People quickly withdrew from the pool as the group consisting of Nagumo and his friends began to increase in number.
If he wants to talk to me directly, even if I don’t initiate contact, I know that he will send a messenger from his side.
The fact that that hasn’t happened can be interpreted as him having no intention of talking to me.
In any case, it wasn’t pleasant to be the centre of attention all the time, so in order to escape, I started to head towards the dressing room to get changed, but...
“Ayanokouji-senpai!”
I encountered Nanase, who saw me walking along the corridor and ran up to me with a cheerful look on her face.
When you head over to one of the facilities available on the ship, you will repeatedly pass by students you recognise, so seeing each other two days in a row isn’t that unusual.
That being said, because the way she appeared was completely identical, I was reminded of the encounter we had yesterday.
“Could I have a moment of your time, please?”
She was checking my surroundings to make sure that I wasn’t with anyone else.
I was with Ishizaki yesterday, so she might not have been able to talk about it back then.
But what’s up with this pressure? I nodded, somewhat confused by her close proximity.
“Actually, I’m not sure if I should report this, but um, there’s something that’s been bothering me.”
“Something bothering you?”
Nanase nodded and her cheerful expression was replaced by a more serious one. She then spoke in a whisper, paying close attention to our surroundings.
“There’s something I kept quiet about, senpai. If I tell you, you might get angry...”
I might get angry? What on earth could it be?
“The thing is…”
Nanase was about to speak up about what she was keeping quiet, but...
“Huh? Ayanokouji-kun?”
A voice she didn’t recognise called out, and Nanase hurriedly distanced herself from me.
It was Ichinose’s classmate, Kobashi Yume.
In the past, we would not have even greeted each other if we passed each other at school.
However, during the uninhabited island exam, we spent some time together, albeit briefly.
It seems to have brought a change in our relationship.
“Oh, was I a bother…? Maybe I should have waited…”
She spoke apologetically, perhaps noticing Nanase hiding behind my body.
“No, it’s okay. I was just asking Ayanokouji-senpai about something I didn’t understand.”
“Are you sure it’s okay?”
Nanase nodded vigorously twice, as if to say it wasn’t as serious as Kobashi was thinking.
“I’ll call on you when I have more time.”
The only thing I was sure of was that it was not something for other students to hear.
Nanase bowed deeply to not only me, but also to Kobashi, and ran off.
“Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t realise you were in the middle of a conversation. That girl is a 1st year right? Did I upset her?”
“I don’t think you need to worry about that. More importantly, you wanted something from me?”
“Actually, the girls in my class are going to have a party tonight to celebrate our hard work. I was wondering if you’d like to join us, Ayanokouji-kun. I also wanted to thank you for helping Chihiro-chan.”
So it was an invitation.
However, the key phrase “girls in the class” stuck with me.
“What kind of people are going to be there?”
I was worried so I went to check, but Kobashi tilted her head, saying, “hmm”.
“Right now, I guess we’re still fine-tuning who is coming and whatnot. There are no weirdos so you don’t need to worry so much.”
It’s not that I’m afraid of a strange person participating, but she doesn’t seem to understand.
“It’s only students from your class, right Kobashi? Would it be okay for an outsider like me to join?
“Really? That won’t be a problem. Hey, hey, so how about it?”
A fluffy, abstract invitation to a celebration party.
To be honest, I’m not really interested in going, as there aren’t very many people in Ichinose’s class that I can talk to.
It’s doubtful I’d be able to have a good conversation with Ichinose, especially right now.
I feel a little regretful, but I’m going to decline.
“Nah, I’ll pass...”
Seeing that I was about to refuse, Kobashi clasped her hands together as if to sob.
“Please! This was like, a chance meeting, right?”
It’s hard to say no when you put it like that, but I can’t give in so easily.
I can see that if I just go with the flow here, it won’t be good for me later.
“You mean it’s my fault...right?”
“Huh?”
“Yeah, I guess it’s no use. I’ll properly report what happened here to everyone in the class. I invited Ayanokouji-kun to the party, but I was declined because my invitation wasn’t good enough.”
“Wait. Why would it end up like that?”
“So you’re going to come?”
“...That’s…”
“Oh you do hate it, don’t you? Ahh, if only I could have asked you out a little better... I’m sorry everyone.”
“It would be a problem if you get so depressed…”
“You only need to show your face…! Please, even just that! And Honami-chan is coming too!”
She clasped her hands together once again, this time with more force than before.
After she came this far, it was as if there was no way out of this situation.
“Fine, I get it. I really just need to show my face, right?”
“Yes, thank you! Oh, but don’t tell Honami-chan you’re coming to the party later, okay?”
She showed a smile so bright that it was hard to believe that she had been sad and depressed just moments ago.
It is often said that women are born actresses.
But don’t tell Ichinose? That part stuck out to me a little.
“Why keep it a secret? I’d like to ask permission from everyone to see if it’s okay for me to join.”
If even one student doesn’t want me to participate, I’d prefer it if they told me without reservation.
If that were to happen, I could say no again unequivocally, this time in the name of the greater good.
“You know...that’s just...well...Don’t you think it would be better as a surprise, Ayanokouji-kun?"
I can’t help but think it would be a surprise of the unpleasant sort.
I don’t really want to get into this, but it seems that her classmates have a lot on their minds regarding Ichinose and I.
“Well then, we’ll be waiting for you in room 5034 at 8 o’clock.”
“Room 5034...You’re doing it in someone’s room?”
I thought we would be using a rest area or a deck somewhere.
Moreover, I could tell from the room number that this was a room where girls, not boys, were staying.
“Is that a problem?”
“It’s not that it’s a problem...I just feel like I’ll have a harder time getting there.”
“That’s not the case. Right?”
Somehow, Kobashi’s “right?” left me overwhelmed and on the defensive.
One after the other, my possible escape routes were being taken away.
“I’ll be waiting for you then! You definitely have to come!”
Perhaps satisfied with my promise, Kobashi walked away a little too fast.
“Ah, man.”
It’s not really the right time to talk to Ichinose face to face.
Well, I guess if it’s going to be in a crowd it will be fine.
If it was a party to celebrate the end of the exam, there should be more than a few boys in attendance.
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