“Yuri, won't you go out with me?”
I stopped in my tracks at the sudden voice.
“Ah—... umm...”
Azuma's troubled face came to mind.
My heart was pounding as I stood in the middle of the path, unable to move forward or backward, my body completely stiff.
It happened the day after the ball games tournament.
After finishing the return of our tests in the morning, and after a homeroom that seemed to take longer than other classes as usual, Ichikawa trotted over to my seat.
“Sorry, Konuma-kun. Is it okay if you head home first today? We have a meeting to decide the performance order for the Rock On bands...”
“O-Oh, sure.”
I replied as Ichikawa apologized with her hands pressed together. I felt a bit tickled by her attitude, which seemed to take it for granted that we usually went home together.
I watched Ichikawa hurry out of the classroom and then set off for home.
I mean, it’s been a while since I walked home alone... Even though this was a normal sight until just a little while ago, the fact that it feels strange now is the real strange part.
As I walked while immersed in these mysterious feelings, I heard voices coming from ahead near the school gate.
“Hey—, what should we eat after this?”
“Ice cream.”
“Sako, ice cream isn't a meal.”
Walking a little ahead of me was the Dance Club Trio (Erina-san, Sako, and Hazama).
I don't know how it works, but it’s amazing how their relationship doesn't seem to have changed much before and after that confession drama the other day.
I quietly slowed my pace so they wouldn't notice me.
There was that Twitter incident with Sako yesterday, the talk about the relationship between Erina-san and Hazama, and showing up in front of Hazama right now would be kind of awkward...
If Erina-san were to suddenly turn around and spot me, there’s a high chance she’d call out something like, ‘Ah—! It’s Takuto-kun! Takuto-kun, let’s go home together—!’
I’ve certainly started having some high-level worries... Then again, if I actually made eye contact and got ignored, that would be incredibly embarrassing.
However, the walking speed of the Dance Club Trio was slow (is that how group behavior works?), and even slowing my pace a little, I felt like I was going to catch up to them soon.
Hmm, what should I do? As I thought about it, it hit me.
I can use the detour path that Yuri-neesan taught me!
I was impressed with my own memory as I triumphantly started walking toward the turn-off for the detour, but...
Despite my supposedly good memory, I had forgotten something very important.
This route home contains a back alley frequented by couples.
As I walked down the path that was supposed to be empty, I heard the line from the beginning.
“Yuri, won't we go out?”
Oh boy. Yuri-neesan is getting confessed to...
“Ah—... umm...”
Anyway, I have to get away from here. I’m hearing something I shouldn't be hearing.
I looked around.
I saw a postbox a few steps back. For now, behind that...!
“Sorry. Right now, I’m putting everything into the Instrumental Music Club, so I don't intend to go out with anyone.”
“...I see.”
With those words echoing behind me as I moved, I managed to drag my feet back to the postbox and quietly crouched down.
Wait, why do I have to hide...?
A few moments later, only the guy came out onto the path, looking dejected with his head hanging low, and walked quietly toward the station.
Phew, I managed to avoid him. Just as I was wiping the sweat from my forehead, I heard a voice from above.
“...What are you doing?”
Looking up, Yuri-neesan was standing there with her arms crossed.
“I didn't think I'd be walking this path with Konuma again...”
We were walking back up the detour-of-the-detour path that we had walked that morning.
“Where’s Amane today?”
“Apparently she has a club meeting.”
“I see. Then it’s fine.”
She’s probably referring to the time I walked home with Yuri without telling Ichikawa. I’m sorry for the trouble back then...
“So, how much did you hear?”
Yuri threw a question at me.
“Umm, from the part where you were confessed to, until the rejection...”
“So everything...”
Yuri let out a long sigh.
“No, it’s not like I wanted to listen.”
“I know. There’s nothing fun about it for you, Konuma.”
“I guess so...”
In reality, it wasn't fun at all. If anything, it was a bit unpleasant. I don't know why, though.
“Umm, who was that person...?”
“A classmate. His name is Nagasawa.”
An onakura, huh... Wait, does that mean something lewd? (Note: Takuto mistakes 'onakura' for a dirty word).
“Heh...”
Although I said 'heh,' because of my lack of vocabulary, the only thing I knew about Nagasawa-san was his name.
However, I felt like if I were found by this Nagasawa person right now, he’d probably hold a huge grudge against me.
“That’s why I’m walking the detour path.”
“There it is, the skill 《Mind Reading》...!”
“What’s that? Hey, could you stop adding chuunibyou settings to me? It makes me ache.”
It makes you ache?! That’s right, this girl was originally a shonen manga otaku.
“Were you pretty close with him? Nagasawa-san.”
“Hmm, for a guy in our class, I’d say we were so-so...”
“I see how it is...”
Do people really confess even if they’re just 'so-so'?
Yuri stared at me as I stood there with a question mark over my head.
“It's right before the summer vacation of our second year, after all,” she said.
“What’s that? Does that have something to do with it?”
When I voiced my doubt, Yuri burst out laughing.
“I guess you wouldn't understand, Konuma—.”
For some reason, she seemed happy.
“What is it?”
I feel like I’m being made fun of a bit...
“Everyone is getting anxious. They're desperate to climb the stairs to adulthood during the summer of their second year.”
“Stairs to adulthood?”
What’s that? H2O? (Note: Reference to a song about growing up).
“Exams are over, everyone’s feeling liberated, and it’s like they feel they have to get a girlfriend before summer break!”
“Hooh.”
“That’s a weak response.”
“Ah, sorry.”
I’m still not very good at making proper responses...
“It was someone else, but last year, I was also confessed to right after the ball games tournament, and I turned them down for the same reason.”
“You’re amazing, Azuma...”
“It’s not like that.”
Yuri continued with a self-deprecating smile.
“I spent the whole summer vacation worrying about it, thinking, ‘What if he couldn't enjoy his once-in-a-lifetime first-year summer vacation because of me?’ But when summer was over, he was already dating a girl from another school and bragging to the guys in class like, ‘I graduated this summer!’ I really felt like I wanted my concern back.”
“That happened... Being popular is tough.”
“No, no, the girls around you are way more popular than me.”
Yuri waved her hand in front of her face.
“Around me?”
That sounds intense. Like I’m intentionally surrounding myself with them.
“Kenji is targeting Sakohasu and keeping everyone else away, so no one aggressively goes after her. And Erina's feelings for Kenji are so obvious that she probably doesn't get confessed to either.”
Hazama, the person who matters most, hasn't noticed Erina-san's leaking feelings, though...
Wait, does that mean...
“Umm, does that include Ichikawa...?”
When I said that, Yuri looked at me blankly.
“...Today, when a certain someone who is always hovering around isn't there, might be a good chance for someone to swoop in?”
She tilted her head mischievously.
“Eh?!”
“Get a clue already...”
Yuri-neesan gave me a look of genuine exasperation.
“But anyway,” Yuri changed the subject.
“Hmm?”
“Don't you think that confession just now was a bit lacking?”
“Huh?”
Don't ask me such difficult questions, I wouldn't know.
“I mean, it was ‘Yuri, won't we go out?’, right?”
“I guess.”
“Don't you think he could have at least said ‘I like you’?”
Ah, so that’s what she wanted. She’s surprisingly girly.
“I guess as a Poemer, you’d be happy if the confession words were also a poem?”
“Don't call me a Poemer.”
“Sorry.”
Next to me as I apologized, Yuri hummed in thought.
“Hmm, I think it would be lovely if it were somewhat poetic, but if it’s too poetic, I might not understand it...”
“True...”
“If there were words that clearly conveyed ‘I like you’ while also being poetic, that would be wonderful. Well, I’m sure any confession takes courage, so...”
Saying that, Yuri smiled somewhat lonely.
“Regardless of whether the confession was serious or not, turning someone down still makes me feel a bit down...”
She let out a deep sigh, which was unlike her.
Somehow, seeing Azuma with such a face threw me off.
“Umm...”
Couldn't I say something clever?
I pondered, crossing my arms, and looked up at the sky with an 'hmmm'.
“Ah.”
I accidentally let out a voice at what I found there.
“Azuma.”
“Hmm?”
I pointed at the sky and said, “The moon is beautiful.”
In the sky I looked up at, even though it was daytime, the moon was clearly visible.
“Umm, Konuma, that...”
For some reason, Azuma's cheeks turned red, and she stared intently at my face without even looking at the sky.
“...Eh, what is it?”
Wait, did I say something weird...?
A few seconds passed as we locked eyes while I tried to figure it out.
...Ah!!
Crap, what have I done?!
“N-No! I didn't mean it in the Soseki way! I just thought it was rare to see the moon so clearly during the day...!”
When I said that in a panic, Yuri burst into laughter.
“Ahaha, right. But, that might actually be okay.”
She laughed as if she were embarrassed.
“It’s not a ‘five-yen coin,’ but a ‘thousand-yen bill,’ though.”