In a cruel twist of events, I am now back at this cafe (Cafe In Bloom is the name) instead of lying in bed while reading manga. You could say that at least the food is delicious. And you'd be right about that if it weren't for the fact that I am sitting with an annoyingly upbeat classmate of mine.
"These cupcakes are so good! And these scones are to die for! And what's up with this iced latte? It's so fricking amazing!"
She has tasted nearly everything the menu has to offer but there's no signs of her getting full anytime soon. Where the hell does all that food go? I could imagine she eats like this on a daily basis but she still has such a slender figure. The only explanation must be that her breasts are serving as a deposit for all those calories. That makes sense given how big they are. Again, I'm not staring at them. I'm simply making an observation and hypothesis for my theory.
"Asuka-san, you have some crumbs on your cheek. Here, allow me to get them."
"Thanks, Reina-chan! Ooohh, have you tasted this one yet? The dark chocolate mousse is so good!"
"No, I can't say that I have. I'm not fond of dark chocolate."
"Really? Well, I don't enjoy it either. They're just meh."
Asamura really is a different person when she's with Kurebayashi. She's normally not this talkative and animated in class. Even when she's with her friend group, she's mostly like a side character. But with Kurebayashi, she looks and feels like the epitome of what a high school girl should be.
After taking a big sip of her iced coffee, she brings her cup down with a dull thud and points a finger directly at me.
"I'm on a sugar rush now, so let's get started while my brain is fully stimulated! Sugiyama-kun, what's the plan?"
"... Err, plan for what?"
"The plan for after the rumor spreads! You know, damage control!"
"I asked this yesterday, but why do we need to do that? Once the rumor has spread, then Miyoko will either take the bait or not."
"So, what if she doesn't fall for it?"
"I highly doubt it. Based on her personality, she'll definitely fall for it."
"But what if she doesn't?"
"... We come up with a different plan."
"Okay, so what's the plan?"
I swear, this girl is out to get me. Did she wake up today and chose to make me regret ever being born? I'm close to just calling it quits, getting up, and walking away. However, Kurebayashi raises her hand.
"I have complete faith in Sugiyama-san. If he says it will work, then I have no doubt of its success."
Her words are both a relief and a surprise to me. This is probably the first time anyone has ever thought so highly of me. It almost makes me want to hug her and lift her up in celebration. Although I might as well throw myself into the sea if I ever really do such a thing.
"T-thanks…"
"Ughhh! If Reina-chan says so, then I guess it's fine. But I'm still worried about something though."
"What is it that you're worried about, Asuka-san?"
"Right now, Miyoko-senpai is after you because of her delusional jealousy with Suzuki-senpai, right?"
"Indeed."
"Then, what happens after she hears about the rumor that Suzuki-senpai confessed to the baseball manager? Wouldn't she go after that girl instead?"
Kurebayashi's expression suddenly turned into one of alarm and concern. She doesn't even bother trying to answer Asamura's question. Instead she, along with Asamura, turns to face me in anticipation. I don't get why they think this is a problem in the first place.
"That's really not our problem anymore."
"... Eh? What do you mean it's not our problem?! We got Suzuki-senpai and the manager involved in this!"
"Suzuki was already involved from the beginning. And he had a choice whether or not to participate. I didn't force him to do anything."
"That is such a cop out! If something happens to them, we should help them!"
"I'm not stopping you from helping them. But I'm not getting involved any more than this. I did what I said I would do and once Miyoko's attention is away from Kurebayashi, then my part is over."
Asamura slams her hand on the table, making me jump a bit. Her face is turning red and tears are welling up in the corner of her eyes. I don't understand what she's getting so worked up about. Why would you stick your neck out for someone you barely know? I mean, the only reason I'm even doing this is because I got caught in the thick of things. Otherwise, I doubt if I'd do anything at all.
But the mind of a teenage girl is impossible to read for a teenage boy. I have no idea what she's thinking nor do I care to find out. Still, I am worried that she might throw something at me out of anger. I should maybe try to calm her down but how do I even start with that?
"That's not how it works, you idiot! God, you're such a–!"
"P-please calm down, Asuka-san!"
She urges Asamura to lean in closer to her and whispers something in her ear. Whatever it is that she said, it seemed to have worked as Asamura sits back down.
"Fine. But I'm going to stab him with a fork if he doesn't listen."
"T-that's a bit much. But don't worry, I trust that Sugiyama-san will agree."
She then looks at me, a slight smile on her lips and a steely resolve in her eyes.
"Sugiyama-san, you mentioned that you wanted to become a full-fledged member of the volunteers club."
"Y-yeah, I guess I did."
"Very well. I now formally accept you into the club. I am looking forward to working with you from now on."
"Oh… Ah, yeah. Thanks. LIkewise, I guess."
"Now then, with you being a full member now, you are eligible to take on requests."
I don't like where this is going. I'm starting to feel like I just dug my own grave.
"Okay…?"
"With that in mind, I have a request for you."
She takes out a piece of paper from her bag and starts to write something on it. She then folds it up and passes it to me. I opened it to see what she wrote only to find three words written on it.
"My request is as follows: Should the need ever arise, please help Suzuki-senpai."
She then takes a deep bow; one that you rarely ever see except in movies or TV dramas. I take a quick glance at Asamura and see a big smirk on her face, as if to say "Get outplayed, noob!"
"Hehe! No one can resist Reina-chan when she makes such an earnest request. I know I can't!"
"S-shut it, will you?"
"What did you say?! You're seriously gonna deny her?!"
"I'm not denying anything. I just want you to shut up for a moment."
While Asamura continues to prattle on about me being a jerk, I weigh my options. I can already tell that this is going to go in a really bothersome direction if I let myself get dragged into it. Logically, I should just turn her down now and let her rescind my membership into the club. Sure, it'll make me look like an absolute rat, but what do I care about what they think? If anything, turning down Kurebayashi's request would allow me to return to my peaceful life.
But there's that feeling again. That feeling of really wanting to do something that I normally would never do.
I still haven't gotten to the bottom of what triggers this feeling or why I'm even getting it in the first place. But as of now, I can't ignore it. It's like a constant tugging that urges me to take action. And I have no choice but to listen.
With a big sigh, I stand up from my seat so I can take a good look at both Kurebayashi and Asamura.
"... Alright. I accept your request."