Apartment
A girl was staring at her phone with a flushed face, her heart full of courage and emotions.
She'd just sent a message—her heart poured into those few lines of text.
Taking a deep breath, Aina finally exhaled. She'd been holding her breath without realizing.
It was done. No going back. At last, she could relax a bit.
She flopped onto her soft bed, still replaying the words she had chosen so carefully.
"Ahhhh! I sent it! Aghhh! Wah! Ugh!"
Blushing and flailing like a spoiled child denied her favorite toy, Aina rolled around on the bed.
The poor bed could only silently endure its owner's frenzied kicking.
Fortunately, this didn't last too long.
Overexcited Aina, in a moment of overenthusiasm, smacked her pinky toe against the floor.
Now it was a cry of pain instead of embarrassment.
"Ouch! (T_T)"
After a short break, Aina pulled herself together, steadied her breath, and looked out the window at the night sky.
She knew she didn't have much time left.
That's why shy, quiet Aina had suddenly found the courage to make a move.
There was... no more time.
She didn't want her youth to be full of regrets!
Staring at her reflection in the glass, Aina suddenly felt like this was the kind of plot straight out of a drama.
Ding-dong~
Just as she was getting lost in the fantasy of being like a drama heroine, the LINE notification sound from her phone yanked her back to reality.
The dashing drama heroine disappeared. Now she was just little Aina, nervously checking her messages.
She was terrified that it might be a rejection.
Gulp...
After an intense internal struggle, Aina decisively opened her phone!
It was from her good friend, Kiyoko!
"Sorry to bother you so late, I came to return the book you lent me."
Crack.
It was hard to tell whether it was the sound of her bones or her phone—either way, it wasn't a good sound.
Face darkened, Aina turned off her phone and tossed it onto the bed. Classic "read but didn't reply."
Ding-dong, ding-dong~
This time, it was the doorbell.
Creak—
"Yoohoo~ Aina~!"
A cute purple-haired girl with a curvy figure and a side ponytail cheerfully greeted Aina.
But Aina was in no mood to see Kiyoko right now—not even close...
"Uh, Kiyoko..."
"Hm?"
"Can I hate you for a little while?"
(??ω??)
Kiyoko squinted her eyes and bluntly refused, "Not sure what's going on, but nope!"
She handed the book to Aina. "Here, this is for you."
Kiyoko didn't probe into why her bestie seemed so down—she was exhausted from dealing with a two-faced girl every day.
Ugh, why can't all the fake girls in Japan just drop dead already?!
Think about it—if that happened, Japan's population would drop by a tenth! Huge help with the population crisis!
Ding-dong, ding-dong~
Just as Kiyoko was about to leave, the phone Aina had tossed on the bed lit up again.
!!!
Aina instinctively flinched. This time, it could really be a message from that person!
Panicking, she looked at her bestie. "Uh, you just came to return the book, right?"
"Yep."
Kiyoko nodded—she was headed to see Kamishiro anyway, just dropping off the book on the way.
Creak—
At that, Aina couldn't wait to shut the door. "Got the book—okay, goodnight then…"
Thunk!
A hand stopped the door. Kiyoko stepped back in and draped her arm around Aina's neck with a playful grin.
"Say, Aina~ Are you hiding something juicy from me~?"
She smelled gossip in the air~
Normally Aina would invite her in. Wanting to rush her out now? Way too suspicious.
And thinking back to what Aina had just said, and the lingering blush on her face—
Yep, it was definitely about romance~
(λ?_??)
No way Kiyoko was missing out on something this fun.
As for Kamishiro?
He could go play with his own cough cough—this was about her best friend!
She had to stay and help with tactics and planning!
...Whether Aina wanted her to stay or not didn't really matter~
"No, no! There's nothing going on!"
Aina instantly denied it. How could she let anyone know something that embarrassing?
"Oh really? Well then, I'll just stay like this. Playing around at your place sounds fun too~"
Kiyoko leaned against her, grinning. She was way too clever to buy that lie.
"Uuuuuhhh (*?????)"
Aina was desperate. Kiyoko was notoriously stubborn—when she said she'd stay, she meant it.
That's how she managed to hang onto Kamishiro for so long.
But right now, Aina really, really needed to see that reply!
She had no other choice. Reluctantly, she said, "Fine... but only you, okay?"
"Mmhmm!"
"Actually..."
"Ah! Wait a sec!"
"…"
Aina was just about to spill when Kiyoko suddenly interrupted.
Watching her friend walk away, Aina clenched her fists—she'd built up so much courage, and now it was wasted!
sigh…
Held hostage by gossip, Aina could only hope Kiyoko had something urgent to do and would forget everything.
Her eyes flicked to the phone nearby. She was scared now.
Scared that the message was the exact answer she didn't want to hear.
After all, Murphy's Law exists: the thing you don't want to happen is exactly what does.
The more she thought about it, the more scared she became. She was starting to regret her decision.
What if this ruined even their friendship?
Aaaaaaah!!!
Why did I even send it!!!
Aina was stuck in mental torture.
Sometime later…
Aina looked, stone-faced, at the two unexpected new guests who definitely shouldn't be here.
"We came to hear your gossip~"
"What's the juicy secret only Kiyoko gets to know?!"
The two newcomers were gleeful. Nothing beats bestie gossip—except maybe bro gossip.
"Why did you call them over too?!"
Aina was on the verge of breakdown. Did Kiyoko even understand the meaning of "just you"?!
Kiyoko showed zero guilt, striking a cute pose. "The four of us are basically one soul~ ?(′?｀)人(′?｀)?"
Thud!
Aina slammed her head into the bed. Looking at the now crowded room, she had no idea how things ended up like this.
Was this the "succeed and we celebrate, fail and we comfort" kind of best friend vibe?
...That's actually kind of touching!!!
(*?????)
"That reaction kinda hurts~"
"Yeah, seriously~"
"Don't you trust us?"
The trio grinned, clearly enjoying the drama.
Of course, if Aina really didn't want to share, they'd understand.
But...
"You really should hear our opinions~"
"Didn't we already tell you not to wear that makeup?"
"I am super experienced in love. You sure you won't regret this?"
Looking at the three friends she trusted the most, Aina wavered.
Yeah, they loved gossip—but they never let it leave the group. And their experience? Way more than hers.
(╥_╥)
"…Fine, but only you three. No one else!"
"Got it!" ×3
The trio sat in a neat row like little kindergartners waiting for snacks.
"So here's what happened…"
Aina slowly recounted the whole thing—how she'd messaged that boy, and what she said (which was super embarrassing).
Their reaction?
(???)
Utter disdain!
"That's it?!"
They couldn't believe it. From Aina's expression, they'd expected a confession or a hotel rendezvous or something!
Who would've thought—
It was just an invitation to go see a movie together?!!
Is this kid some relic from the last century?
"I mean seriously,"
"Even middle schoolers nowadays are more proactive than you."
"Geez, private theaters aren't as amazing as you think… Wait, don't tell me—when you said 'watch a movie,' you meant actually going to a normal movie theater?"
!!!
"Why would we go to a private theater to watch a movie?! Of course I meant a regular cinema!"
Hearing Kiyoko's comment, Aina's face turned bright red. Even someone as innocent as her knew what private theaters were usually used for...
Whirrrr—!!!
Aina transformed into a steam engine.
"Hmph! Whatever! I'm just the class clown of the university!"
She hugged herself in frustration. This was being conservative, okay?! This was true love!
"Class clown, huh…"
Hearing that phrase, Kanako couldn't help but picture Aina's infamous "zombie makeup" moment.
That wasn't something you could just brush off as a silly university stunt…
Honestly, most people wouldn't live a life as dramatic as hers—even in decades.
After all, normal people don't turn themselves into zombie-beasts for fun…
But that didn't matter anymore. Even class clowns could find love in college!
"So, what did he say back?"
Kanako asked, since it takes two people for romance to work. One-sided efforts lead nowhere.
!!!
The moment Aina heard that, she suddenly sat bolt upright—she'd forgotten to check the reply!
Frantically grabbing her phone, her nervousness overcame her embarrassment. This was it—the moment of truth!
Kitahara Iori: "Ahh, I see."
Kitahara Iori: "Let's meet at the station at 2, then."
(灬°ω°灬)
Reading the LINE messages, Aina nearly burst into tears from joy—flowers practically bloomed around her.
He said yes!
Iori said yes!
Seeing her reaction, the other girls all smiled knowingly and offered their congratulations.
"Awesome!"
"Congrats!"
"Haha, it's no big deal~"
Aina bashfully rubbed her head. Even though she tried to play it cool, the blush and grin on her face said it all.
But amidst the excitement, one person noticed something was off.
The elegant, Keiko furrowed her brow at the reply.
Seeing her thoughtful expression, Kiyoko asked, "What's wrong, Keiko?"
"Hmm… doesn't his reply seem a little strange?"
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"Look. Aina just invited him to a movie, right?"
Keiko passed her phone to Kiyoko. Sure enough, Aina's message was just a simple invite.
Now even Kiyoko started feeling something was off.
"He replied with 'Ahh, I see'... doesn't that feel kinda weird?"
Once Keiko pointed it out, everyone realized it too. That wasn't how normal people would respond.
!?!!
"What's weird about it? He's not going to ghost me, is he?!"
The discussion had Aina panicking—she'd finally gathered the courage to message him, and it couldn't end in cliché disaster!
"Calm down, calm down. It's not that bad."
"We're just saying it feels a little... off."
Kanako and the others tried to soothe the frantic Aina. Honestly, it kind of felt like raising a daughter.
"Personally, I think he's just as excited as you are!"
Sherlock Kiyoko, however, had a completely different interpretation.
Seeing everyone's confused looks, she tapped on the screen dramatically. "This reply? Totally in character for Shiro. A simple deduction reveals everything, my dear Watson."
From Kamashiro Shiro's perspective, going to a movie = booking a hotel. The reply made perfect sense in that context.
And there was another deeper meaning hidden in his words!
"Read it aloud. Together, it spells... chrysanthemum... sniff sniff..."
"THAT'S ENOUGH, Kiyoko!"
To prevent the scene from getting flagged, Keiko physically silenced her. Any further and it would've violated content guidelines.
Also—what kind of freaky stuff were these girls doing in the past that "chrysanthemum" came to mind so naturally?!
Aina and Keiko couldn't help but glance at Kiyoko's, um… chrysanthemum.
In that case… it probably has…
Whirrrr~
Aina turned into a steam engine again. Keiko covered her mouth in disbelief.
Turns out their bestie was hiding a lot.
(Σ(っ °Д °;)っ)
"I-I didn't! We weren't doing anything that weird! That kind of stuff is too hard to clean up after—ACK!
It hurt to put it in—NO, WAIT!
It was too big to fit—GAH!
WHAT AM I EVEN SAYING?!"
Kiyoko tried desperately to explain herself. But she was too flustered, and her words only made things worse, even revealing knowledge normal people probably wouldn't acquire in a lifetime…
Keiko and Kanako didn't just suspect anymore—they were sure of it.
Their girl had secrets.
Keiko solemnly placed a hand on Kiyoko's shoulder.
"We'll talk about this in detail later. Please prepare a full written report. Minimum 2000 words."
"…"
Kiyoko gave up resisting. Her poor chrysanthemum couldn't prove her innocence anymore.
"You're demons! If you're so curious, try it yourselves! I never even did it!"
(╥_╥)
Her explanation was weak and ineffective.
Thankfully, the topic ended quickly—for both moderation's sake and…
Because Kanako, being pure and innocent, had no idea what any of this meant.
This was way too advanced for her. She believed in true love!
But once Keiko quietly whispered a quick "education" into her ear—
She exploded.
If they really followed Kiyoko's interpretation, then Aina's chrysanthemum…
Aaaaaaahhhhh!!!
"I SAID SIT PROPERLY, AINA!"
(′｀;)?
Still scolding Kiyoko, Aina turned her head, confused. From the look on Kanako's face, she could already tell—
"Keiko, you told her something unnecessary again, didn't you…"
"I swear I meant no harm!" Keiko protested. "I just wanted to... slightly taint her purity!"
"Do you even hear yourself?!"
BANG!
Unable to process the overload of information, the pure-hearted war goddess Kanako fainted on the spot, ending the chrysanthemum discussion for good.