I was reading in class before homeroom started when I felt like someone was watching me. I looked up from my book to find Hanamizawa-san and Ido-san glancing at me from the front of the classroom. It was clear they were talking about me, but couldn’t decide whether or not they wanted to come over. I wondered what was going on.
“Good morning. What are you doing?” Suddenly Sato-san walked in and said hello to them, giving them questioning looks.
“Oh! Morning, Yuzu-chan...”
“M-Morning... Um, we’re just, uh...”
Both of them trailed off evasively. That just made Sato-san even more confused. She realized they were looking at me and slowly walked over. I was embarrassed for getting caught watching them and quickly buried my face in my book.
“Um... Torano-san?” Sato-san addressed me. I looked up at her with surprise. When our eyes met, she fidgeted a bit as she spoke. “Um...about what happened in the diner the other day... Hadori-kun told me that you helped out too, so I just wanted to thank you...”
I stared at her silently. Ohh, so that’s what was going on. It really hadn’t been a big deal. I wasn’t really sure how to respond. I wondered if I should tell her I only did it because Hachijo-kun asked me to. Ahh, wait. He said he didn’t want her to know he was involved either.
“Did Hachi— I mean, Yashiro-kun...”
“Hm?”
“Did he say anything to you about it?” I asked. She looked puzzled for a moment, then shook her head.
“No, nothing. He said he didn’t do anything.”
“Oh...” So he had stuck to his word and didn’t want her to know he had a part in it. That was so like him. “In that case...I didn’t do anything either.”
“You too, huh?” Sato-san gave me a wry smile. “I swear, this class is full of nice people. And nice people who don’t want anyone to know how nice they are!”
I looked at her silently.
“Thank you.”
“Who are you thanking?”
“Oh, just the certain someones who won’t openly accept my thanks!” she said with a soft smile.
“Hey, what are you two talking about?”
“Yeah, let us in!”
Hanamizawa-san and Ido-san came over. Ido-san poked Sato-san in the cheek, but she just giggled and said, “It’s a secret.”
Hanamizawa-san’s eyes darted around and then she said to me, “Um, Torano-san? There’s something I’ve been wanting to ask you...”
“What?” I tilted my head to the side.
She took a deep breath. “Um... Is it true that you’re dating Yashiro-kun?”
I wondered if Hachijo-kun told her. Or maybe Hadori-kun told her, since he found out. It made me feel a little embarrassed to have people know about my love life, but I didn’t want to lie about it either. I nodded my head. “Yeah.”
“O-Oh. So...you like him, then?”
“Yes. I love him,” I answered honestly. It made me feel warm inside just saying it out loud. I didn’t hear any response from them so I looked up.
Hanamizawa-san let out a silent shriek and covered her face with both hands. I could tell she was blushing so furiously even her ears were red. “Omigod...that was intense! Even your words were just dripping with love!”
“The look on your face is so adorable! I thought you were gonna steal my heart!”
“You’re so cute. I just want to nuzzle your cheeks!”
Hanamizawa-san, Ido-san, and Sato-san all chimed in with colorful reactions.
H-Huh?
“Yeah, we don’t stand a chance against her. Oh, I know!” Hanamizawa-san suddenly clapped her hands with an enthused smile on her face. “Hey, Torano-san! Since you’re so crazy about Yashiro-kun, do you wanna make him even more obsessed with you? Do you wanna make his heart really race?!”
“What...?” Make Hachijo-kun’s heart race? That sounded very tempting... “Yeah...I think I do.” I decided to give into the temptation.
A huge smile broke out across Hanamizawa-san’s face. “All right! Leave it to us!”
She explained the plan and told me to ask Hachijo-kun to meet with me after school at three-thirty. Ido-san and Sato-san both seemed completely on board with the plan too. Honestly, I was looking forward to seeing his reaction.
◊◊◊
I was waiting for Hachijo-kun after school in an empty classroom.
“Nue? What did you want to... Huh?” He called my name as he wandered into the classroom and then froze when he saw me. His eyes were trained directly on me...as I wore a cheongsam with a high slit in it.
“We’re gonna try on the cheongsam we’re wearing for the school festival this afternoon, so why don’t you wear one for him to really make him go crazy?!” That had been Hanamizawa-san’s idea.
I wasn’t confident that I could make him go crazy over it, but then she’d whispered into my ear, “You two are gonna do the book café for the school festival, so this is your only chance to let him see you wear one! Might as well make the most of it, right? Just imagine how he’ll stare at you! Don’t you wanna see that?”
And that was why I was standing here wearing a cheongsam. I felt totally shy wearing something so sexy. I wanted to run away and hide myself, but the girls surrounded me, leaving no escape route.
✦ ✦ ✦
“Don’t just stand there, say something!”
“What do you think about seeing your adorable girlfriend in a cheongsam?”
“Torano-san’s waiting for your reaction!”
The three of them prodded at him as he stood there frozen. That seemed to make his mind start working again.
“O-Oh... I definitely wasn’t expecting it, but...you look adorable. Really, really beautiful.” He said it so awkwardly I could tell he meant it from the bottom of his heart. It seemed like our plan to make his heart race had succeeded.
“Thanks...” I nodded and the girls suddenly let go of me.
“You two kids have fun, now!”
“We’ll leave you two alone!”
“Oh, and make sure not to get the costume dirty!”
They snuck in that remark as they scampered away. D-Dirty how?!
Now the two of us were left in the classroom alone together. Hachijo-kun shyly scratched his cheek and said, “I guess this is how popular kids have fun?”
“I don’t know.”
“I really appreciate it this time, though.” He walked over to me and gently touched my cheek. “Because thanks to them, I got to see you in this adorable outfit.”
“Did I make your heart race?” I asked.
He grinned and nodded. “Of course. My heart’s pounding like crazy right now.”
“Oh...” I felt the corners of my mouth lift up. Emotions were overflowing inside of me. “My heart’s pounding like crazy right now too.”
The call of a nuedori symbolized someone crying in the shadows. But now that I thought about it, it could also mean someone who was unable to hide their feelings anymore.
“Hachijo-kun...”
“Nue?”
I stood on my tiptoes and wrapped my arms around his neck, bringing my face close to his.
I might be a nuedori crying in the shadows, but this was how I felt deep in my heart.