"Haa... dinner was delicious..."
"I might have eaten a bit too much..."
"Heh-heh, I adjusted my intake in preparation for the fun time coming up next. My total victory!"
Victory, she said... I wondered what kind of competition she thought she was in.
Dinner was over, and since there was still a little time before the bath, we had returned to our room. Naturally, those three had come pouring into our room as well. Since we were in a triple room, the group had to be split in two at the hotel, which resulted in the three of them ending up here.
"What should I do? Should I get things ready so we could start the party right after the bath?"
"Good idea. Let's get the sweets and stuff ready now."
They started saying these premature things while turning on the TV to serve as BGM. Honestly, were they really looking forward to it that much?
Actually, because of Sara, it felt like I had been made a target too, so I had to find a way to dodge them. She really had to go and say something unnecessary...
But... ugh, why did I go and buy that Success in Love amulet? It didn't have any deep meaning. It was just the mood of the moment, or rather, I just found myself reaching for it. It was only because Sara brought up Tachibana-kun's name that I suddenly remembered our talk about souvenirs the previous night.
Click...
At the sound of the door opening, Sara entered the room with a heavy sigh. Naturally, everyone's eyes fixed on her.
"You're late, aren't you?"
"I am sorry. I was forced to waste my time..."
Sara looked fed up, or rather, completely exasperated.
Hmm? A waste of time? Aha... I bet...
"Satsukawa-san, Miyama-kun called out to you earlier, didn't he? Was it a confession after all?"
"Guh... I'm so jealous that she gets confessions from handsome guys even when she stays quiet."
"It was no joke. He claimed he had something to ask about tomorrow's schedule, so I had no choice but to listen... but it made me so angry that I yelled at him never to speak to me again."
It seemed it was exactly as I had expected. Sara appeared to be quite offended and wasn't hiding her displeasure. The guy probably tried to lead with other topics so he wouldn't be rejected immediately. Sara was famous for cutting people off without mercy the moment she realized a conversation was a confession, often without even listening to the end.
Didn't they realize that using such petty tricks would only make her hate them more?
"Yelling at someone to reject a confession is pretty intense..."
"Yeah, I've never heard of that before."
"Setting aside whether you'd date them or not, in manga they often say they're happy about the feelings, but what's it really like?"
I had certainly heard people say things like that. Well, from Sara's perspective, it was beyond a nuisance—it was pure revulsion.
"I do not know about others, but for me, it is a great nuisance. If that is the reason, I would prefer they never speak to me at all."
"Wow, she's completely blunt."
"You really hate it, don't you? Doesn't a confession from a handsome guy like that pique your interest even a little?"
"It does not interest me in the least. I have no interest in any man other than Kazunari-san."
"Here it is—!!"
"We've been waiting for this!! Come on, come on, come on."
"Sa—Satsukawa-san, that person is definitely that first-year boy, Takanashi-kun, who was the subject of those rumors in class, right?"
The conversation had flowed exactly into the topic the three of them had been hoping for, and they questioned Sara excitedly. Back when Sara was wiping Takanashi-kun's shirt in the classroom, we had made it known to the class that they were just friends... but if things reached this point, the connection was obvious.
"Were there rumors? I am not well-informed on that, but it is true that Kazunari Takanashi-san is someone precious to me."
Since Sara didn't know about the rumors, it was news to her... but she had finally admitted it clearly.
"Wooooow, that's amazing. What's amazing is how she's not shy or flustered at all."
"She's so dignified about it that there's no opening to tease her."
"That's strange. I thought she'd be more embarrassed."
Since Sara had no intention of hiding it, she was naturally dignified regarding the matter of Takanashi-kun. And for me, this meant I would have to do more work to keep people quiet... Sara was indifferent to her own influence, so she didn't think about what would happen if this spread throughout the school.
Sigh... why did I have to be the one to suffer?
Knock, knock...
The conversation was interrupted by a knock on the door. Looking around at everyone's faces, all eyes landed on one person, as if deciding the person closest to the door should answer. In other words, Yuri.
"Fine, fine, I'll get it~"
She seemed to understand the meaning of the looks and reluctantly headed to the door to unlock it.
"Yeah, yeah... oh, it's Rika. What's up?"
"The bath is free now~"
It looked like the discussion was going to end there. As I started preparing for the bath, Sara began her preparations as well.
"Che~ put on hold again~"
"But it's fine since we can talk while eating sweets and stuff later."
"I'm looking forward to the big bath~"
The three of them also seemed to give up on the conversation for the time being since we had started getting ready, and they quietly went back to their own room next door.
Haa... it looked like I was going to have a hard time after the bath too...
"Ah~ that was refreshing."
"That's all well and good, but why do you have to touch other people's bodies?"
"Seriously. What are you going to do if you can't get married?"
Those three really seemed to have fun anywhere. To think they would even frolic in the bath...
"But I couldn't touch Satsukawa-san..."
"No way, she'd definitely get mad."
"Her figure is amazing, isn't it? I'm so jealous of her chest."
Sara's figure was indeed quite good. It had been a while since I had been in a bath with Sara too, but... guh... to think the gap had widened this much. That was definitely genetics inherited from Mayumi-san, no doubt about it. Sara often wore clothes that didn't emphasize her body lines much, but she couldn't hide the size of her chest, so I had been curious.
But seeing it again like this... when did she...
Wait!? Could it be because of Takanashi-kun!? No, no, that couldn't be it... oh, come to think of it, Sara was late...
Click...
At the sound of the door opening, Sara walked in. She looked fed up, or rather, exasperated... wait, I felt like this was exactly the same as before. Did that mean the same thing had happened?
"Good work~ ...Ah, by that look on your face, did you get confessed to again?"
"Yes... well."
It seemed I was right, as she was radiating that same unpleasant atmosphere.
"Everyone's really desperate, aren't they?"
"I guess they think they might have a chance just because of the school trip atmosphere?"
"Haa... I should have just gone to a girls' high school... no, that would mean my time with Kazunari-san would..."
Muttering to herself, Sara opened her bag and began briskly tidying away her bath things. It was true that the atmosphere, or rather, the unusual situation of a school trip, might make both boys and girls feel more bold. If that was the case, there was a high possibility that more boys would see it as an opportunity and take action, and if it was like this from the first day, it might stay the same from tomorrow onwards.
Maybe I should try not to leave Sara alone as much as possible...
"Hey, Satsukawa-san, who was it this time?"
Yuri asked, sounding intensely curious. She was really bold, or rather, she just went at her own pace.
"Who knows?"
"What do you mean 'who knows'... like, their name."
"I do not know. He started saying something about being the basketball club ace or some such trivial nonsense, so I told him it was a nuisance and left immediately."
"The basketball club ace..."
"That's Shioya-kun, isn't it?"
"I—I'm so jealous."
Showing not a shred of interest in the topic, Sara took her tidied bag, moved it out of the way, returned to her bed, and unplugged her smartphone that had been charging.
"It makes no difference who it is. As long as Kazunari-san is by my side, that is all I need."
Sara was consistent; that part of her never changed. Even if her sociability had improved somewhat, the fact that she didn't look at anyone other than Takanashi-kun remained the same. If you called it being single-minded, it was single-minded to an almost exasperating degree.
"That's incredible."
"Satsukawa-san is just like she looks, or rather, just like her image. She's serious even about romance."
"But, looking at the current Satsukawa-san, I can't imagine what kind of atmosphere she has when she's alone with her boyfriend."
"She might even be strict with her boyfriend!"
"I can totally see that!"
Even though she was right in front of them, those three were having a great time letting their imaginations run wild. Well, for people who only saw the usual Sara, it was no wonder they thought that way.
From my perspective as someone who knew better, it was full of things to point out. I wondered how those three would react if they saw how incredibly sweet Sara could be...
Sara was checking the time on her smartphone. She was probably thinking about the timing to make a call. Come to think of it, what happened with Takanashi-kun's part-time job? I would ask later when I sent a RAIN message to Tachibana-kun.
"Cheers!"
Since it would be a pain if other people came in because we were being too loud, we did a slightly reserved toast. The table was cramped with snack foods, chocolate sweets including the Choco Pies I liked, rice crackers, and juice. They had really managed to bring quite a lot.
"Now then, the Night Party has finally begun!"
"I've been waiting... for this moment."
"Yuri-chan, your face is scary, you know?"
Haa... I had to guide the conversation well so they wouldn't turn the topic to me. Each of them reached out to the table as they pleased and put sweets into their mouths. Just as I was thinking of eating some too, Sara picked up her smartphone and abruptly stood up.
"I am sorry, but I shall go and make a phone call first."
Thinking she probably intended to call from around the lobby, she started walking toward the door. But that was definitely a bad idea, so I decided to say something.
"Sara, you should probably avoid calling from the lobby. You might get interrupted by other boys while you're on the phone with Takanashi-kun."
"That's true. We don't mind, so why not call here?"
Following my remark, Yuri added her own suggestion. Since the three of them already knew, there was no need to hide it anymore, so I guess it was fine.
"......You are right. In that case, excuse me, but I shall make the call here."
She must have imagined that scene, as Sara's expression became slightly unpleasant and she agreed with Yuri's opinion.
"But still, he's so different from other boys... you really must love Takanashi-kun a lot, don't you?"
"Yes. As long as I am with Kazunari-san, I am happy."
"""........."""
When Sara spoke of Takanashi-kun, she wore a look of pure happiness and joy, with a full smile on her face. Seeing this, I could well understand why those girls were at a loss for words. She looked that happy, and the gap between this and her usual self was just that intense.
"Now, if you will excuse me, I shall make the call. Please pardon me."
Displaying a rare sense of excitement for her, Sara operated her smartphone. She was really that happy, huh. After a short while, the calling tone could be heard from Sara's smartphone.
Eh? Is it on speaker?
"Ah, it's connected! Good evening, Kazunari-san!!"
It seemed she had made it a video call, as Sara began her conversation while looking at the screen. Her voice was much higher in tension than usual.
"Good evening, Sara-san."
"Yes! ...Fufu, it feels a little strange. Is it because this is the first time we have spoken like this through a screen?"
To me, this was her usual self, but for the three who had only ever seen Sara treating boys like dirt...
"...Huh?"
"...Eh?"
"...Oh?"
It would be accurate to say their jaws had dropped; they were staring at Sara with expressions that perfectly fit the description of being stunned. Yeah, I knew the feeling. I had felt the same shock when I first saw how close Sara and Takanashi-kun really were.