Side: Yuji
Well, well, things seemed to have taken quite an interesting turn… if I put it that way, though, Natsumi-san would probably get mad at me again.
Still, watching from the sidelines, I felt things were going much better than what I’d heard from Hayato.
He had been quite self-deprecating, saying that, at worst, his reputation was even lower than Kazunari’s. But judging by Todo-san’s behavior, I didn't think he needed to be so pessimistic.
Since we went to different schools, I hadn't had much personal interaction with Todo-san. However, we interacted normally in Group RAIN, and even from our brief acquaintance so far, I could tell she was a very likable and good-natured girl.
As for anything beyond that, I’d only heard stories from Tachikawa-san. As a fellow member of our circle, I suppose I wanted to socialize with her a bit more.
Though… out of consideration for Natsumi-san and Hayato, I wasn't about to make any overt moves.
I decided to leave that side of things to Hayato's efforts.
Right now, I had to think about our own situation first.
According to Natsumi-san, she’d prepared a separate bento for me today. Yet, so far at least, there was no sign of it.
It was obvious that Natsumi-san was conscious of me, but she also looked slightly panicked. I wondered what exactly was going on in her head.
Natsumi-san, who was usually the cheerful, big sisterly type, turned into a total maiden when it came to romance. It was honestly quite cute… wait, now I was sounding just like Kazunari.
Maybe his influence was rubbing off on me (lol).
In any case, there was the matter of the bento, so it might be best if I made a move from my side as well…
Natsumi-senpai called out to Yuji, her voice tinged with a desperate edge.
Her face looked like it was turning crimson. Showing such a rare side of herself naturally drew everyone's attention.
The ones who reacted the most were, of course, the members who didn't know the full story.
"Y-Yes!?"
Yuji also seemed surprised at having his name called so suddenly.
"U-Um, you see, well… h-h-h-here!"
Natsumi-senpai rummaged through her Boston bag. I felt like I’d seen a similar sight just a moment ago. She quickly grabbed something and pulled it out.
It was inside a drawstring bag and looked like a container of some sort.
Ah, I see. So that was it.
"Natsumi-san, what is this?"
"Uuuugh, y-you know what it is without me saying it, don't you!?"
In response to Yuji's slightly deliberate reaction, Natsumi-senpai finally turned bright red.
Man, that was cute; she was acting like a total maiden.
As always, the gap between her usual self and this was so incredible that I almost wanted to call it "calculated cuteness."
But since she surely wasn't doing it on purpose, saying that would just be an unfair accusation.
"…Thank you very much."
"Y-Yeah. I… tried my best, for what it’s worth…"
Yuji seemed to be acting as calm as ever, but I could tell.
That was the face of someone desperately trying to suppress a grin. The corner of his mouth was twitching, so there was no mistaking it.
Honestly… if he was happy, he should just be honest about it.
"…Yu…ji…? Natsu…mi-san?"
Ah… this might be bad.
Perhaps she sensed something unsettling in their exchange. Eri's expression began to take on a dark tinge.
"…They finally made a move. Honestly, becoming timid when it involves herself is Natsumi’s worst habit."
"…Sara-san?"
"Fufu… shall we watch over those two for a while?"
"…Understood."
It felt a little heavy, but I supposed Sara-san was worried about Natsumi-senpai in her own way.
However, I was more concerned about Eri's state than those two.
Now that the situation had reached this point, Yuji and Natsumi-senpai had no choice but to report their relationship. I wondered what would happen to Eri when she found out.
Would she be okay?
In more ways than one…
"Ah, Yuzuki-senpai made a bento for Tachibana-kun! It’s the same reason as Marina… wait? But Tachibana-kun goes to a different school…"
"…Natsumi… you… could it be?"
Uesaka-san seemed to have reacted sharply to Natsumi-senpai's unusual behavior and cut straight to the chase.
With a slight smile, he spoke while staring intently into Natsumi-senpai's eyes, as if confirming his suspicions.
Then, Natsumi-senpai gave Uesaka-san a slightly embarrassed smile and gave a small nod.
"I see… I’ve finally been beaten to the punch. But, congratulations, Natsumi."
"Yeah… thanks, Daichi."
I felt like I sensed something unique in the gentle atmosphere flowing between them.
There was too much of a vibe for them to be just friends, but it was different from a romantic one. It was like I could feel the "weight" of their shared history.
That was probably the kind of connection between childhood friends that we didn't fully understand.
Childhood friends… huh.
"E-Er… well, you see, Eririn, actually…"
Natsumi-senpai hesitated, looking quite embarrassed.
Eri seemed to be taking it more calmly than I expected. But her expression was still a bit stiff.
"W-Whaaaaat!? By any chance, are Tachibana-kun and Yuzuki-senpai dating!?"
"Y-Yeah…"
Looking completely red, Natsumi-senpai nodded. Yuji was staring intently at her, and when their eyes met, Natsumi-senpai looked down immediately.
She was acting so much like a maiden.
"Whoa! Amazing, amazing!! Congratulations!! Or rather, since when!?"
"I’d like to hear that too. Keeping such an important thing from a friend since kindergarten is a bit cold, don't you think?"
"Right!? Or rather, Takanashi-kun and the others don't look surprised. The fact that Marina has no reaction means you guys already knew!?"
"Ah, sorry, I was the one who asked them to stay quiet. It was important, so I wanted to say it myself."
Before we could say anything to follow up, Natsumi-senpai explained the truth.
Though, I’m sure I wasn't the only one thinking, "You were just too embarrassed to say it before, weren't you?"
"I see. Sorry, Marina."
"No, I’m sorry too, Yoko, for making you feel left out."
"Honestly… because Natsumi took so long to say it, her junior ended up feeling awkward."
"I-I’m sorry. But I can't be as open about it as you are!!"
"There should be no need to restrain yourself just to get along with your precious person, should there?"
"You should care about what people think a bit more! And exercise some restraint!!"
At Natsumi-senpai's retort, everyone for some reason nodded in agreement and looked over here.
Well, I was aware that we’d caused quite a few scenes, so I supposed it couldn't be helped. Even so, I wouldn't change, nor did I intend to in the future.
The reason? Because it made me happy, obviously. And besides…
"You say the strangest things. Why should I have to exercise restraint in being close with Kazunari-san? And as for public eyes, we should just be dignified about our love."
As expected, I completely agreed with Sara-san's opinion.
Though I did feel like everyone's gazes were saying, "These two are hopeless…"
"Well, putting the stupid couple aside… with that said, I look forward to your continued friendship."
"We look forward to it as well."
As the two of them bowed together, everyone—including me—gave them a congratulatory round of applause.
Sara-san gave a wry smile and clapped, while Natsumi-senpai, who was predictably embarrassed, kept her head slightly lowered.
However… what really concerned me was Eri's condition.
She didn't look particularly upset, and looking at her now, she seemed normal. Almost too normal, to the point where it felt eerie.
Wait, come to think of it, was Eri even clapping?
Actually, has she even said a word for a while?
"N-Now, that’s enough of that! Let's get back to our bentos!"
"That's right. Now, Kazunari-san, let's eat."
"I still have some of my bento left too, so let's continue with the aahn."
"Todo-san, I’ll take you up on that food again."
"Y-Yeah, here!"
"Natsumi-san, if I said I wanted an aahn…"
"Impossible!! Don't get carried away!!"
Everyone was acting harmoniously, and they didn't seem to have noticed Eri's abnormality.
No, wait, was Uesaka-san aware?
When I looked at him past Eri, Uesaka-san also sent back a puzzled signal with his eyes.
"Um, Nishikawa-san, are you okay?"
"N-Nishikawa-san?"
Even when I spoke to her, and even when Uesaka-san followed up, Eri didn't respond.
No matter how you looked at it, this was bad.
"S-Sara-san, Nishikawa-san is…"
"…Eri, what's wrong?"
Sara-san, who noticed the abnormality thanks to my pointing it out, spoke to her, but Eri still didn't respond. Her eyes were open, though… and come to think of it, her expression hadn't changed at all.
"H-Hey, Eririn? Hellooo, Eririiiin!?"
"N-Nishikawa-san!!"
"Are you all right!?"
Everyone else watching us finally seemed to have noticed and started calling out to Eri one after another.
But Eri herself was completely non-responsive.
Wait a second… could this be…
"E-Eririiiin!?"
When Natsumi-senpai waved her hand in front of Eri's eyes and then shook her shoulders in a panic…
Her neck lolled to the side.
"E-Eririiiiiiiiiiin!!!????"
Ignoring Natsumi-senpai's scream, she looked like a character who had burned out after a long battle.
Or rather… she had been unconscious this whole time?
I see, no wonder she didn't react at all to such shocking news.
Right, right, that makes sense… wait, no, it doesn't!
"Hey, Nishikawa-san!?"
"Eri, stop joking… wait, are you really unconscious!?"
Having finally realized the gravity of the situation, even the usually calm Sara-san began to call out in a panic. Even so, Eri didn't react at all.
Wait, this was really bad, wasn't it?
"Sigh… it can't be helped."
However, Hanako-san, who was the only one who seemed calm, stood up with a sigh. For some reason, she went behind Eri, pulled her arms together, and took some kind of stance.
Something… I felt like I'd seen in an anime or manga.
With a cute shout of "Ei!", Hanako-san delivered a sharp blow to Eri's back.
"Hah!?"
Then Eri's head snapped up, and her eyes popped wide open.
"Eeeeeeeeeeeeh!?"
Wait, did stuff like this actually happen outside of manga!?
It was a joke, right? It had to be a joke.
This was one of those "This is fiction, so good children shouldn't copy this" kind of things, right?
Hanako-san was truly a mystery.
"Huh, what in the world did I…"
"A-Are you okay, Eririn!?"
"Nishikawa-san!?"
Muttering a template phrase that made me want to retort, "Is this a gag manga!", Eri looked around to check the situation.
"Eri, are you all right?"
"Sara? Y-Yes, I don't really know, but I feel like I was having a dream."
"A dream… was it?"
"I had a dream that Natsumi started dating Tachibana-kun. Fufu, what a dream… yes… a dream… a dream… a dream… it was just a dream…"
I didn't know why, but I had a very bad feeling.
Eri, who was looking down and repeating "dream," started to shake with a mysterious trembling. Suddenly, she snapped her eyes wide open and glared at Natsumi-senpai!
Scary!
"Hiiiiiiiiii!!"
Todo-san and Tachikawa-san's screams were like something out of a horror movie.
If her head started spinning around now, it would be just like a scene from an exorcism movie.
By the way, Hanako-san had already evacuated and was casually sitting right next to me.
"H-H-Hey, Eririn, calm down, calm down!! You're scary, that face is scary!!"
"Natsumi, answer me… did you start dating Tachibana-kun?"
"Y-Yeah, that's right… but anyway, just calm down already!"
Natsumi-senpai let out a cry that was a mix of terror and a roar. Just how much fear was drifting in that space?
Was this really a horror movie?
"I see… I see… congratulations, Natsumi. I offer you my heartfelt blessings."
"Eririn?"
"My feelings of congratulation are not a lie. It's a wonderful thing for a best friend to find a wonderful partner and be united with them. However…"
"E-Eririn… wait a…?"
"However… that is that, and this is this… you see?"
Eri continued talking calmly with a blank expression. Around her… was that a shadow?
No, no, it must be an illusion. There's no way such a thing could actually happen.
But… even so, oh even so.
I felt like I could see it. I was seeing it.
A vast, black aura was gushing out of Eri, enveloping her.
"Wh…"
"Why?"
"WHY IS IT ALWAYS MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!"
"ERIRIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIN!!!!"
Then, Eri's scream and Natsumi-senpai's scream echoed into the sky. It felt as if even the clear blue sky was being enveloped by the darkness of night.
…Am I half-asleep?
……………
"Anyway… anyway, someone like me… will just… have an arranged marriage… eventually… some man will just come along and hit on me for my status…"
To Eri, who was currently in the middle of a dark awakening, I honestly couldn't find any words to say.
I feel like she said something significant the other day too; maybe something had happened again regarding men or arranged marriages.
"Eririn, you've just been unlucky until now. Someone like you will definitely be okay."
"That's right, Nishikawa-san, people won't leave a wonderful woman like you alone! Or rather, if you say that, then what am I supposed to do?"
The female officers were trying to follow up, for what it was worth, but there was no sign of her recovering.
However, putting aside Tachikawa-san, Natsumi-senpai's current voice felt like it might be having the opposite effect.
Since Sara-san knew that, she was just watching over Eri with concern without saying anything.
"…Sigh… Kazunari-san won't be able to eat his meal…"
"…Wife, I understand your feelings, but your voice is leaking out."
Um… you’re worried about her… right?
"Um, could I have a moment?"
Suddenly, an unexpected voice spoke up, and everyone's gazes gathered on one point. It was the special guest for this occasion, Former Student Council President Uesaka-san.
Until now, it felt like he was just being swept along by the atmosphere, so what happened all of a sudden?
"I think I understand the current situation somewhat… but I’d like to tell Nishikawa-san what I’ve felt today."
"…Uesaka-san?"
This apparently caught Eri's interest, as the aura of the dark awakening receded just a little.
I was also very curious about what Uesaka-san was going to say.
"I think this is something I noticed precisely because I’m someone who didn't have a clear connection with Nishikawa-san, unlike everyone else here. In the time we’ve spent so far today, my image of Nishikawa-san has changed in a good way."
"Image… you say?"
"Yes. My image of Nishikawa-san was that, at first glance, she seemed sociable, but somewhere she felt unapproachable… in a different sense from Satsukawa-san, I felt like there was something like a wall."
Hmm… Uesaka-san's story didn't really ring a bell for me.
In fact, I’d never had such an impression. My basic image of Eri was that she was a sociable, friendly, and reliable big sister type. I’d never felt anything like a wall.
"…As I thought, the rest of you don't seem to have felt that way. That’s enviable in its own way. Anyway, that was the impression I had. But by seeing various sides of Nishikawa-san today, the image in my mind changed all at once. How should I put it? You’ve become very approachable."
"………"
Eri, who was listening in silence, looked a bit surprised. Was it because he pointed out something she hadn't been aware of, or because he’d hit the nail on the head? Or perhaps…
"My apologies, I haven't really organized what I want to say myself. It’s just… to me, Nishikawa-san is a noble, very dependable, and respectable… very attractive person. And yet she was a bit hard to approach, and even though I wanted to be friends with her, I didn't know how to go about it. But the current Nishikawa-san is very approachable, and I feel much more humanity from her than back then. I’m sure you’ve always shown such a friendly side to those close to you, right?"
"…Well, I haven't really been conscious of it myself."
This was assuming Uesaka-san's story was true.
If the reason we were accepted so easily by Eri was that our meeting was mediated through her best friends, Sara-san and Natsumi-senpai, it would be a simple reason but a convincing one. It was just a hypothesis, though.
However, putting that aside, I think the words that Uesaka-san had come to feel more friendly toward Eri were definitely true.
Why? Because his way of speaking had changed.
Uesaka-san had been using polite language toward Eri. But now, he was speaking the same way as he did with us.
This change was probably proof that the image of Eri had changed within Uesaka-san.
"I think it was unconscious. That’s why I find Nishikawa-san more attractive than ever. Even the parts of you that seem a bit scatterbrained… I even find them cute."
"C-Cu—!? I-Is that so?"
On Eri's expression, which had been like a mask until now, a clear look of embarrassment appeared. It felt like the black aura had thinned out.
By the way, Natsumi-senpai was looking at Uesaka-san with a strange grin. Please stop that, he’s finally getting into a good groove.
"In other words, er, what I want to say is that Nishikawa-san's charm becomes even more apparent after a certain amount of interaction…"
"H-Hey, Uesaka-san?"
"At the very least, I think Nishikawa-san is a very attractive woman, so I wanted to tell you not to be so pessimistic…"
"I-I understand, I already understand! Please leave it at that…"
"Eh? …Ah!?"
When Uesaka-san's mouth finally stopped at Eri's embarrassed words, his expression seemed to say, "I’ve done it now."
"Boy, Daichi… that was quite a passionate speech, wasn't it?"
"N-N-No, it wasn't like that, I just—"
"No, no, that was hotter than any speech you gave for the Student Council. Don't you think so, Eririn?"
"N-Natsumi, that’s enough. Uesaka-san was just being considerate of me. And Uesaka-san, thank you too. Well, I haven't really been told things like that before, so I was happy."
I don't know how Eri took it, but it seemed she didn't feel bad about it.
At least the aura of the dark awakening seemed to have dissipated.
But judging by the way she was speaking, maybe she didn't take it entirely seriously, or maybe she was just hiding her embarrassment. I wonder?
"Um… no, me too, I just got caught up in the moment…"
"Fufu… Uesaka-san doesn't have that kind of image, so I was a bit surprised. But really, thank you very much. Well… I was happy. And Natsumi, I’m sorry too. Congratulations once again."
Whatever the case, thanks to Uesaka-san, it seemed Eri had regained her usual self. The atmosphere of the place had brightened up too, so in that sense, it was a big help.
"Now, let's get back to our lunch. Uesaka-san, please be sure to eat my bento too, okay?"
"A-Ah. I’ll gratefully accept."
And it felt like Eri's attitude toward Uesaka-san had changed just a little, becoming softer.
I didn't know for sure yet, though.