Yamamura Miki looked at that message on her phone screen, and unbidden, the scene from their time on the Deserted Island rose up in her mind.
Back then, what Morishita Ai had done could only be described as remarkably bold.
So bold that even now, recalling it, Yamamura Miki found it somewhat unbelievable.
No matter how she thought about it, she could never have imagined that Morishita Ai, who had merely gone off to play some detective game, would run straight over and end up getting together with Shikime Natsu.
And from what she'd heard, it had been by some rather outrageous means, too.
After all, they'd gone straight to kissing, and everything that came after that...
What kind of "normal" method could possibly develop that fast?
At the very least, before the Deserted Island, Yamamura Miki had thought that she and Morishita Ai were more or less at about the same pace.
And back then, Morishita Ai had been quite the awkward one, too.
At least before going to the Deserted Island, Morishita Ai had still been planning to first play matchmaker and set Yamamura Miki up with Shikime Natsu, calling herself a noble bystander.
But in the end, no one had expected that Morishita Ai would be the one to defect to the enemy first—and in such a bold manner, at that.
As Yamamura Miki recalled it all, her little face couldn't help but flush crimson.
At the very least, if she were asked to do something like what Morishita Ai had done, with Yamamura Miki's thin skin, there was absolutely no way she could pull it off.
For Yamamura Miki, that sort of thing was simply far too difficult.
Completely impossible.
Yamamura Miki thought this to herself, and the expression on her face grew even more complicated.
Her brows knitted slightly, her lips pressed together, and within those deep teal eyes flickered a light of conflicted turmoil.
Meanwhile, Himeno Yuki, sitting beside her, watched the expressions shifting across Yamamura Miki's face and couldn't help but lower her head slightly, beginning to mull things over in her mind.
This Yamamura Miki... she couldn't possibly have brought in some kind of substitute, could she?
Otherwise, it was just looking at a phone—did her expression really need to be that rich and varied?
From flustered to startled, from startled to blushing, from blushing to conflicted, all without the slightest attempt to hide it. True, Yamamura Miki's presence really wasn't very strong, but... the three of them were all sitting right here, and Yamamura Miki was even seated right next to her. No matter what, there was no way she wouldn't notice Yamamura Miki, right?
And judging from the panic in Yamamura Miki's eyes, clearly, that substitute on the other end was planning to make Yamamura Miki do something quite mortifying for a young girl.
Himeno Yuki thought this to herself and silently took a bite of the dessert in front of her.
These girls—for the sake of so-called love or whatever, they were actually this bold and unrestrained.
At the very least, she herself would absolutely never do that sort of thing.
Once again, Himeno Yuki made this vow within her heart.
Absolutely never.
"Yamamura-san, what's wrong?"
Shikime Natsu's voice rang out, carrying a note of concern in its tone.
Naturally, he too had noticed the changes in Yamamura Miki's expression, and those pale golden eyes settled upon the girl.
Hearing this, Yamamura Miki's body gave a slight tremble.
She hurriedly shook her head, a hint of panic in her voice.
"N-nothing! It's nothing!"
As she spoke, she frantically stuffed her phone back into her pocket, moving so fast it was as though she were destroying some incriminating evidence that couldn't see the light of day.
She had decided: she absolutely would not listen to Morishita Ai's advice.
But then again, if she didn't listen to Morishita Ai's advice, there was no telling what Morishita Ai might do.
Thinking this far, Yamamura Miki couldn't help but feel a little uneasy inside.
Almost reflexively, she turned her head slightly, her gaze sweeping back and forth across the corners of the café, wanting to see whether Morishita Ai's figure was anywhere nearby.
Since Morishita Ai had said she could see her, then she was surely somewhere in the vicinity.
And yet, Yamamura Miki's gaze made a full circuit of the café without finding that familiar figure anywhere.
This feeling was rather awful.
It was just like there was an eye watching her from the shadows, while she herself had absolutely no idea where that eye was hiding.
Yamamura Miki thought this to herself, and another notion surfaced in her mind.
She had originally been wondering—since Morishita Ai hadn't come to find her today, could it be that she'd gone to find Shikime Natsu instead?
She never expected that Morishita Ai had actually secretly tailed her here.
And that she'd appeared precisely while she and Shikime Natsu were together, no less.
Wasn't that just far too much of a coincidence?
Yamamura Miki thought this to herself, and her expression grew even more complicated.
And at this very moment, in a corner just outside the café.
Morishita Ai was hiding behind a pillar, poking half her head out, her gaze fixed intently on the situation inside the café.
The corners of her mouth curved slightly upward, revealing a meaningful smile.
Then she stretched out her hand and made a gesture toward Shikime Natsu inside the café.
It was a "shush" gesture.
A signal for Shikime Natsu not to reveal her position.
After all, both Yamamura Miki and Himeno Yuki had their backs to Morishita Ai, so noticing her wouldn't be easy.
As long as Shikime Natsu didn't say anything, she could keep hiding in the shadows, observing all of this.
Naturally, Shikime Natsu had noticed Morishita Ai's gesture.
He merely smiled, saying nothing.
Then he withdrew his gaze and continued looking at the two girls before him.
"By the way, Yamamura-san."
He spoke up, casually switching to a new topic.
"The place we ran into each other today was beside a vending machine as well, wasn't it?"
Hearing this question, Yamamura Miki froze for a moment.
She raised her head and looked at Shikime Natsu, a glimmer of reminiscence flashing through those deep teal eyes.
"Mm... yes, it was..."
She said quietly, a touch of nostalgia in her voice.
"Back then, I was eating between two vending machines, and then Shiki-san suddenly walked over and struck up a conversation with me..."
As she spoke, her expression softened somewhat.
"I got quite a fright at the time, because... because usually hardly anyone ever notices me... and... back then... Shiki-san was the only one who called out my name..."
Shikime Natsu nodded and smiled.
"Because I saw that Yamamura-san was eating all alone, so... I thought, if I invited Yamamura-san over, maybe the two of us might become friends or something."
Hearing these words, Yamamura Miki's cheeks couldn't help but flush red again.
"Mm... I was really happy that Shiki-san invited me back then..."
She said quietly, a note of bashfulness in her voice.
After Yamamura Miki finished saying this, the corners of her mouth couldn't help but curve up slightly, revealing a faint, shallow smile.
That smile carried a hint of sweetness, a hint of nostalgia—back then, she and Shikime Natsu had still spent quite a lot of time together.
Himeno Yuki sat off to the side, listening to the two of them talk, and couldn't help but begin mulling things over in her mind.
Beside a vending machine?
And then Shikime Natsu took the initiative to strike up a conversation?
Himeno Yuki thought this to herself, her gaze unconsciously falling upon Yamamura Miki.
So it turned out that Yamamura Miki had always been the type who didn't attract attention.
And yet Shikime Natsu had noticed her at a single glance.
As Himeno Yuki thought this far, a sudden sense of dawning realization welled up within her.
No wonder that, back at the vending machine earlier, she hadn't noticed Yamamura Miki.
It turned out it wasn't a problem on her end at all—it was simply that Yamamura Miki herself possessed this quality of "not attracting attention."
Thinking of it this way, Himeno Yuki's heart felt a bit more at ease.
But... then she thought about the way the two of them had met.
Beside a vending machine, Shikime Natsu strikes up a conversation, then invites her to eat...
No matter how she thought about it, this way of meeting felt somewhat... how should she put it...
It was just like a scene straight out of a shoujo manga.
The one destined for you notices you at a single glance.
Then walks over of their own accord and strikes up a conversation with you.
And then the two of you get acquainted.
And then... Himeno Yuki thought this to herself, and a strange feeling couldn't help but rise up within her. She couldn't quite put into words what that feeling was. She just felt that it was somewhat... subtle.
Somewhat... enviable?
No, no, no—how could she possibly have a thought like that?
Himeno Yuki hurriedly shook her head, flinging that notion out of her mind.
Just as she was lost in her wandering thoughts, Shikime Natsu's gaze once again settled upon her.
Those pale golden eyes carried a hint of amusement, looking straight at her.
Feeling that gaze, Himeno Yuki's body stiffened slightly.
In her mind, the process of how she and Shikime Natsu had gotten acquainted couldn't help but surface.
When exactly had that been, again?
It seemed like...
Not long after the school term began?
Back then, Ichinose Honami and the others had invited her out to karaoke.
She hadn't really wanted to go.
But she couldn't come across as antisocial, so she'd had no choice but to tag along, and then, at the karaoke place, she'd made up an excuse—saying she wasn't feeling well—and left the private room.
She'd walked down the corridor alone, wanting to find somewhere quiet to spend a little while.
And then, she'd run into Shikime Natsu.
That guy—for some reason, he'd appeared there.
And upon seeing her leave, he'd even followed after her and said quite a lot of things to her.
Saying things like there was a problem with her approach—that even though she thought she was standing in the position of the majority, she was actually standing in the position of the minority, and so on.
And then this guy Shikime Natsu had gotten her contact information—mm... who took the initiative, Himeno Yuki didn't quite remember, but in any case, she'd still ended up giving this guy Shikime Natsu her contact info.
And then...
There was no "and then."
That guy, after getting her contact information, had never sent her a single message.
Not a single one.
As Himeno Yuki thought this far, she couldn't help but feel a bit dissatisfied inside.
True, it wasn't as though she'd particularly wanted to chat with Shikime Natsu.
But still, if you were going to ask for someone's contact info, at the very least you'd send a "hello" or something, right?
In the end, there'd been nothing at all.
It was almost as if that contact information had been fake.
Though, after they'd run into each other again later on, Shikime Natsu had even given her a pen.
As Himeno Yuki thought this far, her gaze unconsciously fell upon that very pen in her pocket.
That pen, she always kept on her person.
For some reason, whenever she wrote with that pen, it felt as though her memory had improved quite a bit, and then... mm, she treasured it a little, since after all, however you looked at it, it was a gift.
Though she found it hard to believe, Himeno Yuki couldn't come up with any other explanation.
Maybe it was just a psychological effect.
Himeno Yuki thought this to herself, then shook her head, flinging all these jumbled thoughts out of her mind.
Forget it. She wouldn't think about it anymore.
In any case, if she just repaid the favor from the last time Shikime Natsu had given her that pen, then the two of them would be square with each other.
The only question was, what kind of thing would be best to give him?
Himeno Yuki couldn't quite figure it out.
In that case, she'd have to get to know this guy Shikime Natsu a little better.
But getting to know someone was a rather troublesome affair.
Especially getting to know someone like Shikime Natsu.
There were so many people around him, so many girls—how was a shady type like her supposed to get to know him? As Himeno Yuki thought this far, she couldn't help but sigh inwardly, "How troublesome."
Just as she was sighing, Yamamura Miki's voice suddenly rang out.
"Himeno-san."
Himeno Yuki raised her head and looked at Yamamura Miki.
Yamamura Miki was looking at her, those deep teal eyes carrying a hint of sincerity and a hint of nervousness.
"I'm really glad to have met you."
She said quietly, a touch of shyness in her voice.
Hearing these words, Himeno Yuki couldn't help but freeze for a moment.
Then her body stiffened slightly.
To be honest, she wasn't very good at handling this sort of situation.
When someone suddenly said "I'm glad to have met you" to her, what was she supposed to say?
Say "I'm glad to have met you too"?
But was she really glad?
It wasn't that she was unhappy about it...
It was just... it was just that she found it a bit awkward.
Himeno Yuki thought this to herself, and the expression on her face turned somewhat stiff.
Still, she nodded, which counted as a response to Yamamura Miki's words.
After all, rejecting someone's goodwill—that was something she still couldn't bring herself to do.
The truth was, she wasn't good at refusing, either.
Otherwise, when that group from Class B invited her out to places like karaoke, she'd have just flatly refused long ago.
And she wouldn't have had to use an excuse like "not feeling well" every single time to slip away partway through.
Of course, this behavior of hers had already been called out by Shikime Natsu.
Thinking about it now, that guy hadn't actually been wrong.
And, thanks to Shikime Natsu, she no longer had any need to keep doing this now.
Because Ichinose Honami already understood how she felt, and no longer forced her to attend those group activities.
Thinking of it this way, it really did seem like she owed Shikime Natsu quite a lot.
Himeno Yuki thought this to herself and couldn't help but fall silent.
Even if Shikime Natsu never said it out loud, Himeno Yuki still felt a sense of indebtedness in her heart.
After all, that guy really had helped her out a good deal.
Though his methods were somewhat irritating, the results really had been good.
As Himeno Yuki thought this, her gaze fell upon Yamamura Miki once more.
A notion suddenly popped up in her mind.
Since she owed Shikime Natsu so much, and Yamamura Miki seemed to like Shikime Natsu...
Then why not help Yamamura Miki out a little?
That way, it would count as repaying part of the favor, wouldn't it?
Himeno Yuki thought this to herself, but then again, she felt that something wasn't quite right.
This sort of thing—it wasn't really something she ought to be meddling in, was it?
And besides, she didn't have the ability for it anyway.
Just as she was caught up in her inner conflict, silence once again fell between the two of them.
Himeno Yuki glanced at Shikime Natsu, then glanced at Yamamura Miki.
She took a deep breath, then spoke up.
"Shiki-san."
"Hm?"
Shikime Natsu looked at her, those pale golden eyes carrying a hint of curiosity.
Himeno Yuki fell silent for a moment, then continued.
"You... how exactly do you go about dating all those girlfriends of yours?"
The instant these words left her mouth, the air went silent in a flash.
Yamamura Miki's eyes went wide as she stared at Himeno Yuki, her face written all over with disbelief.
Shikime Natsu also looked at Himeno Yuki, those pale golden eyes carrying a hint of surprise—he'd never expected that Himeno Yuki would actually have this kind of interest as well.
Himeno Yuki noticed the two of them looking at her, and especially after seeing Yamamura Miki's somewhat astonished expression, she immediately realized she'd said something wrong.
No—rather, it was that her phrasing had come out wrong.
The way she'd phrased it, it sounded as though she was planning to figure out the type of girl Shikime Natsu liked from the details of his relationships, and as for what she intended to do after that... well, if she didn't say, no one would know.
In any case, prying into the details of someone else's relationships was a rather ambiguous, suggestive matter, and this sort of thing shouldn't have come out of her mouth.
Himeno Yuki's face flushed slightly.
She paused, then took a deep breath, forcing her tone to become a little calmer.
"I'm just... I'm just a little curious about how Shiki-san manages to win the affection of so many girls, that's all."
"There's no other meaning to it."
After she said these words, the blush on her face deepened by a few shades, but her expression still strove to remain composed.
Shikime Natsu looked at this state of hers and smiled.
"Himeno-san is interested in this?"
There was a hint of teasing in his tone.
"It's not interest, just curiosity."
Himeno Yuki corrected him, a hint of stubbornness in her tone.
"Curiosity and interest—is there any difference?"
Shikime Natsu asked.
"Of course there's a difference."
Himeno Yuki looked at Shikime Natsu, a hint of seriousness in those dead fish eyes.
"Interest is wanting to understand more; curiosity is just wanting to know the answer."
"Once I know the answer, I won't keep pressing further."
Hearing these words, Shikime Natsu nodded.
"I see."
He paused, then continued.
"So then, what is the answer that Himeno-san wants to know?"
"It's..."
Himeno Yuki thought for a moment, then spoke up.
"It's, why do so many girls like you?"
Himeno Yuki's gaze drifted off to one side. For Himeno Yuki, this maneuver had already exceeded the bounds of her own control; right now, all Himeno Yuki hoped for was that Yamamura Miki could glean some useful information.
She had no intention of directly asking Shikime Natsu about his impressions of Yamamura Miki or anything like that—after all, that was a matter of mutual feelings between the two of them. So Himeno Yuki chose to hand more of Shikime Natsu's information over to Yamamura Miki, letting Yamamura Miki decide on her own actions.
If it ended up bringing the two of them together romantically or something, then that would count as her repaying Shikime Natsu.
As for whether Yamamura Miki had known this kind of information in advance, Himeno Yuki personally believed she hadn't. Although they hadn't interacted for very long, Himeno Yuki felt that, given Yamamura Miki's personality, it was unlikely she'd be that proactive.
Mm... she absolutely had no ulterior motive of wanting to know for herself what sort of dating standards this guy Shikime Natsu had.
Shikime Natsu let his gaze fall upon Himeno Yuki with a smile, and once again Himeno Yuki looked away. This guy—why was he always resting his gaze on her?
Didn't he know that this kind of gaze made it all too easy to cause someone trouble?
____
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