When I returned to the terrace with the ice cream, Amanatsu was still standing there frozen in place.
Hiiragi was gesturing frantically as she desperately tried to talk her down.
"Nakina, it's really not like that! Calm down!"
"Uuu, of course it'd end up like this. The popular girls get all the guys—that's just the harsh reality of the world... After all, I'm just a bronze-rank girl."
A tremendous aura of pure negativity radiated off her.
I set the cup of ice cream down on the table.
"Just sit down already. Here, this is Hulk's ice cream."
She hesitantly took a seat and nodded, murmuring a quiet, "Thank you."
I figured I should clear the air right away.
"Hiiragi and I aren't in that kind of relationship, no matter what you're imagining."
"...Really?"
"Why on earth would I fall for a girl like this?"
"Right, but weren't you secretly all excited and trying to hide your embarrassment on a date?"
What a pain!
As my face instinctively twisted into a scowl, Hiiragi jumped in to complain this time.
"Calling me 'a girl like this'—isn't that way too mean to say about a friend?!"
Since when did I become your friend?
Why did I even have to walk on eggshells around Amanatsu in the first place?
I understood how she felt, but I made a point of regularly telling her that I didn't have romantic feelings for her.
Even knowing that, Amanatsu was the one who chose to stay by my side.
Then again, maybe I was to blame as well.
Whenever I was around her, I somehow always ended up playing caretaker.
Just a moment ago, I had nearly bought an ice cream for her out of sheer habit...
The precarious, clumsy way Amanatsu carried herself reminded me too much of my childhood friend back before we had our falling out.
I still hadn't broken the habit of fussing over people.
"Nakina, come on, you know I already have a darling I've sworn my heart to, right?"
"Sakura, your darling is totally imaginary, though."
"N-No, he's not! He actually exists!"
"Then how come you still haven't been able to find him?"
"T-That's because of complicated circumstances... Sheesh, Nakina, are you saying you really think I'm the kind of girl who would betray a friend?!"
"!?"
Snapping back to her senses, Amanatsu shook her head frantically.
"I-I'm sorry! I guess I just lost my head from the shock! Sakura, you're not that kind of person at all!"
"Ehehe, as long as you get it, we're all good!"
The mood had finally softened, but hold on a second.
Didn't an insane piece of information just get dropped...? Wait, Hiiragi's boyfriend was an imaginary person?
That had to be the biggest shock I'd gotten all year.
Puffing out her chest, Hiiragi spoke with utter confidence.
"Nakina, no matter what happens, you can trust me!"
"S-Sakuraaa."
"Fufu! Even if heaven and earth were flipped upside down, even if Japan were overrun with zombies and Hatsukade and I were the only two survivors left, that kind of thing would never happen! Why? Because I am Amanatsu Nakina's best friend!"
"Uuu, you're my best friend for life!"
Hard to believe those words were coming from someone actively outing her best friend's crush in a public setting.
Yet for some reason, Amanatsu nodded in deeply moved agreement, chiming, "Uh-huh, uh-huh!"
"I really lost it back there. Hehe, I was so flustered that even my taste buds feel totally out of whack."
Amanatsu muttered this while actively eating the dog ice cream.
I glanced down at Hulk, who was lying flat on the ground.
As Rooney-kun enthusiastically licked him all over, Hulk remained completely motionless. I cast a look of deep pity his way.
You have a rough time of it too, don't you?
◇
Taking the leash from Amanatsu, I fed Hulk the replacement ice cream I had gone back to buy.
True to his past as a retired police dog, he looked remarkably dignified.
Exuding the steady presence of a seasoned veteran... Man, he was cool.
Even so, it was rare to see a pet that took after its owner so little.
"By the way, Hiiragi, is it true that your boyfriend is imaginary?"
"Oho, did you finally get interested, Hatsukade?"
"Yeah."
Out of concern for your sanity, that is.
"Everyone says he's not real, but he actually exists. You see, he's the person who saved my life."
Narrowing her eyes with a dreamy, blissful look, Hiiragi began her tale.
"Back in elementary school, I was about to get seriously hurt when he swooped in out of nowhere and saved me. But I haven't been able to see him ever since. It was just a one-time encounter, so I don't even know his name."
"Are you telling me you've been searching for that guy ever since elementary school?"
"Yep, because we made a promise when we parted. We told each other, 'See you again.' He was super cool, you know. The whole reason I started posting on social media was hoping he might notice me. Practicing my cooking, working hard on my makeup every single day—it's all so that when we finally meet again, he'll fall in love with me!"
"...You're kind of incredible, you know that?"
"Right?!"
I meant that entirely sincerely, without a shred of sarcasm.
It was undeniably romantic and bordering on a fairy tale, but holding onto those feelings for years and actively channeling them into concrete effort wasn't something just anyone could pull off.
What's more, she had never wallowed in despair, staying relentlessly positive the entire time.
Maybe I had underestimated this classmate of mine named Sakura Hiiragi.
Well, that didn't change the fact that I still disliked her.
Even so, I had undoubtedly gained a tiny bit of respect for her.
A soft chuckle escaped my lips before I could stop it.
"I hope you find him again."
"..."
Hiiragi tilted her head with a puzzled, wide-eyed blink.
Then, breaking into a beaming smile, she gave an energetic nod.
"Yeah! You'd better cheer me on!"
For some reason, Amanatsu was blushing beet red, puffing out her cheeks in complex dissatisfaction as she grumbled under her breath.
"That right there... that effortless delivery! If it had been anyone other than Sakura, that would've hit a maiden's heart dead center! You're way too oblivious, Hatsukade-kun... but that's what makes you so greaaat..."
Watching Amanatsu mutter to herself while Hiiragi beamed without a care in the world, I found myself thinking that even when Shinonome apologized to the two of them tomorrow, things would probably turn out just fine.
Until that moment actually arrived, that is.