Aihara-san, who had ordered the lunch set with a drink bar, and I, who had ordered only the drink bar, went together to get our drinks.
If it’s a normal meal, I’d have to take off my mask, but with drinks, I can just use a straw under the mask.
Perfect positioning, right?
“I want some corn soup, so Sasaki-chan, you go back first.”
“Okay.”
After pouring her drink, Aihara-san lined up for the corn soup, so I poured myself some oolong tea and headed back to the table.
“Huh?”
When I got back, only the shaggy-haired guy was there.
The shaggy-haired guy was lazily tapping on his phone while wetting his lips with water.
Being alone with this guy is the worst…
“Hey, where’s Makishima?”
“Hm? Makishima said he needed to cool his head, all red-faced, and went somewhere.”
“I see.”
Did my little prank earlier actually work?
I only tickled him a bit… what a weirdo.
“Hey, Sasaguma-san.”
The shaggy-haired guy lifted his face from his phone and spoke to me.
“You only got oolong tea? Didn’t expect you to be so health-conscious.”
I ignored him and sat down on the sofa.
If I seriously listen to him, I lose.
This guy’s my weak spot—annoying, creepy, and shaggy.
As soon as it became one-on-one, he started staring at me.
“Hmmm, heeey, hoooh.”
This is the worst… help me, Makishima.
“Now that I look closely, Sasakura—no, Sasakura-san, you’re pretty cute too. Like, after Aihara-san… maybe after the next one.”
“…So annoying.”
“Hey, Shinohara—no, Shinohara-san. You slipped away with Makishima during that group date the other day, right? Be honest, you like Makishima, don’t you?”
“…Not really.”
“So you do like him.”
“I-It’s not like that!”
“Yeah, yeah, I get it. Makishima’s got a good face, but he doesn’t mess around with women, and he’s a real gentle guy.”
…Well, he’s not wrong.
The shaggy-haired guy gulped down his water and placed his phone on the table.
“Lately, Makishima’s been fired up, saying stuff like ‘I’m going to play in the Emperor’s Cup!’ His motivation’s crazy high. That’s totally thanks to you, Shinohara-san.”
“…O-Of course! Makishima’s useless without me!”
“Right, right. So stay close to him and praise him a lot. For someone with his ability, his self-esteem’s way too low. If Sasaki-san praises him, even Makishima will gain confidence. I’m counting on you from now on.”
His tone shifted from creepy to normal.
I thought he was just a gross guy, but when it comes to Makishima, he’s surprisingly a good friend.
“Oh, right! Since Makishima’s always in our care, here—this is my thanks.”
Azaki pulled two tickets out of his wallet and placed them on the table.
“I was gonna give them to a girl from Chiba I met on SNS yesterday when we—uh—hung out, but after I did what I needed to do, she went totally cold on me.”
“What are these tickets?”
“Chiba Aquarium. Training camp ends tomorrow morning, so I thought I’d go after that, but… you and Makishima should go instead.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah. But in return… when the food comes, Makishima might say something weird. Just ignore it.”
“Ignore it?”
“Yeah. You okay with that?”
“O-Okay…”
I really don’t get this guy.
I took the tickets and put them into my bag.
Right at that moment, Aihara-san came back with a cup of corn soup and her drink.
“Sorry I took so long. I really like corn soup… huh? Where’s Makishima-kun?”
“Oh, that guy went outside.”
“Outside?”
“Said he wanted to move his body before eating. He’s probably running around in front of the restaurant.”
“What is that, some kind of Muto—no, Muso-like ritual?”
After a while, Makishima returned, looking like his usual self again.
“I’m back…”
He was glaring at me a lot—probably still mad about my prank.
What? I just wanted to tease him a little.
“Makishima-kun, are you all set now? You can eat properly?”
“All set? What do you mean?”
I sipped my oolong tea while looking at Makishima sitting across from me.
When should I give him the tickets?
An aquarium is way more couple-like than anywhere I’ve been before.
With the right atmosphere, maybe things could even go further…
While I was thinking that, the waitress brought our food.
“Thank you for waiting.”
Oh right, earlier the shaggy-haired guy said something about Makishima saying something weird…
“Ah! Aihara! Um—”
Suddenly, Makishima spoke to Aihara-san in a trembling voice.
“What’s wrong?”
“Azaki says he twisted his hand when he fell during the match, and he wants someone to feed him…”
I see. That’s why he told me to ignore it.
Beside the flustered Makishima, Azaki grinned.
This guy really is… the worst.
I wonder what Aihara-san will do.
“Oh really? Then Makishima-kun should feed him. You’re right next to him, after all.”
““Huh?””
Aihara-san struck the two men in front of her with a counterattack, wearing an unusually cold smile.
“You think so too, Sasaki-chan, right?”
Aihara-san’s smile—probably an angry one—was directed at me.
“Right?”
“U-Um… yeah.”
“Hey, Sasaki!”
“Here you go, Makishima-kun. A fork.”
Aihara-san took a fork from the case and handed it to Makishima.
“I-I’m doing it, Azaki.”
“…Come on, Makishima.”
While watching the two guys awkwardly feed each other, I took another sip of my oolong tea.
Just a little bit… I felt jealous.
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