?

「Well, if you don't want to say it, it's fine.」

「…….O, Os.h.i.+o-kun! This, can you look at this?」

It looked like Sato-san finally made up her mind, and so, she pulled out her smartphone and placed it in front of me.
The cover is so simple that you may be able to see it in a dollar store, and there wasn't any kind of decoration. It was so simple that you wouldn't think it belongs to a high school girl.
Her smartphone looks more "Salty" than the owner herself.

「What is up with the smartphone?」

「Well……This, photo……」

And so, with the "please look" gesture from Sato-san.
On the screen of the smartphone, there are folders of images.

「…..Can I look at it?」6

Won't I get charged with some kind of crime just by looking at a high school girl's image gallery?

After asking that, she turned red like an apple then nodded her head.
So I looked at the image gallery while being cautious.

「……The h.e.l.l is this.」

I let it out involuntarily.
No, of course, I know what is on the screen.
From the top end to the bottom end, it was filled only with photos of sweets that have been taken so far.

Well, as long as it's only something like this.
「Heeeh~ So you like sweets? It's nice, it's cute.」
I will end this scenario by saying this safe comment.

But,

「You're so bad at taking pictures, Sato-san.」

I let out such frank things by mistake, and because of that, Sato-san finally turned crimson from top to bottom.

Well, looking at this….. It was really that bad!
Although this was not something I should say to a girl I've just met, but this was unbelievably terrible.
This was not something that you could show in the first place.

For example, this picture of a cake.
The picture itself was so dark, that at the first glance, you won't perceive it as food.
It can't make you say, "wow this looks good."

And there was something else…. This, is something that I can't grasp.
Opposite to that cake, the entire picture was so bright, that you couldn't see what was on the screen.
What is this? Was there some sort of meteorite that hit the plate when you pressed the shutter?

—-After looking at it very intensely, I was somehow able to pick up that it was the pancake that Sato-san was taking pictures of earlier.

Are you kidding me?

And such kinds of pictures are all I can see from top of the folder to the bottom.
It's on the level where you should be frightened.

While I was stupefied at what I've seen, Sato-san said so while trembling,

「This is something that's embarra.s.sing, but to be honest, I don't actually have any friends.」

「Eh? I thought…..」

'I thought you're someone who isn't interested in having friends.'

Was something that I was about to say, thankfully I was able to close my mouth.
That was close! That would be so rude to her.

「I, is that so…. That's surprising……」

「I think they find my stories not that interesting….. So they leave very fast when I start talking…..」

No, don't do it Os.h.i.+o!
Don't do anything!
Sato-san is honestly opening up herself, so don't do anything stupid!

「Well, since I'm also a high school girl….. So…..」

「…..So?」

「So, if I become a Minstagramer, I think that I will make some friends….」

I zipped my mouth fast.
Don't you dare laugh Os.h.i.+o, don't you dare laugh!7

「……"I really like sweets, so when the school is over, or when there's some free time, I usually go out by myself and eats some very good sweets." If I post that on Minstagram, maybe I can use it as a topic for a conversation…..」

「Mi, Minsta right? Yes, since almost all high school girls do that.」

Well then, let me explain.
Minsta is a short term for Minstagram, it's an SNS application.
It is where you post good looking pictures and share it with other people. It became a boom when almost all of the high school girls started using it, and nowadays, even their families use it too.
And Minstagramer is a term you use for those who use the application. 8

「D, don't you think it's nice? If you post your pictures of sweets, won't they look at you in a different light?」

Those were my true feelings.
Of course that would change everything.
I mean, that "salt-G.o.d Sato-san" goes to some elegant cafe, and even takes picture for her Minsta.
If that's the case, even getting friends will be simple.

So I thought, but Sato-san said while covering her face with both of her hands,

「But, I'm a little bit bad at taking pictures…..」

Is, that, a little bit…..?9

「If I post such things on Minsta, I am afraid that it will become a reason for them to start bullying me. Like hiding my shoes, getting forced to buy something for them….! Because of that, I can't see myself making an account!」

She said so while her face was completely pale.
Sato-san, I thought that you're the top of the cla.s.s. But maybe you're actually an idiot?

Well, I think I understand the gist.
Abou Sato-san's worries, and the fact that Sato-san who is called "salt-G.o.d" is actually not what they think she is.

And that she is doing her best to try to amend that somehow.

「Let me borrow this for a little bit.」

「Eh……?」

I took the smartphone from her hand, then launched the camera app.
After that, I played around with the brightness, put some sort of filter, then shot it.
It made a shutter sound, and the picture showed on the screen.
I returned the smartphone to its owner after that.

Sato-san was looking dead at the beginning, but after looking at the picture, she came back looking alive, with her eyes opened widely.

「This is….!」

The thing that is in front of Sato-san is, a picture of the teacups that are so elegant it's Minstworthy.

「You're better than me!」

That's obvious.

「H, how…. Did…. Os.h.i.+o-kun!」

Looks like this was a huge shock to her, as she tried saying my name.
And so, I took out my own smartphone, then answered her question.

「I also do Minsta, "Official Cafe Tutuji." Though it's a promotional account.」

The thing that's showing on my smartphone is the 'My Profile' screen of Minsta.
There are the countless images that I've taken so far on it, after replacing my father who is scared of SNS.
The store-special pancake, the limited edition flavored tea, and the seasonal flowers that bloom in the flower garden.
The total number of images posts is 35610, and the number of followers is…..

「Followers…. 5000…..!!!?」

Sato-san who was really shocked of that fact, repeatedly and alternatively looked at me and the smartphone. Then she muttered,

「A real Minstagramer…..」

I see, I think her plan of using Minsta as an image changer does work. I think she is not mistaken at all.

I mean, the way that Sato-san looks at me now, changed to the look that an admirer might have.

TL: tet
ED: Gecko/Filip11