The event in the morning where Amami-san blurted out that I knew her phone number quickly became the main topic of the day in our class.
After homeroom, during lunch and even now after school ended, curious glances, whispers, and slander that were hurled at me never stopped… Rather, I felt that as time passed, they got louder and louder.
To be clear, Amami-san and I never contacted each other over the phone before, save from the time when she made the one-ring call to confirm that I received her number back when we eavesdropped on Asanagi's confession.
'Psst, what kind of relationship do you think Amami-san and Maehara-kun have?'
'Maybe they are dating?'
'Hahaha, no way.'
'Then, what happened last week?'
'Who knows? A love affair?'
However, everyone didn't know or care about such things. Because of that, they kept talking about it all day long, straying further and further from the truth while bringing up their own wet dreams about my relationship with Amami-san.
Seriously, they need a better hobby.
"Kept you waiting, huh, Maehara-kun? Let's go!"
"Ah… S-sure…"
The whole class was talking about it, so of course the other related party, Amami-san was aware of the situation. But she didn't seem to care. Instead, she casually approached me with her usual cheerful smile.
I guess she was used to this kind of situation, unlike me.
And, of course, Asanagi was by Amami-san's side.
"Sorry to interrupt your time together… But, is it okay for me to accompany Yuu here?"
"Ahh… Uhh… Sure, I don't mind."
Scratch that, I desperately need her to tag along.
Yeah, sure we would be moving somewhere else to have our talk, but the thought of having a one-on-one conversation with Amami-san, the cutest girl in the class, made me nervous.
"I'm sorry, Maehara-kun… You see, I get nervous when I'm alone with a boy, that's why Umi is tagging along… Ah, don't worry, Umi is a tight-lipped girl."
"Ahh. I see."
Yeah, I knew that.
After all, she didn't even tell her best friend about her secret friend.
"Well, that's that. So I'll be in your care, okay? Maehara-kun."
"Y-yeah, likewise, Asanagi…san."
We shook our hands as if it was our first time talking to each other.
Though her grip was unusually strong… No, wait, it hurts, please let me go, it hurts!
And so, 'the cutest girl in class', 'the second cutest girl in class' and the 'loner' left the school together.
This was such a surprising lineup.
From left to right, Amami-san, me and Asanagi. I was sandwiched between two beautiful girls.
I wanted to run if I could though.
"…Yuu…"
"Mm. Hahaha, jeez, it's the same old Ninacchi."
"Eh? Nitta-san?"
'Yeah, she is tailing us from behind, isn't her stalking skill amazing?'
Asanagi muttered that.
I didn't notice it, but I guess the other two who were close to her easily read her moves, huh?
Speaking of which, back when Asanagi received a confession, she was also doing the same thing… I really wish she would hold back from doing something like this.
'Alright then, we'll do our usual thing, Umi…'
'Yeah, yeah.'
Amami-san and Asanagi whispered to each other, ignoring me who was walking right in between them. It seemed like they were planning to do something.
'What are you going to do to Nitta-san?'
'Eh? Nothing. We're just going to run away, right, Umi?'
'If someone is following you, you should run, isn't that obvious?'
'No, I'm sure that's just a 'you' thing…'
However, since being stalked like this felt unpleasant, I decided to go along with their plan.
'At the end of the road, we'll dash and split into two groups. Maehara and I will go to the left, Yuu, you go to the right.'
'Got it. Ah, what about the rendezvous point? We can't really just go to a store nearby, there are too few options here…'
Rendezvous point. Normally it would be at a cafe or karaoke, but there was a good chance that Nitta-san would be able to find us there.
A place where it could afford three people to have their secret talk, away from their classmate's gaze.
…There was only one place that came to mind.
'Ah, what about my house then? It's pretty close and no one knows where it is.'
My mom wouldn't be back until nightfall, we had all the time in the world to talk.
Also, since Asanagi came often, I took my time to tidy up the room a little bit. Of course, Amami-san didn't know about this.
'What do you think, Umi?'
'Well, Maehara-kun doesn't seem like someone with bad intentions, so it should be fine.'
'…?'
Since it wouldn't cost them anything and it sounded like a reasonable choice, I thought that it would be a good idea, but their reaction was outside my expectation.
'Eh? Did I say something strange?'
'Ah? N-no, you didn't, it's just…'
'Our princess over here is wondering if it's okay to casually invite a girl into your house, Maehara-kun.'
'J-jeez! Umi!'
'Ahh…'
I realized it when Asanagi pointed it out. It was supposed to be the first proper conversation between the three of us.
To Amami-san, we weren't even friends yet and I suddenly invited them to my house. It was normal for her to be on guard against me.
I invited Asanagi often, so it completely slipped out of my mind.
…Now, what to do…
'S-sorry, I didn't mean anything by it… I just thought it would be easier for us to talk in my house, I had no ulterior motives!'
'Uh, i-it's okay! It's okay! It's not that I'm suspicious of you or anything, Maehara-kun! I was just startled!'
She said that, but her face was red up to her ears. Since she was so popular, I thought she would be used to something like this, but she's surprisingly innocent.
'It's settled then. Meet up at Maehara-kun's house at 5 pm. I'll go with him first, then I'll send you the address later.'
'R-roger!'
'…Alright, let's do this, three… two… one… go!'
Using Asanagi's words as a signal, the three of us split up and dashed off.
"Ah! They're running away! Hey, wait for me!"
I could hear Nitta-san's voice from behind me, but since this was a residential area with narrow streets, it was difficult for anyone to chase us down since we could easily shake them off at a corner.
"Who would listen to a paparazzi? Over here, Maehara!"
"O-Oi!"
Asanagi grabbed my hand as if it was the most natural thing to do and we ran side-by-side all the way to my home.
"Asanagi."
"What?"
"This is fun."
"Hah? You're kidding right ~?"
I didn't know if it was because I was running for my life or because I was just nervous, but Asanagi's hand felt slightly damp.