"It doesn't matter..."
"...Excuse me?"
In the silence of the room, Hayashi and I stood there, trembling with indignation.
A few moments of silence followed. During that time, a whirlwind of emotions surfaced and vanished.
"You’re right," she finally said.
"Wait, you’re actually agreeing with that?"
I was floored by her sudden about-face. Hayashi was the one who had started this petty argument in the first place. If she was going to agree that it was all trivial, then there was no point in continuing the debate.
"Then don't pick a fight with me to begin with," I grumbled, my lip curling in annoyance. It felt a bit much for her to start a fight unilaterally and then just dismiss it with an "it doesn't matter."
"Sh-shut up."
"Megu, why did you turn down Yamamoto-kun's proposal?" Kasahara asked.
"Eh...?"
It seemed Hayashi had rejected my offer purely out of spite or emotion, because she started groaning at Kasahara’s question. She struggled to put her impulsive feelings into words. Crossing her arms, she let out a series of low moans, looking as though she were suffering through a high fever.
"Was it just because you were being petty?"
"You’re saying something terrible as if it’s some brilliant insight...!"
I was completely exasperated. To think she’d shot me down so flatly based on a mere whim—it was honestly impressive.
"Because...! Don’t you find it incredibly irritating when a guy who’s always lecturing you about being 'self-centered' suddenly starts acting all noble and virtuous?"
"Hey, is that really how you see me? Kasahara, tell her she’s wrong."
"Eh? Ah... well... I mean... hmm... I guess, yeah. Hehe."
The way Kasahara trailed off was deeply concerning. Don't tell me she agreed with Hayashi. No, that was impossible. Definitely impossible.
"Whatever. Anyway, we’ve reached a conclusion," I said, clearing my throat loudly to change the subject. "So, I fulfilled the promise, but that means there’s no reward. Also, I’m going to organize those cleaning tools since we’ve got way too many now."
There. Done and dusted. Or so I thought.
"Megu, do you have anything else you want to say?" Kasahara asked, turning back to the still-dissatisfied Hayashi.
"Hmm? Well... I mean, I get head-patting as a reward whenever I get results in my bookkeeping studies, so it just feels... wrong, somehow."
Kasahara suddenly choked.
"Hey, are you okay? Don’t choke on the miso soup."
"Sorry... I just... you two have really made some progress, haven't you?"
"Progress?"
"In what way?"
Kasahara let out a long, weary sigh while wiping her mouth with a tissue Hayashi provided. Once she was settled, I decided to bring the conversation back to the point.
"It’s fine. It’s not like head-patting is some grand gesture anyway."
"But... you’re already tutoring me."
"True. Yamamoto-kun always did have good grades," Kasahara added.
"Yeah, well, it’s not a hassle, so don’t worry about it."
"...And you’re letting me live in this room."
"We’re splitting the rent now, remember?"
"Gnuuu..."
For someone who claimed the whole thing was trivial, she was being remarkably stubborn about letting it go. She was surprisingly indecisive. Having known her since high school, I found this side of her—this hesitation—a bit unexpected.
"...Fine."
"Good. I'm glad you finally understand."
"That person you talked to yesterday? Bring them here to the house today."
"Why!?"
I shouted, caught off guard by the massive leap in logic. Hayashi, meanwhile, sipped her miso soup as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
"Isn't that a bit too much tyranny even for you?"
"But that's exactly what makes her Megu, isn't it?" Kasahara chimed in.
"I guess you're right."
"I feel like I have a very clear picture of what you two think of me now..." Hayashi sighed. "Listen, you finally managed to talk to a friend candidate yesterday, right?"
"Don't talk about people like they're items..."
"Regardless, you finally made contact. There's no reason to miss this chance. If you miss the window, you'll lose the opportunity to talk to them for good."
"And you think now is the time?"
"Exactly."
"...Wait a second. Even if I talk to them again, there's no reason I have to bring them to the house."
"Eh? Isn't it normal to bring a friend over to hang out once you've talked to them?"
"That's only for extroverts! And even then, only for the top-tier ones!"
Top-tier people... like Hayashi and Kasahara were back in high school. I suppose that's why she thought it was common sense.
"Anyway, fine. So, what's the penalty game this time?"
"Accepting a reward and avoiding a penalty game."
"What kind of penalty is that...?"
After that baffling exchange, Kasahara and I were practically pushed out of the apartment because we were cutting it close to the start of classes. For this particular mission, I was allowed to use Kasahara to help find the person in question within the massive campus.
"Does everyone just view me as a cheat item now?" Kasahara grumbled with a rare look of dissatisfaction once we were outside.
"Sorry, sorry. Just lend me a hand."
Without thinking, I reached out and patted Kasahara's head—a habit I'd picked up recently.
"Ah, sorry."
I realized what I was doing and pulled my hand back immediately. Kasahara was staring at me, looking completely stunned. For a few moments, we just stood there, locked in a gaze. I felt like I'd lose if I looked away first, so I made sure to look away as quickly as possible.
"I see. So this is what Megu is so hooked on," Kasahara said, a mischievous, almost hateful smirk spreading across her face.
"My bad."
"No, it's fine. If we find the person, maybe I'll ask for a head-patting as my reward, too."
"...Do whatever you want."
"Hehe. By the way, Yamamoto-kun..."
"What?"
"The person from yesterday... are they a boy or a girl?"
"A girl."
"..."
"Kasahara?"
"Yikes."
Kasahara pressed a hand to her forehead, looking like she’d just foreseen a total disaster.