"Do you have any children?" one of the girls asked.
"No, I've never been married," I said.
"Really? Is that your way of life? Like, you date but never marry?"
"No, no, it's nothing that big. I just never had the right chance, that's all." I gave a small laugh.
Why am I talking about this with these girls? They don't seem mean, but I really hope they don't think, "This old guy is gross."
Since we were now classmates, I wanted to get along if possible.
"Hanaoka-san, are your standards very high?" another girl asked.
"I don't think so," I answered.
"Then what do you think about girls like us?"
"Well... you're young and very charming," I said.
A small scream rose from the group. "Charming? Wow, Hanaoka-san, you're smooth!"
"That wasn't my plan. You really are all charming," I said.
"We're all over twenty, so don't worry," one girl said with a grin.
"Oh, I see."
What did she mean by "don't worry"? I didn't really get how young people talk these days.
Maybe this was the famous generation gap. We would study together, so I needed to keep up somehow.
"Changing the topic," one girl said, "do you drink alcohol?"
"Alcohol? I'm not that strong, but I drink."
"If you want, how about we go out sometime?"
"Well, if there's a chance," I said.
"Really? How about this weekend? Let's have a welcome party."
"A welcome party? If everyone is fine with it, then I'd be happy to join."
"Yes! That's great. Everyone, he said yes!"
"Mm-hmm," the others nodded.
Ah, these girls were really kind. They were trying to make sure an old guy like me wouldn't end up alone.
Seeing how happy they looked made me happy too.
I had been worried this morning, but with Jinnai-kun and these girls, I was surrounded by good people. It seemed like I could manage this school life after all.
When I got home, I would open a cold can of chuhai (canned cocktail). It would taste extra good today.
* * *
"Hanaoka-san was very easy to talk to," one of the girls said after we left.
"He paid for us so quickly too. He felt like a real adult."
"He's cool. Maybe that's what you call grown-up charm? He even has a bit of... you know, that adult appeal."
"He's nothing like my dad. My dad smells so bad with age, but Hanaoka-san smells nice."
"I know, right?"
"But he didn't feel like a playboy. He felt like a gentleman."
"Yes, and he said he never married. He also said it's not because of... that."
"Well, we don't know yet, but he's nice."
"Yeah, I think so too."
"These three months just got more fun."
* * *
After we split up, I went home, opened a konbini (convenience store) bento, and cracked open a chuhai.
"I think I can do this," I said to myself. "But I really am the only old guy. They're all around twenty. I need to keep up so they don't leave me behind. The welcome party is this weekend... I must be careful not to act weird and make them hate me. First, I need to do my best at school."