CH 22

Chapter 22 – After-school Date With the School Idol (Lie)

“Aida-kun, after school…I’d like you to hang out with me for a while…is that okay?”

Right after school, I was told that by my seat neighbor Fujisaki-san.

I don’t even know what that means. My brain froze at the sudden invitation.

I got my head out of the clouds.

Fujisaki-san and I aren’t friends. We’ve never gone anywhere together after school. I don’t know anything about her private life.

“Um, is this an invitation to go somewhere with ‘everyone’?”

“No. Just me and Aida-kun, just the ‘two’ of us…”

What is this situation?

Perhaps it’s my excessive self-consciousness that makes me think it’s meaningful. It’s something I’ve never experienced before. There must be something, but the situation is so impossible that I can’t think straight.

“W-Why did Fujisaki-san go to that guy…?”

“She would have never even asked boys out to hang out, let alone have a boyfriend…”

“Could it be that a friendship has sprouted from a match? Ahaha…that’s ridiculous!”

More than my bewilderment, the whole classroom was panicking.

It’s more than a commotion. It seems that being a school idol attracts attention even for such things.

“Okay. Let’s just get out of the classroom.”

“Yes. Let’s hurry to the entrance.”

We made a quick exchange in whispers. We seemed to agree that the situation was getting troublesome.

Let’s hear what she has to say and then make a decision. Kotone-chan has a part-time job today. I have the time.

As I headed towards the entrance, I wondered what Fujisaki-san wanted from me…

Truth be told, I actually have a crush on you, Aida-kun… I’m not going to make the mistake of believing such a thought. I’ve been rejected once.

I can only think of today’s swimming competition. She’s probably wondering why I’ve asked her to compete with me. No, she might be curious, but she wouldn’t waste valuable after-school time on that.

When I reached the entrance. I opened my mouth to Fujisaki-san.

“You need me? Tell me quickly what you want.”

I can’t help but feel nervous when I don’t understand the situation. This thrill is not in a sweet and sour way, but out of fear of an unknown situation.

Fujisaki-san looked around. Even though it was just after school, a good number of students were leaving the school.

“I’d like to go somewhere quiet where we can talk.”

Is this aimed to create a misunderstanding? But it doesn’t work on me, because I’m resistant. It’s a brilliant countermeasure.

After changing her shoes, Fujisaki-san asked me to follow her. I’m quite obedient, huh…

“How far are we going to go?”

“How about a coffee shop in front of the station?”

A coffee shop was casually mentioned as an option. Do girls chat in coffee shops? I’ve never been to a coffee shop other than a maid cafe.

We walked at a brisk pace to our destination. Is it a race walk?

Fujisaki-san walking alone with a boy like me did not attract much attention in the school.

Well, I kept my distance. I couldn’t walk next to Fujisaki-san.

That’s why I kept a certain distance when we left the school grounds. From behind, her flowing black hair is beautiful. A beautiful girl is really beautiful from all angles.

“Aida-kun? We’ll get separated from each other if you’re that far away.”

Fujisaki-san looked back. Her black hair danced in smooth movements. Her beauty that makes men fall in love with her is directed at me.

I think she is a really good catch.

But I also felt it was a wrong impression. Probably because I compared her with Kotone-chan.

“I’m not a child, I won’t stray.”

Well, I thought I could get away with it under the guise of that.

The coffee shop that Fujisaki-san showed me was just around the corner from where Kotone-chan and I had gone to see a movie.

Is this the kind of place where you normally watch a film and discuss your impressions over tea in a coffee shop? It was late at the time, but if there’s another chance, I’ll include it in my date plan.

We entered the coffee shop. I was greeted by soothing warm colors and quiet, comforting tones. I was overwhelmed by the more mature atmosphere than I had imagined, having been accustomed to pastel colors and sizzling background music.

Fujisaki-san took a discreet seat at the edge of the room, as if she was accustomed to doing so. I sat across from her.

Oho! It’s like I’m on a date with the school idol! Oh, man, this is awesome! …is what I would like to say, but I can feel the tension from Fujisaki-san in front of me. I kept my mouth shut and didn’t do anything unnecessary.

“I’m sorry to have dragged you all the way here all of a sudden.”

Then she bowed her head.

When a high caste person shows an auspicious attitude, people like me feel intimidated.

“It’s okay. It’s really okay, so just keep your head up. If you don’t ask me what you want first, I’m not going to be able to respond.”

I felt flustered by the repeated reassurance of “it’s okay.” What was being said should be correct and there shouldn’t be any problem. Yeah, there shouldn’t be any problem…

Fujisaki-san looked up and said, “You’re right.”

She took a small deep breath in front of me. Then, she seemed to make up her mind and directed her serious face towards me.

“I need to talk to you about Kotone.”

It’s not my fault that I was so shocked here.

She shouldn’t know that Kotone-chan and I are dating. I’ve already told her it’s better not to talk about it publicly. I even explained it to Fujisaki-san.

And she wants to talk about Kotone-chan to me? I have a bad feeling about this.

“First of all, look at this.”

I was so scared that I didn’t know what was going on, but Fujisaki-san kept on talking.

She took something out of her bag.

A transparent storage bag? Looking at the sealed contents, my eyes widened involuntarily.

It was unmistakably a maid’s uniform on the table.