"Hello?"
"Hey Ichika," I say, feeling slightly relieved to hear her voice.
"Oh, Kenji! Why are you calling me so late?" She sounds happy that I called, though her question reveals her curiosity.
"Uh, I'm sorry. Is this a bad time?"
"Noo! I'm just surprised you called, that's all!" Her elongated "no" makes it clear she doesn't want me to think she's upset.
"Oh," I respond, somewhat sheepishly. I changed my mind about the original topic I wanted to discuss, deciding to keep my concerns to myself for now.
"I just wanted to ask you a question," I say.
"What is it? Ask anything," she replies, sounding encouraging.
"What's your favorite ice cream flavor?"
"That's your question?" Her surprise is evident, my question must have been different from what she expected.
"Don't judge my question! It's important to me!" I retort playfully.
"Sorry, sorry! Let me see... I think my favorite is strawberry ice cream, but when I'm with friends, I usually go for chocolate ice cream. I'm not sure why."
"How can you stand chocolate ice cream?"
"Look who's judging who now," Ichika teases me.
"S-shut up!" I laugh, feeling more at ease.
"So, what's your favorite ice cream flavor? Let me guess, vanilla?"
"How did you guess?" I ask, genuinely surprised.
"You don't like chocolate ice cream, so I assumed you liked vanilla. It's just a hunch."
"Yeah, you got it right," I admit, unable to hide my amusement. Talking to Ichika always has a way of lightening my mood, even if it's just a simple conversation about ice cream.
"Are you hungry?" Ichika asked. "You can come over if you want. I don't have much to do right now, and I think I cooked way too much food. If you come, it'll be more fun!"
"Come over? Right now?" I asked, surprised by her invitation.
"Yeah, I mean, I think it would be nice if you joined us." she explained.
"Wait, you mentioned 'us', so who else is there?"
"Oh, just two of my friends from class. We're hanging out and watching a movie," she said casually.
I considered ditching Kudo's sleepover for Ichika's gathering. It was a tempting thought.
Especially knowing Ichika had two friends over, and luckily, they were girls from her class. I wouldn't go if they weren't girls. Guys would probably make fun of me, and that would risk Ichika thinking less of me. Plus, I couldn't imagine Ichika being the kind of person who would invite two guys to her room for a hangout. The thought of that scenario just seemed out of character for her.
"Are your friends okay with me coming over?" I asked.
"Of course! They don't mind at all," she reassured me.
"Alright, I'll come for about an hour, but then I'll have to leave," I agreed.
"Why just an hour? If you don't mind me asking," she inquired.
"I'm just a bit tired," I fibbed, not wanting to mention Kudo's sleepover.
"Okay, that's fine! Just hurry up and get here!" she said, sounding eager.
With that, we ended the call. I quickly texted Kudo to let him know I couldn't come earlier and made up an excuse. Kudo didn't seem thrilled, but there wasn't much he could do about it.
I dressed up in my favorite outfit, a black shirt and black pants, and slipped on my shoes. To avoid looking tired, I splashed some water on my face. Then I left my dorm room and took the elevator one floor up to the girls' floor. Ichika's room was 215, just one floor away.
As I stepped out of the elevator, the floor didn't look much different from my own. But then, the girls' guard noticed me and approached.
"Why are you here?" he asked, his tone firm.
"Uh, I-I-I, I'm going to a friend's room," I stammered.
"What room?" he demanded.
"Room 215," I replied.
The guard led me to Ichika's room, and I walked alongside him, nervous about the possibility of being in trouble.
"If she doesn't confirm your story, you could face serious consequences," he warned.
"I understand," I said, trying to keep my composure.
He knocked on Ichika's door, and after a moment, she opened it.
"This guy says you invited him," the guard said to her.
"Yeah, he's my friend. Trust me, he's not someone to worry about. Next time, please don't give him a hard time," Ichika replied.
"That's the rules. I can't do anything about it," the guard said before walking away.
"Thanks!" Ichika called after him. She turned back to me, waiting for me to step inside.
I entered her dorm room and took off my shoes. Ichika raised an eyebrow, clearly expecting something more.
"No hug?" she teased.
"Uhh," I blushed, caught off guard. We usually hugged, but it was usually her who initiated it.
"Sorry," I said, wrapping my arms around her neck in an awkward embrace,
Ichika always aimed for my neck when hugging, but I kind of stole that spot, so she had no choice but to hug my back.
"Oh, this is new... Where did you learn that?" she asked, playfully suspicious.
I would never admit I had watched videos on how to hug a girl, so I stayed silent.
"Have you been hugging someone else? Another girl?" she teased.
"No!" I protested quickly.
"Ichika, stop teasing him and let's eat already," one of Ichika's friends called out, coming to my rescue.
"Right, I forgot!" Ichika laughed. She made her way to the table, and I followed her.
As we stepped into the center of the room, my eyes landed on two girls sitting at the table. One of them immediately flashed a warm smile upon seeing me, while the other sat with an expression of complete indifference, as if my presence barely registered on her radar.
"Kenji, this is Yoshida, and this is Misa. Say hi," Ichika said, motioning toward them.
"Umm, hi..." I mumbled, trying not to sound as awkward as I felt.
"Heyoo~!" Yoshida greeted me with an almost exaggerated cheerfulness, her voice carrying a playful energy that filled the room. I got the feeling she would be the one carrying the conversation, thank god, because I was already losing my nerve.
Misa, on the other hand, didn't match Yoshida's enthusiasm. "Hello." It came out curt and formal, like she was attending a business meeting instead of a casual hangout. Great. One over-the-top and the other cold as ice. This was going to be fun.
"Girls, this is Yamamoto," Ichika said with a teasing smile. "Haha, I feel so weird calling you by that name again..."
I shrugged, not caring if they called me by my first name. I was never particularly formal about it. Still, I preferred it if people asked permission first. It just felt... proper.
"Goshh Ichika told us sooo much about you, Kenji!" I guess some people don't care enough..
Before I could say anything, Misa cut in with a sharp tone. "It's not okay to call someone by their first name, especially when you're not even close," she said, throwing a disapproving glance in Yoshida's direction. Her voice carried a scolding edge, like she was the self-appointed guardian of social etiquette.
"Oh, stop, I can do what I want~!" Yoshida shot back with a teasing grin, waving off Misa's comment. Her carefree tone made it clear she wasn't going to let formality get in the way of what she wanted.
And there it was, attention-seeking. The "pick me, pick me" vibe practically radiated from her. It wasn't that it was wrong exactly, but there was something about the way she demanded attention that made me uncomfortable. I just hoped she wasn't aiming it at me.
"Uh, no, it's okay. She can call me Kenji," I said, offering a small, awkward smile, trying to defuse the situation.
"See! I told you I can!" Yoshida said in victory, her grin widening as she seized the opportunity.
Then, most exaggeratedly and dramatically possible, she started chanting, "Kenji, Kenji, Kenji, Kenji, Kenji, Kenji, Kenji," her voice a rapid-fire assault of my name, like a child who'd discovered a new toy and didn't want to let it go.
Ichika's hand shot out, clamping over Yoshida's mouth. "Shh..." she hissed, her eyes narrowing with mock annoyance.
"Ouch, why so mean?" Yoshida whined through Ichika's fingers, her voice muffled but still carrying a playful tone, like she was used to this kind of teasing.
The room fell into a brief silence, and I couldn't help but feel caught in the middle of their dynamic, Ichika acting like the older sister, Yoshida the bubbly child, and Misa, well, she felt more like the stern neighbor who'd complain if your music was too loud.
The table was packed from end to end with plates, bowls, and side dishes. It almost looked like a holiday dinner rather than a casual meal. Ichika must have spent hours in the kitchen, because every dish looked carefully prepared. There were grilled vegetables shining with a light glaze, perfectly cooked rice, miso soup steaming gently, and even a few things I couldn't immediately recognize but smelled amazing.
I picked up my chopsticks and tried one of the dishes. The flavor exploded the second it hit my tongue, seasoned just right, balanced, warm, like something from a real restaurant.
"This is amazing," I said after swallowing, almost stunned. "Thanks for the food."
Yoshida grinned, pointing at Ichika as if he'd just won a bet. "Ichika's basically our private chef!"
Ichika waved her hands in embarrassment, her cheeks tinting pink. "Stop, you're making me blush. Thanks, though... I just wanted to make sure everyone had enough to eat."
The night was far from over.