Part-3 Ch-05 Ep-06

Maki’s POV

“Thank you very much!”

Once the school festival finally got underway, both our fortune-telling booth and handicraft sales got off to a fairly steady and promising start.

The students assigned to scouting would bring customers in and guide them straight to the fortune-telling booth first. After that, the customers would pass by the handicraft section on their way toward the exit, giving them a natural opportunity to browse the items on display. If something caught their eye, they’d go ahead and buy it. With that kind of flow firmly in place, our small trinkets were gradually selling here and there.

They were only simple knick-knacks made by high schoolers, but even so, there were plenty of people willing to purchase them. It seemed like everyone was picking things up as little keepsakes to remember the day.

“Ichinose-san, you can swap out now.”

“Thanks. I’ll go ahead and take my break then.”

After some time had passed, my group leader called out to me, and I was given permission to step away from my station.

If I stayed inside the classroom any longer, I’d just end up getting in everyone’s way, so I decided to head out into the hallway. The moment I stepped outside, I heard a small “Ah.”

Turning around, I found Haruno-san from my class standing there. She had a carton of juice in one hand and her wallet in the other, probably having just bought the drink from a vending machine.

Even in such a casual moment, her long chestnut-colored hair and fair complexion gave her a striking presence. I couldn’t help but think she was probably quite popular.

“Are you on break too, Haruno-san?”

“Yeah. Are you just starting yours now, Ichinose-san?”

“Yeah, that’s right.”

“I see. In that case, do you want to walk around together?”

“……Sure.”

Just the other day, I’d used Haruno-san as a convenient excuse to enjoy doing this and that with Mari. Seeing her face now, I felt a faint pang of guilt tug at me.

'I’m sorry. I used you as an excuse to flirt and get physical with my girlfriend.'

Because that thought crossed my mind, my reaction to an invitation I’d normally accept right away ended up being delayed for just a brief moment, and my expression stiffened slightly.

“Oh, if you already have other plans—”

“Ah, no, I don’t! Not at all. …I was just a little tired and spaced out for a second.”

Noticing her concern over my hesitation, I quickly tried to smooth things over. It had only been a split-second pause, yet she had caught it immediately. She really was quite perceptive.

“Well, if you say so.”

“Yeah, it’d feel kind of lonely walking around by myself anyway.”

“Same here. Well then, shall we?” Haruno-san said with a gentle smile.

“Yeah,” I replied with a smile, and the two of us set off walking side by side.

It’s not like I’m trying to make a point of it to anyone, but I do talk to classmates besides Mari or Kagami-kun and his group.

If someone talks to me, I answer with a smile, and I make a decent effort to take part in class events; I like to think I’ve ticked all the boxes when it comes to being cooperative and social.

It’s just that, out of all those things, my top priority is, by a huge margin, anything that involves Mari.

That’s why I talk to Haruno-san normally, and honestly, walking around the school festival together was really fun. We checked out the stalls other classes were running, bought some takoyaki and crepes, and even went through the haunted house.

It looked like they were putting on a play in the gym, but I ended up skipping that since watching it would’ve taken up my entire break. In the end, we decided to sit down on a bench in the courtyard and rest until our time was up.

It was a bit of a shame I couldn’t go around with Mari for our last school festival, but this would still become a good memory with a classmate in its own way.

That’s what I was thinking, right as I took a sip of the apple juice I’d just bought.

Then, with a motion that practically came with its own “pop” sound effect, Haruno-san leaned in from the side and peered straight into my face before casually muttering,

“Say, Ichinose-san… as I thought, do you feel lonely when Nagase-san isn’t around?”

“Pfft… Cough, hack! Wh-Wh-Wh-Why would you ask that?”

“Aaaah, wait, sorry! I’m really sorry…!”

There I was, choking, while Haruno-san started to panic.

Maybe she hadn’t expected me to react that strongly; she flailed her hands around in a rush, looking completely flustered.

“Sorry, I did it again… I’ve got this habit of blurting out whatever pops into my head right away…”

Seeing Haruno-san looking so down, I, with apple juice still stuck in my windpipe and my eyes watering, tried to reassure her. “I-It’s okay.”

Honestly, I really was just surprised. I’d already had a vague feeling she was the type of person who acts on impulse like that.

“Well, it’s true I feel a little lonely without Mari, but I had a lot of fun going around with you too, Haruno-san.”

I pulled myself together and smiled as I said it. And I genuinely meant those words from the bottom of my heart.

Haruno-san gave a small “I see” and nodded, then started speaking again with an apologetic look still lingering on her face.

“The other day, I told Nagase-san that the two of you looked like a couple, and I think I ended up troubling her. I apologized to her too, but I really need to be more careful.”

“Eh?”

Mari hadn’t told me anything about that. Even so, I could easily picture her not knowing how to respond to Haruno-san’s blunt way of bringing things up, and I gave a slightly strained smile.

“W-Well, as for Mari, um...”

I was about to say, “We’re actually dating,” but I stopped myself just in time.

Personally, I wouldn’t have minded telling her, but since Mari hadn’t said anything to Haruno-san, I felt like it wasn’t my place to reveal it on my own. Even after what I’d said the other day, I still wanted to respect Mari’s feelings in the end.

But staying quiet like that turned out to be a mistake too.

Haruno-san must’ve picked up on my hesitation. “Wait, don’t tell me...” she whispered, covering her mouth as her cheeks flushed bright red.

Then, all of a sudden, she leaned in closer, her eyes starting to sparkle.

“Ichinose-san.”

“Yes...?”

“Nagase-san has someone she’s dating right now, right?”

“Y-Yeah, that’s right.”

The memory of Mari saying, “I have someone I’m dating, after all,” when Inuino-kun came to our classroom the other day was still fresh in my mind.

To be honest, it had made me unbelievably happy. Even if part of me couldn’t help wondering why she’d added that little “after all.”

It made me so overwhelmingly happy that I’d had to fight down the urge to raise my hand right then and there and announce, “Oh, that person she’s dating is me.”

“...Does that... mean...”

“............”

I couldn’t afford to let anything else slip out. Thinking that, I turned my gaze away from her. Haruno-san, however, kept staring straight at me without looking away.

“............Nagase-san is really cute, isn’t she?” Haruno-san murmured.

“Hwah! N-No! ...You can’t.”

The moment those words slipped out of my mouth in response to her comment, I thought, Oh, crap. Haruno-san’s eyes began to shine even more brightly.

She looked like a little kid who’d just had their favorite toy placed right in front of them; curiosity was practically spilling out of her. Back when I was younger and obsessed with magical girl anime, I used to sit glued to the TV on weekend mornings with that exact same expression, so I recognized it immediately. This was pure, unfiltered curiosity.

“U-Um, Haruno-san, please keep this between us...”

“I will!”

Hearing her bright, energetic reply, I mentally hung my head.

Sorry, Mari, I apologized silently in my heart.

I also made a mental note to give Seishuku-san a quick heads-up later, just to be safe.

As for Haruno-san, she had both hands pressed to her cheeks, murmuring things like “Hawawa...” and “I knew it...” under her breath.

She didn’t seem like the type who’d cause any trouble, so I let out a small sigh and decided it was probably fine.

“Oh, but that’s right. If that’s the case, Ichinose-san...”

“Eh, what?”

When all was said and done, it really did take a surprising amount of energy to tell other people that we were dating. Maybe it was better not to say anything carelessly after all.

Break time was almost over, and I wanted to head back to the classroom to watch Mari working hard so I could recharge my emotional energy.

Just as I was about to respond with that in mind, Haruno-san suddenly started speaking, her expression turning serious.

“I know this might be meddling, but since you’re dating her, you really should try to be a bit more considerate of Nagase-san. She might not notice the stares herself, but if you leave hickeys and things like that in such visible spots, the guys are going to keep sneaking glances at her.”

“...H-Huh?!”

“Even during PE lately, Nagase-san has been wearing her track jacket with the collar turned up to hide them. But it’s still hot out, so I’m worried about her getting heatstroke or starting to feel unwell. You shouldn’t be putting that kind of burden on her.”

The way she pointed it out, with that gentle, “Bad girl,” tone like a mother scolding her child, hit me with pure, unfiltered logic.

I’d brushed off similar warnings from Kagami-kun and Todoroki-kun before, but hearing it from another girl made it sting in an entirely different way. On top of that, the fact that I was already aware of the burden I was placing on Mari only made it hurt more.

Burying my face in my hands out of sheer embarrassment, I couldn’t do anything except offer a weak reply.

“...I’m truly, truly sorry.”