“…Guess we should head home, too.”
“…”
“…”
“…?”
Once Sasaki-san and her friends departed, silence finally returned to the area. It felt as though a great storm had just passed. Simultaneously, the day’s fatigue came crashing down on me all at once, making me want to crawl into bed and sleep. That was why I suggested heading home, but for some reason, neither of them gave me an answer.
“Um—hieek?!”
Wondering what was wrong, I turned around only to find Natsukawa and Ashida looking at me with half-closed eyes. A sharp gasp escaped my throat. The pressure they were emitting was incredible; I had a very bad feeling about this.
“…A college student, huh?”
“Ah, no, well, that was just a misunderstanding on my part, or rather…”
“I wonder.”
Ashida curtly turned her head away. It went without saying that my incredibly embarrassing blunder had been completely exposed to both of them. I felt like saying anything more would only make my position worse, so I couldn't find a way to talk back.
To settle the situation, I had to change the atmosphere. I needed to make a strategic retreat immediately…!
“—Wait, what?”
I tried to get ready to leave, but the bag that was supposed to be sitting on the bench was gone. My wallet was inside, so I’d be in serious trouble if it went missing. In this emergency, I forgot my embarrassment and panicked.
“N-Natsukawa! Do you know where the bag I put here—eh?”
Natsukawa continued to look up at me with those judgmental, half-lidded eyes. However, her posture had changed slightly since a moment ago. Following her gaze, there it sat—perched right atop her white thighs peeking out from her skirt.
My bag was being cradled in Natsukawa’s lap as if it were trying to say, “I’m Airi-chan.” It was such sacred territory that I couldn't possibly lay a hand on it. Hey, that’s foul play, Natsukawa. And you, bag—swap places with me right now.
“Here.”
“O-Oh.”
“…”
“…Um.”
She held it out normally. I reached out and grabbed it to take it back. But that was strange… Natsukawa-san wasn't letting go at all. Wow, she had a surprisingly strong grip.
Wait, what was this? Was she teasing me? Was this a declaration of “Take it if you can”? But her face didn't look like that at all… Why was she looking up at me with such an unsatisfied expression?
“…A college student, right?”
“Kohyuu…!”
It was the exact same line Ashida had used. And yet, the Attack Power was on a whole different level. My mental state was shredded in a single blow. My chest felt so tight it was as if two-thirds of my heart had been snatched away.
“…I’m an idiot.”
I had no choice but to honestly nod and admit that I was indeed a fool.
◆
It was Ashida’s decisive word—her line of “Well, let’s head home”—that finally made Natsukawa stand up. For the next twenty minutes, I followed behind the two of them as they walked together. Feeling as though I were being subjected to some mysterious public execution, I had essentially become a lingering ghost. Honestly, I was nothing but a pervert at this point.
“I guess I go this way.”
We reached a fork in the road a short walk from the school gate. It seemed Ashida was taking a different route home. Come to think of it, I recalled Ashida complaining before about her house being in the opposite direction from Natsukawa’s. The family restaurant we stopped at before was also somewhere in between.
“See ya later, Aichi! And you too, Sajocchi!”
“The ‘too’ was unnecessary. Later.”
“…”
“…Natsukawa?”
While I was used to Ashida’s teasing and retorted out of habit, I felt a sense of unease that Natsukawa, standing beside me, only raised her hand and didn't say a word in return. As we walked, I stepped forward to peek at Natsukawa’s expression, and her face was far from a “smiling goodbye.”
“Haa… Gosh, Aichi is just so cute…”
“…?”
Natsukawa looked gloomy, but seeing that, Ashida’s cheeks turned peachy pink as she began to writhe in delight. While I was always happy to see the two of them in a Yuri-esque moment, I had no idea what was going on. Was it not that serious of a matter…?
“Ai-chi. Let’s play together soon. Airi-chan, too.”
“Ah…”
Ashida invited Natsukawa to hang out. I had to say, she was quite impressive for including Airi-chan in the invitation. Natsukawa’s expression brightened with joy as if she had been saved. Wasn’t that a bit of an extreme change?
Wait, aren’t these two really a bit much? Especially you, Ashida—are you a doting boyfriend who senses his girlfriend’s loneliness and invites her out? Are they seriously in that kind of relationship… Good, do it more. The nostalgic feeling of the road home at sunset makes it even better. May I take a photo?
…Eh? So wait, was she seriously lonely? Ashida must still be busy with the Volleyball Club, so even if they were to play, it seemed like their schedules wouldn't align easily… As the (self-proclaimed) Captain of the Natsukawa Support Squad, I didn't want her to feel that way, but I couldn't exactly blame Ashida for this.
“…Really?”
“I mean, we haven't played once since summer vacation started! I hate that!”
“Yeah…… Yeah!”
Precious.
Wonderful, good job, Ashida. Not only was the atmosphere exactly to my liking, but Natsukawa had such a radiant smile…! Just seeing this gave me the vitality to go on. I felt like even if a wave of customers suddenly rushed into my part-time job tomorrow, I could handle them all with ease!
Man, School Report Day really wasn't a waste after all. I used to think it was stupid that happiness would return in proportion to how much I struggled, but it seemed I wasn't entirely wrong. To end the day with Natsukawa’s happy face—if this wasn't a grand finale, then what—
“Hey…”
“Eh.”
Wait, why did she suddenly turn this way—ah, crap, I was staring too much.
Only now did I realize my own posture. I was a guy leaning forward and staring intently at two high school girls flirting three meters away. Moreover, I had no memory of blinking. My eyeballs were bone-dry. Just how absorbed was I… I was a total creep.
Natsukawa slowly walked toward me. She was looking down slightly, and due to the height difference, I couldn't see her complexion. Perhaps due to the tension of expecting a scolding, Natsukawa’s wavy hair seemed to sway and fan out around her. I’d probably die if she told me I was disgusting.
“Um… sorr—”
“Wataru, too.”
“Eh.”
“…………Is that no good?”
It’s not no good (Reflex response).
I should have been able to say it like that as usual, but Natsukawa’s Purification Function was simply too powerful, and I couldn't give an immediate answer. I didn't need any convoluted phrasing; she really was just too cute. My face started to heat up. Seriously? This wasn't a dream, right? I was being invited right now, wasn't I? She wasn't going to say it was a lie later, right? You idiot, Natsukawa isn't the kind of girl who would do that.
“…Is it no good?”
“I-It’s not no good…!”
Doing it twice was dangerous. Twice was definitely dangerous.
She was so cute. How else was I supposed to express this? My vocabulary was useless here… Should I prostrate myself? Should I just prostrate myself right here?
“What are you panicking for…?”
Who do you think is responsible for this, you Goddess…!! Don’t think I can just talk to a beautiful woman so calmly! Honestly, my eyes were practically darting all over the place! So please don’t look at me so directly…!
“…Then—”
Natsukawa shot a glance at me and Ashida respectively, making me writhe with her embarrassed gesture, before finally delivering the killing blow with an upward glance.
“C-Can I…… message you?”
“Guh?!” —Overkill
“Hauh?!” —Full Recovery
It was a level of destructive power that felt like a boulder being hurled into my meager heart. To begin with, Natsukawa wasn't normally that kind of character, was she? Perhaps it was because she had been so cold until now that the gap in her personality was hitting me especially hard. My legs felt like they were going to give out. If she showed me any more, I might accidentally run away; what should I do?
Ashida was… yeah, she was done for. She was visibly spaced out; had she seriously awakened to that side? I understood the feeling. I was sure that even if I had been born a girl, I would have fallen for Natsukawa.
“Ai-chiii…! I know I’m all sweaty and gross, but can I hug you one more time?!”
“Sajoo Stop!”
The fact that she was formally asking for permission was seriously dangerous. At this point, it wasn't even my thing anymore; since they were both girls, they should just flirt without bothering to ask. That was what made it good…!
“Don’t stop me, Sajocchi…! Since we’re both girls, there shouldn't be any problem!”
“Don’t go out of your way to put it into words!”
To think Ashida would fall before me… Unlike me, she didn't have to worry about sexual harassment, so her self-restraint was non-existent. That was close… if this were a place with no people passing by, I would have actually been encouraging it…!
“Um…”
“Be careful, Natsukawa… The current Ashida is a bigger pervert than me!”
“M-More than Wataru…?”
“Sorry, could you forget about me for a second?”
Why did she have such a strong reaction to the “than me” part? Did that mean she had thought of me as a pervert for a while now? Seriously, I’d been found out. Was it bad to linger in the back to catch her scent…? Of course it was bad.
“Ai-chi… you can message me anytime.”
“…Eh? I thought you were already messaging Ashida.”
“Since summer vacation started… Kei seemed busy.”
“You didn't have to be so considerate!”
Was that what they called courtesy among female friends? I felt like she didn't need to be that considerate, just like Ashida said… but it felt a hundred times better than making a racket in a group chat in the middle of the night. I liked that methodical side of her, too. Please be happy.
“Since Ashida said it’s fine, why don’t you just send them rapidly?”
“…………………What about Wataru?”
“Of cour-th…!?”
Well, I bit my tongue.
Well, it hurt.