Thinking back, this might be the first time we've ever been this close.
Skinship wasn't a new thing for either of us. I mean, she patted my head a few times and we've even held hands before, but this was on another level.
I could feel the warmth of her body, also certain parts of her body through her uniform.
My heart rate quickened.
"Idiot… Idiot! Why are you being nice to me? I know it's one of your good points, but why are you this nice to someone like me? If you keep acting like this, I'll definitely take advantage of your kindness, you know?"
"A-Asanagi…?"
"No… Don't turn around, please. I don't want you to look at me when I'm like this… If you dare turn your head around, I'll give you a head flick…"
"…Fine…"
I knew she wasn't crying, but I could hear her sniffles.
I understood her feelings because I wouldn't want anyone to see me in that state either.
"Hey, Maehara…"
"Mm?"
"I'm sorry for today… Also, thank you for the textbook…"
"…Ah, yeah, make sure to appreciate me properly. You have no idea what I went through for your dumb textbook."
I almost burned that textbook out of rage, but I managed to restrain myself. Then again, I didn't want to become a criminal just yet.
"Maehara… were you angry?"
"What do you think?"
"Hahaha… Of course you were, huh? I mean, you didn't do anything, yet I made you go through all that because of my selfishness…"
She tightened her embrace.
I could feel her heartbeat through my back.
"…Why did you do that in the first place?"
"I don't want to tell ~"
"Oi, isn't this the part where you should start telling me everything like in mangas? Why are you breaking that cliche now?"
"Just think of me as a tsundere ~"
"Suuure you are."
"Sorry for being a tsundere ~"
"Jeez, seriously…"
I wanted to tell her that she was really cute right now, but I stopped myself. Seriously, why did this cute girl even try to associate with a loner like me?
"Hey, Maehara?"
"What is it now?"
"If I were to tell you everything, would you listen to me?"
"Yeah, I mean, that's part of the reason why we're here, isn't it?"
"…Even if it's gonna be a long story?"
"How long?"
"Everything started back when I was in middle school… maybe even earlier…"
"…Well, I don't mind."
I had a feeling that something might have happened to her back when she was in middle school. After all, she came from a prestigious all-girls middle school. There should be a reason why she decided to come to co-ed school like this instead of just continuing her studies there.
Of course, if she was willing to tell me about her problems, I would be more than glad to listen.
I was well aware that her problem this time would be something really heavy, and since her best friend, Amami-san was clueless about it, it probably had something to do with her.
A piece of Asanagi Umi, that even Amami-san doesn't know about.
Of course, the problem might just be something trivial, since Asanagi was the type of person to fret over the smallest things, but even if that was the case, I would be glad to listen to her.
Asanagi and I were friends. I may not be as close to her as Amami-san, but she trusted me enough to confide in me.
And I had to respond properly toward that trust.
…I'm really soft on her, huh?
"Uhm… since you agreed to listen to me, can you wait until the festival?"
"Sure, but do I really have to wait that long?"
"No, I could talk about it right now if you want me to, but I just think it will be easier for you to understand if you give me some time to gather my thoughts…"
"Is that so?"
"Mm…"
Well, if that was her decision, what else could I say?
"Sure, I'll wait."
"Thank you. I promise I'll tell you everything later…"
"Then, let's get back to work."
"Okay."
With that, we went back to our work. It took longer than expected because of her suddenly hugging me, but it should be fine. We could make excuses like; we were cleaning the cans, or there were more cans than we expected.
"…Um…"
"Mm? 'Sup? C'mon, we gotta go quickly, we wasted enough time already."
"I know, but…"
I said to Asanagi, who was counting the cans.
"Why are you counting the cans from my bag? Go back to yours."
"Who cares~ Whether I'm counting from yours or from mine, our work efficiency won't change. If anything… Umm…"
Asanagi stopped embracing me, but she didn't increase the distance between us. Instead, she worked right beside me, our shoulders were even touching.
She said that nonsense about efficiency or whatnot, it was clear that doing it this way would be more inefficient.
However, I knew that even if I told her off, this dumbass wouldn't listen to me. What a brat. Seriously, such a pain in the butt.
"Sure, whatever, let's do this together if you so insist."
"Took you long enough to say that. Seriously, you're such a pain in the butt."
"Look in the mirror."
"I did, I found a cute girl there."
"Sheesh, just shut your mouth and work, idiot."
"Huh? What did you just call me, idiot?"
"Just shut up, idiot."
And before I realized it, we started our usual childish banter.
We still had a lot of things to take care of, especially the thing with Amami-san. For now though, we could put the little drama between us to an end.
Everything will be fine from now on, yep. This Asanagi, who got a buff from this amazing me, should be able to confront Amami-san whenever she wanted to.