I followed what Nitta-san had told me; Not to worry about her problem and just live my life like usual. But, I couldn't help but think about it from time to time.
When I woke up in the morning, drank my coffee, studied on my desk… My mind couldn't help but wander to those two; the faces they made back when we bumped into each other in that mall.
Monday, while I was getting ready to school, I was reminded of them once again. Realizing that I really couldn't keep my mind out of this anytime soon, I let out a sigh.
"Maaa~"
"…"
"Kiii~"
"…"
"Seriously, Maki, hurry up, stop dawdling."
"H-Huh? Ow!"
While I was in a daze, Umi suddenly pinched my cheek. It didn't hurt me enough to make me writhe in pain, but it still hurt.
I glanced toward my lover, who was snuggling up to me while puffing her cheeks.
"S-Sorry, Umi. I-I won't space out again, okay? I-I promise."
"…Jeez. I know we had a lot of fun yesterday, but you can't let your guard down like this, okay? Midterm is coming soon, so you have to stay sharp! School won't wait for you to get your act together!"
"I-I'll do my best…"
As she said, school wouldn't just halt their classes and exams and wait for me to get my act together.
In particular, the midterm this time would be held right before the parent-teacher interview, where they'd discuss the students' career path and grades. As a result of this, maybe Umi and I wouldn't be able to spend our time leisurely for a while.
…Or maybe not? I mean, we'd be studying together for the exam anyway.
That aside, I felt bad for thinking about other girls in front of Umi, even though those two were my friends.
I really shouldn't do that again.
"…You're really worrying about those two, huh?"
"…"
"I knew it."
"Well, this is the first time I've ever experienced something like this… I don't know what to do…"
I knew that this wasn't something I should worry about. This was their problem and they could solve it on their own.
There was a part of me that believed the five of us would continue to be friends. Even after we graduated and went our separate ways, we'd stay in contact with each other, hang out with each other whenever possible and spend our time talking about trivial matters.
"By the way, you don't seem to worry about them at all, Umi…"
"Nah, I do worry about them. I want those two to make up as soon as possible too, you know? If there's something I could do to help them, I'd already do it. It's just…"
"…It's just?"
"Uhh…"
After pondering for a bit, she continued her words.
"I realized that the best thing I can do for now is to wait. Yes, they're my best friends. I completely understand your feelings of wanting to help them, Maki, but what they need right now isn't your help. They need time. Well, that's what I think at least."
"You said the same thing as Nitta-san."
"Hearing you say that pisses me off somehow… Anyway, if she said that, she'll be alright, just put your trust in her."
"Then, that leaves Amami-san."
"Yeah."
Compared to Nitta-san, Amami-san was a little more stubborn. If they didn't end up reconciling soon, then the problem definitely came from her side.
Would they be able to completely come to terms to whatever it was that caused the rift in their relationship?
I hope they would.
"In any case, we should just do our thing like usual. Don't get carried away by the atmosphere, okay?"
"…Okay."
If that was the stance that Umi was taking, then I'd just follow her. While it might seem cold to just leave those two to their own devices, it would be better than meddling in unnecessarily and accidentally turning the situation worse.
Besides, Umi was my number one priority, not them.
Like Umi said, I should just carry on with my life and flirt around with her. Those two probably wanted me to do just that.
* * *
After school. I opened our group chat to check up on everyone and see what they were planning to do for the rest of the day.
It was a week before the exam. Like usual, all five of us planned to hold a study session.
[Maehara: Everyone, can we talk for a bit?]
[Asanagi: Is it about the study group?]
[Maehara: Yeah.]
[Asanagi: Where? In your house like usual?]
[Nina: Are you sure we're going to study there? You aren't inviting us to watch you flirting again, are you?]
[Asanagi: Just don't go if you don't want to.]
[Asanagi: It isn't like you need my notes or anything, right?]
[Nina: Please forgive me. I won't mess around again, I promise.]
[Nina: The interview is coming soon, I need to increase my grade, otherwise I'm screwed.]
[Nozomu: I don't have to go to my club today, so I'll be going.]
The three people who responded to me seemed to be acting the same as always.
As for Amami-san… She was still chatting with Arae-san (the latter looked annoyed for some reason, though), so she probably hadn't noticed my text yet.
Since we were classmates, it would probably be better if I just invited her directly, but it wasn't like I could just barge into their conversation.
As I was waiting for her to notice my text while staring at her, our gazes suddenly met.
"…"
"…"
We stared at each other for a few moments in silence.
Normally, her expression would brighten up and ask me about what I wanted to say, but…
"…Ah, right, Nagisa-chan, today—"
This time, her face reddened and she hurriedly turned it away from me. Then, she continued chatting to Arae-san as if nothing happened.
Except that she stuttered more than before. Arae-san noticed this, I could even see her brows twitching.
"…Amami, that guy— Maehara seems to have something to talk about with you. Are you sure you're going to ignore him like that?"
"Eh?! A-Ah, does he really? W-Well, I-I'll talk to him for a bit, then…"
Realizing that she couldn't fool Arae-san, Amami-san turned to me with an embarrassed face.
"S-Sorry, Maki-kun, I-I was spacing out… W-What is it?"
"Ah no, I was just wondering if you have free time today. The midterm will start in one week, so it's about time for us to start our usual study session. I've sent a text on our group chat, but it seems like you haven't read it."
"A-Ah, sorry about that! I-I was talking with Nagisa-chan…"
She quickly took her phone out of her pocket and read the message I sent.
Normally, she was the one who'd answer my text the quickest even though she was talking to other people, so this was a new sight to me.
[Amami: Sorry everyone, I just checked my phone! (つд⊂）]
[Asanagi: Don't worry about it. So, can you join us today?]
[Amami: Yes, I could…]
[Amami: Ah, wait.]
[Nina: What's wrong, Yuuchin? Do you have something else to do for today?]
[Amami: No, it isn't like I have something to do, it's just…]
[Amami: Can I… Just not go…?]
The moment I saw that text, I turned my gaze towards Amami-san.
"H-Hehe… Sorry, Maki-kun… You even went through the trouble to invite me…"
"Amami-san?"
…For some reason, even though I tried to act the same as usual, Amami-san didn't do the same. Instead, she seemed to be avoiding me…