"...Hey, how exactly did things end up like this?"
"Don't ask me, partner. To be honest, I'm a bit bewildered myself."
And so, when the weekend rolled around, Yugo, Ryuga, and Marcos had all set out together, dressed for a day on the town.
Of course, they weren't just three guys hanging out for the sake of it; they were there for the date Melt had proposed during their discussion the other day.
To Ryuga, who was openly voicing his frustration at being swept along by the momentum, Yugo replied by mimicking the catchphrase of both his friend and the Invincible Detective. He then turned to Marcos with a wry smile.
"Are you holding up okay, Marcos? Ready to talk to Elena?"
"Ready? Even if you ask me that... to be honest, I’m of the same mind as Ryuga."
They were supposed to be consulting on how to handle Elena and what to say to her. How on earth had they ended up on a friendly triple date instead?
He had heard Melt's reasoning and found it convincing enough at the time... but now that the day was actually here, he couldn’t help but feel the plan had been a bit impulsive.
"No, I understand what Melt was getting at. She said that to have a calm conversation, we should first take some time to relax... and it’s true that having you two along for support during the actual discussion would be a big help. That’s why I agreed to this, but... now, in hindsight, something feels slightly off."
"In the first place, you should never have involved me," Ryuga interjected. "If you're going to help him, surely you and Melt are more than enough."
"Don't be like that. You should just try to enjoy yourself with Raiha, right?"
Both Marcos and Ryuga seemed to be feeling the awkwardness of being on a triple date. To be precise, Ryuga seemed more irritated than anything, but the fact that he had actually shown up without bailing suggested he didn’t entirely hate the idea.
One could argue he was just putting up with it for the sake of his friendship with Marcos, but at the very least, his feelings toward Raiha had clearly softened. If they hadn't, a guy as blunt as him wouldn't have bothered coming at all.
Yugo chimed in to support his best friend while checking in on his partner. He vaguely realized he’d been cast in the role of the long-suffering man for the day just as the women arrived.
"Hey! Sorry to keep you waiting!"
"Oh, there they are! Melt! Over here!"
Yugo waved back at the girls as they approached as a group. Seeing them in casual clothes instead of their school uniforms, he offered his thoughts with a small smile.
"Wow, seeing you guys in normal clothes is really refreshing! Especially Raiha and Elena!"
"W-Well, when you put it that way, it’s actually a bit embarrassing...!" Raiha stammered.
Since Yugo went out with Melt fairly often, he was used to seeing her in casual wear, but it was a rare sight for the other two. When he mentioned how fresh they looked, Raiha muttered while shyly cradling her cheeks.
"Hmph...! If you say it like that, it makes me feel like you're already bored of seeing me in my regular clothes. That’s so mean, Yugo...!"
"Wait, what?! No, I didn't mean it like that...! Look, it’s just that seeing the other two is particularly rare. It doesn't mean I’m taking you for granted, Melt!"
"Hehe... being a popular guy is hard work, isn't it, Yugo?"
"Tell me about it," Melt teased. "I'm sure Ann and the others will be demanding dates of their own after this, so you’d better brace yourself."
"Wait, seriously...?"
Everyone shared a laugh after that exchange.
On the surface, it seemed like a perfectly normal, pleasant conversation between friends. However, Yugo noticed something was slightly off with Elena.
(She’s being a bit quiet... I guess she’s worrying about things too?)
Normally, Elena would have jumped into a conversation between Yugo and Melt with a comment like, "You two are such good friends!" Instead, she remained silent, and she was clearly speaking much less than usual. It wasn’t that she seemed depressed, exactly, but she appeared to be deep in thought, much like Marcos.
Realizing this, Yugo figured that the triple date Melt had proposed might serve as a much-needed distraction. He wondered if Melt had planned this far ahead when she made the suggestion.
(I guess girls really do understand girls best... because I’m totally clueless.)
The only insight he had into the female mind was the notion that "girls want to rampage too!" ...Though he wasn't entirely sure if that applied to every girl out there.
Either way, he decided that the First Phase of the Plan had to be raising Elena's spirits. Steeling his resolve to support his friends, Yugo prepared to dive headfirst into the triple date.