The unexpected answer elicited a surprised cry from Takumi.
He wanted to offer a greeting, but didn't have to speak.
He gave Akira a suspicious look, as if she were speaking in a Zen koan. She smiled broadly, pursed her lips into an omega shape, and raised her left hand.
Instantly, Takumi frowned, not understanding her intention. As he stood there confused, Akira bounced lightly, urging him on. When she also waved her raised right hand, he understood what she was asking for.
Takumi cautiously raised his right hand, and Akira met his, creating a satisfying snap sound for a high-five. Then, with a triumphant look, she said:
"See? Don't you think that's a kind of greeting?"
"Ah!"
"I think even smiling at the person and giving a small wave is fine. You can manage a greeting even without talking, right?"
"Yes, we can!"
"A greeting essentially just needs to be a form of communication that lets the other person know, 'I have no hostile intentions; I just want to be friendly,' right? In that case, you don't necessarily need words."
Takumi felt like a veil had been lifted from his eyes. Even this morning, Kotori had managed to get close to Toba, even if she couldn't speak. While a big, cheerful smile might be too much, she could certainly manage a small wave.
If she could do that, she definitely wouldn't be perceived as hating him. She might even get a reaction back, and it would be easier to transition into spoken words for the day duty.
Akira put her hands on her hips and puffed out her modest chest.
Takumi offered a voice mixed with admiration and curiosity.
"Thank you, I think that might actually work! But... to be honest, I'm surprised to hear a method like that from a senior like you, who seems unafraid to talk to anyone."
"Haha, even I get nervous and can't talk when I face someone who looks scary. But when you absolutely have to talk to them, you have to show them you don't have any bad intentions."
"What!?"
"Woah!?"
Takumi couldn't hide his surprise this time, raising his voice at Akira, who merely shrugged. He stared intently at Akira, who flinched at his loud voice, and then asked tentatively:
"Um, I'm often feared by people and rarely get spoken to..."
"Oh, really? I just thought you looked a little bit mischievous, that's all."
"'Mischievous'?"
"Well, look. Compared to someone who's genuinely angry and about to lash out, or someone who might brandish a weapon if something goes wrong, isn't 'mischievous' better?"
"That's... well, true."
"There are people who are confrontational from the start, so compared to them, you're fine."
The use of the cute word "mischievous" made him laugh awkwardly, but the subsequent explanation made a strange amount of sense. Indeed, if people like that were the point of comparison, he must belong to the easy-to-talk-to category.
A warm feeling spread slowly through his chest.
Takumi murmured with genuine admiration.
"So the Volunteer Club deals with people like that."
"Sometimes. Well, I have to return these books, so I'll see you!"
With that, Akira returned to helping the library committee.
After watching her walk away, Takumi immediately sent Akira's advice to Kotori.
Kotori, having received Takumi's advice from Akira, jumped at the idea.
She sent him messages repeatedly, breathing heavily with excitement: "Wow, that's genius!" and "I can do this!"
The warning bell for the end of lunch break rang, leaving only a short time before afternoon classes began.
Kotori returned to the classroom full of motivation and immediately headed toward Toba, striking while the iron was hot. Takumi watched her from his seat, holding his breath.
Currently, Toba believed Kotori had done something to dislike him.
As Kotori walked toward Toba's desk, the tension in the area became palpable.
When Kotori reached Toba's desk, just like that morning, he flinched, his cheeks twitching, but he forced himself to speak in his usual bright tone.
"Nabata-san...?"
"..."
In response, Kotori managed what looked like a clumsy smile, turning up the corners of her mouth slightly, and gave a small, light wave as if to say, "Hi."
Takumi inwardly pumped his fist, seeing that Kotori had successfully managed a greeting, however awkward.
However, Toba didn't seem to grasp the intention.
He let out a blank "Huh?" and looked confused.
Perhaps surprised by Toba's reaction, Kotori looked back at Takumi for help. Takumi nodded deeply, urging her to try again.
Taking a shallow breath, Kotori raised her hand again with a strained smile.
This time, Toba also tentatively raised his hand and murmured the greeting as a question.
"H-Hi?"
"!"
Kotori nodded eagerly, as if to say, "That's correct!"
Toba then visibly relaxed and gave an overly cheerful smile.
"Haha, I'm glad I got it right! Maybe even this morning, you were just trying to say hello?"
"...Yeah, that's right."
Toba was truly the master of reading the room. Takumi was impressed by his deduction.
Kotori quickly played along, and voices around them softened: "Oh, so that's all it was," and "It's confusing, but that's typical of Nabata-san."
Takumi and Kotori both sighed in relief, having somehow managed to clear up the misunderstanding.
But Toba, acting completely normal, dropped an enormous bombshell.
"So, what do you need me for?"
"!!"
Kotori and Takumi froze completely. Toba just smiled, looking cheerful.
When they thought about it, Kotori, who usually showed no interest in anyone, had gone out of her way to approach Toba. It was only natural for Toba to assume she wanted something.
Their foresight had failed them. They had been so focused on executing the greeting that they hadn't planned for anything beyond it.
Leaving things with no further explanation would be too suggestive.
Kotori's eyes spun as she looked back at Takumi for help.
In a panic, Takumi immediately sent her a text message that simply read: "Day Duty."
Kotori, who was completely overwhelmed in front of Toba, instantly pulled out her phone when she felt the notification and read the text aloud.
"'Day Duty'..."
"Day duty! Oh yeah, it's coming up soon, isn't it? Are you saying we should exchange contact info for that?"
"Mm."
Kotori nodded emphatically, going along with his assumption. Although it was a strange misunderstanding, it was a natural progression of the conversation.
Seeing Toba cheerfully shout, "I got Nabata-san's address!" Takumi and Kotori breathed sighs of relief.
But the two of them were so relieved to have escaped the situation that they didn't notice the growing buzz of excitement around them.
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