Part-1 Ch-06 Ep-01

 "Hey, hey, hey, what do you think would be good for our class’s cultural festival attraction?"

The girls in the class asked, buzzing with energy.

"I want to run an okonomiyaki stall!"

For some reason, Asahina-kun from another class answered enthusiastically instead.

"Asahina, you’re from a different class, you know?"

Kagami-kun, who had somehow befriended him, joined the conversation as well. Before long, a single lively circle had formed in the classroom during lunch break.

Even as everyone chattered excitedly, I found myself wondering why this guy was even here. I rested my cheek against my hand at a nearby seat, listening in idly.

"Asahina, you’re here again?"

"I really like this class~"

"What you like is the girls in this class, right?"

When he wriggled his body and laughed, saying "You get it?", he looked just as frivolous as ever.

He was the kind of guy who would probably fly away if you blew on him. Well, I do know that deep down he’s a genuinely good person.

If anything, I wished he would get closer not to the girls in the class or Kagami-kun, but to Maki.

Ever since the forest camp, it’s true that Maki and Asahina-kun seemed to have warmed up to each other.

From then Maki almost always joins whenever I’m casually chatting with Asahina-kun, I can tell she has developed at least some affection for him. Yet it still feels like she draws a firm line in their relationship. As if to say, "Up to here is fine, but don’t step any further."

And for some reason, that same boundary seems to apply to me as well. For example, when Asahina-kun jokingly nudges me with his elbow while teasing, "Come on, Nagase-san, what are you even saying~", Maki rushes over, grabs my arm, and glares at him.

Just like a cat hissing "HSSSS!!" with its fur all bristled at someone it dislikes. Wait, isn’t that putting me right in the middle?

…Anyway, every time I see that happen, I think to myself that since they’re comrades who almost got lost together, it should be fine for them to become a little closer. Yet somehow, this precious game event feels like it’s spinning its wheels.

W-well, technically, Maki wasn’t the one who got lost. On the contrary, she threw aside her own safety to search for the two of us.

Thinking about it now, there are a total of seven capture targets in this game.

The difficulty increases in the order they appear, so in reality, Kagami-kun, Todoroki-kun, and Asahina-kun are among the easier ones.

The later targets either have strict appearance conditions or will cut ties instantly if you choose the wrong options, making them hard to even encounter.

I really wonder what that girl intends to do.

…Well, Maki has no idea that I’m trying to match her with a capture target. From her perspective, what I’m doing may look like massive meddling.

[T/N- It is Meddling.]

"--Hey, Nagase-san, what do you think about the idea from earlier? I seriously think both would look perfect on you, Nagase-san. I guarantee it!"

"Huh? U-um, ah, yeah?... Yeah."

My mind snapped back from drifting through its sea of thoughts when Asahina-kun called my name. Without thinking, I answered automatically.

"Yay!" The girls around me raised their arms in delight with bright smiles. What exactly did I just agree to?

And when did Asahina-kun become so naturally integrated into our class?

"I’m looking forward to it too."

Even Kagami-kun looked somewhat excited… or rather, smug? But I still had no idea what was happening.

"Let’s do our best for the cultural festival. I’ll come see it during my class stall’s break time too."

Seeing how happy everyone was, there was no way I could say, "Sorry, I wasn’t actually listening."

Besides, when had I even joined their circle of conve

rsation?

It was truly mysterious, utterly incomprehensible.