Haibara’s Teenage New Game+ - Volume 2 - Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Let’s Raise Their Love Meters!

The mild May weather invited drowsiness during class. The refreshing breeze that blew in from the windows was pleasant. I’d been nodding off until the wind suddenly flipped the pages of the textbook in my hand, returning me to reality.

I looked up at the chalkboard. Murakami-sensei, our math teacher, was up on the teacher’s podium writing out an expanded quadratic formula. He was giving an earnest explanation, but when I looked around the room, many students were dozing off just like I had been. Murakami-sensei’s voice is low and pleasing to the ear. It has the power to lull us students to sleep.

Right after school had started in April, all the students had diligently paid attention in class, but as the end of May neared, we’d become accustomed to high school life and relaxed. Well, to be fair, we did finish our midterms recently.

Murakami-sensei glanced at all the sleeping students and then at the wall clock on the side of the classroom. “All right. Let’s end here today. Finish the rest for homework, and be sure to do it properly.” The bell rang right as he said that, signaling the end of class.

A punctual devil as always! I smiled dryly as I remembered how Murakami-sensei always seemed to have impeccable timing, even back during my first round of high school.

Math was our sixth period. All we had left was cleanup and homeroom before we’d be free for the day. For cleaning duty, our class was divided into groups of around six people based on our student numbers, which were sorted alphabetically. My surname was Haibara, so I was in the same group as Hoshimiya, which made me look forward to cleaning time—just a bit.

“All righty! Let’s do this!” Hoshimiya said as she came up to my side, instantly cheering me up.

She looks energetic today as usual. Well, I did spot her snoozing in class, but she’s cute when she’s asleep, so who cares, right?

“What area are we in charge of this week, again?” I asked. Our cleaning tasks rotated weekly. Today was Monday, so it was time for a new assignment.

“Umm...” Hoshimiya’s eyes shifted around. I could almost see them swirling. “What was it, again?”

“Where were you planning on going if you didn’t know?” I asked, teasing her.

Hoshimiya’s cheeks puffed up. “Grr... Natsuki-kun, I feel like you’ve been bullying me a lot more lately!”

“Huh? That’s not true,” I denied, but I had an idea of what she meant. It’s because your reactions are just too good.

“You’re not allowed to bully people with sound logic!” she complained.

“Okay, okay,” I said with a shrug.

I started walking towards our assigned location for the week: the west stairwell. Hoshimiya walked with me and we chatted about random topics.

Along the way, our fellow cleaning group member Hino Satoya joined up with us. “What a pain! Let’s hurry up and get this over with...” he said while walking listlessly with his hands laced behind his head. His hair was dyed brown, and the word “flippant” described him well.

“Yeah! Let’s work hard!” Hoshimiya exclaimed and balled her hands into fists close to her chest.

Hino stared unmoving at her gesture and smirked. “Hoshimiya-chan, you’re so serious.”

“You think so?” she questioned.

“Yeah, I’ve never seen anyone who works so hard at school cleaning,” he replied.

“Really? That’s no good. Natsuki-kun, you think we should give it our all, right?” she asked me.

After a beat, I stiffly responded, “Hm? Oh yeah, of course. Isn’t it obvious that we need to work hard?”

“You traitor.” Hino’s disgusted expression felt like a stab to my conscience.

Sorry, Hino. I’m earning affection points with Hoshimiya through small conversations like this!

“I can always count on you, Natsuki-kun!” she said, pleased.

Oh boy, I do feel a little guilty when Hoshimiya believes in me with such a pure heart.

Hino wrapped his arm around my neck and whispered something to me so that Hoshimiya couldn’t hear. “Hey, man! It’s not right to just make yourself look good.”

We’d started talking to each other recently, but I still felt like Hino was overly friendly. Extroverts work on a different friendliness spectrum, though, and I guess it’s not to the point of being uncomfortable. Still, I’m not a fan.

That wasn’t limited to Hino either. Recently, I’d been interacting with students outside of my usual friend group. I’d exchanged words with my classmates before, but these days it felt like everyone in our class was gradually getting closer.

No one had reached out to me during the first week of school, but now people often spoke to me just like Hino was doing. Probably it was because of the recent change in my social position, appearance, and general vibes.

“You and Haibara-kun are cut from two different cloths,” Hino warned Hoshimiya. “You might as well be asking a brick wall.”

Suddenly, Fujiwara Kanata grabbed Hino by the collar and pulled him off of me. Fujiwara was like the leader of the girls in our class and got along with everyone. She had a tendency to look after all of us, so the others called her “mom.” I can see why everyone calls her that. She’s going out of her way to stand up for me even when we aren’t particularly close—I really feel like I’m being protected by a mother hen.

“What’s wrong?” Hoshimiya asked, tilting her head to the side.

Fujiwara patted her on the head. “Nothing you need to worry about, Hikari-chan.”

“What is this?! Kanata-chan, even you’ve started acting like Yuino-chan lately,” Hoshimiya complained, displeased that everyone had taken to treating her like a child.

Nanase’s overprotective nature has infected everyone, I thought.

“It’s fine, it’s fine.” Fujiwara lightly clapped twice to catch our attention. “Come on, let’s start cleaning!”

Fujiwara’s used to taking the lead, huh? It helps that she’s overflowing with confidence. It gives her this air of authority that naturally makes people want to follow her, I mentally noted. She’s a different sort of popular kid than Hoshimiya and the others. Reita has a similar leader type of disposition, but he’s got a gentle air to him, whereas Fujiwara has more of a cold and businesslike attitude that’s kinda scary. She’s nice to the girls though.

“Psst, hey, Natsuki-kun,” Hoshimiya whispered to me as she swept the hallway with a broom.

I guess Hoshimiya doesn’t want to get scolded by Fujiwara for speaking too loud. I don’t really get why she thinks she has to whisper, but it is cute, so heck yeah!

“Did you finish reading the novel I lent you?” she asked.

“Oh, I’m almost done with it. I’ve got around twenty pages left,” I replied.

I was on the second phase of my Rainbow-Colored Youth Plan: getting a girlfriend. If I wanted to date Hoshimiya, what better way to get closer to her than through our shared hobbies? Hoshimiya was in the literature club and loved reading, so I figured I could score some points by giving her my opinions on the books she liked. Recently, I’d been borrowing books from her collection that she’d recommended to me. Regardless, I simply enjoy reading.

“You’re nearing the conclusion! Isn’t that part just so enthralling?!”

“Yeah, it is. The story moves fast, and things keep happening. I have no idea who the criminal is.”

“Heh heh heh, I know, right?! Shall I tell you who the culprit is?”

“That’s the worst kind of spoiler!” I exclaimed. “Could you not?!” I’d caught myself almost nodding along reflexively because of how casually she’d offered.

Hoshimiya giggled gleefully at my surprise. “They announced a movie adaptation of the book!”

“Oh yeah, I’ve seen it before,” I said. Crap! Slip of the tongue.

Hoshimiya tilted her head and stared at me quizzically. “You’ve seen it?”

“Uh, yeah, the movie adaptation announcement, right?” I added hastily.

I’ve actually seen the movie itself, I thought. But it was so long ago that I’ve forgotten what happens. If I remember correctly, the movie’s coming out in a week or so. I had faint recollections of it being quite good. Suddenly a realization came to me. So this is why I felt déjà vu while I was reading the novel! Fortunately, or perhaps unfortunately, I still couldn’t remember who the culprit was. To be fair, I had technically watched the movie seven years ago.

“Oh, that’s what you meant. There are a lot of posters up around the station! Also, a huge star—Hayano-kun—will be playing Harma-kun, our protagonist! He’s so handsome!” she gushed.

Looks like I managed to trick her. I listened to Hoshimiya happily chatter about the news, the words flying out of her mouth like a hail of bullets. Her eyes twinkled brightly.

I see, she’s into guys like Hayano-kun... Let’s be real, the difference between his looks and mine are like night and day. It doesn’t matter how hard I work, I’m never going to be as handsome as him.

“The heroine, Merya-chan, is being played by Hirono Suzuka, right?” I recalled that fact from my dim recollection of past events.

Hoshimiya nodded enthusiastically. “Yes! I can’t wait to see her on-screen with Hayano-kun. They suit each other so well! Didn’t they just costar in another movie? Those two have been portraying lovers a lot lately!”

Really? To be honest, I didn’t watch much TV, so I was pretty clueless when it came to news about actors or actresses. I wasn’t interested in any aspect of a movie except for the story itself. I was also the type of otaku who watched a ton of anime but knew nothing at all about the voice actors.

“Oh, is that so? I didn’t know that,” I said. I’d recently learned that it was better to admit my ignorance and encourage Hoshimiya’s ramblings about a topic rather than pretend like I’d known about it beforehand. Hoshimiya had otakuesque tendencies and actually wanted to talk to someone about her hobbies.

“Uh-huh! Erm, the recent movie was called A Love Song For You. It’s pretty famous. The leading actor...” Hoshimiya began to ramble again.

I listened to the ecstatic Hoshimiya while giving an occasional nod or response to show her that I was paying attention. I tried to keep my reactions wholehearted but also not so over-the-top that I interrupted her flow. I’d learned from the internet that being a good listener is key to becoming popular!

In all honesty, I do enjoy listening to Hoshimiya talk like this. She’s passionate, gives her all to describe things to me, and she’s really expressive—she’s just so cute! It’s very like her to not have a direction to her chatter either.

But unfortunately, Fujiwara ended our fun conversation. “Hey, get back to cleaning!” She sniffed and then muttered, “Sheesh.”

Flustered, Hoshimiya began cleaning at twice the speed. “S-Sorry! I’m doing my best now!”

Curse you! How dare you interrupt our flirting! I kept my gripes to myself, though, since Fujiwara had technically been right to reprimand us. Feeling bad about getting Hoshimiya in trouble, I gripped the broom and swept, but I didn’t think I was helping much, honestly.

“Haibara-kuuun! Didn’t I tell you to put your back into it too?” Fujiwara’s sharp gaze bore a hole through me. She’d easily spotted that I was cleaning as if I had little stake in the task.

“What? No, look, I’m working pretty hard!” I protested.

“Aren’t you the one who beguiled Hikari in the first place?” Fujiwara glared and brought her face close to mine.

Stop it! I’m more nervous than scared now! Plus, something smells nice!

“B-Beguiled? C-Come on, who do you think I am?” I fumbled out a response as I leaned away from her.

Hino, who was—believe it or not—cleaning diligently off to one side, remarked with a smirk, “Serves you right!”

“Y-Yeah! I wasn’t beguiled or anything!” Hoshimiya insisted.

Fujiwara and Hino exchanged looks and then shrugged. Right then, we heard footsteps from down the hallway bustling in our direction.

“Heyooo! We finished cleaning!” Uta shouted energetically, waving her hands wildly in the air.

Walking next to her was Reita. Their surnames were close alphabetically, with Uta’s Sakura and Reita’s Shiratori, so they were in the same cleaning group. Since we’re on the topic, both Tatsuya and Nanase were also in a group together.

“We’re almost done here too,” Fujiwara replied. I glanced behind me to see that Hoshimiya was taking a break now that she’d finally finished cleaning her designated area. Uta leaped onto Hoshimiya’s back without hesitation.

“HRAAAH!” Uta cried.

“Eek!!! U-Uta-chan?! Don’t surprise me like that!”

Uta nodded smugly, pleased with Hoshimiya’s reaction. These two have been closer than ever lately. Well, it’s quite helpful to me since seeing skinship between girls is good for the eyes.

“Natsuki, do you have work today?” Reita asked me while I was staring at the two girls messing around.

“Um, yeah, I do. I’m on shift from six to ten today,” I replied. If memory serves, Nanase is working the same shift, which I’m very grateful for. I feel comfortable when she’s around. She’s a good listener and a calm person, so I don’t get swept up in any weird hyper energy. Nanase’s like a healing ray of sunlight for a natural introvert like me.

“Do you have practice today, Reita?” I asked.

“Of course. Inter-high qualifiers are approaching, so practice has been getting intense.”

“Nice! How are you feeling about it?”

“Pretty good. I’m working hard so I can be a starter.”

You’re only a first-year, but you’re already in contention to be a starter? Reita, you’re impressive as always! He was on a different level compared to someone like me who’d been a benchwarmer for three whole years.

Reita and I continued to chat idly all the way back to our classroom. When we got there, we saw Nanase and Tatsuya standing next to each other by the window. They looked like they were discussing something.

Even though they’re in the same cleaning group, I rarely see those two talking alone because their personalities are complete opposites. I wonder what they’re talking about?

Clearly wondering the same thing I was, Uta walked up to them and took the initiative to ask, “Whatcha guys talkin’ about?”

“Hello, Uta. Do you want to know?” Nanase asked with a smile.

But Tatsuya stepped in before she could say anything. “Hey, stop it.”

She laughed. “He doesn’t want me to say, so I’ll refrain from divulging.”

Compared to Nanase with her teasing smile, Tatsuya looked terribly uncomfortable.

I had a good idea of what they’d been talking about. The subject was almost always Uta-related whenever Tatsuya looked uncomfortable these days. He’d had his crush on Uta revealed to the whole group, after all. Despite what you’d think based on her appearance, Nanase enjoys teasing people, so she was probably pestering Tatsuya with questions and just generally toying with him.

Uta tilted her head, puzzled by their response. She looked at Tatsuya and then a small, “Oh,” escaped from her lips as she flushed red.

Tatsuya looked away from Uta and awkwardly scratched his head. Nanase and Reita were smirking off to the side as they watched the two’s reactions. Wow, what great personalities you guys have... I thought sarcastically.

Well, teasing them in moderation is likely less awkward than letting it become a forbidden topic. Reita and Nanase probably won’t make a misplay and ruin the delicate balance of the situation, I reasoned. And wow, it’s already been two weeks since the rooftop debacle!

Uta and Tatsuya had been extremely awkward around each other since that little truth had leaked, but recently the mood between them was slowly returning to normal. I bet they feel awkward whenever they get teased like this, though.

It did feel like our whole friend group had become more close-knit as a result of the incident. It’s a blessing in disguise, or all’s well that ends well, or whatever it is people say... Also, I don’t need to be overly cautious all the time anymore since now everyone knows that I was a gloomy guy in middle school.

But of course, that didn’t mean I was going to revert to my original self. It’s hard to be perfect, but I’ll keep putting effort into changing, I thought. If I want to become the main character of my own rainbow-colored youth, I need to be cooler than my past self every day.

“Haibara-kun, you’re working today too, right?” Nanase suddenly asked me, snapping me out of my thoughts.

“H-Huh? Oh, yeah,” I said.

“Do you want to go together, then?”

“Sure.”

Nanase’s mellow tone had caused me to inadvertently agree. Not that it was an issue, though. She and I had become quite friendly lately thanks to working together. I no longer felt nervous talking to her when it was just the two of us, and our conversations didn’t peter out awkwardly.

And whenever the conversation veered towards idols, Nanase could go on forever. That side of her really had the otaku spirit, similar to Hoshimiya. But unlike Hoshimiya, Nanase’s expression didn’t change much when she talked about idols, so it was hard for me to discern how zealous she really was about the topic. However, I was starting to get a better read on her emotions lately.

“Nanase, you look like you’re in a good mood today,” I commented.

“Oh dear, you can tell? My oshi’s new CD was released today,” Nanase said happily.

While we talked, I felt someone watching me. I turned in the direction of the gaze and saw that Uta was staring up at me absentmindedly.

“What’s up?” I asked her.

It took Uta a moment to realize I was talking to her. “Huh? Oh, no, nothing’s up! Uh, I need to use the bathroom!” She zoomed out of the classroom as if she were fleeing the scene of a crime.

She was just staring a hole into me. Did she want to say something? I wondered. I’ve been getting along great with Nanase and Hoshimiya recently, but my conversations with Uta keep flopping like this. But isn’t that because Uta keeps running away without explanation?

“Ha ha. Uta’s so cute,” Nanase whispered into my ear.

Even I knew what she was implying; Uta probably had a crush on me. When you boiled it down, the Tatsuya incident had basically only happened because he’d picked up on her feelings for me.

I hesitated. “Yeah, she is.”

No one had said it out loud, but we all had the same hunch. Nanase and Reita are sharp, after all. Hoshimiya might not have picked up on it yet, though. And it looks like Uta’s realized that I’ve put two and two together, so she’s embarrassed.

“What are you going to do about it?” Nanase asked.

I had no idea how to respond. What am I supposed to do here? I love Hoshimiya! Everything I do is because I want to date her. So I can’t accept Uta’s feelings. I’d have to reject her if she confessed to me...but it’s not like she really has confessed—I just so happened to pick up on her feelings. There’s nothing I can do for Uta right now. And what if I’m actually just being overly self-conscious about all this? 

Noticing my lost expression, Nanase apologized. “Sorry, that was an odd thing to ask.”

We had to cut our conversation there because our homeroom teacher entered the classroom.

***

After school, Nanase and I went to our workplace, Café Mares, together. We didn’t talk much on our way there, but thankfully, I didn’t find silence awkward when I was alone with her. I guess I’m used to it because we don’t chat much during work.

Once we started our shift, I was fully occupied with working and had no time to think about anything else.

At last, I murmured, “Phew... I’m beat.” Two hours had flown by before I even knew it. I wiped my sweat off with a towel and took a breather. The sun had set, and the wind felt too cold now, so I closed the window.

“Haibara-kun, here,” Nanase said and passed me a tray.

“Okay, boss.” I took the tray from her and began washing it. It was 8 p.m., and the flood of customers had slowed down to a trickle. Nanase was drinking some water while she took a break.

The only customer left was drinking coffee while reading a novel. We would probably have little to do for the rest of the evening once I finished washing dishes.

“Haibara-kun, you seem to be in a good mood,” Nanase said.

I nodded. Is it that easy to tell? I am in a great mood! My favorite time to be in Café Mares is right around now when there aren’t many customers. It feels like time is passing at a nice leisurely pace, and it’s great to tune into the store’s jazz music when it’s playing at a volume like this that’s juuust right. I relished in the comfortably soft background music. Nanase had mentioned to me that our manager was a fan of jazz.

Nanase murmured, “Waltz For Debby.”

“Huh?” I cocked my head to the side.

“It’s a famous jazz piano song,” she answered while pointing at the speakers near the ceiling.

Oh, it’s the song that’s playing right now. “Do you know a lot about jazz?” I asked her.

“Not as much as the manager does. My specialty is classical music.”

Oh right, Nanase studies piano. I recalled her mentioning as much when the six of us had been walking around the club fair together. “When did you start playing piano?”

“I started when I was three years old. I’ve been playing it for as long as I can remember. My parents both love music and work in the industry. We even have a grand piano at home,” Nanase said. Her expression looked gentler than usual.

“I want to hear you play sometime,” I said.

She giggled. “I’m not particularly skilled,” Nanase said humbly, but she appeared to be brimming with confidence.

I imagine she’s probably super skilled. Nanase can already do anything as is, but she’s been taking music lessons since she was three? And she’s continued for this long? She’s gotta be anything but bad!

“Haibara-kun, do you like music?” she asked.

“Of course. But I only ever listen to rock.” Stories and music were the two things that had supported me during the gray, dreary days of my youth.

Reading stories had saved me from the despair of reality; music had provided me with empathy and solace when I was alone. If I hadn’t had either one, I wouldn’t have found any joy in existing. Instead of regretting my youth, I’d have died with regrets about my whole life.

“Rock, huh? ...That’s right, you sang a lot of rock songs during karaoke.”

Nanase’s words sent me down memory lane. I reminisced about what had happened after our midterms. We all went and did karaoke together, and Uta and I sang a lot of rock songs from so many different bands.

“Yeah, Uta kept inputting songs nonstop,” I said. It had surprised me how similar our taste in music was. We were both so excited about meeting a fellow rock enjoyer that we’d gotten carried away and become extremely excited.

“The two of you have a lot in common,” Nanase said.

If I think about it with a clear mind, I wouldn’t be surprised if Uta and I looked like a pair of lovebirds during karaoke. Aw, man, that’s so embarrassing! Way too late to realize that now, though.

Nanase giggled. “Uta was so adorable then. Her eyes sparkled when she looked at you.” She rested her elbows on the counter.

“That’s not true,” I denied.

“Oh? Surely you’re aware by now?” She continued her attack.

Perhaps it was because we were on closer terms thanks to working together, or maybe it was because she knew my weakness—that I’d been the class downer in the past—but Nanase had been pulling out all the stops lately. She’d been picking on me ruthlessly.

“Aaah! Shut up!” I didn’t know what to say, so I tried to dodge the topic instead.

Nanase smiled like a flower in full bloom. It was a childish smile which contrasted with her usual placid character. The gap! It’s overwhelmingly destructive, dammit! You think I’ll forgive you just because you’re cute?! But I do stan this girl, for real.

Right when I was on the verge of becoming an idol otaku, the door chimed. Nanase and I immediately stopped chatting and went back to work mode.

“Welco—” I stopped halfway through my automatic greeting. A high school girl in uniform had just walked into the store. She was someone I knew very well.

“Heyyy! Just dropping by!” she said cheerfully.

It was Motomiya Miori, my childhood friend who had somehow attended the same school as me since our elementary days. Don’t say things that make it sound like you’re my girlfriend visiting me at work! I thought. However, Miori was the type of person to twist my words and hold things over my head for life, so I refrained from saying anything.

“What do you want?” I asked her bluntly.

“I didn’t say I came to see you,” she said with a sniff.

Fair enough, I thought.

Nanase took advantage of the brief pause in our conversation to interject. With her best customer service smile and voice, she said, “Please follow me to your seat,” leading Miori away.

Noticing Nanase’s presence, Miori turned to greet her. “Oh, Yuino-chan! Thanks a bunch!”

“Not at all,” Nanase replied. “Is there something special happening today? It’s quite late for you to be out.” She switched to a casual tone in response to Miori’s friendly attitude.

Nanase’s flawless when it comes to reading between the lines, I marveled. It’s the key to how she has so many friends in spite of her cool demeanor.

“Practice wrapped up for the day, and I wanted to have a strategy meeting with that guy over there,” Miori said with a smile pasted on her face as she pointed at me.

It’s not polite to point at people! Also, what the heck?! So you did come to talk to me! You always refuse to be honest or to agree with me, just like when we were kids.

“Strategy meeting?” Nanase asked, tilting her head to the side in confusion.

“It’s nothing much. You two are almost done working, right?” Miori asked.

“Yes. We get off at ten,” Nanase said as she looked at the clock. It was already 9:30 p.m.

“We can’t stay here past ten. Our manager will get mad,” I told Miori.

This part of being a high schooler was inconvenient. I used to work late into the night when I was a college student, but we could only work until 10 p.m. due to the law. Ah well, what’s a student to do about it?

“Really? Then let’s go home together,” Miori suggested with ease.

I paused and then grudgingly said, “Well, sure. Fine, I guess.”

She must really want to have a strategy meeting. Did she make any progress with Reita?

“I can stay here until you clock out, right? Oh, I’ll have a coffee!” Miori decided without waiting for my opinion and settled down in her seat.

Pushy as always, and that’s why you’re the brat commander. There were few customers remaining, but I was still working, so I couldn’t continue talking to Miori. I left her and returned to the area behind the counter.

Nanase followed me and commented, “You two are very close.”

“Well, more or less, I guess. We’ve gone to the same school since elementary school,” I explained.

I say that, but before my time leap, Miori and I weren’t originally close enough for her to randomly drop by my workplace. We’re just bound by a pact to help each other out. She said it was for a strategy meeting, so all we’ll be discussing is that, I thought.

My throat was dry, so I took a sip of water. Right as I did so, Nanase asked in an impassive tone, “Are you two dating?”

“BFFUH?!” I exclaimed, almost doing a spit take. I barely managed to force the water back down before any could escape. Boy, that was close! Where the hell did that come from, Nanase?! “N-No way!” I denied fervently.

“Really? She came all the way here after practice to see you, she’s waiting for you to finish working, and she wants to walk home with you. Objectively speaking, you two look like a couple.” Nanase looked over at Miori who was blissfully fiddling with her phone. “Also, a strategy meeting? Whatever for?”

“W-Well, uh... Yeah, you know,” I mumbled.

“Will you enlighten me about what you two are planning?”

“U-Uuuh...” I fumbled for words. The deal between me and Miori was that in exchange for helping her date Reita, she’d help me with my Rainbow-Colored Youth Plan.

Nanase already knew about my high school debut, so it was probably fine to divulge my side of the deal, but I’d have to tell her that Miori was gunning for Reita. I doubt Miori would care if Nanase found out, but this isn’t the sort of thing I should talk about without her consent. I agonized over how I might clear up this misunderstanding without exposing Miori’s secret.

Nanase shook her head. “I’m sorry. You don’t have to talk about it if you’re uncomfortable.”

“It’s not that I’m uncomfortable, but...” I trailed off.

“I think I’ve got a good idea, based on your response. I’ll ask Miori-san directly next time.”

“Sorry, please do that instead,” I said gratefully. “Hold on, are you two close?”

The two of them had bumped into each other while the club fair was going on and during our study group session. I’d seen Miori talk to the others before, but I couldn’t recall a single time she and Nanase had exchanged words.

“Not particularly, but she’s in the same club as Uta, so we’re already on pretty good terms, right? A friend of a friend is basically already my friend too.”

Ah, the logic of a popular kid... Are you serious? I’m not gonna lie, but I’ve been low-key assuming that Nanase leaned towards my side of the introversion scale... In my opinion, a friend of a friend is a stranger. But hold on! I’ve barely ever met any of my friends’ friends. Oh wait, I didn’t have any friends. Ha ha ha! This is where I’m supposed to laugh, right? I thought sardonically. It’s all about communication skills in the end—which I’m sorely lacking. 

There hadn’t been a hint of discomfort in Nanase and Miori’s conversation just now. They both maintained the appropriate amount of familiarity and spoke without hesitation. If I ever tried to speak to a friend of a friend, there’s no doubt that I’d make things awkward. I’d waffle on whether or not I should say hello to them at school and end up averting my eyes to avoid the situation, for sure!

Nanase interrupted my stupid thoughts. “I want to become good friends with Miori-san. She’s cute... Plus, she has excellent features. Very nice!” She nodded in agreement with herself as she looked in Miori’s direction.

“Yeah, she’s great if you just look at her,” I said.

“That’s the most important part. Beautiful women are the best.”

“N-Nanase?” I said, bewildered by her tone. Is it just me or has her personality gone rogue?

Nanase let out a small gasp. “O-Oh, i-it was just a joke. I’ve only spoken to her a few times, but I think she has a delightful personality. Yes, yes, of course she does! That’s why I want to be friends with her. I don’t have any ulterior motives.”

“O-Oh, really?”

I really want to believe that the alarming vibes you were exuding were just my imagination. I’ve never heard you speak so quickly either... I feel like every now and then, Nanase accidentally reveals some of her inner self, probably because we’ve been getting along well. I want to brush it off as my imagination playing tricks on me, so please keep a tighter rein on your thoughts and hide it better!

***

After I finished my shift, Miori and I exited the café together. Nanase had left ahead of us without delay, likely out of consideration for the two of us.

The sky was completely dark, but we were right in front of a station, so there were many street lights dimly illuminating the main road. The streets were mostly empty, with few people walking around. We passed by an occasional drunk middle-aged man or a weary-looking salaryman. It was already past 10 p.m., after all.

“I’m happy to have a strategy meeting, but why so late at night?” I asked Miori.

“Because I basically have practice every day. And we’re in different classes, so we barely get the chance to talk. When else are we supposed to discuss the plan? Today was perfect since you had work.”

“I get that you have practice, but until this late? Do you guys really go this hard?”

“Uta and I got wrapped up in a conversation afterwards, and now here I am.”

“Shouldn’t you watch the time more carefully? You are a girl, more or less. Aren’t you nervous about walking around at night?”

“What do you mean ‘more or less,’ huh?” she asked and pulled my ear.

“Hey! That hurts!”

“Sheesh! How can you say that to a cutie like me?” Miori let out a little huff of anger. She’d never done that in the past, and the gesture almost seemed flirtatious.

Because of Nanase’s strong emphasis on how pretty Miori was, I subconsciously examined her face. She really is attractive. She’s certainly beautiful enough that I might’ve accidentally fallen for her if I didn’t know her personality already.

Feeling my gaze upon her while we walked, Miori suddenly turned, and our eyes met. Startled, she took a step away from me. “Wh-What? Why’re you staring at me?”

“Oh, uh, no reason,” I replied.

“Is there something on my face?”

“No. I told you it’s nothing,” I replied hastily. My response came out colder than I’d intended because I was panicked.

Silence fell over us for a short while.

“Then, were you just staring at my face?” she asked, breaking the silence.

I didn’t want to admit that I had been because it felt like I would lose at something if I did. “I wasn’t staring,” I replied while looking away.

Miori’s voice got noticeably higher pitched. “Hmm? Really? I see, I see. So you’re also captivated by my beauty.”

I didn’t need to look at her to know that she was smirking hard right now. I will deny this with my all, but I’m really not captivated one bit. If anything, I’m just proving that I’m not enamored with your face!

“Ah ha ha! Take this!” Miori playfully pushed my left shoulder with her right, interrupting my mental excuses.

We were a boy and a girl, but Miori made physical contact feel natural. As expected of a true-blood popular kid. They’re just built different. Or does she not consider me a guy? That’s probably more likely, I thought.

“Wh-What are you doing?!” I exclaimed.

“Hmm? This is training so you get used to girls,” she replied easily.

I can’t prevent my pulse from accelerating even if it’s you, Miori, so please cut it out! Oh, but I’m completely fine. It’s just a bit jarring. Obviously I don’t view you as a girl or anything. I’m not conscious about you at all, okay?

“But you better not fall for me. I have Reita-kun already,” she added.

“Why are you talking about him like he’s already yours?” I retorted.

“Because that’s what’s going to happen, per the plan!” Miori declared with oomph and threw her chest out.

They weren’t as large as Hoshimiya’s, but that action accentuated her own fairly hefty breasts. They distracted me for a moment, but I knew Miori was sharp, so I quickly averted my eyes. You used to be flat as a board, but I see you’ve grown up well!

“And so I thought it was about time we ironed out the details of our plan,” she said.

We passed through the station gates as we talked. There were plenty of seats on the Takasaki Line, so we sat down next to each other and the train slowly eased away.

“Oh, right, we agreed on your Plan Double Date a while ago,” I recalled.

“Exactly! I put the plan on hold because of your Tatsuya brouhaha. I wanted things to settle down in your group first, but I think it should be fine by now,” Miori explained. “Me and Reita, you and Hikari-chan—we’ll both get to make progress with our crushes, so it’ll be two birds with one stone. Let’s do it!”

A week had passed since Tatsuya had returned to our group. Miori’s right. There shouldn’t be any issues now. It’s about time we kicked off our plan. I know I’m certainly not making any progress towards dating Hoshimiya with the way things are now.

After some serious contemplation, I finally replied, “All right. I’ve been thinking about the plan too.”

“Oh? You’re being surprisingly proactive. Very nice! Let’s get down to business.”

I said that, but I only thought about it today when I was talking to Hoshimiya. “Let’s go watch a movie, just the four of us,” I suggested.

“A movie? Sounds good to me, but why a movie?” Miori asked.

“This novel that Hoshimiya likes is getting a movie adaptation. I borrowed the book from her and read it, so I think that’d be a good pretext to invite her to see the movie.” Hoshimiya had gushed about that movie adaptation, so I figured she was already planning on watching it.

“Makes sense. Which movie?” Miori asked.

“The Hero Detective. It’s a mystery with action sprinkled in.”

“Oh, I’ve heard of that. There are a lot of ads for it lately.”

“Not interested?” I questioned.

“No, I like movies. Sounds good.”

“The novel’s really good. I think it’ll do well as a movie, contrary to some adaptations,” I said encouragingly. I’ve already seen the movie before, so I can confirm that much, at least.

“Will Reita-kun want to go?” Miori asked.

“He enjoys watching movies, so I think he’ll probably come if we invite him.” Once, when it was just the two of us talking, Reita had told me that he often watched movies on days he didn’t have practice. He did say he mostly watches Western flicks, but hopefully that doesn’t mean he dislikes Japanese ones.

“Really? I didn’t know Reita-kun appreciates film. That’s great!”

“I like movies too, you know.”

“Yeah, but all you watch are anime movies, right?”

“What’s wrong with anime movies?!” I yelled.

“No need to blow a fuse. I didn’t say there was anything wrong with them,” Miori said.

“Oh, yeah, I guess so. My bad,” I apologized. I felt some otaku persecution complex there. I’m sorry for being a pain in the ass...

“Anyway, you should initiate the plan by asking Hikari-chan out first.”

“No way, that’s practically a confession! Wouldn’t it be better to act like the two of us are going to see it and we’re inviting her as an afterthought? You know, because she likes the novel. Make it casual.”

“Sure, whatever you want, but what about Reita-kun?”

“I’ll invite him normally. Reita knows I like Hoshimiya, so he’ll probably come if I ask him to help me out.”

“Okay! It sounds like a good plan, but you’ll have to do most of the work.”

I paused for a moment. “It’s fine. You helped me a lot recently. We’ll call it even after this.”

“Ha ha. So you do know how to thank someone. You’re cute as a button, as always,” Miori said with a smile.

I don’t feel happy about being called cute... I’m a guy, so I want people to think I’m cool. And what’s even cute about me in the first place? Nothing.

“When should we go? We should at least have some dates ready, right?” Miori said.

“Good point. How about next Saturday? Oh, but you and Reita have practice. Reita usually has weekend afternoons off, though,” I said.

“Girls’ basketball also meets in the morning, so the afternoon should be fine.”

We settled on next Saturday as our primary candidate and ended our discussion there, with perfect timing since we’d reached our station and got off the train. The sky was, as expected, pitch-black once we exited the gates. There were few street lights and not a person in sight because we were out in the sticks. It was honestly kinda scary.

I’m a guy, and even I feel kinda spooked. Miori’s a girl, so she’s probably also gotta be a little scared, I thought and turned to check on her, but she was browsing Minsta as she walked without a care in the world. Of course she isn’t the type to be afraid of the dark.

“Have you been talking to Reita lately?” I asked, trying to make conversation.

“Well...” Miori frowned and made a little noise like she was thinking. “It’s hard to talk because we’re not in the same class. I chat with him in the hallway every now and then, or after practice when I’m with him and Uta.”

“Wow, you’re already talking to him after practice,” I said, impressed.

“The soccer club hangs around the bike parking lot, so when I walk with Uta, I naturally get the chance to talk to Reita-kun. It doesn’t happen every time, though.” Miori smiled brightly and added, “That’s why I’m so grateful to Uta.”

“Does Uta know you’re gunning for Reita?”

“I’ve never stated it, but I’m sure she’s realized.”

“I wouldn’t bet on it. This is Uta we’re talking about,” I said, making a prediction. Uta somehow didn’t notice Tatsuya’s crush on her, even after years of being with him!

“You don’t get to say that!” She smacked my head. And she was completely right to; I was terrible at reading other people’s emotions, so I was in no position to judge Uta.

“Hmm? Isn’t your house that way?” Miori asked, tilting her head. Here I was still walking with her after we usually parted ways.

“It’s late. I can’t let a girl walk home alone.”

“Oho, nice one. It’s important to be considerate, just like that. You’re on your way to becoming popular!”

“I don’t care if I look good in front of you. I’m simply concerned for your well-being,” I said. It doesn’t matter how manly you act. You still look like a cute girl on the outside. These streets are empty, and you could get attacked by someone. I’ll be worried if I don’t see you safely home.

“I... I see...” Miori murmured, looking down at her feet.

Silence fell upon the darkened streets.

Concerned, I spoke up. “What’s wrong? Why’d you clam up suddenly?”

“It’s nothing. I always walk home alone after practice, so I’m used to it. Don’t get cocky! You’re just Natsuki.”

“Huh? Why are you dissing me now?!” I exclaimed. Miori was looking away, but I could tell I had upset her.

Am I that out of touch with other humans? And here I thought I had a decent understanding of Miori since we’re childhood friends... As I was thinking that, we reached her house.

“Okay, see you,” I said and turned to walk home.

“Wait, Natsuki.” Miori pulled on my sleeve before I could walk away. I turned, wondering what she wanted. She looked like she was glaring at me, but instead of snapping at me, she said, “Thanks for walking me home.”

“Y-Yeah, of course...” I said, confused. Your expression and your words aren’t matching up. What are you feeling right now? I wondered, but I had a feeling that I’d be stirring up a hornet’s nest if I asked, so I just meekly accepted her gratitude and left.

***

The day after Miori and I formulated our plan, I waited for my chance to talk to Hoshimiya. The six of us friends often chatted together, but I hadn’t anticipated how few opportunities there would be to speak privately with Hoshimiya. I could try to talk to her during cleaning time, but Hino and Fujiwara would still be within earshot.

I just didn’t have it in me to boldly ask her to the movies with other people watching. And so time flew by as I constantly kept an eye out for any opportunity to speak to her. Before long, the end of fourth period bell chimed, signaling lunchtime.

Tatsuya, Reita, and I went to the cafeteria to eat while Hoshimiya, Nanase, and Uta stayed in the classroom to eat their bentos. We occasionally switched things up and ate together, but for the most part, we separated into lunch groups by gender. We eat together in the cafeteria sometimes, but we get a lot of stares when we do, so it’s too nerve-racking to do that every day.

“...and so their manager was the ref,” Tatsuya finished saying.

Ack, I missed the beginning of the story because I was lost in thought!

Tatsuya shoveled a spoonful of his large-sized curry into his mouth and then continued the story. “I’m telling you, they were huge! They bounced up and down whenever she ran. Everyone kept sneaking peeks at her, so they’d fumble—until Coach snapped and swapped every single starter out. Isn’t that hilarious?” he said with a smile so large we could see his pearly whites.

Ah, sounds like the basketball club had a practice game last Saturday. He must be talking about what happened during that, I quickly surmised. Tatsuya usually talked about things we couldn’t discuss in front of the girls when it was just us three guys.

“Wow, so you got to play, Tatsuya?” I asked as if I had listened to the whole story.

“Hell yeah, I did! I scored fifteen, no, sixteen points. I was great on the court,” he replied proudly.

“So the first-years weren’t distracted by her breasts?” I asked.

“Of course not. I don’t know what the hell those guys were looking at in the middle of a game. They clearly let their guard down.”

“It’s funny to hear reasonable logic come out of your mouth,” I commented.

“What’d you say?!” Tatsuya yelled.

My inner thoughts had accidentally leaked out, shocking Tatsuya. I’d been slipping up a lot around him lately. Well, I’m not scared to speak my mind when I’m with him anymore, thanks to a certain incident. So I guess that’s a good thing? Maybe?

Reita, who’d been slurping up his meh-tasting mori soba, suddenly gasped and said, “Tatsuya isn’t into big boobs! So that’s why it had no effect.”

“That’s not what you were supposed to get from that!” Tatsuya protested.

I feel like he’s been the butt of our jokes lately. I guess Reita’s always teased Tatsuya, but I still feel kinda bad for him.

“And anyway, where the hell did you get the idea that I don’t like big boobs?” Tatsuya questioned.

“Hmm? Well, it’s kind of obvious...” Reita shrugged and looked at me. “Right?”

Hey, why’re you looking at me?! My brows furrowed as I pondered why that fact should be obvious. “Oh!” I cried and hit my palm with my fist. “It’s because you like Uta!”

I get it! Uta doesn’t have any boobs; it’s not an exaggeration to call her flat as a board. So Reita is implying that because Tatsuya likes Uta, he’s not particularly into big boobs. Wow, I’m normally terrible at understanding human emotions, but I caught onto Reita’s train of thought there! Heh heh heh. I’ve grown as a person.

I grinned, feeling good about myself. The smile was soon wiped off my face because Tatsuya wrapped his arm around my neck and began to squeeze hard. What’d I do?

“Dude, hey! Uncle! Uncle! I said uncle!” I cried out.

“Tatsuya, he’ll die if you don’t let go,” Reita calmly pointed out—once I started foaming at the mouth—saving me from certain death.

Tatsuya glared at Reita, who’d been acting like this was none of his business, and then sighed. “Who I like and what size boobs I like are separate stories.”

“I guess you’re the type of guy who likes the boobs of whoever he’s crushing on,” Reita decided.

“Should I put you through the wringer like I did to Natsuki?” Tatsuya threatened, a vein popping out on his forehead. He moved closer to Reita, about to put him into a choke hold as well.

But a familiar voice called out to us before he could do it. “Oh, there they are! Heyooo!”

Speak of the devil and something whatever. She’s here! I thought. None other than Uta herself ran over to us, with Nanase and Hoshimiya following after.

“Whatcha guys talkin’ about?” Uta asked.

The three of us froze for a moment. Reita, Tatsuya, and I silently made eye contact, and as if there’d been nothing dubious about the nature of our conversation, Reita said, “Nothing much. We were talking about how tasty the cafeteria’s food is.”

“Curry is clearly the best when it comes to cost performance, but we were debating whether the yakitoridon is actually better if you’re willing to pay a bit more. Right, Natsuki?” Tatsuya said, dead serious.

“Yeah. Personally, I just can’t disregard the karaagedon from the equation.” I backed him up with a solemn nod.

Uta stared at us blankly. “That sounds like a stupid conversation.”

We’d managed to cover up our actual topic, but in return, the three of us took a critical blow from her savage words. Even Reita was shaking slightly and clutching his chest.

I cleared my throat loudly and changed the subject. “A-Anyway, why’d you guys come all the way here? What’s up?”

The first-year classrooms were quite far from the cafeteria. Normally, the six of us reconvened in our classroom, so I was curious why the girls had gone out of their way to walk all the way here. It was already too late for them to eat lunch.

“The weather’s nice, so we’re on a stroll! We were just dropping by,” Uta said with her usual energy and pointed out the window.

I followed her finger, and just as she’d said, the weather was cheery and the sky was a bright blue. It was also mildly warm, with a pleasant breeze blowing outside. It would’ve been a perfect day to nap out there.

“The rainy season is supposed to start next week, so we’re not going to get weather like this again for a while,” Hoshimiya added.

Oh, yeah, the weather channel did mention that this morning. June starts next week, with the rainy season tagging along. It’s going to rain all next week, apparently.

“Ugh, that sucks,” Tatsuya groaned.

“You’re lucky your practices are held indoors,” Reita said with a sigh.

Yeah, the outdoor clubs have it rough during the rainy season, I mentally agreed.

“We’re stuck running laps inside the school building or weight lifting,” Reita continued.

“Man, can’t they build indoor fields for you guys or something?” Tatsuya complained.

“Maybe if we become a powerhouse. The good part about Gunma is there’s plenty of land to use,” Reita said optimistically.

We finished eating as we continued to complain about the rainy season and then returned to our classroom. The six of us were walking side by side down the hall until Hoshimiya suddenly stopped.

“Oh! I want to drop by the library first. I’ll see you guys back in class!” she said.

I’d thought it was strange that she had been walking around with a bag in tow, but it looked like she wanted to return some books.

“Uh-huh,” grunted Tatsuya.

“Okay!” Uta exclaimed.

“Sure thing,” Reita said.

“I’ll see you back in class,” said Nanase.

The others nodded and continued to head back to class, leaving Hoshimiya behind. This is my chance! I thought.

“That reminds me, I also want to drop by the library. I want to borrow a book,” I said. The other four acknowledged me as well and then left, leaving me and Hoshimiya alone. We were right by the library, so we entered together.

“What book are you borrowing?” Hoshimiya asked.

“I don’t have a specific book in mind, but I really enjoyed The Hero Detective that you lent me. I was thinking I’d find something similar,” I replied.

“Oooh! Good, good, very good.” Hoshimiya approved of my decision with a big smile.

Hey, we’ve got a decent mood going, and the conversation is actually flowing in the perfect direction. Since we’re on the topic of The Hero Detective, it should feel natural if I bring up the movie now. A-All right, don’t choke now.

“Oh, right, Hoshimiya. Remember how we talked about the movie adaptation for The Hero Detective yesterday?” I began.

“Yeah! I can’t wait for it to be released!”

“Me too, same here. So, do you want to go see it with me?”

“...Of course, that sounds fun!”

Is it just me, or was there a pause before she replied? Was it just my imagination? Or was she hesitating?

While I deliberated over the meaning of that brief moment of silence, Hoshimiya kept the conversation moving. “Should we invite someone else since we’re going?”

Oh... This is a clear sign that she doesn’t want to be alone with me. She’s implying that she doesn’t mind going to the movies on the weekend, but she doesn’t really want to go with just me. Well, being alone on the weekend at the movies clearly means you’re on a date, right? I’ve got some high hurdles to overcome to date her, I thought.

“Yeah. Actually, Miori already told me she wanted to see it,” I answered after gathering my thoughts. I’d prepared a cover story for this very reason.

“Miori-chan did?! Does she like movies? That’s a bit unexpected,” Hoshimiya replied.

“Yeah, it’s certainly unexpected, but apparently she does,” I said, pulling explanations out of my ass.

Hoshimiya thought for a moment and then murmured, “But won’t I be in the way?”

“Huh? Why would you be?”

“Because aren’t you two childhood friends?” she said carefully.

No! Does Hoshimiya think there’s something going on between me and Miori?! Well, I guess people do usually assume that when they see childhood friends of opposite genders, but I never thought that logic would be applied to me!

“No, absolutely not. We also want to invite Reita. He likes watching movies in his free time,” I explained.

“Oh, I see. So Reita-kun would be coming too...” she pondered.

We both fell silent as we perused the bookshelves.

Hoshimiya’s cheeks flushed to a soft pink, and she looked at me. “Wait, is that what’s going on?” she asked.

Is what going on? What are you thinking? I panicked. Did she see through my plan? Crap, she might’ve figured out that I’ve got a crush on her! Was my plan too brash? What do I do? What should I say? The gears in my mind whirred as I tried to come up with an excuse.

Hoshimiya’s eyes twinkled, and she said, “The thought crossed my mind during our study group at the café, but does Miori-chan like Reita-kun?”

I was in shock for a moment. Oh, that’s what she meant?! She’s talking about Miori, not me! That is half the plan, so Hoshimiya’s guess isn’t wrong. Which means she hasn’t figured out my feelings for her yet. 

I internally let out a sigh of relief and thought about how to answer her. Even though Miori is connected to the group through me, her childhood friend, it stands out more for her to ask Reita out than for me to ask Hoshimiya to the movies. Hoshimiya and I are part of the same friend group, and we’re classmates. At least, if you examined the four of us in a vacuum, that’s how the situation looks.

Hoshimiya took my silence as a confirmation of her theory and covered her mouth with both hands. “I thought so! I see what’s going on... And you can’t say anything because she ordered you to keep it a secret!”

“Uh, not exactly,” I mumbled. She didn’t order me or anything. Of course I’m hesitant to tell Reita, but it should be fine for Hoshimiya to know, right? Well, it’s probably too late to do anything since she took my silence as a yes. 

Hoshimiya giggled. “You don’t have to say anything. I’ll help you two out! I wanted to see the movie anyway, and I like this kind of thing, so I’m killing two birds with one stone! I can’t wait!”

This isn’t how I imagined the conversation going, but I guess it’s fine... I hope.

“We were thinking of going next Saturday afternoon. Does that work for you?” I asked.

“That’s perfect for me! I’m usually super free on Saturdays. So now we just need to get Reita-kun on board!”

“I’ll ask Reita. We’ll figure out the time and place later.”

We wrapped up the conversation, which left the most important person, Reita. I know he likes watching movies, but that doesn’t mean he’ll come for sure. I can only pray that he does.

***

“A movie? Oh, The Hero Detective. I was thinking of watching it, so sure.” Reita readily accepted my invitation after school.

I told him who else was going, and unlike Hoshimiya, he didn’t have much to say besides a simple, “Okay.” I deliberated about whether I should ask him his thoughts on the group but decided it would be best to leave it be. Reita’s probably figured out Miori’s after him, and he knows that I like Hoshimiya anyway, I reasoned.

“Okay, then, I’m off to practice now, but just to confirm, are we going next Saturday?” he asked.

“Yeah. I’m thinking around 1 p.m.”

“Got it. That should be fine with me, but I’ll let you know if something comes up,” Reita said. He waved goodbye and left the classroom.

Whew, I was a ball of nerves today, but I managed to pull through, I thought before mumbling, “All right, time to go home.”

I don’t have work today, so I’ll exercise after I get home. Muscles will never betray me, after all. I was thinking about my plans for the rest of the day when I heard footsteps from the direction of the door. I turned to check who it was, only to see a short, cute girl. It was Sakura Uta.

“What’s up? Shouldn’t you be at practice?” I asked.

Uta scratched her head and giggled sheepishly. “Oh, uh, I forgot something!” She hurried over to her desk and began rummaging through it as if she was searching for something.

Did she overhear Reita and me? I wondered.

“Hey, Natsu.” Uta stopped searching through her desk and looked over at me. It seemed like she had found whatever it was she’d forgotten. Her expression lacked its usual energy, and she seemed anxious. “So you’re going to see a movie?”

“Oh, did you hear us talking about it? That’s right. We’re going to see one together,” I replied.

“You, Rei, Hikarin, and Miorin?” she asked.

“Yeah, that’s the plan right now.”

“That’s an unusual mix of people.”

I thought carefully before answering. “I guess so. I invited people who are into mystery movies.” It wasn’t a lie, but more of a twisted untruth.

“...I want to go too.”

“Huh? We’re watching The Hero Detective, you know. Do you want to see it?” I asked, thinking that it was out of character for her.

Uta slowly shook her head no. “Sorry. I’m not actually interested in the movie.”

Then why do you want to go? I almost asked, but I noticed the way she was looking at me. Uta was sitting on her desk, her body leaning towards me as she stared at me with bright-red cheeks. She said nothing more.

We were the only two people left, and silence blanketed the classroom. We could hear the baseball club yelling from outside. Even I can figure out this puzzle. The answer’s basically being forced down my throat. Uta doesn’t want to see the movie; she wants to go with me. I’m sure of it. It’s because she’s in love with me.

My heart pounded. I didn’t know how much time passed as we stared at each other, eyes locked. Uta was adorable, and it felt like her big, round eyes were sucking me in. Man, I’m way too easy. I suddenly think Uta looks like the cutest thing ever just because she’s openly displaying her feelings for me. She really does love me, I finally accepted. But this is no time to be fawning over her. She says she wants to go with us, so I need to think of a response. But what am I supposed to say? What’s the correct answer here?

It’s essential for Miori’s plan that we have four people to get the double date vibes. Therefore, it’s not beneficial for Uta to tag along. I’d like to say yes, I really would. Chatting about the movie together sounds like a good time. It’d definitely be a fun day if Uta were there, I’m sure of it. But I love Hoshimiya! I can’t return Uta’s feelings. So what am I supposed to say here?

“Well, if you’re not into this movie, then wouldn’t it be better to sit this one out?” I finally said, purposefully choosing an innocuous answer.

Uta nodded. “Yeah, you’re right. Then, if the chance arises, want to do something together next time?”

“Of course. I want to hang out with you too,” I replied honestly.

Uta instantly replaced her uneasy expression with a smile that bloomed like a beautiful flower. Part of my answer had been because of the guilt I felt from leaving her out, so I felt a sharp pain in my chest when I saw how happy she’d become.

She glanced at the clock and gasped. “S-Sorry! Practice is starting soon, so I gotta run! See you tomorrow!” she yelled behind her as she rushed out of the classroom in a panic.

While she ran away, I watched her back become smaller until she turned the corner. Her expression from moments earlier was etched into my mind. I’d always considered Uta an expressive girl, but I’d never thought that a few words from me could ignite such an enormous change in her expression.

I just don’t know. What am I supposed to do? I really, really have no clue. 

As a teenager, I’d always lived in a dreary world. No girl had ever loved me until now. I’d experienced plenty of one-sided crushes, but that was it. “Romance”? For me it was more like “no-mance”! That’s why even though I’d known Uta had a crush on me, I hadn’t really felt it. But now that I was fully aware, I still didn’t know what to do.

Things would be simple if I were in love with Uta. We’d get a happy ending. But what about now, when I don’t feel the same towards her? I... I don’t want to make Uta sad. I want her to smile and be happy. How do all the popular guys in the world handle all the girls who like them? I continued contemplating the situation all the way home.

***

One week flew by, and Saturday came quickly. Miori and I met up at our station to take the train to Maebashi together. She sat next to me during the ride, looking much cuter than normal. It wasn’t my first time seeing Miori in something besides her school uniform, but I could tell she’d put more effort into her outfit today. Her makeup was also flawless, so perfect that she looked like she was shining. But I kept quiet because it felt like I’d lose if I praised her appearance.

I decided to talk about something else. I wanted to ask her what I should do about Uta. Miori was my reliable partner in my Rainbow-Colored Youth Plan, and she was in the same club as Uta, so I figured she was the best person to consult.

“Can’t you just leave it for now and keep her on the side?” Miori said after listening to the gist of things.

“Uh, that sounds insincere...” I muttered.

“You’re definitely a virgin if insincere is the word that comes to mind.” She glared at me and then flicked my forehead.

Ow, stop that!

Ignoring my inner cry, she continued. “Besides, it’s not like you and Hikari-chan are dating. You don’t need to push Uta away at this stage. And who knows? Maybe you’ll fall for her.”

I might fall for her? Huh. I never considered that. Uta’s smile flashed through my mind. Honestly, I can’t say for sure it’ll never happen.

“Guys can’t help but pay attention to a girl who wholeheartedly loves them,” Miori whispered.

“Urgh...” A little rumble escaped from me.

“I’ve got a better question for you: why not date Uta? She’s cute and has a great personality—you’re not going to find many girls better than her. She’s almost too good for you. Actually, you really don’t deserve her!” Her words stabbed me like a knife.

“I know that better than anyone,” I replied weakly. Uta loves someone like me, and I do appreciate her feelings. But I know that my heart is already set on Hoshimiya. 

It had happened in that moment, on the day of the entrance ceremony. When our eyes met beneath the fluttering cherry blossoms, I’d remembered the lost feelings of love I once harbored for Hoshimiya. I thought she had looked absolutely stunning surrounded by the blooming cherry blossoms.

“Looks like you’re fairly serious about her, huh?” Miori murmured after seeing me agonize over the subject. She’d read my mind, as usual. Miori then shrugged. “I shouldn’t have put it like that. It sounds bad. You’re not really keeping her on the side, anyway. You should just treat her like normal as long as she doesn’t confess to you. I don’t think you need to push her away.”

“Yeah, you’re right,” I said. Her words made me feel a bit better.

“I’m Uta’s friend, so I will advise her to keep trying to get close to you,” she added.

“Please, no. I won’t know what to do if she farms any more affection points from me...” My thoughts slipped out before I could stop myself.

Miori’s lips twisted into a smirk. “Oho? Really?”

Aw man, me and my big mouth... I’ve basically admitted that I do view Uta as a girl and a potential love interest... Oh well, I really have garbage resistance against girls. Of course I’d be interested in a girl who’s cute as heck and close to me!

The train came to a stop at our destination while I was internally lashing out at no one in particular over my own weaknesses. We were immediately blasted by hot, stuffy air as soon as we stepped outside. Summer was drawing near. The sky was overcast and it looked like it could rain at any moment. I’d brought a foldable umbrella in my bag just in case.

“The news said the rainy season is starting next week,” I commented.

“Yeah, well, we’ll be fine even if it rains today. We’re not doing anything outside, anyway,” she replied.

We exited through the station gates and met up with Hoshimiya and Reita, who were waiting for us by a nearby flower bed. They were so deep in conversation that they didn’t notice us walking up to them.

“Oh my gosh, Reita-kun,” I overheard Hoshimiya say.

“Ha ha, I’m joking. Your reactions are always a riot,” Reita replied, amused.

Wow, they look like your ideal beautiful couple. They really suit each other well. I glanced at Miori. She looked shocked, probably because she’d been thinking the same thing I was.

“I... I didn’t expect the two of them would get along so well...” I whispered.

“Th-They just get along because they’re in the same friend group,” she whispered back. “Probably.”

Both of our voices were trembling.

“’Sup!” I called out.

“Hello!” Miori said.

We had a bad feeling about leaving Reita and Hoshimiya be, so we interrupted their good vibes instead.

“G-Good morning... Wait, no, it’s not morning anymore,” Hoshimiya said and giggled bashfully.

She was wearing a yellow shirt and white pants. It was a simple outfit, but it was an excellent look on her. Hoshimiya is stylish as always.

“It’s already 1 p.m. Did you just wake up?” Reita asked, teasing her. He was wearing a white polo and the pants from our school uniform. It looked like he’d come straight from practice.

Maybe I scheduled this too close to his practice, I thought.

“No! I didn’t! I woke up at ten!” Hoshimiya insisted.

“That’s pretty late,” I quipped.

Hoshimiya looked a bit embarrassed. “It’s because I went back to sleep the first time I woke up...”

“I’m jealous. I woke up at seven. Miori, I’m guessing you did too?” Reita asked.

Miori had also gone to practice in the morning, but she’d rushed home to shower and change clothes. I guess her practice ends earlier than the soccer club’s? But I’m impressed that she made the round trip back to our town. It’s a far trek indeed. She’s really giving it her all today.

Hey, wait! When did Reita start calling her just “Miori”? Didn’t he used to call her “Miori-chan”? I see you’ve been steadily closing the distance while I’m not around.

“I woke up at six! It takes a while to get to school,” Miori answered.

“Does your practice start at eight thirty?” he asked.

“Yep, that’s right. I’d have an easier time if we started at nine instead,” Miori lamented.

Their conversation was going well, so Hoshimiya and I looked at each other. She beamed at me with a bright smile. “I can’t wait to see the movie!”

“Same,” I agreed. I really am looking forward to the movie, but I’m more excited to be with Hoshimiya, especially when she’s having so much fun. All right, let’s kill it today!

***

The four of us walked to a mall near the station that had a movie theater inside. First, we purchased tickets for The Hero Detective, and then we began wandering around the place to kill time until the movie started. We were just window shopping for the most part. Miori said she wanted to look at clothes, so we all followed her around.

That’s exactly what Miori and I had planned for today: we’d have about an hour before the movie started. It was a miraculous opportunity (that we’d scheduled in) for us to put to good use in getting closer to Reita and Hoshimiya... At least, that was the plan.

“Wow! This summer outfit is super cute!” Miori exclaimed.

“Yeah, Miori-chan, it’ll definitely look good on you! Try it on! Try it on!” Hoshimiya enthusiastically agreed.

The two of them were having a fun time shopping instead. Miori, who was squealing over all the clothes with Hoshimiya, noticed my judgmental stare and cleared her throat. “Wouldn’t it be unnatural if I just spoke to Reita-kun? This is also part of the plan,” she whispered to me so the other two couldn’t hear. It wasn’t a convincing excuse at all.

“I kinda doubt that... Ah, well, Hoshimiya seems like she’s having fun,” I replied.

“Hey! You’re the one who needs to talk to Hikari-chan more. I don’t see you doing much!”

Reita spotted us whispering furiously and smiled. “You two really are childhood friends. You sure are close.”

We both jumped, and our shoulders trembled. That is the worst possible conclusion you could reach!

“N-No way! We’re not close at all,” I denied.

“Y-Yeah, that’s right! I just can’t get rid of this guy,” Miori said and pinched my cheek.

Ow! Hey, stop that! This makes it look like we are close. Quit it! So you’re the type of person who can’t make rational decisions when you’re panicked, huh?!

Reita’s shoulders were shaking. He looked like he was witnessing an extremely amusing spectacle.

“Anyway, I’m going to try on this one!” Miori changed the topic and ran off to the fitting room with the summer clothes that Hoshimiya had been encouraging her to try on.

“Is it just me, or does she seem flustered today?” Reita turned to me after observing Miori’s behavior.

“Yeah, she does,” I agreed. She’s definitely off her game today! She’s normally way more composed than this. I guess even Miori gets nervous around her crush. Well, all things said, she is just a first-year in high school. She acts like she’s used to talking to guys, but maybe she’s just pretending to be tough. You know, that kind of makes Miori seem cute.

“Psst, hey! Natsuki-kun.” Hoshimiya tugged on my sleeve as we waited in front of the changing room.

E-Excuse me... Please don’t pull on my sleeve like that. It makes my heart leap!

“What do you think about this?” Hoshimiya lifted an aqua-colored button-down up to her torso. I didn’t have much of a fashion sense, but it looked like it would accent her figure well.

“I think it looks good on you,” I told her.

“Yay!” she happily cheered. “I’m also thinking about this one. Come over here!” Hoshimiya grabbed my hand and led me away to look at clothes. I was rattled by the turn of events and could only wordlessly flap my mouth open and closed. She stopped after we were a decent distance away from the changing room and giggled happily with a big smile on her face.

“Hoshimiya?” I questioned, cocking my head to the side.

She brought a finger to her lips to hush me and said in a low voice, “Heh heh. I thought it’d be good to give them some alone time.”

I followed her gaze to the changing room. Miori had just opened the curtain. “Huh? Where’s the other two, Reita-kun?” she asked.

“They went over there to look at clothes, so it’s just me,” he explained.

“O-Oh, I see,” she replied timidly.

Miori’s acting real meek today, I thought. But is she just acting? It doesn’t look like it. It’s funny that she’s the one who told me to get her alone with Reita, but when I follow through, she looks like a ball of nerves. What, can’t be confident in front of Reita?

“That outfit suits you. I think it’s cute,” Reita complimented her.

“Really? Thanks.”

Wow! He complimented her without missing a beat, as expected of Reita. I’d sound like a broken robot if I tried to say those lines. I could never tell a girl she’s cute straight to her face. Ever.

“Then maybe I’ll buy this,” Miori said.

“Yeah, I think you should. Is that the right size?” Reita naturally continued the conversation. Miori nodded.

While we were watching the two of them getting along, Hoshimiya whispered to me. “You know, Reita-kun is really impressive. He just says things that any girl would be happy to hear, and his delivery is so natural.”

“Yeah. Guys who’re popular are built different,” I agreed.

“Did you know he’s really popular among the girls in our year? When I hear him talk like that, I understand why.”

“Yeah, I envy him,” I admitted honestly. I could feel Hoshimiya’s gaze on me. When I looked over at her, she looked displeased for some reason.

“...You’re just as popular as he is. What’re you saying...?” she muttered under her breath.

What? Really? I have noticed more girls staring at me lately, I thought, but I refuted the notion. “No way, I’m not like Reita. I don’t talk to girls outside of you, Nanase, and Uta.”

It’s true! A socially inept guy like me would only meet with failure if I tried to expand my circle of friends. I’m going to go slow and steady at making new friends, I reasoned. There were still many girls in our class whom I had basically never spoken a word to.

“But that makes you look cool instead, so isn’t that good for your image?” Hoshimiya pointed out.

“R-Really? Is that a thing? Hoshimiya, are you sure you’re not just saying that to make me feel better?”

“I’m not! The three of us are close to you, so we know about your disappointing sides, but the other girls don’t.”

“D-Disappointing?” I repeated. I felt happy that Hoshimiya considered us close, but at the same time, I was dismayed to hear her describe me as disappointing.

Seeing that I was going through a roller coaster of emotions, Hoshimiya quickly tacked on, “Oh, not like that! I called it disappointing, but, um, you know how we overheard your talk with Tatsuya? A lot of people still think you’re perfect, but we know that you’re actually human like the rest of us! That’s what I mean!”

My heart was as fragile as glass at the moment, but I managed to recover after taking in a healthy dose of the cute and panicked Hoshimiya.

“I... I see... I wish everyone would stop having such high expectations of me. Please, guys,” I mumbled. If you fantasize about me, you’re going to be heavily disappointed once you actually get to know me.

We both went silent for a moment. I struggled to come up with a new conversation topic, but Hoshimiya spoke up first. “Natsuki-kun, do you want to be popular?”

“Huh? Why’re you asking that?”

“Because you just said you were envious of how popular Reita-kun is.” She was bringing up what I’d accidentally mentioned just moments ago.

Well, I am a guy. Of course I want girls to pay attention to me. But it won’t look good if I admit that in front of Hoshimiya. I’d better dodge the question.

“No, it was just a figure of speech,” I said, trying to explain it away.

“Really? Then you must be glad to hear you’re so popular,” she replied doubtfully.

It’s no use. She doesn’t believe me at all. What do I have to say to trick her? I wondered. After thinking at the speed of light, I came up with the genius idea to return her question with another question. “Well, what about you, Hoshimiya?”

“M-Me? Hmm... I’ve never wanted to be popular before,” she said after some thought.

Ah, the opinion of the mighty! An unpopular girl would be pissed if she heard that.

“But I do want people to think I’m beautiful, and I’m still working on that,” Hoshimiya said as she fiddled with her necklace.

That was an opinion I could relate to. I’d put effort into becoming cool, so of course I wanted people to actually think I was cool. I simply wanted others to acknowledge that I was doing my best.

“You are beautiful, Hoshimiya,” I couldn’t help but mutter, perhaps because I’d felt as if I was connected to her through my feelings of empathy.

Hoshimiya looked at me, her eyes widening in surprise where she stood. She even blinked a few times. Oh god, I want to run away! I thought.

“Ummm, thank you?” she said.

What the hell am I doing? Why’d you blurt that out? C-Calm down, me...

“W-We better head back, or else they’re going to get suspicious of us!” Hoshimiya suddenly said in a high-pitched voice and then walked back to Reita and Miori. Her movements were stiff and awkward. From the side, I could see a mysterious hint of scarlet coloring her cheeks.

“Huh? Weren’t you picking out clothes to try on?” Reita asked, his head slightly tilted to the side.

“Oh, um, they were all kinda meh, so I decided not to.” Hoshimiya managed to scrounge up a sound answer.

Miori had decided to purchase the clothes that Reita had praised. She had a paper bag with the store’s logo dangling from her hand. She quietly sidled up to me and whispered, “Where’d you go?”

“Hmm? I got us some alone time, just as planned,” I answered. “Is there a problem?”

She hesitated, displeasure plastered on her face. “You left me alone without warning! Of course I’d be surprised.”

It’s not like I’m the one who intended for this to happen, anyway, I thought. “More importantly, why are you being so timid today? What happened to being assertive like during the study group? Shouldn’t you act like that now?”

After a beat, she said, “He won’t like it if I come on too strong. I’m purposefully toning it down today. That’s all.”

As I listened to her explanation, I glanced at my watch. It was almost time for the movie to start. “I think we should get a move on. Let’s go,” I suggested.

“We’ve got about five minutes to get back,” Reita murmured and nodded. “Yeah, I like watching the previews before the actual movie.”

“Oh, me too! Sometimes you can find other movies that look interesting!” Hoshimiya chimed in. The two of them looked excited.

It really is advantageous to have mutual hobbies, I thought. I occasionally watched anime movies, but I wasn’t a film otaku, and Miori only watched them about as often as the average Joe. The two of us couldn’t keep up with their passionate small talk.

Our operation’s barely begun, but are things truly going to go according to plan? I was happy to just get to hang out with Hoshimiya over the weekend, yet I couldn’t help but worry about things going south.

***

The four of us entered the dimly lit movie theater. The previews hadn’t yet begun to play, so the theater was still somewhat alive with chatter. We’d been able to secure seats in the middle since we’d purchased our tickets early.

I wanted to sit next to Hoshimiya, Miori wanted to sit next to Reita, and Hoshimiya wanted to help Miori and Reita get closer. Thanks to our motives lining up like that, we took our desired seats after silently making eye contact. From the right facing the screen, our order was Hoshimiya, me, Miori, and then Reita.

The previews began rolling as soon as we sat down. I glanced at Hoshimiya. She was intently watching the trailers while munching away on some popcorn. She looked kinda like an adorable little animal.

“Can you finish all that?” I asked her, looking at the bag of popcorn in her hand.

“Maybe not... I got carried away and ordered too much. Do you want some, Natsuki-kun?” Hoshimiya replied.

I accepted her offer and popped some caramel popcorn into my mouth. Urgh, it’s too sweet! Salty popcorn is where it’s at, I secretly thought.

Miori was doing Miori things and quietly chatting with Reita while they watched the movie previews. They looked like they had a good mood going on, so I didn’t want to interrupt.

Just like that, the previews ended, and the movie started. The quiet murmurs around us stopped, and only the sounds of the movie could be heard within the theater. Man, movie theaters are great! I feel like it’s easier to get immersed in the story when the sound system is high quality. I immediately forgot that we were here on a mission and lost myself in the world of the movie.

The story began with a young boy, the self-proclaimed hero, getting dragged into a murder case. The corpse was rolled away, as per standard mystery plots, but the aforementioned self-proclaimed hero, Harma, lamented that he hadn’t arrived in time to save the victim. It was a sorrowful scene.

The novel this movie was based on, The Hero Detective, was a mystery series. In each volume, the protagonist never arrived in time to save the victims before they were murdered. In other words, Harma always reached the scene of the crime too late and could only solve the case post mortem. I always thought it was a cruel premise no matter how many times I witnessed it play out. I was already feeling heartbroken.

This movie was the adaptation of the first volume of The Hero Detective—Harma’s origin story. It all started with a murder at our self-proclaimed hero’s school. The victim was Harma’s first love and girlfriend, Nika. Her death was the reason Harma would go on to call himself a hero.

“...I was no hero,” Harma wallowed on-screen.

Merya, Harma’s childhood friend, cheered him up and pulled him out of despair. She was a high school student and famous detective who’d solved one difficult case after the other. She practically forced Harma to assist her in solving Nika’s case.

Since I’d already read the novel, it wasn’t the deductions or uncovering the tricks behind the murder that kept me enraptured. Of course I was overjoyed to see a work I liked moving on the big screen, but what fascinated me more than that was the depiction of the characters’ relationships.

The movie version highlighted and expanded on parts that the novel hadn’t really delved into. None other than Nika’s friend, Maina, turned out to be the culprit of the case. Maina also got along well with Harma, and so the three of them had often hung out together.

And yet what motivation did she have to kill Nika? After Maina finally admitted to her crime, we learned that it had been because she was in love with Harma. Nika had noticed Maina’s feelings towards Harma and tried to separate the two, but Maina resisted. Every time the three of them hung out together, additional cracks had formed in the girls’ relationship, all because they loved the same boy.

Eventually, the two had gotten into a huge argument, and Maina accidentally pushed Nika down a flight of stairs, killing her. After that, Maina covered up the real cause of Nika’s death, created an alibi, and used various tricks to frame another person. However, Harma and Merya ultimately saw through her deceit.

It was a simple story when you broke it down: two very close friends’ relationship had crumbled into pieces due to jealousy. Their happy group was destroyed because of love. Something about the plot felt very familiar, and my mind returned to reality for a moment. I didn’t know why, but I looked to the side, right at Hoshimiya.

She was deeply concentrating on the movie and didn’t notice I was staring at her even though we were practically a hair’s breadth away. I could clearly see her features at this distance. Her face was delicate like a doll’s.

How happy would I be if she were my girlfriend? I wondered, but then Uta’s face flashed through my mind. Yet how would Uta feel if Hoshimiya and I started dating? The events in the film represented an extreme case, but Tatsuya and I had already had a taste of drama brought on by romance.

Obviously, I want to achieve my ideal high school life for my Rainbow-Colored Youth Plan. My goal is to have friends I can trust wholeheartedly and a girlfriend I love dearly... But can ideal friendships and romance coexist? Such questions ran around my head throughout the movie.

***

“That was fantastic!” Hoshimiya exclaimed, eyes twinkling elatedly.

We were at a restaurant inside the shopping mall. After The Hero Detective had ended, we’d picked a place that looked like it would allow us to linger for a long time so we could discuss the movie once we finished dinner.

“I’m glad you’re having fun talking about the movie, but your hands haven’t moved at all,” Reita said with a wry smile. He’d already finished eating his Japanese-style pasta.

“W-Well, there are so many things I want to say,” Hoshimiya mumbled. There was an unfinished carbonara in front of her.

She ate a ton of popcorn, but she can still chow down on dinner? I’m kinda shook. Hoshimiya can put away a surprising amount of food...

“You can talk all you want after you finish. You’d better eat up before it gets cold,” Miori advised her, as if she were scolding a child. She had a motherly personality and therefore couldn’t bear to leave Hoshimiya be.

Huh, those two have some good chemistry going on.

“Yeah, I guess so...” Hoshimiya said. “Wait, Miori-chan, you’re already done eating?!”

“You get faster when you’re in a sports club,” Miori said with a strained smile. “You’re always getting hounded to eat quickly.”

“I feel you,” Reita agreed.

I silently chewed my own pasta as I watched the two of them get riled up about their clubs. I think there’s a good vibe between them, and it looks like Miori’s gotten over her nerves now. 

When I turned to check on Hoshimiya, our eyes met. We were both nomming on food, so we didn’t say anything aloud, but Hoshimiya spoke to me with her eyes. It looked like she was conveying something like, “Those two eat too fast!” with her expression. I nodded twice in agreement.

For the record, I used to be on a sports team back in the past too, but I wasn’t a speedy eater because there’d been nobody to rush me. No one would’ve been troubled if I wasn’t around, after all, I thought a bit sadly. No one even talked to me in the first place, so of course no one would be yelling at me to hurry up. Wait a second! Did I really need to make that observation?

Mealtime for the group ended while I was self-inflicting damage on my poor heart, and then our conversation turned to our impressions of The Hero Detective. My mind had wandered during the movie, and I’d had trouble paying attention near the end. So I just listened to the others and responded to their comments. They all seemed like they’d wholeheartedly enjoyed the movie, so I didn’t want to be a wet blanket.

In the middle of our conversation, I looked over at the restaurant entrance and let out a quiet, “Huh?” when I noticed who was standing by the door. It was a group of three familiar-looking girls. I’d never spoken to them before, but I recognized their faces.

Aren’t they Ryomei students, like us? If I remember it right, they’re in the girls’ basketball club, I thought, trying to recall where I’d seen them before. I’d been part of the boys’ basketball club in my first round of high school, so I did have a vague recollection of the girls who’d been practicing on the court next to us. I think they’re a year ahead of us, I contemplated as I tried to pin down their identities. And of course, as per usual, I’ve never exchanged a single word with any of them before.

The server led the three girls to a spot near the four of us since there were many empty tables in our section of the restaurant. This was a large shopping mall near our high school, so it wasn’t a surprise that we’d bumped into other Ryomei students. There were only so many places for teens to hang out in Gunma, after all.

I didn’t know them by name, so I decided it’d be best to ignore them, but the three stopped by our table.

“Miori...?” said the girl with a short bob who was standing in the middle of the trio. Her eyes had a stern look to them, but it wouldn’t have been an exaggeration to call her beautiful.

Surprised to hear her name, Miori glanced in the direction of the short bob girl’s voice. “Wakamura-senpai...”

Oh, right, her name’s Wakamura! I still couldn’t place the other two girls, but if my memory was correct, Wakamura was the linchpin of the girls’ basketball club.

After a beat, Miori asked, “Senpai, why are you here?”

“We just finished individual training. We came here to rest up and chat,” Wakamura explained.

Uhhh, is it just me, or is the air in the room getting kinda dicey? Perhaps I was late to the game, but it definitely felt like they were on edge. Is this what senpai-kouhai relationships are like in a club? Or did something happen?

The short girl standing next to Wakamura muttered under her breath, “Hmph! I was wondering why you weren’t participating in solo training, but it looks like you’re just playing with boys.”

“Do you have something to say? I’m not skipping practice,” Miori replied.

“True. We’re not complaining or anything. Come on! Let’s go, girls,” Wakamura said. She pushed the other two girls towards their seats.

The awkward atmosphere left behind by those three girls made it hard for the four of us to return to our conversation. Miori was the first to break the silence. “I’m sorry. I ruined the mood,” she said while stirring the ice around in her caffè latte.

“Did something happen between you guys?” I asked.

“Just a small spat during practice. It’s no biggie, though,” Miori replied, but it sounded more like she was refusing to answer.

With such a nonchalant reply from her, I didn’t have it in me to push the subject any further.

Wanting to drive away the uncomfortable atmosphere, Miori declared in a bright tone, “More importantly, let’s talk about the movie! I want to hear more of your thoughts, Hikari-chan.”

Hoshimiya hesitated but then let the floodgates open. “Yeah, okay! Personally, my favorite part was the last scene where they confronted the culprit. The way they handled it felt completely different from the novel, and...”

Reita and Miori listened to Hoshimiya articulate her thoughts as they nodded and offered up their own opinions. I was impressed that they could turn the mood around so fast. They’ve got some clutch communication skills, as always, I thought. Miori’s trying to smile like normal, but I can tell she looks a bit tense... Hmm, I thought something weird was up with her today. She pulled out all the stops to hit on Reita just a few weeks ago, but she’s been acting so docile today. I assumed she was just being overly conscious about Reita, but now I suspect her nerves are because of something more than that.

Something must’ve happened during her morning practice, I deduced. Miori tries not to show any weakness during times like these. She tries to act as normal as possible no matter how depressed she feels. She’s been like that ever since we were kids.

***

When we’d had our fill of talking about the movie, we wrapped things up and left the pasta shop.

“I needa go to the bathroom,” I said. Reita tagged along with me too.

Miori and Hoshimiya took a seat on a nearby bench to wait for us.

While I was mindlessly doing my business, Reita, who was standing next to me, spoke up. “Natsuki, have you heard anything?”

Ah, he’s probably talking about what happened just now with Miori. I shook my head.

“So she’s not the type to ask others for help, huh? I hope it’s nothing serious,” Reita muttered to himself.

“You think so? She might’ve already brought the issue up with someone besides me,” I suggested slowly.

“I haven’t known her for long, but I’ve never seen Miori rely on anyone else. Still, it looks like you’re an exception to that since you’re childhood friends. So if Miori would go to anyone, I think it’d be you,” Reita said after a short pause.

Motomiya Miori does not depend on others, I agreed silently. It’s true; I’ve always thought that, growing up with her. She loves taking care of other people, but she never lets others look after her.

“You’ve been observing her closely. Miori, I mean,” I commented. I’d known Miori since she’d been leading kids around as the neighborhood brat commander, but Reita had discerned her nature in one short month. Just how powerful was his perception?

“Didn’t I tell you before? I’ve made it a habit to observe my surroundings,” he replied.

Though, sometimes you see too much, right? I recalled the continuation of those words from a talk we’d had before. Reita really is amazing. Everyone likes him because he acts based on his keen perception. It’s not something that someone socially inept like me could copy, I lamented.

“That’s not all I’ve observed about Miori, though,” Reita said in an even tone as he zipped up his pants.

“Huh?” I questioned. What do you mean by that? 

I was about to ask him to elaborate, but as if he’d read my thoughts, Reita patted me on the shoulder. “Anyway, if Miori’s going to let anyone see her vulnerable side, it’ll be you. I’m leaving her in your care,” he said. With that, he washed his hands and left the bathroom ahead of me.

How much does Reita know? I’m basically on my second lap in life, but I feel like he has far deeper insight than me. Hey, wait a second...

“That bastard,” I muttered angrily. “He touched my shoulder before washing his hands!”

You don’t need to make me the butt of a joke!

***

It was raining outside when we exited the mall, despite the fact that the news had predicted the rainy season would start next week. I’d brought a foldable umbrella just in case, but it wouldn’t be enough to protect us from the melancholy that came along with the weather.

It was already almost 7 p.m. Although streetlights illuminated the area, the sky was dark as the four of us walked together to the station. Reita and Hoshimiya had also brought umbrellas. Only Miori hadn’t prepared one, so she shared Hoshimiya’s.

The umbrella wasn’t big enough for two people to huddle underneath it, but they looked like they were having fun walking with their shoulders pressed together. Thankfully, as a silver lining, the rain was pretty weak. At worst, their shoulders would get a little damp.

As soon as we reached the station, Hoshimiya became visibly hurried because her curfew was nearing. “Welp, see you all tomorrow at school!” she called out from behind her and then disappeared through the gates.

“I had fun today. Invite me again if you plan something else,” Reita told Miori. He shot her a bright smile and then left for the bike parking lot.

I noticed that Miori had only nodded silently in response to his cheerful words. The normal Miori would’ve said, “For sure!” or something chipper like that... Something really is up with her, I thought. What should I do at a time like this? 

I’m worried about her. But I feel like it’s the wrong move to come out and say so directly, especially because Miori always puts on a brave front. If I ask her if there’s something wrong, she’ll just answer that everything is A-OK. I lacked experience when it came to social interactions, so I didn’t know what would be the correct action to take.

I shook myself out of my thoughts for the moment and decided to go with a harmless suggestion. “All right, let’s head home.”

Miori nodded. “Yeah. Right.”

We passed through the ticket gates and boarded our train. It was relatively crowded since it was almost rush hour. However, we still managed to get seats next to each other. The train took off shortly after we sat down. The inside of the car began swaying with a familiar clickety-clack.

Miori said nothing. Just moments ago, she’d kept a smile pasted on her face when we were saying farewell to Reita and Hoshimiya even though she’d clearly been acting strange. But now that smile was nowhere in sight. She just kept her head down with a glum look on her face.

“Anyway, if Miori’s going to let anyone see her vulnerable side, it’ll be you. I’m leaving her in your care.”

Reita’s words from the bathroom flashed through my mind. He’s right. Miori is showing me her weak side right now, I thought. These are the feelings that she didn’t show to Reita or Hoshimiya. Though, it’s probably not because she trusts me, but because she doesn’t particularly care about my existence, so it doesn’t matter to her if I’m here or not. 

While I was trying to find the right words to offer her, Miori muttered, “I’m sorry. Plan Double Date didn’t go very well, did it?”

Uhhh, really? It didn’t? I pondered. I guess our goal was to get closer to Reita and Hoshimiya. I don’t necessarily think we failed, but it wasn’t the huge success we’d predicted. It was more of a normal day hanging out with friends, but we all had a good time.

“I had fun, so I think it went fine. Nothing comes from being too hasty either,” I earnestly replied. I tried to convey to Miori that today really had been fun through my tone. During my first round as a teen, I’d never hung out with a group of friends, let alone with my crush. I’m plenty satisfied with today.

“You’re right. Yeah, I think so too,” she agreed and nodded vigorously.

Something feels off about her again, I sensed. Unlike me, Miori was not one to be content with maintaining the status quo.

I started to say, “Hey, Miori. I—”

But she cut me off. “I’m fine,” she said.

Did she notice that I felt something was off with her? I wondered.

“I’m fine. Everything is A-OK, really. There’s nothing for you to worry about,” Miori reassured me again, refusing to even let me ask my question.

She was so firm that I couldn’t say another word.