【Want to see it? Should I post it? Should I?】
【Stop it.】
【Absolutely do not do that.】
【Gross.】
The voices of concern quickly devolved into verbal abuse, and I replied that I was safe with a mindset that I wouldn't hesitate to file a legal request for the disclosure of their identities. Not that it mattered, since they already knew my face. As usual, the girls' barbs had high attack power. I felt the effects of the painkillers vanish in an instant. Ow, ow, ow...
As if to deal a finishing blow, images of everyone enjoying the Cultural Festival after-party were posted one after another in the group chat. It was good to see them having fun. I was glad that I hadn't dampened everyone's spirits. Actually, I felt a little lonely; I found myself wishing someone would send a video instead of just pictures... just to get a feel for the atmosphere.
"......Sigh......"
Lying on my bed, my silent room was a stark contrast to the liveliness radiating from the screen. As I lay on my back and listened, I could hear the faint sound of a car passing by somewhere in the distance. To make sure I didn't accidentally jerk my left hand, I gently placed my right hand, still gripping my phone, on the bed. Why did things turn out like this...?
"......Hm?"
Even though I had the chat screen open, my phone began to vibrate. Someone was calling me...?
I picked up my forearm, which felt strangely heavy as if losing to gravity, and looked at the screen.
"!? Natsuka—ghh!?"
Startled by the name displayed, the phone slipped from my hand. It landed perfectly on the bridge of my nose, making me see stars. I see... so this was what an unlucky day felt like. Now I finally got it. You were the mastermind behind everything...
"Na-Nafukawa..."
I didn't even have to wonder why. Thinking back to when I was persistently following her, she had even gone through the trouble of asking Yamazaki where my house was just to visit me out of concern. This was the natural kindness of Natsukawa that I knew so well.
Holding my nose, I managed to sit up using only my abdominal muscles, picked up the phone, and slid my finger across the screen.
"He-Hello—Wait!?"
The moment the call connected and I tried to bring it to my ear, Natsukawa’s face appeared on the screen. I shouted out at the unexpected video call. In a panic, I held the phone out in front of me, and my right arm transformed into a living selfie stick. On the screen, Natsukawa was looking back with an anxious expression.
"——Are you okay?"
『That’s my line!』
【Bad News】 Natsukawa is angry.
I definitely chose the wrong words... but I couldn't think of the right ones either. My second choice would have been "Do you need something?", but I could only imagine Natsukawa getting even angrier at that. I guess I really didn't have any composure right now.
"S-Sorry, did I make you worry?"
『That's... right! You weren't there when I went back to the classroom, some senior I didn't know was taking your bag away... and he said you were heading to the hospital...』
"......"
I felt the corners of my eyebrows drop. Natsukawa was still Natsukawa. A kind, caring, and cute girl. She was so perfectly my type that I almost doubted reality. Maybe the punchline was that I'd been logged into a VRMMO for three years now. I had made such an ideal person look so sad. I hesitated to find the right response, feeling more certain than ever that I couldn't tell her the whole truth about how it happened.
『......Are you really okay?』
Whether she was looking at me on her screen or not, Natsukawa was looking slightly below the camera lens. It felt embarrassing to be stared at so intently. Even though we weren't looking directly into each other's eyes, I couldn't help but look away.
『Wait, let me see you properly.』
"Ah, yeah...?"
Getting scolded a bit, I hurriedly moved back into the frame. Did she really want to look at me that much? I wondered which part of my face she was inspecting... I'd like to know her evaluation criteria. I'd focus on refining that area from now on. I wondered how she'd react if I suddenly struck a cool pose...
『Kyah...!?』
"!"
While my heart fluttered at my dangerous thoughts, someone suddenly glomped Natsukawa from behind on the other side of the screen. The phone shook, and the video became distorted. I couldn't see the face, but it was Ashida. It was Ashida, right? If it wasn't a girl, I was confident I'd faint. Please be Ashida...!
『I caught the culprit who was monopolizing Sajocchi!』
『K-Kei...! M-Monopolizing... that's not it!』
『Yahoo, Sajocchi. Are you safe...? Why are you breathing a sigh of relief?』
『Ah, that hand...』
I felt a wave of relief at the sight of a proper Yuri-pple. Not that I wouldn't have appreciated it if it were another girl, but I was glad it wasn't some guy's forced sexual harassment. But my relief was short-lived as they spotted my left hand wrapped in bandages. At least it was the back of my hand they were seeing.
"No, well, it's just like I sent to the group. I messed up during the Cultural Festival cleanup."
『They said it... pierced your hand.』
"Yeah, yeah, a tool went like, shred."
『Ugh...』
The two of them probably imagined the moment of the injury; they squeezed their eyes shut immediately after I spoke, looking like they were enduring the pain themselves. I felt bad for making them worry, but they were adorable. I felt like I could kiss the screen right now... but I stopped myself. I didn't need to create a new dark history for myself.
『......Um, are you really okay? No aftereffects or...』
"I can't say for sure yet."
『I see...』
『I hope it heals properly.』
"Well, yeah..."
Being seriously worried about made me feel bashful. For now, I'd conveyed that I was okay, and I didn't want to disrupt their after-party any further. I wanted them to enjoy themselves for my sake as well.
"Thanks. You're at karaoke now, right? Sorry for ruining the mood while you're having fun."
『Eh? Wait.』
"There's no point in talking to me forever. Ashida, send me a video of Natsukawa singing."
『Eh—? I wonder who was recording earlier?』
『W-Wait! I was being recorded!? Hold on!』
"Heh heh heh."
Ashida moved away from Natsukawa and disappeared from the screen. Judging by Natsukawa's reaction, it seemed Ashida had headed back to the karaoke room first. Natsukawa, unable to chase after her, gave up on trying to stop her. She sighed and glared at me with scornful eyes.
『You seem to have plenty of composure.』
"I said I'm sorry."
『Geez...』
Perhaps remembering the fact that she had been recorded singing, Natsukawa turned red and looked away. I see, so she had been singing... I really wanted to hear her live. I truly regretted getting injured like this.
『......Can you come to school?』
"Piece of cake. I can go, I can go. Probably."
『You're so optimistic...』
This was probably the umpteenth time I'd seen that exasperated face. It surely rivaled or exceeded Airi-chan's. I felt like her expression had softened considerably compared to when the call first started. It seemed like I finally managed to put her at ease through this video call.
"Tell everyone that I seemed energetic. It'll be more convincing coming from you or Ashida."
『Yeah——Wa-Wait... Um, that I talked to Wataru... to everyone?』
"Please. I don't want them to think it's too serious."
『Ye-Yeah... You're right. Serious——Ah, Ichinose-san...』
"Hm? Ichinose-san?"
At the sudden mention of the name, I couldn't help but ask back. As her former senior at work, as her spiritual father, and as a guardian spirit replacing her real brother, I was naturally concerned. I wondered if Ichinose-san was singing karaoke too... I really wanted to hear it.
『Ichinose-san... didn't come to the after-party.』
"Eh, really?"
『She said she has her part-time job...』
Even though Shirai-san and Okamo-chan were trying their hardest to invite her... But she probably didn't like noisy places like karaoke in the first place. It wasn't hard to imagine she wouldn't be keen on it. A rowdy party like this was still too early for Ichinose-san... Wait? Ichinose-san?
".........Ah."
『?』
"Tomorrow's substitute holiday, I have a date with Ichinose-san."
『H-Huh!? A date!?』
"No, look, the thing about going to buy a bookshelf. The one Ashida said she wanted to go to as well."
『Ah...』
Going to buy a bookshelf, a date... hmm. It might be difficult with my left hand in this state. Even my talk about being able to go to school earlier was based on the assumption that I'd rest properly during tomorrow's substitute holiday. I also felt hesitant about showing Ichinose-san my painful-looking left hand all day... I could easily picture her being overly worried.
『......I see. That's why Ichinose-san was looking for Wataru back then......』
"Eh?"
『Hey... Wataru. Make sure to contact Ichinose-san later. She seemed a bit unsettled after Ms. Ohtsuki explained about you...』
"O-Oh... I get it."
『Promise me, okay?』
Ichinose-san... Indeed, if she heard that I had been injured and went to the hospital, she'd probably worry more than necessary. Including the fact that tomorrow's date might be difficult, I had to apologize properly.
『I-I mean...』
"Hm?"
『W-Why... do you go out of your way to call it a "date"? You're just going to buy a bookshelf and nothing else is going to happen, so it's just "going out", right?』
"Oof."
Wh-When she put it that way... N-No, a boy and a girl with a decent amount of rapport going out together in private clothes on their day off—that should definitely be called a date. It absolutely wasn't because Ichinose-san gets a little shy and hides her cute face every time I call it a "date" that I chose that word. Absolutely not.
『W-Were you planning to do something!?』
"I-I didn't say anything like that! Since a guy and a girl are going out together, it's already a date!"
『You're not going out to have fun! You're just doing some shopping together!』
"That's already enough to be a 'date'!"
『A date is based on the premise of "that kind of relationship" to begin with! Y-you're misunderstanding things, aren't you?』
"Wh-What a heartless thing to say..."
Spare me...! Don't say any more than that, Lady Natsukawa! That was the act of thrusting a sharp halberd named reality into a man's pure heart! And to have the girl who rejected me say it was the definition of overkill. Why were you more emotional about this than when you rejected my confession...?
"F-Fine, whatever... Anyway, I'm injured so I can't go out tomorrow anyway. Whether it's a date or not, I can't go..."
『Ah, h-hey. Don't sulk in such a weird way.』
Hello, I'm the pathetic guy who once made a girl, who was admirably and single-mindedly trying to be independent, prostrate herself, and who furthermore calls going out with such a girl a "date." This was my divine punishment. I'm Mr. Throbbing Left Hand.
"Tell Ashida it's off too... The de—the outi—the luggage carrying."
『I didn't go that far...』
"I don't know if I can postpone it, but maybe another time. I'll talk to Ichinose-san about that as well."
『Eh...? Does that mean you're going out together again some other time?』
"Well, since I'm the one canceling for my own reasons, I have to make it up to her, right? If she says 'never mind,' then that's that."
『I-I see...』
If I recalled, the reason Ichinose-san invited me was because "I can't talk to the shop staff if I'm alone"... Remembering that now, it really didn't feel like a date. It felt like anyone would have been fine as long as they were an acquaintance... Ugh...
『Um... at that time, not just Ichinose-san...』
"Well, that's how it is. You guys enjoy the after-party, okay? See you the day after tomorrow at school."
『Eh, wait. Hol—』
Sniff.
——Inspection.