During the lunch break the day after avoiding Tokugawa-san with Ichikawa and practicing as amane.
I was walking down the hallway after leaving the classroom, thinking of buying some tea at the shop, when—
“Hey, Konuma.”
Someone lightly tapped my shoulder.
“Oh.”
When I turned around, Yuri-nee-san was standing there.
“Come with me for a bit, this way, this way.”
Following Yuri as she beckoned me down the hallway, as expected, I was led to the front of the audiovisual room, which had somehow become our usual spot.
“Did you hear? About Sōshi-san.”
“Sōji-san?”
Who? Okita?
“Ah, right, sorry. Tokugawa Sōshi-san. It’s written with the character for ‘Lyrics’ that ‘Runs,’ so Sōshi-san. He’s the senior who went to study abroad for a year since last year and just came back. He’s in the same Class 4 as me and Sako-hasu.”
“Ah...”
If it’s about Tokugawa-san, his name came up plenty yesterday. So his first name is Sōshi-san. Hmph, quite a cool name, isn't it?
“So, he’s the one who confessed to Ichikawa, right? I heard it from Ichikawa yesterday.”
“Ah, so it really was...”
Yuri’s mouth curved into a slightly awkward shape. Right, Yuri wasn't there when we were talking about Firefly Pond at the training camp.
No, if that’s the case.
“You sure know a lot about that sort of thing...”
As I expressed my admiration, Yuri said,
“Ahaha, well, I didn’t know about the confession part.”
She prefaced before continuing,
“Yesterday, when I was leaving the classroom after homeroom, I think it’s because I was carrying my bass, but he talked to me, asking, ‘Is Azuma-san in the Rock Club?’ He asked me if I knew where Amane was because he wanted to talk to her.”
She scratched her cheek.
“I was in a bit of a hurry at the time, so I just quickly said, ‘She’s probably in Class 6 or at the Rock Club studio,’ but looking back, his expression at that time... it was the expression of someone who held a sense of determination or resolve...”
“Hooo...”
“Konuma, that reaction, it’s been a while.”
“Ah, sorry...”
When I apologized, Yuri laughed while letting out a light breath.
So, that means Tokugawa-san went to the studio after checking Class 6 once after school yesterday.
...Then, Ichikawa’s movements yesterday were perfect.
I was invited into Ichikawa's strategy just to avoid Tokugawa-san, simply because I happened to be there and our business afterward was the same. Remembering how I had felt on my own without knowing anything, I bit my back teeth to kill the urge to writhe in embarrassment.
However, there was no way Yuri wouldn't be able to read the change in my expression.
“There, there.”
She gently tapped my upper arm twice, pon-pon.
“What?”
“Geez, you’re not Sako-hasu, so raise the end of your sentence when you ask a question, okay?”
“Ah, sorry...”
When I suppressed my rising emotions, I accidentally ended my sentence like Sako-hasu.
“Well, it’s fine.”
Even so, Yuri was kind, tapping me pon-pon two more times before clenching that hand into a fist, putting it in her pocket, and leaning against the wall.
If anything, she was boyish, but she wasn't the type to usually put her hands in her pockets, so it felt somewhat unexpected.
“...Well—maybe the reason Sōshi-san is looking for Amane this time is also that.”
“That?”
When I tilted my head, she answered sharply.
“A confession.”
“Hmph...”
This was coming from Yuri, who possessed the skill [Mind-reading]. She probably wasn't far off the mark.
Even after being overseas for a year, his feelings hadn't changed, I guess.
‘If you can't talk for a whole year, there's a high possibility that you'll think about nothing but that during the time you can't talk, and your feelings will grow. No, rather, it's definitely like that, I'm sure of it.’
Sako's words from yesterday crossed my mind.
“Well, probably, though...”
“I see...”
After just one more exchange, a moment of silence flowed.
Yuri was also acting fidgety.
...What is this wait for?
“...Uh, and then?”
Unable to bear the mysterious time, I asked, and Yuri frowned with a “Hah?”
“No, no, not ‘...Uh, and then?’ I’m wondering what Konuma is going to do.”
The face she made while mimicking me was truly idiotic, and I felt a bit irritated, but curiosity won out.
“What do you mean, what am I going to do, about what...?”
I had absolutely no idea what Yuri was saying or what she was trying to prompt.
As I furrowed my brow, Yuri’s large eyes opened even wider with exasperation and shock.
“Konuma, you... could it be... you still don't realize...?”
“Hah, realize what...?”
When I asked back,
“Are you serious...”
Yuri was stunned.
“Then again, I'm not really in a position to talk about others, am I...”
She muttered softly.
What is she talking about...?
“Hmm, then, I’ll change the question. Konuma, how are you feeling right now?”
“How am I feeling... well, Yuri, you look like you’re having a hard time, so I’m wondering if you’re okay...”
“A-Ah, don’t worry about me! Or rather, what? Are you sensitive or insensitive? Make up your mind, you’re making this difficult!”
Yuri blushed and slapped me just above my left chest. She said I'm making it difficult...
“N-No, that’s not it... Don’t you feel, like, uneasy or something?”
“...Not particularly.”
When I answered that, Yuri let out a massive sigh.
“Haa—... It’s like one step forward and one step back... Well, I’m not that much of a pushover, so if you stay as you are, that’s fine too... No, is that okay for me...? What about my resolve...?”
A mysterious internal dialogue. Yuri groaned with her hand on her chin as if lost on what action to take.
“What’s wrong, Yuri?”
When I called out to her, she glanced up at me with one eye and sighed again as if giving up.
“Haa—, geez, you’re such a handful...”
Yuri bit her lower lip and gently gave a fist bump to my chest.
“Konuma, if you lose sight of your true feelings, it will lead to something irreversible.”
Then she looked up at me with a serious face and said,
“...Like me.”
Even though it was a small mutter, my ears did not miss it.
“...What do you mean by that?”
“The pattern where you can hear me...?! I told you, I’m not that much of an altruist!”
Yuri abruptly turned her face away.
“Geez, I’m going to run out of time to eat lunch! Konuma, let’s go back!”
“O-Oh...”
In the end, I didn't quite understand what Yuri wanted to say or convey.
‘N-No, that’s not it... Don’t you feel, like, uneasy or something?’
‘...Not particularly.’
I vaguely understood that I probably have to recognize the reason behind the transparent lie I told Yuri in that moment.