— — — — — —
Yui Yuigahama had always been an easygoing girl.
But this time Oikawa could clearly tell she was still mad at him. All because he hadn't believed her.
It gave him a headache.
He hadn't even said anything harsh. Just a friendly reminder, that's all.
Did she really have to take it this seriously?
Oikawa wasn't aiming to become especially close with Yui, but every time they met lately, she'd give him a little snort and that look of obvious annoyance. It was enough to dampen his mood.
He hadn't even fixed things with Kawasaki yet, and now he'd gone and upset Yui too.
Was he really that unlikeable?
Oikawa found himself seriously questioning his life choices.
Come to think of it, in the entire class, those two were probably the only people he could even call friends.
What a failure.
Seriously… what a pathetic failure.
Starting today, Oikawa decided, he was going to fix things with Yui.
In the hallway of the special building where the Service Club and Literature Club were located, Oikawa deliberately slowed his pace, waiting for Yui to show up.
It didn't take long.
A girl came walking down the hall, humming to herself.
Yui was usually cheerful, but today she seemed especially happy.
"Hey…"
"Hmmph."
Oikawa's greeting came out a bit stiff. Judging by the result, it wasn't exactly a success.
Yui quickened her steps.
But after walking a certain distance, she suddenly stopped and turned around.
"Yukino is throwing me a birthday party today. Do you and Kawasaki want to come?"
At that moment, Oikawa had a realization.
Maybe Yui hadn't really been that mad in the first place. Or maybe she had been, for a little while, but it had already blown over.
She just needed a way to smooth things over.
And that awkward "hey" of his had been the opening she needed.
In the end, Yui Yuigahama really was just… a kind person.
"Yeah. I'll be there on time," Oikawa said, nodding seriously. "I'll let Kawasaki know too."
"Hehe, see you there!"
Yui looked even happier now, practically skipping as she headed into the Service Club room.
Come to think of it…
Whether it was intentional or not, Shizuka Hiratsuka had arranged things so the Service Club room and the Literature Club room were right next to each other, separated by just a wall.
The members of both clubs ran into each other all the time.
And with the extra study sessions over the past few weeks, they'd all grown closer. Close enough to call each other friends… probably.
"Half my relationships repaired," Oikawa muttered to himself.
"Halfway there."
No matter what, he felt pretty good about making up with Yui.
Now all that was left was Kawasaki.
---
"…Birthday party?"
Kawasaki froze for a long moment when she heard that.
Maybe she was wondering why someone would invite a gloomy person like her to something as warm and personal as a birthday party.
Or maybe she felt out of place, thinking she didn't belong at something like that.
At least, that's what Oikawa imagined was going on in her head.
In reality… Kawasaki was simply weighing whether to accept or refuse. She leaned toward refusing. It would take up too much study time.
"You were invited too?" she asked.
"Of course. Someone as popular as me? There's no way I wouldn't be."
Kawasaki automatically filtered out everything after "of course."
After hesitating a bit longer, she gave a small nod.
"…Okay."
The way she said it made it sound like she'd agreed very reluctantly.
"What are you getting her as a gift?"
"I have to bring a gift?" Oikawa asked back.
The look in Kawasaki's eyes practically spelled out: 'You idiot.'
"Maybe a stuffed toy?"
"…That feels kind of cliché. I really have no idea what to get a girl for her birthday."
This was Oikawa's first time being invited to a girl's birthday party, after all.
"How about a math workbook? I remember Yui's pretty bad at math. Didn't she get, like, twelve points last time?"
"If you want her to cut ties with you, that's a great choice."
Kawasaki had already given up expecting anything from Oikawa.
"Let's go," she said. "Let's pick out a gift for Yui."
She packed her workbook into her bag, stood up, and headed out.
"Hey, wait! Don't walk so fast!"
Oikawa hurried after her.
The shopping mall wasn't exactly close to Sobu High, so it took them over ten minutes by bike to get there.
It seemed Kawasaki had already decided on her gift.
The moment they entered the mall, she went straight to a gift shop and picked out something right away.
A small, adorable night light. A cat astronaut, holding a tiny planet that glowed like a starry sky.
Oikawa browsed for a while, but in the end… he still went with a panda plush.
Kawasaki gave him a look of pure disdain, like 'I knew you'd pick a stuffed toy.'
Oikawa had no defense.
They were about to head straight to the KTV Yui had shared in the group chat.
But suddenly, Kawasaki stopped.
Her gaze landed on a photo booth area labeled "Couples Only."
She stared at it for a while.
Then she turned to look at Oikawa.
Her expression said it all: I want to try it… but I'm not saying it first.
"Kawasaki, want to take some photo booth pictures?"
"…Yeah."
A faint smile tugged at the corner of her lips.
.
.
.