Chapter 39

Yuzu Senpai’s POV

Wednesday morning, that indescribable kind of time.

It’s the middle of the week, but counting the days, more than half are still left, making it a rather tricky day.

“Haa…”

On such a tricky day, at such a tricky time, I was walking down the school hallway, letting out a tricky sigh.

The reason for that, of course, was my complete lack of dignity as a senpai—ugh, I hate saying that out loud.

“…Morning!”

But if I put just that on a scale, the joy of going to school and the joy of getting to see Kakeru-kun at club activities far outweighed it, so I entered the classroom with a smile.

“Kyaa!”

“Whoa, daaa-tan!”

“Geez, it’s not like that at all!”

“My turn next, do me too!”

“Ah, no fair, me too, me too!”

“Yes, yes. Everyone in line, okay?”

It was yellow.¹

How should I put it? It was yellow.

You could call it bright squeals, or bright laughter, it was just yellow.

My female classmates had gathered in one spot, getting all hyper and bubbly.

That’s youth for you, even if it’s yellow.

Except my desk happened to be right in the middle of it.

“Give me back my desk!”

And so, I charged straight into the yellow zone.

“Ah! Minato-san, morning—!”

“You’re cute today too, Minato-chan!”

“That’s a nice, petite size you’ve got, Minato-san!”

“A level of cuteness you’d want one of in every household!”

“Yeah, yeah, I’d want to put a collar on her and keep her as a pet!”

“Yuzu-yuzu, morning!”

“Wasn’t there a dangerous ideology person mixed in just now?!”

I feel like that statement reached a level where I need to rethink our friendship.

“Does Yuzu-yuzu want to try too?”

“Ah, no fair, Hime-chan!”

“You’re spoiling Minato-san again!”

“I object to abusing best-friend privileges!”

“Still, since we never hear that kind of talk from Minato-san, I’m kind of curious…”

“True…”

“Eh, eh… eh?”

The developments were dizzying.

First, my childhood friend and best friend, Miyabe Himeno, also known as Hime-chin, spoke to me, then someone appeared to object to it, but before I knew it, someone muttered something under their breath that suddenly convinced everyone to stare straight at me.

Yeah. Isn’t this scary? Seriously.

“We were all doing fortune-telling just now!”

Hime-chin said with a full smile while sitting at her desk.

Ugh… such a dazzling smile from early in the morning.

Always at the center of the circle, Hime-chin is just like the sun.

Along with her naturally easygoing personality, there’s the overwhelming presence of her active role as the ace of the volleyball club, standing over one hundred and ninety centimeters tall.

We used to be the same height, too…

“Eh, I don’t really believe in fortune-telling, you know?”

I brushed off the expectant gazes sent my way by everyone as I put down my school bag.

Fortune-telling is something you can spin however you want depending on your mindset, so getting tossed around by ever-changing results is such a…

“Is that so? Yuzu-yuzu, not interested in love fortunes?”

“Yeah, yeah, I’m not really… Love fortune?!”

“Minato-san took the bait!”

“That means there’s someone she likes!?”

“Surround her, surround her!”

“A scoop! An extra-large scoop!!”

“Minato-chan, are rumors of a passionate romance true!?”

Ah, crap, it’s a trap!

I-I can’t… I can’t escape!

I’m surrounded by high school girls! Even though they’re all my friends, they’re kind of terrifying!

“Then I shall divine the path of Yuzu-yuzu’s love life!”

“Yes, ma’am!”

“Please do, Hime-chin sensei!”

“Woo! The mother of Shinme High School!”

“I want to be enveloped by that body!”

“As expected of the volleyball club’s next captain!”

“L-Let… Let me goooo!!”

Me being caught, and my friends getting totally into it.

And right in front of me, Hime-chin flipped through a book titled True Love Fortune June Issue.

…What do you mean, True?

“Yuzu-yuzu is… Sagittarius, born on November twenty-third, and her blood type is AB, born inー”

“Privacy! My privacy!!”

“And then, and then!”

“What does it say!?”

“What’s the result!?”

“What kind of person, what kind of person!?”

“Stop keeping us in suspense and tell usー!”

Everyone was way more interested in the fortune-telling than in my privacy.

“Mumu, it’s out!”

“Gulp…”

“Gulp…”

“Gulp…”

“Gulp…”

“Gulp…”

“Do you all really need to say it out loud?”

They didn’t need to get that nervous over someone else’s fortune.

Yet, seeing them go that far started making me curious, too…

“Yuzu-yuzu’s romantic fortune is in top form! Getting super close to that person you’re curious about!”

“Kyaa! Kyaa!”

“Way to go, Minato-san!”

“This month is almost ending, so it’s the final sprint!”

“I’m rooting for you!”

“If you get a boyfriend, introduce us to his friends!”

“E-Everyone, you’re getting way too carried away…”

To be in top form and getting super close…

W-Well, a lot of things have been getting closer since last week, but huh—

“If you wear your lucky item preciously, your romance luck reaches its absolute peakー!”

“What is it, what is it!?”

“Does that mean it’ll become the Cupid of love!?”

“Let’s buy it! Minato-san, you should buy this even if it’s expensive!”

“Doesn’t she already have it?”

“Hime-chan, what is that lucky item!?”

“I-It’s just superstition…”

W-What could it be…?

“That lucky item is… Eh?”

“What’s wrong, Hime-chan!?”

“Was it something super weird!?”

“Like the eraser shavings of the person you like!?”

“Or a half-drunk plastic bottle!?”

“Could it be one of her indoor shoes!?”

“What does everyone want from me!?”

I’m seriously starting to rethink what friendship even means.

“Umm, it’s not a weird thing, though…”

Hime-chin had a super troubled look on her face.

“…Is a chair something you can wear, I wonder…?”

“A chair?”

“A chair, like this?”

“Why a chair?”

“Does it mean your romance luck goes up if you sit?”

“Doesn’t it mean you should wait without moving?”

I thought my heart was going to stop.