Because the prime meal hour had passed, the cafeteria was noticeably quieter. The remaining students were clustered in small groups, casually chatting about the evening's events while indulging in desserts and post-dinner drinks.
"Mahiru-san, isn't it about time you made a move?" A girl with a high ponytail jabbed her elbow into Shiina Mahiru's side, a mischievous glint in her eyes.
"If you don't act now, someone else might swoop in, and then it'll be too late for regrets!"
"Exactly! Men are all pigs! They'll accept any pretty girl who throws herself at them!" Another girl with twin ponytails joined in, crossing her arms as if she had seen this scenario play out a thousand times.
"Yes, yes! Even if a cute girl like you already has some 'history' with him, it won't stop him from getting distracted. You need to stake your claim properly! Make sure everyone knows he's yours!"
"That's right! Just holding hands? Pfft. Even grade-schoolers do that. You need something more solid! A kiss at the very least!"
"T-That's… definitely impossible!" Mahiru's face instantly turned scarlet.
All she had planned was a simple dinner, a casual outing at most. But somehow, the conversation had veered into… this! She had initially hoped to absorb some useful love advice from her friends, yet all they were feeding her were outrageous, romance-novel-tier suggestions!
A kiss?! In public?! Just how far did they expect her to go?!
"Alright, alright, quit teasing her already." The calm and composed girl with sleek black hair finally spoke, her authoritative tone instantly reigning in the chaos.
Despite their playful nature, the other two girls still respected her words. They straightened up, feigning serious expressions as if they were military advisors delivering strategic counsel.
"But in all seriousness, Mahiru, if you keep hesitating, you'll miss your chance to participate in the Courage Test. And if you don't get to choose your partner, you might end up paired with some random creep… or worse, a playboy!"
"Even if you don't mind, have you considered his reaction? What if he sees you with another guy and misunderstands the situation?"
Mahiru visibly stiffened.
Their words struck a nerve.
It was true. She had been so preoccupied with avoiding embarrassment that she hadn't considered the other side of things. She could endure missing out on the event. She could accept suppressing her feelings for the sake of keeping things uncomplicated. But she absolutely couldn't stand the idea of Kanade misunderstanding her intentions.
That thought alone made her stomach churn.
"B-But I could just go with you guys, right? A group of girls…"
"No can do. I've got my own plans," the black-haired girl rejected immediately.
"..." Mahiru turned to the other two hopefully. "Then what about—"
"Sorry, Mahiru, I have to accompany my boyfriend tonight!" The ponytailed girl clapped her hands together in a half-apologetic gesture.
"But wait, didn't you say your boyfriend isn't even that good at this kind of thing?"
"Yeah, so we both signed up as staff members! That way, we won't get separated!" She grinned. "For us, it's not about where we go or what we do. What matters is that we're together!"
"..."
That was sweet, but not very helpful.
Mahiru turned to the last hope in the group, the twin-tailed girl.
"Oof, don't look at me. I need to go find my boyfriend!" She quickly waved her hands.
"But… you don't have a boyfriend?"
"Yet!" The girl puffed out her chest proudly. "This event is the perfect chance to find one! What if I end up paired with my future soulmate? I can't pass up that opportunity!"
Mahiru's expression twitched. Her best friends were abandoning her for their own plans, leaving her stranded. And she was far too shy to ask Kanade directly…
At this rate, the only option left was to pretend to be sick and opt out entirely.
"I… I think I'll just sit this one out," Mahiru murmured, shaking her head with a bittersweet smile.
Missing this event would be disappointing, sure. But if she couldn't be with the person who mattered most, then it would just feel empty anyway.
"Huh?! Mahiru-san, haven't you been looking forward to this for weeks?"
"Yeah! Why are you suddenly giving up? With your relationship with the president, why don't you just ask him?"
"Seriously! There's no way he'd say no… Wait, don't tell me—he's cheating on you?! That bastard!"
"What?! No, no!" Mahiru flailed her hands frantically. "It's not like that at all! We were never even… together!"
Her friends exchanged knowing looks.
"Ohhh? So you admit it, then. You like him."
Mahiru's entire soul left her body.
She was utterly surrounded.
Not to mention, her friends had already picked up on her feelings ages ago. Between the incident at the pool and their constant interactions, it was as plain as day.
She really was too easy to read.
Shiina Mahiru's voice trembled slightly, her delicate fingers curling into the hem of her skirt as she lowered her head.
"I... I don't know..."
Her hesitant answer only fueled the frustration of her friends, who let out exasperated sighs.
"Ugh, seriously, Mahiru, you're impossible!"
"That's it! Hand me your phone. I'll ask for you!" The girl with the ponytail reached out without hesitation. "There's no way getting an invitation should be this hard."
"N-No, wait—" Mahiru instinctively tried to refuse, but before she could pull back, the other girl was intercepted by their level-headed friend.
"Wait a sec. Look over there. Isn't that the president?"
All eyes turned in the direction she pointed, and sure enough, sitting at a nearby table was Natsukawa Kanade, chatting with a petite blonde girl.
"Who's that sitting with him? Do any of you know her?"
"Hmm... I think her name's something like Sawamura... Eriri?"
"Sawamura? Huh? What kind of name is that?"
"Oh, it's Sawamura Eriri! There's a foreign middle name in there somewhere. She's mixed—her father's the British ambassador to Japan."
"Wait, what? That girl? But she's not even half as cute as our Mahiru!"
"Mahiru-kun, do you know her? Is she the president's friend?"
"..."
Silence.
Mahiru's expression darkened, her delicate lips pressing into a thin line. The light in her golden eyes dimmed ever so slightly.
"That's enough." The long-haired girl, the clear leader of their group, cut the conversation short. "Come on, let's go check it out. Mahiru, you too."
"No…" Mahiru's voice was barely a whisper, but her refusal was firm.
"Huh? What did you say?" The black-haired girl frowned, leaning in to hear her better. Just as she reached out to Mahiru, the other girl suddenly pushed her away.
"Just leave me alone!"
Her voice cracked as crystal-like tears welled up in her eyes, threatening to spill over.
How could she not know that girl?
The fleeting yet unmistakable look in Eriri's eyes when she had first met her—the same fear of being abandoned—had already told her everything she needed to know. Eriri liked Kanade. And now, the two of them were sitting together, talking, laughing… The girl's bright blue eyes sparkled like stars.
The answer was painfully obvious.
"I-I'm sorry, I lost my composure…" Mahiru hurriedly wiped at her eyes, but no matter how much she rubbed, the tears wouldn't stop.
"I-I need to go home..."
Her voice was barely above a whisper as she shot up from her seat, making a beeline for the exit without even bothering to grab her bag.
"..."
The long-haired girl instinctively reached out, as if to stop her, but hesitated. Before she could make a decision, Mahiru had already disappeared through the cafeteria doors.
"Now what do we do?"
"I don't know… Maybe I said too much?"
"Probably… but I also think Mahiru already knew that girl."
"Wait… does that mean… Kanade is really cheating on her?!"
"We don't know that for sure! But… shouldn't we go ask him directly?" The leader stood up, her sharp eyes burning with determination.
"Huh?! But Mahiru told us not to—"
"Yeah, if she finds out, she'll be even more upset—"
"So what? Do you think the situation will magically fix itself if we just sit here doing nothing? No matter how you look at it, we need answers. Even if it's just for Mahiru's sake…"
The other two exchanged nervous glances, before nodding in unison.
"Then we're coming too. Someone's gotta back you up."
"That's right! We'll give you all the moral support you need!"
"..."