CH 89

Chiaki moved next to Asahi, Hinami and Asuka, who arrived, sat facing each other.

“So, what happened with Fuyu-chan?”

“You didn’t get into a fight or anything, did you?”

“Did you make her angry by any chance?”

“Maybe? Kagamin is blunt at times after all.”

“I know right? Kagamin is not very straightforward.”

As soon as they opened the menu, the girls ordered drinks and sweets, and Asahi couldn’t help but turn his body away as they leaned forward.

He ignored the nickname that had taken root and turned his attention to Chiaki.

“Why’d you call these guys?”

“Like I said, I called in some powerful helpers.”

“How are they powerful? Besides, I’m not looking for any helpers.”

“You sure? If you’re talking to me, I think that’s probably the case.”

Chiaki pointed out the obvious, and Asahi fell silent.

“What are you two whispering about?”

“Yeah, yeah! Let us in too!”

The two girls were noisy, but they wouldn’t do anything dumb.

‘They would listen and give advice in a serious manner, probably.’

“…Alright.”

The question was the same as Chiaki’s, so Asahi answered in the same way as before, and as he did so, Hinami and Asuka’s faces became cloudy. They didn’t look stiff or unhappy, but rather surprised and dismayed.

“A-chan, do you get it?”

“Hmm, maybe a little bit. How about you, Hinappe?”

“I have no idea!”

“Well, you ought to feel more than think.”

“Yep, yep. LIke, push it, go, go!”

Asahi looked at them suspiciously as they exchanged a nonsensical conversation.

“But I might be able to understand her feelings.”

“Eh? How? I’m blank on that one.”

“Hey, hey! I thought you could handle relationship advice.”

“I mean, both of you are thinking too hard.”

They were arguing about this and that, but as usual, Asahi couldn’t keep up with them.

As he listened absentmindedly and chewed on his fries, it seemed that the conversation was over.

As a representative, Asuka coughed and asked Asahi.

“Now, here’s the question. Why is Himuro-san avoiding Kagamin?”

“I don’t know, that’s why I’m troubled.”

“Have you thought about it then?”

“…Well, I did.”

So far, it was as Chiaki had asked and he told him.

Asahi couldn’t think of anything.

If that was the case, he could only assume that the problem was on Fuyuka’s side, but they weren’t able to capture it concretely, and he couldn’t deny the possibility that he might have hurt her without his knowledge.

In the end, he still didn’t know anything.

“She’ll avoid me in a very apologetic manner. Like a little child, if I touch her, she’ll get scared.”

With a downcast look on his face, Asahi lowered the tone of his voice.

“I wonder if she hates me.”

Normally, Asahi wouldn’t show any weakness, but he couldn’t help but let the words spill out.

He himself denied the phrase, but deep down he couldn’t help but think about it.

‘Fuyuka hates me.’

‘That’s why she’s avoiding me.’

He was torn between wanting to believe that it wasn’t, and suspecting that it was.

‘When did I become so weak?’

“That’s not true!”

As if out of control, Hinami’s loud voice rang out.

For a moment, the store was quiet, and the eyes of the people focused on them, but it soon regained its bustle.

The table of four, led by Asahi, was the only one that maintained a tense silence.

Hinami quietly opened her mouth.

Her eyes were slightly moist, and her voice was slightly shaking.

“Asahi and Fuyu are friends, right? Not to mention, you’re very close, and you like each other so much that you’re always together. You can’t hate a person that easily.”

Her voice sounded very calm, which was unusual for Hinami. There was a certain passion in her voice.

“I don’t know anything complicated, but I can tell you this much.”

Wiping her teary eyes, Hinami looked straight at Asahi.

“I don’t want Asahi and Fuyu-chan to stay like this. I want to have lunch with you guys again.”

Asuka gave up her seat and Chiaki moved to it.

Chiaki gently stroked Hinami’s head as if he were wrapping around her.

“Well, I’ll give you a little hint.”

Asuka, who replaced Chiaki and sat next to Asahi, gave a small smile.

“Do you remember the last time we had a little love talk?”

“You just answered my question back then, didn’t you?”

“Leave the details alone! I said back then that I want the happiness of the person I love as much as I want mine, didn’t I?”

It was an event that left a strong impression on him during a field trip.

Ryoma, whom Asuka was in love with, was in love with Fuyuka.

Asahi asked if it was painful to have unrequited love.

The answer to that question was what Asuka just said.

I wish for the happiness of the person I love. So, I don’t want to interfere with their affair.

So Asuka continued to express her fondness and never tried to step on their affair.

“I’m sure you’re kind and waited like I did.”

That was what Asuka told him, but the reality was a little different.

He was just a coward.

He gave way in the face of Ryoma, who had strong resolve and feelings.

Then Ryoma was rejected, and he felt disgusted with himself for being relieved, and frustrated with his current inability to act.

‘I can’t wish for my own happiness as much for the happiness of the person I love.’

“It’s okay to wish for your own happiness as much as for the happiness of the people you love, you know?”

Asuka murmured softly, as if she had seen through Asahi’s feelings.

“It’s important to think about the other person’s feelings. But don’t you think the most important thing is your own feelings? If you like someone, you have to tell them that you like them, otherwise you can’t get it across, right? I think that’s the first step.”

Hinami’s complaint and Asuka’s advice.

A small fire was lit deep in his heart.

He felt as if the haze that had been hanging over him had disappeared.

“Go make up with her.”

Suddenly their eyes met, and Chiaki grinned and urged Asahi on.

‘Even though he’s right in front of me, it feels like I’ve been kicked in the back. It’s not a bad feeling though.’

“…Yeah. We have to make up, right?”

The conclusion he arrived at after much worrying was a very simple and direct method.

Still, as a solid step forward, Asahi decided to move on.

There was something he wanted to ask Fuyuka, and something he wanted to tell her.

“Now then, let’s talk about something else since the mood is so gloomy!”

“Here, here! I want to know how Kagamin fell in love with Himuro-san!”

“…Ha?”

“There’s no point in hiding it now. It’s obvious that you like Fuyu-chan.”

The atmosphere that had been there just a few moments ago changed completely, and there was a sense that the bustling routine was returning.

It was still raining outside, but it was bound to clear up at some point.