“I’m glad I didn’t chicken out. And, um, that’s not because of you, or anything, but... Thank you, I guess,” Koyuki earnestly fumbled over her words. When she was met with silence, her head snapped up. “Wh-What?! Did I say something weird?!”
“No, it’s just...” Naoya covered his mouth and spoke in a strained tone. “You’re really... you know, and I don’t know how to deal with it sometimes. Don’t worry about it.”
“Quit being so vague. That’s only gonna make me worry more,” Koyuki chided him. Her eyebrows were knitted in confusion.
This gesture in particular was too cute for Naoya to handle, and he felt his heart skip a beat. It made him want to pat her on the head and look after her, almost like a caretaker or a parent would. Well, that just added another option to the list of possible ways he liked her. He still didn’t know whether he liked her like that, but what he did know was he really enjoyed her company. Was it as a friend, a lover, or as a guardian, though? Why can’t I figure this out?
Naoya’s troubles followed him into the store. While everyone around him spoke and joked in high spirits, he alone sat in silence. Koyuki sat next to Naoya, and Yui and Tatsumi sat on the other side of the table. Koyuki and Yui had begun their girl talk, and it appeared to be going swimmingly despite Koyuki’s earlier reservations.
“Sasahara was the reason you two started going out?! No way!” Koyuki squealed.
“Yeah. He doesn’t exactly look like a little cupid, does he?” Yui replied.
“No, not at all. How did it all happen?”
“It’s a long story,” Yui explained with a glance at Naoya. She sighed and continued, “Long story short: it was back when we were about to graduate middle school, I think. We were all walking home together when he suddenly stopped and was like, ‘So when are you two gonna start dating?’”
“So he had as much tact back then as he does now, huh?”
“Yep. I wanted to curl up and die,” Tatsumi grumbled as he took a large bite of his crepe.
Naoya was brought out of his own head by the three sets of eyes staring at him. “Uh, well, I thought it fit the circumstances at the time fine,” he began to explain.
They’d known each other since kindergarten, and it was obvious that Yui and Tatsumi had liked each other—it was just that neither of them had acted on it. Naoya had also been anxious that they’d end up drifting apart once they graduated. They were all going to the same school, but Tatsumi and Yui were both social butterflies. No doubt they would soon make plenty of friends at their new school, or so Naoya had told himself. If he didn’t act soon, it was possible they would never get the chance to get together. Sure, the couple was awkward about it at first, but look how it’d turned out—everything turned out well in the end, right?
Naoya smiled smugly, “Quite the matchmaker, aren’t I?”
“I dunno about that, but there definitely wasn’t as much drama as I was expecting,” Koyuki said with a look of dissatisfaction and another bite of her crepe. She obviously wasn’t used to eating them, as small crumbs would be left on the tip of her nose every time she took a bite. It was cute, however. Really cute.
“Enough about us, though. I wanna hear about you two, Shirogane,” Yui spoke up.
“Us?” Koyuki asked hesitantly.
“Yep! So—what do you like about our little Naoya?”
Koyuki jumped up and accidentally crushed her crepe slightly, her face redder than the strawberry she was eating. She quickly caught herself and attempted to flash a smile.
“Haha. Nice joke. Naoya’s a loser. There’s nothing likeable about him,” she disparaged in an attempt at an unconcerned voice, gesturing toward Naoya with a tilt of her chin. “I am in the middle of trying to make him fall for me—that much is true. Doesn’t mean I like him, though.”
“Oh. Okay, then. Yeah, I figured you didn’t like him,” Yui concluded with a nod.
“Glad to hear it—wait, what?” Koyuki’s eyes shot open.
Yui continued casually, “I mean, Naoya always runs his mouth and says whatever’s on his mind at the worst times. Plus, he’s not much to look at. I just didn’t see someone like him and a total catch like you being a good match, Shirogane.”
“Jesus, Yui. The man’s right there,” Tatsumi scolded her.
“Yeah, please don’t be... Please don’t say that about him,” Koyuki spoke in a small voice as she glanced at Naoya. “He’s not really as bad as you make him out to be. He’s helped me out a lot, and I can be myself around him, a-and he’s really kind. So I don’t think it would be a bad match... Maybe.”
If her plan was to come off as adorable as possible, then she had succeeded with flying colors. Tatsumi and Yui hadn’t expected a response like that—hell, not even Naoya had—and they all sat in stupefied silence.
The long and rather awkward silence was broken when Koyuki shouted, “But I don’t like him or anything! Really!”
“Oh. Okay, then. My bad, Shirogane. I get it now,” Yui reassured her.
Koyuki took an awkward bite of her crepe in response. Naoya suddenly felt apologetic toward her—she was being much more honest with her feelings than Naoya was.
“Yeeep. I toootally get it now. Right, Tatsumi?” Yui continued in a mischievous tone.
“Sure do,” he replied. The couple shared the ominous exchange with equally ominous smiles on their faces. Naoya was too caught up in his own head to dedicate any significant thought to their behavior, however.
“Your crepe looks great by the way, Naoya,” Yui spoke up.
Naoya peered down at his crepe—he’d ordered a mix with red beans and matcha ice cream. “Yeah, it’s pretty good, I guess,” he surmised. He assumed that she wanted some of his since it was slightly less sweet than what she’d ordered.
Sure enough, his friend asked, “Could I just have a little bite? Pretty please?”
“Uh, no. You don’t do ‘little bites.’ I’ve known you long enough to know that.”
“Come ooon,” she pleaded.
“No. Take some of Tatsumi’s.”
“I don’t like natto, thouuugh...”
“Speaking of—why the hell did you get natto, Tatsumi?” he turned to his other friend and asked.
“It’s better than you’d think, actually,” Tatsumi answered. He seemed pleased with his strange order—he’d always done things his own way.
Yui decided to press further. “Please, Naoya. It’ll literally just be one small bite.”
“Ugh, fine. Here.”
“Yaaaay!” Yui cheered. She leaned over and bit into Naoya’s crepe. They had been good friends for so long that they no longer cared about frivolous issues like indirect kisses anymore. Naoya looked at his crepe, which had diminished significantly, and sighed.
“Give me some, too!” Koyuki exclaimed loudly beside him.