"It's gotten quite cool, hasn't it, Takuto-kun?"
"Have you finished your seasonal wardrobe change, Konuma-kun?"
On the way home, Ichikawa was to my right. And Erina-san was to my left.
I was walking home sandwiched between the two of them.
Amazing. It's a flower in each hand.
"...I thought you weren't coming, Amane-chan?"
"...Is there a problem if I'm here?"
Wrong. It was a thorn in each hand.
"Uh..."
By the way, my feelings were closer to Erina-san's.
I thought Ichikawa had given me permission to go to Mac today to help Erina-san with her emergency... But then again, there was no way I could say that out loud.
As I hesitated, Ichikawa let out a sigh.
"Haa... Erina-chan and Konuma-kun are going to the Mac in Kichijoji, right? I live in Kichijoji, so our way home is the same, and I just wanted to go that far together. You don't have to be so jaken about it..."
Ichikawa-san puffed out her cheeks. (Cute.)
"Jaken...? Hiroshima dialect?"
So this person knows that 'jaken' is Hiroshima dialect, but doesn't know the word 'jaken' (harshness)?
After that conversation—which was mixed with such biting remarks but otherwise harmless—we lined up politely and got on the train. We transferred at Musashi-Sakai and arrived at Kichijoji Station.
Upon leaving the station,
"Well then, I'll be borrowing your boyfriend now!"
"Hmm... please make sure to return him properly, okay?"
After Ichikawa and Erina-san momentarily sparked at each other, she tightly grabbed the hem of my shirt.
"...Konuma-kun, make sure you come back, okay?"
The way she looked up at me made my heart feel like it was being squeezed.
"Umm, can we go now?"
"Ah, sorry. Well then, see you later, Erina-chan, Konuma-kun."
She let go of my shirt and waved her hand as she headed toward her house.
"...Does Erina-san get along poorly with Ichikawa?"
I felt like I asked this every so often, but I tried asking again.
"Hmm, it's not exactly that we get along poorly, but Amane-chan and Amane-chan's boyfriend-kun are just so fun to tease. Sometimes Erina gets serious, though."
"What does that mean...?"
"Takuto-kun wouldn't understand; there are delicate things between girls!"
"I guess so."
"That's how it is. Come on, let's go, let's go!"
And so, we arrived at Mac. I bought Erina-san a McShake (chocolate) and a black coffee for myself, then headed up to the second floor. I don't even treat Ichikawa, so why do I have to treat Erina-san...?
"The day after tomorrow, Wednesday, apparently."
As soon as we sat down, Erina-san spoke suddenly.
"What is?"
"...The answer to the confession."
"Oh... seriously?"
A much heavier topic than I expected came up instantly, and I felt a dull thud in the pit of my stomach.
"I talked to Kenji this morning. Or rather, Erina was trying to avoid him a bit, but Kenji talked to me..."
"And then?"
"He told me since there's no club activities the day after tomorrow, on Wednesday, he wanted the two of us to talk..."
"Is that for the answer to the confession?"
"I don't know, but... I think if it was about anything else, he would've said it already."
Well, certainly, comparing that to what I heard from Sako, there was almost no doubt.
"So, why today?"
When I asked, Erina-san stared at a single spot on the table.
"...I'm scared."
She whispered.
"I bet..."
Surely, there was nothing concrete I could do to resolve that anxiety or improve the situation, nor was there anything she wanted me to do.
It was just that from today until Wednesday after school, the deadline made it painful, and she was looking for someone to distract her. And that person happened to be me, someone who knew the circumstances fairly well but wasn't directly involved.
"Today is fine, but... what about tomorrow?"
"I don't know..."
Erina-san slumped onto the table.
"What about the club?"
"I think I'll skip..."
"Right... Hasn't Sako said anything?"
Erina-san shook her head.
"When I told her I was taking today off, she just said 'Understood'..."
Just then, Erina-san's smartphone on the table vibrated.
"Wah..."
"Hm?"
Erina-san showed the screen to me.
Sakosh☆: 'Shall we ditch together tomorrow?'
...Sako is so cool.
"Even though I told her she didn't have to be cool..."
With an expression that seemed unsure whether to cry or laugh, Erina-san tilted her head.
"Well then, how should we blow off some steam today?"
"Uugh, take me somewhere!"
Hmm, where should we go to blow off steam? I thought about it.
If I were in the same situation, the place I would go would be...
"Want to go to Disk Union?"
"Huh? What's that?"
Erina-san's eyes narrowed sharply.
"It's a used CD shop..."
"Uwaa... I don't want to go there at all..."
"Eh..."
"As expected, Takuto-kun is a lame guy who doesn't understand a woman's heart."
After saying that without showing much of her face,
"...But, thanks," she muttered softly.
"But you know, I'd feel bad for Amane-chan, so here is fine. Seeing Takuto-kun's lameness for the first time in a while actually cheered me up!"
"Is that even possible?"
"Yup!"
She gave me a smile that was likely a bit forced.
We spent some time talking about unrelated things and left Mac.
In front of the shop, Erina-san suddenly let out a gasp.
"What's wrong?"
Looking over, I saw her standing there with wide eyes.
"Hehe, I fouuund them!"
"Found what...?"
I followed the gaze of Erina-san, who had started talking like she was on a children's show.
"Wha...!?"
My breath hitched as well.
There, two people, a man and a woman, were entering an Excelsior Caffé.
"I wonder who's standing next to her?"
That back belonged to the former Instrumental Club drummer, Otomo Yutaka-kun, and...
"Azuma...!"
It was amane's lyricist, Yuri Azuma.