“I’m going to go grab more drinks.”
“Okay. Mind grabbing mine while you're at it?”
“Sure... you want a Coke and Calpis mix?”
“Hell no! Just a regular Coke!”
“Understood,” I muttered, taking Hashimoto’s cup and stepping out of the room.
Once I reached the hallway, a long sigh escaped my lips—partly from the sudden sense of liberation. As I expected, doing things I wasn’t used to was making my body stiffen up from the tension.
By the way, the group's consensus on my singing voice was that it was "average." Haruka, on the other hand, was incredibly good. According to Takamiya-san, "Your voices really complement each other," though I wasn't sure if that was something I should be happy about...
While I was at the drink bar filling the cups, a voice called out from behind me.
“Yo, Master. You enjoying the party?”
“You’re... Hamasaki. Yeah, more or less.”
Hamasaki was a member of the volleyball club with an excessively flashy, playboy-like look. For some reason, he had started calling me "Master" the moment those rumors about Haruka and me started spreading.
He was clutching five cups in his hands. Noticing the questioning look in my eyes, Hamasaki shrugged.
“The guys in our room were having a contest. We all sang the same song, and whoever got the lowest score had to fetch drinks for everyone.”
“Heh. Sounds like things are pretty lively over there, too.”
According to Hashimoto, the class clowns had all been gathered in that room, so I suppose it made sense.
However, Hamasaki himself looked strangely gloomy. I wondered if something was bothering him.
“...I mean, it is fun. It’s fun, but... I thought this would finally be the chance to talk to her.”
“By 'her'... Ah, you mean Mukai-san.”
Now that I thought about it, I remembered this guy acting suspiciously restless in front of her while she was refereeing our basketball game.
Since he was being so transparent, Hashimoto had obviously caught on. The fact that he’d separated them into different rooms despite that meant there was probably a good reason for it...
“Mukai-san was my first love, Master.”
“...Huh.”
“Don’t give me such a disinterested response!”
“I’m not your master. ...And if you keep pouring, that’s going to spill.”
“Whoops, close one. I might look like this, but I’ve been devoted to volleyball my whole life... Up until now, forget having a girlfriend, I haven't even talked to girls much. I decided I was definitely going to get a girlfriend once I hit high school, so I worked really hard on this makeover!”
“I see. And then you met Mukai-san.”
“Exactly!”
“Whoa.”
I reflexively stepped back as Hamasaki leaned in close, his intensity rising.
Ignoring my cold stare, Hamasaki squeezed his fist tight.
“It happened on the day of the entrance ceremony...”
“Is this story going to be long? I feel like Hashimoto’s going to complain if I don’t get back soon.”
“Wait, wait! At least tell me how Mukai-san is doing in your room?!”
Hamasaki clung to me with a look of pure desperation.
Well... I could understand wanting to know more about the person you liked.
“...Mukai-san was doing some sharp dancing while singing a K-POP song. She looked like she was having a great time. Is that enough?”
“K-POP...! I see, so that’s her type... And dancing, huh? I’m not really good at that... Okay, I’ll go home and search it on OwnTube and start listening to everything...”
Leaving Hamasaki to his mumbling, I headed back to my room.
He seemed to have a bit of a stalker-ish streak, but as long as he didn't actually cause trouble for her, it wasn't my problem. If anything happened, Haruka or Takamiya-san would probably handle it, I thought rudely as I reached the door.
With both hands full of cups, I couldn't turn the handle. I was forced to knock with my knuckle and call out.
“Sorry. My hands are full—could someone open the door?”
“Coming!”
The moment I heard Haruka’s energetic voice, the door swung open.
Welcoming me with a beaming smile, Haruka whispered in a soft voice:
“Welcome back, Tatsumi-kun.”
“...I’m back.”
I’d only been gone for a few minutes, so there was really no need for a "welcome back," but I replied anyway as a matter of politeness.
Perhaps Haruka realized the same thing, as her cheeks flushed slightly and she gave a sheepish smile.
...That exchange just now felt very—...
“...It’s almost like we’re newlyweds, isn't it?”
“I... suppose so.”
I was momentarily captivated by Haruka as she smirked bashfully, looking genuinely happy.
I reflexively averted my eyes... only to meet the gaze of Hashimoto, who was glaring at me with a half-exasperated, half-furious expression. I cleared my throat, and we both returned to our seats.
Hashimoto snatched his cup and took a massive gulp before speaking.
“While I’m sitting here dying of thirst, you two are busy performing a comedy routine. Honestly, I’m starting to regret putting you and Akise-san in the same room.”
“...Sorry. I try to be careful, it just happens.”
“You’re trying and that still happens...? Look, I can tell Akise-san is the one usually pushing the envelope, but you could at least put up a little resistance.”
“...My apologies.”
He was absolutely right.
...I apologized with a humble attitude, but if Haruka were to approach me and I turned her down... would I be able to endure the sad, lonely face she’d make?
Almost reflexively, the answer came to me: absolutely not.
In that case, all I could do was try to guide her to places where we wouldn't be seen... but that seemed like it would just lead to a different set of misunderstandings.
“Anyway, you were gone a while. Did something happen?”
“Yeah. Hamasaki caught me at the drink bar. ...Come to think of it, why did you put him in the other room? Over here, there’s...”
I glanced toward Mukai-san. Hashimoto followed my gaze and made a grimace.
“Despite how he looks, he’s incredibly passive and shy. In front of Mukai-san, he doesn't just get quiet—he completely freezes up like a statue. He wouldn't be able to enjoy the party at all if she were in the room, right?”
“I see...”
“He’s just like that. Even though he fell in love at first sight at the entrance ceremony, he hasn't even managed to talk to her properly once in two months. ...That’s the real reason he calls you 'Master.'”
Hashimoto looked back and forth between me and Haruka—who was chatting happily with Mukai-san and the others—and let out a pleasant laugh.
“You, the guy I thought didn't have a speck of interest in women, managed to snatch away the Akise-san, the girl every guy in our grade was aiming for. He probably wants you to teach him your secrets.”
“I’d like to know them myself,” I muttered. Hashimoto laughed cheerfully and started scrolling through the touch panel.
...I finally understood the situation. I didn't necessarily agree with the "Master" title, but I understood.
Even if I wanted to teach him my "secrets," the fact that Haruka and I had become close was almost entirely a product of coincidence. There shouldn't have been a single point of contact between a gloomy loner like me and a perfect beauty at the top of the social hierarchy like Haruka.
...Then again, maybe the conditions were the same for Hamasaki and Mukai-san. Since Hamasaki actually belonged to the popular group, his situation might even be better than mine was.
The only advice I could give him was... believe in a miracle and wait.
However, before that, I had to say one thing to Hashimoto.
I lowered my voice so I wouldn't be heard by Haruka and the others, who were currently huddled over a phone discussing their next song.
“...Haruka and I aren't in that kind of relationship. Not yet, anyway.”
“Oh?”
Hashimoto’s eyes widened slightly, and he let out a small, impressed sound.
“What’s this? Have you finally made up your mind?”
“I made it up a long time ago. My concerns are mostly resolved, so I’ve just been waiting for the right timing.”
“That’s what I like to hear. We’ll have to go on a double date eventually.”
I gave a wry smile as I pushed back against Hashimoto, who was trying to throw an arm around my shoulder in high spirits.
“Aren't you going to say 'I hope it goes well' or something?”
“How could it possibly fail? Let me tell you, you two are several levels worse than me and my girlfriend were when we first started dating. You’re a coward, yet you don't have a shred of shame when it counts, which is a terrible combination.”
“I do feel shame. ...It’s just that sometimes it completely slips my mind.”
“That’s even worse. ...Well, then let's do a duet to celebrate! This song!”
I looked at the panel Hashimoto thrust at me and furrowed my brows.
The song was released decades ago... it was a classic male-female duet about a man who cheated and a woman accusing him, sung in a conversational style.
“I’ll sing the woman’s part, you take the man’s. If you don’t know the rhythm, I’ll help you through the first verse.”
“...Are you serious?”
“Dead serious. And make sure you sing with plenty of emotion. If you’re monotone, I’m making you sing it again.”
...I really didn't want to do this. But it was true that I’d promised to sing another song after making a scene earlier.
Suppressing the urge to ask how this was a "celebration," I gripped the microphone. Hashimoto pressed the reservation button with a beaming smile and stood up.
At this point, I might as well go all out.
...For some reason, I couldn't find the courage to look in Haruka’s direction.
“Alright, let’s go! Stand up!”
“I’m getting up...”
As it turned out, the performance was a hit.
The contrast between Hashimoto enthusiastically singing in a high-pitched falsetto and me singing with a look of pure disgust was hilarious to the group, and we actually got a round of applause when we finished.
...Though Haruka was shaking her maracas with a smile that didn't reach her eyes at all. It was so terrifying that I decided to stay far away from her for a while. Even Hashimoto’s cheek was twitching.
After that, time continued to pass in a warm, friendly atmosphere.
Everyone was moved to tears by a duet between Haruka and Takamiya-san; we burst into laughter as the boys, led by Hashimoto, sang an idol song entirely in falsetto; and Haruka was teased mercilessly for singing a love song while staring intently at me...
There were commotions and minor disasters, and we laughed until our stomachs cramped. It was a truly stimulating experience... but overall, it was a wonderful day.
At the very least, I knew I would never forget it for as long as I lived.
§
The fun times passed in the blink of an eye, and soon it was 6:00 PM—time to head home.
We had entered the shop around 10:00 AM, which meant we’d been singing and making noise for over eight hours. Naturally, fatigue was starting to show on everyone's faces.
Takamiya-san, whose physical stamina was non-existent, was already nodding off. She was barely standing, leaning heavily on Mukai-san.
“Thank you all so much for coming today! Let’s give it our all again starting next week!”
Under Hashimoto’s lead, our celebration came to an end.
Some people headed straight for the station, while others went to grab dinner together. Surprisingly, Hashimoto was in the "going straight home" group.
“I’ve got a very important date to eat my girlfriend’s home cooking! See ya!”
Leaving us with those words, Hashimoto vanished like a gust of wind. Even after all that partying, he still had energy to spare.
Takamiya-san was being picked up by her parents, and Mukai-san said she would stay with her until they arrived. Akasaka, Minami, and the rest of the boys were going to get ramen, and they invited me to join them.
...To think that I, who until recently had only ever watched them from the outside, was being invited with a smile. Human connections really are unpredictable.
“Sorry. I appreciate the invite, but I have something I need to do.”
I declined the offer and walked straight toward the person who had given me those connections in the first place.
When she noticed me approaching, she gave a happy, beaming smile. My own expression softened in response.
Suppressing my racing heart, I called her name.
“Haruka. I have something to tell you. Do you have a moment?”