Chapter 49

Yuzu senpai, who had been avoiding me because she was overthinking our secret, had run out of places to hide.

The crowded cafeteria, Hime-chin senpai prompting us, the empty seat next to me, food trays in both hands, Ayato shaking in the corner… well, maybe that last one didn’t matter.

Still, surely even Yuzu senpai couldn’t keep her composure in this situation…

“…Ka-”

Something had gone wrong inside Yuzu senpai’s head from the unexpected development!

“S-Senpai, thanks for your hard work! Go ahead, it’s open right here?”

“A-Ah… Thanks.”

I quickly pulled out the adjacent chair to escort senpai.

It was impossible to keep hiding it with a reaction this blatant.

I figured I’d compromise a little bit.

I felt like I had said “thanks for your hard work” twice in a row, but minor details didn’t matter anymore.

“Huuuh? Yuzu-yuzu, do you know each other?”

“Eh, ehhh, well… You know, normally? As, as club underclassmen…?”

Yuzu senpai, who had placed her tray and sat down next to me, was clearly flustered.

However, Hime-chin senpai had such a breezy aura that maybe things would work out somehow.

“Ah! So you’re the Kakeru-kun Yuzu-yuzu was always talking about!”

“H-Hime-chin!?”

Yuzu senpai!?

Just what kind of things were you always saying about me?!

“She kept saying she got a cute underclassmen now that she’s a second-year. But lately, she stopped talking about it, so I was wondering what happened—”

“Waaah! Waaah! Wawaawaaah!”

“Well, judging by this reaction, everything’s fine, though. Yay!”

Yuzu senpai called me a cute underclassmen…!?

Eh, I’m happy… but the cute one here is Yuzu senpai!

“…Wait, could the Yuzu senpai Kakeru was talking about every day be this person?”

“Ayato!?”

You, eh, why are you saying that now!?

Normally you never speak up on your own in places with unfamiliar girls!

“…Eh?”

See, Yuzu senpai looked up at me with an intensely surprised face!

She’s cute! I’m happy!

If anything, I wouldn’t mind passionately rambling about Yuzu senpai’s greatness right here!

But that was a no-go because Yuzu senpai would get embarrassed!

“M-Me… wh-what about it?”

Yuzu senpai was the most interested one out of all of them!?

That’s not allowed, Yuzu senpai. Even if you whisper it to me in that soft voice, right here… not right here!

“Ah, we haven’t done introductions yet, right? I’m Miyabe Himeno, Yuzu-yuzu’s childhood friend—”

Nice topic change, Hime-chin senpai!

“…Eh? Ah, Amagi… Ayato…”

A tall, handsome guy who suddenly turned into a small animal the moment a topic involved him.

Though, compared to Hime-chin senpai, he definitely looked smaller.

Even with Ayato standing at over 180 centimeters tall, she was effortlessly taller than him.

Right beside her was a tall, handsome guy struggling despite his fear of girls.

I get it, that posture showing respect to a senpai is just an athletic club member’s nature.

Tug, tug.

…Hm?

“…Himeno, you’re staring too much.”

Eh, cute.

Yuzu senpai tugged at the side of my dress shirt.

“Ah, um, well… I’m Kido Kakeru! Nice to meet you, Hi– Miyabe senpai!”

Feeling my heart race, I introduced myself to cover it up.

The impression of Yuzu senpai calling her that was so strong that I almost called her Hime-chin senpai on our very first meeting.

“Ah, Kakeru-kun too, and Ayato-kun too… I’d be happy if you called me by my first name, you know?”

“Eh?”

“Look, Himeno is a cute name, right?”

A fluffy aura was radiating off her.

Even though it was June, you could feel the warmth of spring just around Hime-chin senpai.

“…Guh, u-us… Himeno… senpai.”

And awakened from hibernation by that warmth was the small-animal-type tall, handsome guy.

“See, Kakeru-kun too?”

“Then… um, Hime-chin senpai. Is that okay, too?”

“Oh, just like Yuzu-yuzu!”

“Ah, yes. Se… senpai called you that, so I thought it’d be easier to call you that way.”

“You two are such good friends…”

Even with Yuzu senpai, just calling her name in my head had taken a lot of effort.

Still, good friends, huh? I was really happy.

Tug, tug.

Tug, tug, tug, tug.

Oh, Yuzu senpai was tugging at my shirt again.

She was very cute.

“…Senpai, what’s wrong?”

Glancing secretly at Yuzu senpai while sidelining Ayato eating his cafeteria food awkwardly and Hime-chin senpai eating a mountain-sized portion of cafeteria food with a happy, fierce momentum.

Ayato’s meal was supposed to be a super extra-large set menu, but compared to Hime-chin senpai, it looked pretty normal.

No, right now, Yuzu senpai took priority over that.

“…Mhph.”

Yuzu senpai was pinching just my shirt with her left hand while looking away.

Looking slightly displeased, her cheeks were puffed out.

“…Only Himeno gets her first name.”

W-Wait… Could it be… are you jealous, Yuzu senpai?

Eh, I’m happy… and she was ridiculously cute, but this was a cafeteria!

You were the one who said it was a secret, Yuzu senpai, so what on earth was I supposed to do here!?

“U-um…”

Just as I was agonizing over what to do.

Plop.

It wasn’t the sound of something falling.

It was the sound of something resting on top.

The sound was very faint, and probably nobody else heard it.

However, I perceived it through the vibration and the physical sensation.

Beneath the table.

Yuzu senpai’s left hand was placed right on my right thigh.

“The food here is always so good—”

“G-Guh… y-yeah, totally!”

“…………”

“…………”

What on earth was this situation!?