A light breeze began to blow. 

“I’m sure Akari would love to see you more carefree.”

I smiled at her; I don’t know what she was thinking—maybe she found my words too sappy. 

She jumped to her feet. 

“I didn’t think you were that sweet.”

She remarked. 

“I’m not sweet!”

She started to walk away. 

“What are you waiting for, Sora? Let’s go eat with Haruto.”

Those words surprised me and made me happy at the same time; I didn’t need to be told twice and caught up with her.

“Listen… Shiori.”

I hung my head. 

“I think I left my lunch at home.”

Or rather, I’d just remembered I’d left it in the car.

“You’ll have to manage on your own.”

I picked up my pace. 

“Come on! Can’t you give me something?!”

“Don’t push it.”

“Please, don’t be like Haru.”

He’s stingy with food, too.

A few minutes later, we met up with Haruto.

“So he forgot his food, huh?”

He asked Shiori for confirmation. 

“Yeah, he’s pestering me to give him something.”

“Guys, you can’t do this to me!”

“Sora, if she doesn’t want to, she doesn’t want to.”

He put a hand on my shoulder. 

“At least Haru—”

They both started walking away.

“Guys!”

“Is he always this loud?”

She asked him. 

“Not always. Why didn’t you give him anything?”

Shiori blushed slightly. 

“I’m starving, that’s why.”

Haru chuckled softly. 

“I get it—I love to eat, too.”

“Look, I like it, too.”

I insisted, and for some reason, we all burst out laughing.

We sat down in the garden, and in the end, they both gave me something. 

Watching them eat confirmed it for me.

These two really do eat a lot.

Haru was eating quickly, and Shiori wasn’t far behind, though she maintained a certain composure. 

“So, Shiori, how did things turn out with those bullies in the end?”

I asked her. 

“The principal called their families; they were expelled.”

She brought another bite to her mouth. 

“That’s not bad at all.”

Haru chimed in. 

“You even gained some fans out of it.”

he pointed his chopsticks at me, giggling. 

“Really?”

Shiori looked surprised. 

“But doesn’t he have a crush on Akari?”

I suddenly blushed, and even Haru was speechless. 

“What are you talking about!?”

I spoke up first. 

She took another bite before answering.

“I heard you’re going out on Friday.”

“Wait! Really!?”

Haruto seemed even more surprised than I was. 

“It’s true, but I don’t have a crush on her—I barely know her.”

I preempted her. 

“Are you serious? And here I was thinking you lied to me yesterday.”

She was referring to when I’d told her I didn’t have any ulterior motives with Akari.

“Hey, Sora, why didn’t you tell me anything?”

Haru asked me, giving me a nudge in the shoulder. 

“It’s not that I didn’t want to tell you—I just had other things on my mind.”

I looked at Shiori, who looked away and kept eating. 

“Well… Since we’re on the subject, how should I act?”

I looked at Haru and then at Shiori. 

“I’ll tell you what to do.”

Haruto was a heartthrob; I hung on his every word as if they were nectar. 

“First of all: dress well—remember, she’s a model.”

I nodded. 

“Make her feel comfortable, safe, and above all, make her laugh.”

Shiori let out a smirk. 

“Did I say something wrong?”

“Is that your plan for a date?”

She teased him; it didn’t look like the situation was going in the right direction. 

“Really!? Then what would you do!?”

The atmosphere was getting more and more tense, and little by little, I found myself drifting further and further away. 

I made a quick getaway.

Of course, outside of school, Akari and Shiori tell each other practically everything.

I thought they were very close; after all, Shiori wasn’t as lonely as I’d feared.

Wait… So Akari talked about me?

I blushed slightly when I realized that.

As I walked past the gym, where the vending machines were, I found her there out of the blue…

“Sora, good morning.”

She smiled at me. 

My initial surprise quickly turned into something else. 

“Hi, Akari.”

I looked at her hands: she’d just bought a bottle of green tea. 

“This time you can enjoy it without any pain.”

At first she didn’t understand, then she looked at the bottle.

“Yeah, this time you won’t be able to do anything to me...”

“Do you want to keep me company?”

She lowered her voice.

“Sure.”

We sat on the steps, and she started drinking her beverage.

Watching her, I thought she looked sweet even in those moments. 

Even though we weren’t talking, I never wanted the bell to ring.

DRIIN!

“It’s already time to go back inside.”

I remarked. 

“Sora, bye—see you tomorrow.”

“Wait, aren’t you going back to class?”

“I have a photo shoot; I’m leaving early.”

She got up from the steps, leaving me the little bottle. 

“Go ahead and finish it.”

She winked at me. 

“Okay… Akari, see you tomorrow.”

I waved goodbye. 

“Sora…”

She called out to me again. 

“I can’t wait for Friday.”

She smiled as she walked away. 

“Me too.”

A few minutes later, I went back to class. 

“Wouldn’t drinking from here be like an indirect kiss?”

I stared at the bottle for the rest of the class, then finally decided to drink it. 

It’s really good.