It was at that exact moment that a certain someone chose to arrive at the Stargazing Club room.
Kurumi and I were in each other’s arms, trying to replenish our oxygen supply. Our kiss was over, and we’d separated, but our noses were still almost touching, and we could feel each other’s breath.
My thoughts had cleared just enough to register footsteps approaching—strong, confident footsteps. I didn’t have any evidence, but somehow, I was sure of it. Whoever it was, they were headed here.
“…Kurumi, hang on. I think we’d better separate.”
“Wuh? Why?” Her eyes were bleary, and that question had clearly taken her last shreds of reason to form.
We were too late. Far, far too late. Just as Kurumi started to shift her weight, the door opened.
The intruder saw Kurumi on my lap. She saw the strand of saliva trailing between our lips. She’d waltzed right in without so much as a knock and had rudely launched right into a greeting.
“Why, hello there, lovebirds! Pardon me for interrupting.”
I need hardly say who it was. This was our third encounter in as many days.
With a supremely confident grin, Nana Nanaougi stood in the doorway of the Stargazing Club room.
Shit… But also, what the hell? What’s she doing here? Is she back to hit on me some more?
And even if that was the case, I had no clue how she’d tracked me down here.
I was always careful not to let any teachers spot me on my way to the clubroom. I’d have known if someone was following me, and it shouldn’t have been very easy to tail me in the first place, considering my route.
But that wasn’t the real problem here. It didn’t matter who it was, or how they’d gotten here. What mattered was that she’d seen us using the clubrooms during summer vacation—and in the throes of inappropriate relations. That was a way bigger problem.
This could come back to haunt us.
“…Clearly, we let our guard down,” Kurumi said, wincing. She must have known it was too late to gloss things over. She stayed put on my lap, glaring up at Nanaougi with naked hostility. “What do you want? Who are you, anyway?”
“That’s Nana Nanaougi of Class 2-1,” I said.
Kurumi shot me a look of surprise. “Huh? Who? Why do you know that? Are you two friendly?”
“Not…really. But most people in my grade know who she is.”
I gave Kurumi a brief rundown. Mentioning that Nanaougi had made a pass at me seemed like it would complicate the issue, so I stuck to the raw statistics.
Nana Nanaougi was a name every Saigou High second-year knew. Our school prized academic excellence above all else, and she’d maintained the highest scores in our grade since she enrolled. She hardly seemed human.
Humanities, STEM, exams, mock tests—she always got the best score. She was a literal genius. All the students in the good classes working together couldn’t hope to best her.
And it wasn’t just academics. She infamously excelled athletically and artistically, too. Not only did she dominate her grade in physical fitness exams, she got the best scores in the entire school. She played the piano and painted, too. Everyone agreed that if she entered a contest, she’d come back with a trophy. In fact, she’d done just that. She’d been called to several awards ceremonies last year, proving that her rumored skills were the real deal.
She was the portrait of a perfect being, the target of envy and admiration. That was Nana Nanaougi.
“…So what brings this brilliant mind here?” asked Kurumi.
“That, I can’t answer. You’ll have to ask her.” I glanced at Nanaougi, and she put on a sardonic smirk.
“I appreciate the hype train. Clearly my hard work’s paid off. You make me feel like a celebrity.”
She wasn’t the least bit rattled, which frustrated me. Had she really come here just to see me? It was scary how little she let show. I had a bad feeling about the whole thing.
As I racked my brains, Kurumi hopped off my lap and moved over to her. She put her hands on her hips, puffed out her chest, and faced the intruder down.
“This is the Stargazing Club,” she said. “Nonmembers are not welcome.”
“Oh-ho? Do you really wanna use your club name as a shield? I saw what you were getting up to in here, you know.”
“Grr… You’ve got me there!”
Kurumi had been silenced! Her scowl deepened.
We weren’t getting anywhere. Nanaougi had caught us dead to rights, breaking school rules. She even knew Kurumi had her underlayer dyed—another violation. She clearly had the upper hand in this discussion. We’d have to lower our register a bit. We didn’t want to incur Nanaougi’s wrath.
I got up from my seat and took a position between the two girls.
“…So why are you here, Nanaougi?”
“You really are cool,” she said. “Though that glare’s a bit intimidating!”
I suppressed the urge to snap back and said, “You’re here for me? In that case, let’s hear it.”
“Have to admit, I’m not feeling very welcome here. There’s no need for this hostility, I assure you.”
“No hostility intended. If this is personal, let’s talk in the hall.”
I gestured toward the door, but she didn’t budge. She stayed right where she was, with that shit-eating grin on her face.
“Oh, did you think I was picking up where we left off? Afraid not. This time I’m not here to hit on you. This is far more important.”
“…What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Heh-heh, good question. I’m here to talk to both of you.”
Not me—me and Kurumi. This was sounding worse and worse.
From what I’d just heard, it seemed that Kurumi and Nanaougi had no previous contact. Unlike Tanaka, she was not a lapsed member of the Stargazing Club. I had no clue what this was about.
…Unless… But how?
My hackles went up, and Nanaougi shrugged.
“You seem lost, so let me get straight to the point. Or rather, let me come right out and ask.”
She folded her arms, placing one hand to her chin, then narrowed her eyes.
I braced myself, ready for anything. I could think of several possibilities, including using my make-out session with Kurumi to blackmail me into dating her. But what she actually said was the thing I least wanted to hear.