"Sakura-senpai asked you for your phone number before, didn't she?" Ayaka asked.
"I think so," Hayato said, not quite remembering.
"You didn't give it to her then?" Ayaka asked again.
"Definitely not," Hayato said.
"Why!?" Ayaka demanded.
"Didn't have a phone," Hayato answered honestly. The phone was 'picked up' recently, and the phone number was just set up yesterday.
... ... ... ... Ayaka gasped, making an outstanding contribution to global warming.
It really was! Because! He didn't have a phone!
She had thought before that this brat was being reserved, which was why he made up such an excuse... After all, which high school student doesn't have a phone nowadays?
She never expected there to actually be such a strange treasure.
"In that case," Ayaka frowned and said, "you also gave your contact information to Akane, right?"
"Mm," Hayato nodded, while sliding the screen a few times. Not long ago, Akane had just sent a message.
Already on the subway?! Will be home soon (#^.^#)
Hayato smiled slightly, then gently ignored it directly.
Ayaka didn't see the message, but she also smiled.
After she smiled, she crossed her arms and calmly turned around.
Then her graceful figure faced the white wall of the training room, and she smiled again, wistfully.
Immediately after—
"Bang!"
She slammed her head into the white wall.
Hayato was shocked to see it, but couldn't believe it.
"Ayaka-senpai, what are you doing!? Ayaka-senpai?" He quickly went to stop her.
But he was a step too late.
By the time he reached her side, Ayaka had already bumped her head twice more with a thud, and then looked at Hayato with a calm expression.
"I'm fine."
The fantasy... was killed. Ayaka thought to herself, she had originally thought that she and Akane were extraordinary existences in this guy's heart, with a status even higher than Sakura by a billion points, which was why she could get his contact information.
Who would have thought that it would end up like this.
Heh, heh heh... heh heh heh... heh heh heh heh heh heh heh heh, damn it, ah ah ah ah ah ah ah ah ah ah ah ah!!
"What are you two talking about?"
Sakura returned, holding her phone and carefully operating it while asking.
Sakura could be said to be a high-tech illiterate; she wasn't even skilled at opening the 'infrared device,' fearing that any mistake would inconvenience Hayato and make him change his mind.
"Oh, we were talking about Akane," Hayato said.
"This kid certainly has guts," Ayaka thought to herself. "He's not at all flustered talking about other girls in front of a girl."
However, Ayaka also couldn't understand Sakura.
Sakura seemed obsessed only with that phone number… Just getting the number made her feel deeply honored, clutching her phone to her ample chest. She showed no particular hostility towards "Akane," whom Hayato had mentioned, only asking very calmly:
"I heard from a Baseball Club classmate before, is Hayato-kun dating Akane?"
"It's a misunderstanding," Hayato said. He opened his mouth, originally wanting to explain everything about Tōga and Katase, but that was Akane's business after all, and saying it publicly might not be good for her, so he held back. "We're all friends." Hayato gestured between himself and Sakura: "Just like us."
"…Friends?" Sakura paused, then seemed to be thinking about something, her lips moving slightly as she murmured, "Like… us?"
Hayato didn't hear what Sakura was saying. Just as he was about to ask, a energetic male voice from the crowd shouted:
"Senior Hayato! I… I want to exchange phone numbers with you too!! …C-Can I? (whispers)"
It was Masafumi, his face flushed crimson.
"No problem." Hayato smiled, and Masafumi immediately rushed forward.
Close behind him was Takeshi: "Me too!"
Then almost all the members swarmed forward.
A girl's psychology is simple: who doesn't want a handsome guy's contact info? Although he seems to be very close with Ayaka-senpai… but even if you can't win the competition, it's about participation. Kendo is a sport, and the spirit of sports is about participation.
As for the boys' thoughts…
"Hayato-kun has the captain's contact information, I have Hayato-kun's contact information, so that means I have… Heh, heh heh… Even if it doesn't, maybe I can get the captain's email address from him later…"
The members lined up in front of Hayato, with hardly anyone still training.
Normally at a time like this, Sakura would definitely sternly scold these subordinates… But now she…
Ayaka scrutinized Sakura.
She was still holding her phone with both hands, smiling sweetly and foolishly, her eyes filled with a deep sense of satisfaction as she looked at Hayato.
She even let out occasional "Guhehe" laughs.
Suddenly, the line stalled.
Hayato was looking at a girl's phone screen… or rather, her wallpaper.
The girl being watched was also a bit nervous… "Eh, is… is my wallpaper too childish? I should have changed it, no… Hayato-senpai won't laugh at me, will he? Should I apologize, but what should I say if I apologize?"
Hayato said nothing, his dark gaze already unsettling the girl's thoughts.
"Alpaca… princess?" Hayato asked. He couldn't be mistaken; the girl's wallpaper was the heroine from the light novel "Alpaca Princess" that he had been reading recently: a pure white body, abundant fur, innocent eyes… He definitely wouldn't mistake this alpaca!
"Y-Yes!" The girl's face was so red with embarrassment it almost bled. Just as she was about to say, "I'm sorry, excuse me," she heard Hayato say again:
"I like it very much."
"!!"
The girl's eyes not only brightened instantly, but her thoughts also became lively: "R-Really? The movie version of 'Alpaca Princess' is in theaters recently, if there's a chance…"
"It has a movie version!?" Hayato was overjoyed and simultaneously deeply remorseful. "Damn, I'm an alpaca gachi, and I didn't even know such a big thing! But then again, I've been on Mars for many years and only just connected to the internet yesterday."
"Mhm, mhm." The girl nodded repeatedly. "Could today be my lucky day for romance!?"
Sakura's head also leaned over. She heard their conversation, then asked out of the blue:
"…Has Hayato-kun watched a movie with Akane?"
"No," Hayato replied.
"Let's go watch it together," Sakura said with a smile.
"Sakura-senpai, are you interested too?" Hayato asked.
"It looks quite interesting," Sakura nodded.
"Then do you want to come along?" Hayato asked the girl he had just been talking to.
The girl's lips were still upturned, but they had frozen. She looked at Senior Hayato, then at Sakura-senpai… and then, silently shed tears.
"N-No, I don't think so," she said. "B-But I was here first."
"Hm? Didn't you also say you liked it very much…?" Sakura blinked, saying very sincerely, "Let's go watch it together?"
"No need!" The girl quickly said, "I… I have homework to do this weekend, and a report for my science project… and I have to do laundry, cook, and go on a blind date. Anyway… I-I'm just very busy!"
As the girl looked around, Sakura-senpai seemed to be saying to her:
"Dare to come along and try?"