With lunchtime long past, the cafeteria had thinned out, leaving only small groups chatting about tonight's courage test while enjoying dessert.
"Mahiru-chan, isn't it about time you went to ask someone?" A girl with a ponytail playfully poked Shiina Mahiru's side.
"If you don't make a move soon, someone else will swoop in, and then it'll be too late to cry about it!"
"Exactly," chimed in another girl with twin pigtails. "Men are all the same—they'll go for any pretty girl who shows interest."
"Totally! Even if you're as cute as Mahiru-chan, they'll still want more. You've got to take the initiative! Claim your spot by his side and make sure everyone knows he's yours. That's the only way to keep him in your grasp."
"Yup, yup! Just holding hands isn't enough anymore. That's what elementary schoolers do! At the very least, it's gotta be a kiss!"
"K-k-kiss?! That's out of the question!" Mahiru stammered, her face glowing red.
She had only agreed to lunch hoping to rest and maybe glean some advice, but her friends had launched straight into these embarrassing topics. A kiss in public? Did they even realize how mortifying that suggestion was?!
"Alright, settle down," the black-haired girl, clearly the leader of the trio, interjected, her tone authoritative.
Her command carried enough weight that the other two instantly fell silent, straightening up like serious advisors.
"But for real, Mahiru, if you keep hesitating, you're going to miss out on tonight's courage test. Worse, you might end up stuck with some obnoxious, shallow guy."
"And even if you're fine with that, what about him? You wouldn't want him to misunderstand, would you?"
"…"
That hit Mahiru right where it hurt.
Yes, she could endure the loneliness of not participating in the game with the person she liked, but the thought of Kanade misunderstanding her intentions—that was unbearable.
"But… couldn't I just invite one of you instead? A girl would be fine, right?"
"Sorry, I've already got plans," the black-haired girl declined bluntly.
"…" Mahiru turned to the other two, her last hopes. "What about you two…?"
"Apologies, Mahiru-chan, I'm going with my boyfriend~!" the ponytailed girl said, clasping her hands together in mock regret.
"Huh? But doesn't your boyfriend have bad grades?"
"Yeah, so we signed up as staff. That way, we can stay together!" The girl nodded proudly. "For us, it doesn't matter what we're doing, as long as we're together."
"…"
Mahiru knew better than to interrupt such a happy couple and turned to the pigtails girl.
"W-well, don't look at me like that! I'm finding a boyfriend!" the pigtails girl exclaimed, waving her hands defensively.
"But you don't even have a boyfriend?"
"Not yet! But this event is the perfect opportunity, isn't it? What if I'm paired with my future boyfriend?" she said matter-of-factly.
After all, wasn't that the appeal of this event? Couples got to enjoy a romantic evening, while singles had the chance to meet someone special in a perfect setting.
"…"
But Mahiru wasn't satisfied.
Her closest friends had their own plans, leaving her with no one to participate with. Between her hesitation to approach Kanade and her unwillingness to pair with a random stranger, she was running out of options.
"I think… I'll just skip the event," Mahiru said with a bittersweet smile.
She would be missing out on a precious memory, but without someone important to share it with, the experience would feel hollow.
"Why, Mahiru-chan? You were so excited about this!"
"Yeah! Why give up now? You're close with the president. Isn't it as simple as just asking him?"
"Exactly! He'd never say no to you. Unless…" The twin-tailed girl gasped. "Don't tell me he's cheating on you! That'd be unforgivable!"
"No, no, it's nothing like that!" Mahiru hurried to correct them. "It's not what you're thinking at all! Besides, we're not even… together."
"But you two obviously like each other!"
The poolside heart-to-heart, their frequent interactions—it was all too obvious to her friends.
"I… I don't know…" Mahiru's voice trailed off, her face clouded with doubt.
Her hesitation only riled up her friends further.
"Ugh! You're so frustrating!"
"Give me your phone! I'll ask him for you! How hard can it be to just invite someone?" The ponytailed girl reached out to grab Mahiru's phone.
"No—" Mahiru instinctively pulled back, only for the black-haired girl to interject.
"Wait! Look over there—isn't that the president?"
The group turned to where she was pointing. Sure enough, they spotted Kanade Natsukawa sitting beside a petite blonde girl.
"Who's that next to him? Do you recognize her?"
"She looks familiar… I think her name's Eriri something?"
"Ugh, what's her full name?"
"Eriri Spencer Sawamura, I think. She's a half-Japanese girl—her father's a British ambassador."
"Hmph, she's not as cute as Mahiru-chan."
"Mahiru, do you know her? Is she a friend of the president?"
"…"
"Stop talking," the black-haired girl ordered when she noticed Mahiru's face pale.
"Let's go find out what's going on. Mahiru, you come too."
"No…"
"What did you say?" The black-haired girl frowned, leaning closer. Before she could press further, Mahiru shoved her back, her eyes brimming with tears.
"Just leave me alone!"
Tears spilled down Mahiru's cheeks as she turned away.
She did know that girl. She had seen her before, with that same look in her eyes—the fear of being abandoned.
And now, there she was, sitting beside Kanade, smiling radiantly at him as if he were her whole world.
The answer couldn't have been clearer.
"I'm sorry," Mahiru murmured, wiping her tears to no avail. "I… I need to go."
She rose abruptly, barely noticing that she'd left her bag behind, and rushed off.
Her friends reached out instinctively to stop her but hesitated as she fled.
"What now?"
"I don't know… Was it my fault for talking too much?"
"Maybe… but I think Mahiru knows that girl."
"Wait, does this mean—he is cheating?!"
"Whether he is or not, we can just go ask him!" declared the black-haired leader.
"Eh? But Mahiru said not to…"
"So? Do you think it matters whether we listen now? I'm going to find out, even if it's just for Mahiru's sake."
The other two exchanged glances before nodding resolutely.
"Yeah, we're coming too!"
"Exactly!"
And with that, the trio made their way toward Kanade and Eriri.