Ayaka stared at Satoru like he'd grown a second head.
"She asked for your number before?"
"Seems like it," Satoru answered with a lazy shrug.
"And you just… didn't give it to her?"
"Never did."
"WHY NOT?!" Ayaka hissed, stepping so close she was practically in his face.
"No phone," Satoru said, completely deadpan.
Ayaka.exe has stopped working.
A full three-second lag, then heat rushed to her face so fast she felt like she was personally causing global warming.
He… really didn't have a phone back then?! I thought that was just his aloof-prince excuse! Every high schooler has a phone! He's a genuine endangered species!
"So wait…" Ayaka narrowed her eyes, the plot thickening. "You gave your number to Nanao too?"
"Mhm." Satoru unlocked his screen. A new message from Akane popped up: On the train~ ♪(･ω･)ﾉ Be home soon! (#^.^#)
The tiniest, softest smile tugged at the corner of his mouth before he locked the phone again.
Ayaka didn't catch the text, but she sure caught that smile.
She turned on her heel, walked calmly to the nearest white wall, and—
BANG!
Head-first. Full power.
Satoru jolted. "Ayaka-senpai?!"
Too late.
Clang! Clang! Two more brutal headbutts. She pivoted back to him, expression perfectly blank, forehead already sporting a red welt.
"I'm fine," she said in a hollow voice.
My beautiful delusion… murdered in cold blood. I thought Nanao and I were the chosen ones, the elite tier above even Sakura—turns out we were just the first two people he met after he finally got a phone yesterday. Heh… hehehe… GRAAAAAASS!!!
"What are you two talking about~?" Sakura chirped, returning triumphantly with her phone clutched to her chest like sacred treasure. She was poking at the infrared settings with the careful intensity of someone defusing a bomb.
"Oh, just that I was texting Nanao," Satoru answered, zero filter.
This guy's got steel balls, Ayaka thought, half in awe, half in terror. Mentioning another girl right in front of the two scariest beauties in school without even blinking.
But Sakura was so deep in Number Get euphoria that the name "Nanao" bounced off her like a rubber bullet.
"The baseball team keeps saying you're dating Nanao-san," she said casually, still fiddling with her phone.
"Total misunderstanding," Satoru replied. He opened his mouth to explain the Higashi + Kataai mess, then remembered Akane wouldn't want the whole story spread and shut it again. "We're friends." He pointed between himself and Sakura. "Like us."
"…Friends?" Sakura echoed softly, lips barely moving. "Like… us?"
Satoru didn't hear; someone had just screamed from the crowd.
"Kobayashi-senpai! M-Me too! Can I have your number… p-please…?" Kase Masafumi, face redder than a stop sign, was practically vibrating.
"Sure," Satoru said with an easy smile.
Kato immediately followed: "ME TOO!"
And then—pandemonium.
The entire club swarmed him like he was the last helicopter out of a zombie apocalypse.
Girls: It's the hot guy's number. We know we can't win against the Minister, but participating is what matters! This is kendo—spirit of challenge!
Boys: If I have Kobayashi's number and Kobayashi has the Minister's number… transitive property = I basically have the Minister's number, heh heh heh.
A perfect queue formed. Training officially dead.
Normally Sakura would've shut this down with one gentle but terrifying clap. Today? She just stood there clutching her phone, eyes sparkling, occasional dreamy "guhehe…" leaks escaping her lips like a broken kettle.
Then the line suddenly froze.
Satoru was staring at a girl's phone wallpaper, eyes slightly wider than usual.
The girl went stiff as a board, cheeks exploding crimson. Oh no, is it too childish?! Should I change it right now?! He's gonna laugh—how do I apologize—
"Alpaca… Princess?" Satoru whispered, reverence in his voice.
No mistake. Pristine white fur, big innocent eyes, the one and only heroine of the legendary light novel series Alpaca Princess.
"Y-Yes…!" the girl squeaked, ready to die of shame.
"I love her," Satoru said, dead serious.
"!!!" The girl's soul ascended. "R-Really?! The movie adaptation just came out…"
"MOVIE?!" Satoru actually shouted. Self-loathing crashed over him like a tidal wave. Damn it, I was stuck on Mars for years and only got internet back yesterday—how did I miss this?!
Sakura, who had been eavesdropping, poked her head in.
"…Kobayashi-kun, are you going with Nanao-san?"
"Nope."
"Then let's go," Sakura declared, smile unwavering.
Satoru blinked. "Miyajima-senpai, you're into Alpaca Princess?"
"It looks fun," she said, nodding firmly.
"Together?" Satoru turned back to the original girl, excited.
The girl's smile froze solid. She glanced between Satoru and the untouchable Minister…
Silent tears welled up.
"N-No thank you!" she blurted. "W-Weekend's packed—homework, nature observation report, laundry, cooking, blind date, family funeral—super busy!"
Sakura's gentle gaze slowly swept across the remaining club members like a searchlight.
…Anyone else want to come? ♪
The entire dojo collectively developed sudden crippling social anxiety.
…
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