The bell for the end of classes rang.
During lunch break, I had managed to stall by telling Ichikawa, "I was just talking to someone and it went long," but I had to tell her the truth about tomorrow.
...However, after-school hours arrived without me being able to come up with any specific plan.
In any case, I don't want to lie to Ichikawa.
If that's the case, then it can't be helped... I pulled out my smartphone to send her a message saying I couldn't walk home with her.
At that exact moment.
"Hey, Konuma."
"Hmm?"
Looking toward the source of the voice at the classroom door, I saw Azuma holding a canned Calpis to her chest while saying, "Yo." She looked like a colleague in a drama bringing a canned coffee as a snack during overtime. Although this was a classroom and it was after school.
"O-Oh, thanks... Did you come all the way here to deliver this?"
"Yeah. Well, this is just a little extra though."
"Extra...? I mean, I was actually just about to Line you, Azuma."
"I know, I know. That's what I'm here for. I can't just let Konuma-kun do all the hard work alone, right?"
"Huh...?"
As I received the Calpis, I tilted my head at the conversation filled with vague references.
"Ah, Yuri. Do you have business with Konuma-kun?"
Ichikawa approached us.
"No, I need to consult with Amane for a bit."
"Eh, me? What is it? That's a little scary..."
"I'm the one who's scared, so it's fine..."
Azuma-neesan had a stiff smile on her pale face. Is she okay...?
When the three of us stepped out into the hallway, Azuma spoke up.
"Listen, Amane. The thing is... I want to borrow Konuma tomorrow. For my own selfish reasons."
"Heh? I don't mind, but... what do you mean by your reasons, Yuri?"
Azuma took a breath and stated firmly.
"I'm planning to go meet Ariga-manager."
"Eh,"
I almost blurted out, "You're really going to say it?" but I swallowed the words at the last second.
"Ariga-manager... you mean that Ariga-san, right? How did you contact her?"
"I talked to Konuma-kun, and he asked for her help through Sakohasu-papa."
"Hmm...?"
Ichikawa peered into my eyes.
"I think Konuma-kun was about to tell Amane that right now."
"Is that true?"
"Well..."
It was true that I was about to send a Line to Azuma asking, "Is it okay if I just tell her honestly?" but having the initiative taken away like this made me feel a bit pathetic...
"But why go to Ariga-san?"
Ichikawa turned back to Azuma and asked.
"Yeah, sorry for doing this on my own... But I really want to make 'amane' debut no matter what. And when it comes to consulting about that, there's probably no one more suitable than Ariga-manager, right?"
"...That might be true."
Ichikawa looked down slightly.
"And, it wouldn't feel right to ask Amane for Ariga-san's contact info, would it?"
"Yeah, I guess it wouldn't..."
Ichikawa-san seemed to understand, but I still didn't quite get what wouldn't 'feel right' about it...
"Um... what's the difference?"
I timidly raised my hand and asked.
Ichikawa placed her index finger on her lip and looked up slightly. I haven't seen Ichikawa's thinking pose in a while.
"Well. To me, Ariga-san is... how should I put it... like an ex... no, from the past... or rather..."
"An ex-boyfriend?"
"Heh!?"
Azuma interjected as Ichikawa hesitated.
"A-Ah, um... what I was going to say was certainly something like that, but..."
Ichikawa-san was extremely flustered, checking my facial expression.
I mean, what she was going to say was *certainly* like that... Was that a popular metaphor, like Azuma used yesterday?
"Um... I'm sorry?"
"Ah, it's fine..."
My mental state isn't weak enough to get depressed over a metaphor. Really. I went through this once yesterday, so I'm fine. Really.
"Listen, Amane. I want to do everything I can for the band... So, is it no good?"
"Geez..."
Ichikawa sighed as if giving in and smiled troubledly while scratching her cheek.
"If you put it that way, there's no reason to say no. There's no reason for Ichikawa not to approve of that."
"Thank you, Amane."
Azuma also gave a bashful, "Hehe," smile.
Yes, yes, a peaceful atmosphere is great. Wait, but...?
"Then wouldn't it have been fine to just ask Ichikawa from the start...?"
"...It turned out like this because you worked hard on your own, didn't it?"
"Huh?"
She gave me a cold stare, but I didn't quite understand the meaning.
"Amane... I'm sorry?"
"If you're going to apologize, please don't do it from the start~"
Ichikawa playfully teased Azuma as she turned to apologize again.
"Well then, I'm... um, not going home yet. See ya! ...Konuma, the real deal starts now."
Azuma, appearing relieved that the talk was over, waved her hand at her chest. The real deal?
"Ah, yeah, Yuri, see ya!"
"Later."
"Yeah! Bye!"
Azuma walked away toward her own classroom. ...What is she doing since there's no club activity?
"...Well, shall we go?"
Ichikawa-san's tone of voice dropped instantly.
"Y-Yes...!"
I left the school building feeling intimidated by Ichikawa, who had become quiet the moment we separated from Azuma.
"Hey, Ichikawa...?"
"What."
"No, you're not some certain bassist, so..."
What's wrong...? I wondered internally.
Then, as we passed through the school gates, I felt a soft sensation touch my right hand. An electric-like stimulus pulsed from that spot.
"!?"
A moment later, I realized it was because Ichikawa had grabbed my right hand.
"I-Ichikawa...? I mean, the school is right there..."
"I don't care."
"You say you don't care, but..."
It's not like we're hiding that we're dating, but isn't it embarrassing if people see...?
"I'm not letting go, okay? Because if I let go of your hand, Konuma-kun, you'll try to go somewhere else immediately."
"No, about tomorrow..."
"I understand about tomorrow. It can't be helped because Ichikawa just gave her permission."
She muttered that while nodding with a grumpy face.
When Ichikawa Amane refers to herself as 'Ichikawa', it's as a band member.
And then, puffing out her cheeks, she stared intently at me.
"So, today, you're staying with Amane until the very end."