I hadn't expected her to be the one to call out to me, so I stood there frozen for a moment.
But I snapped out of it quickly enough.
"You're at the university quite early."
"Eh? ...Ah, ahaha. Making breakfast is such a chore."
Kasahara gave an embarrassed laugh.
We were in the university cafeteria. As part of a support program for students living alone, they served set meals here during breakfast hours as well as lunch.
It was November of our first year of university.
The temperature had started to drop, and even the thought of making breakfast felt like a burden, so I couldn't really blame her.
"Honestly, Yamamoto-kun, stop staring at me. It's kind of embarrassing."
"You've been acting embarrassed since the second we ran into each other. Why are you pretending you only just now got shy?"
"Y-you don't have to be so blunt about it..."
Come to think of it, this might have been the first time I had ever seen Kasahara sulk.
"...Sorry."
"It's fine. ...Anyway, you're here early too, Yamamoto-kun. Are you here to eat?"
"No. I'm always here at this time."
"Heh. Ah, well, you are Yamamoto-kun, after all!"
"I'm glad to know I have your full confidence."
We shared a small smile.
Back in our third year of high school, there was a period of a few months where we had smiled at each other every day like this, but now even those days felt like a distant memory.
"So? Did something happen, Yamamoto-kun?"
"Since we're both standing, why don't you go buy your breakfast first?"
"...Ahaha. Then, please wait a bit."
I sat down in the chair next to where Kasahara had placed her bag and scrolled through my smartphone for a while, waiting for her to return.
"Sorry to keep you waiting."
"Don't worry about it. I'm the one who should apologize for dropping this on you so suddenly."
"It's fine. It's not like we're strangers, right?"
"I suppose. You might be right."
As I muttered that with a hint of nostalgia, Kasahara began to eat.
As she quietly opened her small mouth and ate the rice from the tips of the chopsticks held by her slender fingers, I found myself momentarily captivated by the sight.
"...Yamamoto-kun?"
"Hmm?"
"It's hard to eat when you're staring at me like that."
"...Sorry."
"It's okay."
An awkward atmosphere drifted between us.
"I'll be eating, but I'm listening, okay?"
Kasahara was the one to break the silence.
I had almost forgotten while making small talk, but I had approached Kasahara specifically to ask her for a favor.
What was it again?
...Right.
"Kasahara, could you introduce me to someone who'd make for an easy friend?"
She choked.
"Are you okay? You must have tried to eat too much at once if you're coughing like that."
I hurriedly rubbed Kasahara's back, and then I realized something.
Come to think of it, Kasahara hadn't looked like she was eating fast at all.
"...Yamamoto-kun, since when did you become such a playboy?"
"Huh?"
"...Ah. I see. This is just your usual thing."
She got flustered on her own and then reached her own conclusion. She was a whirlwind of a person.
"So, Yamamoto-kun. What did Megu say to you?"
"Wait, why is Hayashi's name coming up?"
"Was I wrong?"
"No, you're right."
"Then, what did she tell you?"
The conversation was proceeding with surprising smoothness.
I was taken aback for a moment, but I decided to consider myself lucky for being spared the trouble of a long explanation.
The long and short of it.
I explained the events involving Hayashi from last night to this morning as carefully as possible.
"...Phew."
After finishing the explanation, I let out a small sigh.
At that exact moment, Kasahara finished the last of her breakfast.
"I think I get the gist of it."
"I see, that helps."
"Yeah."
Kasahara nodded.
"In other words, Yamamoto-kun, your plan was to hoodwink one of my innocent friends just to satisfy your own selfish goals."
Then, she showed me an innocent, mischievous smile, like a child playing a prank.
To that Kasahara, my response was... already decided.
"Yeah, that's basically it."
"It might be right, but don't just agree so easily!"
It couldn't be helped.
Looking at it objectively, my current stance was extremely rude to anyone I might try to build a friendship with.
But I really couldn't help it.
I wanted those cleaning tools if possible, and I certainly didn't want them to be thrown away. I knew I was being scum.
Or rather, that was just how human relationships worked.
Everyone built friendships for their own benefit.
Ultimately, people are self-centered creatures.
"It's fine. I'm not going to play with them. I'll explain the whole situation, apologize, and just have them say a single word to me. My goal will be achieved with just that."
"I don't think that's the kind of interaction Megu had in mind when she told you to talk to people, though."
"That's... well, probably not."
"Exactly."
"...However, unfortunately, I don't particularly want friends right now."
That was the logic that had led me to such a roundabout scheme.
Well, there was no doubt that I was being a piece of work.
"Yamamoto-kun, you've always been like that."
The tone of Kasahara's voice carried a hint of reproach.
"I don't think you actually hate socializing. It's just that you can do most things by yourself. That's why making friends never becomes a top priority for you."
"...I don't think there's a guy more reliant on others than I am, you know?"
"...If that were true, we wouldn't have failed like we did during that first school festival."
That was... well, hard to argue with.
"You don't have any expectations for other people, do you?"
Kasahara's voice, which felt like it was closing in on me, sounded somewhat lonely this time.
"That's why you try to do almost everything by yourself."
"...I don't think that's the case."
"Is that so..."
Kasahara gave a bitter smile.
"Maybe you're right."
She changed her stance abruptly.
"Recently, that might be especially true."
"Recently...?"
"Yes. Recently."
Picking up her tray, Kasahara stood up.
"I'm sure you've found someone meaningful."
I had no idea what she was talking about.
"You have to treasure it. That encounter."
However, Kasahara's voice was the most certain it had been all day.
"That's why, Yamamoto-kun, I can't grant your request. This is something you have to answer for yourself."
I prided myself on knowing Kasahara reasonably well.
From my perspective, her statement—delivered with absolutely no hesitation—was undoubtedly correct.
A meaningful encounter, huh.
...Regardless of that, the negotiations had officially broken down.
Now I would have to talk to someone today even if it meant going the "suspicious stranger route."
"Sorry for disturbing you. Did you get enough to eat?"
"W-well, yeah..."
Kasahara's profile looked a little flushed.
"A-anyway, Yamamoto-kun, you're quite reliable! You're actually cooking for yourself."
"No, Hayashi makes me breakfast every day."
"Yamamoto-kun."
Setting the tray back on the table, Kasahara leaned in close to my face.
I caught a glimpse of intense determination in her deathly serious expression.
"Kasahara...?"
"Details."
"Huh?"
"Give me the details. Now."