Touko-senpai and I each called our respective best friends and asked them for help as we tried to catch Kamokura and Karen entering a hotel together.

However, it wasn’t going well.

There weren’t any movements from the two of them the next Monday.

Three days later, on Thursday, they did make their move to have another tryst, but unfortunately, we lost sight of them after they left Nippori Station.

On that occasion, the two of them left from the south ticket gate and the one stationed there to keep guard was Ishida.

Ishida had apparently kept a considerable distance from them as he tailed them so as not to be noticed, and because of that, he ended up easily losing sight of them.

“Sorry. It’s my fault. And it was an excellent chance too…”

Ishida apologized as such, but I had no intention of blaming him for that.

Simply having him go through the trouble of making time for this and helping us out is already something to thank him for.

Not to mention that tailing someone without being found out by them is indeed a very difficult task.

This is doubly true if you’re following someone that knows your face.

Even if I had been the one to do it, I probably would’ve failed in the same way as him.

To make matters worse, the next Monday after that, the two of them didn’t even make an appearance at Nippori.

From the excuses they gave Touko-senpai and me, saying that they couldn’t meet with us, I believe it’s a given that the two of them were having another rendezvous. 

Most probably, the two of them were meeting in another place.

That day, I wanted to know, even if it was only as a feeling, if the two of them were meeting or not, so I called Karen’s phone earlier than usual, around the time I thought they would be right in the middle of doing ‘that’.

As I had expected, Karen didn’t answer her phone that time.

Three hours later, I once again called Karen.

“…Hi.”

In complete contrast to her normal enthusiasm, she now spoke in a low, displeased voice.

“Karen? It’s me, Yuu…”

“I already knew from the moment the call entered and I saw the display.”

“Oh, yeah, right.”

“And? What’d you want?”

Quite the brusque way to talk.

This meant that she was in a very bad mood.

“Well, I called you a while ago and you didn’t answer. I was worried something might have happened.”

“…Not really. I was asleep on the bed.”

“I see. You were on the bed.”

This little bitch. You were doing something different ‘on the bed’, didn’t you!?

“Was that all you wanted?”

“Eh? Ah, yeah. I mean, I promised to call you every day.”

“…”

“There was also me wanting to hear your voice, Karen.”

Holding back my anger, I somehow managed to say that in a gentle voice.

“Isn’t it enough already?”

“Eh?”

“Calling me every day, it’s enough already.”

“But, Karen, you’re the one who said: ‘It’s only natural for Yuu-kun as my boyfriend to call me every day’.”

“Yes, Karen did say that, but that was back when we started dating. It’s already been 3 months since Karen and Yuu-kun started dating. Karen was thinking it was ok to not call her every day by now.”

“You don’t want to talk with me every day, is that it?”

“That’s not it. But, being called every day kinda feels like Karen is being monitored. It’s like Karen is being restrained. If Karen experiences that, she may end up hating Yuu-kun.”

This girl! Those were some words for someone who’s been doing things that deserve putting them under surveillance.

“… I see…”

… Is your time with Kamokura that important? So much that even time spent talking with me is a waste?

The silence went on for a while longer.

“Was that all you wanted to say?”

“Ah, yeah.”

“Karen’s head hurts, so she’s going to sleep already.”

“Oh, okay. Have a good night.”

As soon as I gave that reply,  she ended the call.

The next day…

“That’s one troublesome thing you did there.”

With her fist placed on her chin, Touko-senpai gave me a stern look.