Chapter 128: Shall we dance

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Translator: Soafp

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[Momo PoV]

It happened a little while ago.

“Senpai, you were amazing!”

“Huh? What is it this time?”

At the basketball club’s locker room, after finishing the creative dance presentation and everything that came with it, and wrapping up today’s practice…

“No, it was seriously incredible, right?”

“What was…?”

“Don’t play dumb! You know, that rainbow Senpai—he was amazing, wasn’t he?”

“Oh, uh, yeah…”

“Seriously, Akira, he was incredible!”

“Wait, Fubuki—”

“Really?! I wish I could’ve seen it!”

“Wasn’t it great?! I was practically squealing!”

Akira-chan was unusually energetic, chatting with Fubuki. 

Why is even a first-year like her in on this?

“I held back from bringing it up during practice because I knew we wouldn't be able to stop talking about it!”

“You’re probably right. The advisor would’ve scolded us for sure!”

“That’s what the captain's supposed to stop!”

They were getting all hyped up…

“—Hey, Hatsune, you’re close with Toumachi-kun, right?”

“Could you maybe invite him to hang out with us sometime?”

“Uh…”

Just then, two of my classmates from the basketball club spoke to me. 

They weren't exactly people I usually talked to much.

If anything—

[――”Hey, Hatsune. You're friends with that guy?”――]

[――”You should stay away from someone like that.”――]

Not too long ago, these two were talking trash about Icchi.

“…Wasn't he someone like that?”

“Uh, well, actually, we were thinking maybe he's kinda cool?”

“His dance was amazing, and he's top of the class. Plus, he's a bit mysterious…”

“…”

This was what a true 180-degree turn felt like.

“I'll… think about it.”

That's why I couldn't get too excited about it. I gave them that kind of half-hearted reply and quickly headed home.

“Icchi, huh… maybe he's actually…”

As I took a shower, I let my mind wander sleepily.

But I quickly dismissed the thoughts.

Because, well—it's that Icchi.

He's got tons of weird habits, says confusing stuff all the time… right?

…But then again…

[——”I wanted to see you.”——]

In the nurse's office.

His weak voice.

A voice calling for no one but me, that made my body move before I could think.

That’s why Icchi… needs me.

*Ping!*

“Eek!?”

While drying my hair and lost in those thoughts, a notification cut through my reverie.

Ayanon: “We're having a little celebration for Toumachi-kun's dance performance today.”

Ayanon: “Wanna come?”

Momo: “I'M COMING!!!”

Ayanon: “That was fast…”

Ayanon: “I'll buy plenty of fish!”

I replied instantly. 

Wait, Ayanon just casually invited Icchi, huh? 

And he's already going, of course.

…Yeah, surely not, right?

---

And now, back to the present.

“I get teased a lot, but I still feel the kindness, and it’s fun being with her. Though she can be scary at times.”

“Yumesaki-san is softer than you’d expect, and really kind. She’s also more timid than she looks.”

“Shiori-san… being with her is calming. It’s like she has this soothing effect.”

After what Icchi called an ‘interrogation,’ we naturally ended up talking about the rumors.

In the end, it turns out he's gotten closer to those three than I thought.

“…Hmm…”

One of them even calls him by his first name. 

I'm still the only one who calls him “Icchi.”

…Right?

“Next! Our pride and joy, Ayanon!”

And that was the question that piqued my interest the most.

[――”You already bought the sushi rice, didn't you?”――》]

[――”But not the fish, right?”――]

[――”Mou.”――]

Earlier, the two of them in the kitchen seemed really close. 

It was Ayanon who invited me to this sushi party, after all.

Maybe… just maybe…

I watched Icchi closely as he hesitantly opened his mouth.

“Kisaragi-san is amazing, not just because of her beauty but also for so many other reasons.”

“She's an incredible cook, and sometimes she has those airheaded moments.”

“She’s so attractive it’s almost scary. That’s why… I think it’s nothing short of a miracle that she would even be friends with someone like me. I can’t imagine she'd approach me with any ulterior motives.”

And there it was, Icchi’s voice, full of praise. 

Looking at his face, I could tell—he wasn't lying at all.

…Not that it matters. 

Of course, Ayanon's adorable. Plus, she's a great cook, and occasionally a bit of an airhead.

No matter how much I try to measure up, I can't compete. The only thing I have over her is height… and even that feels like I'm losing, doesn't it?

As I thought that—

“…Hmph… I see~~”

The muddled feelings inside me kept growing.

…Again.

This sort of thing's been happening a lot lately. 

He's just a friend, so why do I feel like this?

These unpleasant emotions swell up. 

Just a little while ago, I was having so much fun.

Even though I wanted to stop, I couldn't hold back—

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[Toumachi PoV]

“Yeah, totally. Right?”

“Uh… yeah…”

“She’s so full of charm, right?”

“Yeah…”

Hatsune-san has been acting a little strange for a while now (no offense). 

I think I managed to convey that there was no hidden intention behind my words, though…

“Ayanon really is something, huh?”

“Y-yeah.”

“Being around her all the time, it can really make you lose confidence.”

“Huh?”

“When I was in middle school, I used to think I was pretty popular. But then I realized, all the guys I was close to were really just interested in Ayanon. When I figured it out, it was such a shock.”

“That must have been…”

“These days, I can usually tell when a guy who's talking to me is really after Ayanon.”

Her smile seemed detached, almost as if she had accepted it as fact. 

It wasn't hard to imagine just how painful that must have been for her.

“But I think Ayanon instinctively knew that too. In the end, she rejected all of them without hesitation and kept a cold distance.”

“Is that so…”

“She even said, ‘I could never like someone who makes Momo feel that way.’ If Ayanon were a guy, I probably would have fallen for her, you know.”

“Haha…”

Kisaragi-san might be more amazing than I originally thought. 

I think I understand why Hatsune-san is so close to her.

“Though Ayanon can be pretty oblivious most of the time. But she's such a good person.”

“Yeah.”

“Her personality and her looks are just too good, like there's nothing to criticize about her… haa.”

“Y-yeah…”

Even so, standing next to someone like Kisaragi-san, she must always feel the comparison, whether she likes it or not. 

Her expression is complicated.

She looks like she's smiling, but she's not.

It's a pain that someone like me, who's always been alone, probably can't understand.

…Is there anything I can do?

“Ahaha, what am I even talking about… sorry.”

“No, it's fine…”

“Wow, we've walked this far already!”

“Yeah, we really did.”

“Let's head back!”

She forced another smile, but she still looked like she didn't have much energy.

I had no idea what to say.

If I told her, “That's not true,” it would probably come off as insincere, maybe even hurt her more.

“Icchi?”

Someone like me, who's basically an introvert, has never flirted with a girl before. 

So, naturally, I couldn't think of any smooth lines to cheer Hatsune-san up.

I'd only made friends a little over a month ago, after all.

“Come on, let's head back, okay?”

But then, as if some light had finally pierced through for me, I noticed something.

As Hatsune-san turned on her heel, I realized that the park behind her was the same one where we had spoken for the first time.

“――!”

In that moment, something clicked. 

The music I'd been listening to for the past two weeks suddenly came back to me, crystal clear.

It was like magic. 

Everything around us seemed to shimmer, as if the whole world was glowing just for us.

I stopped in my tracks. 

It felt as though all of this—the park, the night—was meant for the two of us.

“Icchi…?”

The moonlight illuminated the quiet park. 

It was like our own private dance floor—just the two of us.

“Hatsune-san.”

I reached out my hand to her.

There's a rhythm that flows through all living things, a pulse that can express what words can't. 

Even without speaking, we could communicate through dance.

I know it sounds strange.

But—if I didn't know what to say, then this was the best thing I could do.

And with such a perfect setting, how could I not?

“Would you like to dance with me for a little while?”