If you don't tell anything to your friends, they're gonna worry

“That’s all for today, class. You may take your lunch break.”

“See you later, Shiraishi. I have an important mission to do.” Ayako said. As soon as the class was over, she dashed to leave the classroom. Not only her but a couple of people were also in a hurry to leave.

Well, that’s none of my business. Finally, I can eat in peace. Ayako had been eating a lot with him for a few weeks now. That wouldn’t be a problem but the stares of the boys not only from his classmates but boys from other classes made it even harder to drink.

Come to think of it, they looked more hostile than ever this morning...Even before entering school grounds, the stares of the boys were piercing.

Haru wore his wireless earphones and listened to some music. As long as it sounded good to him, Haru listened to any type of music.

Afterwards, he brought out his lunchbox and set it on the table. He could finally enjoy a peaceful lunch break.

No prying eyes? Check. No annoying girl in front of me? Check. No Iwamoto asking for food? Check. Very nice.

“Hey, Shiraishi.” A voice called out.

Haru thought he heard something but ultimately decided to ignore it. He didn’t care about anything. He just wanted to have a peaceful lunch break.

“Shiraishi.”

I’m not hearing anything, I'm not hearing anything.

“Shiraishi!”

His table shook as a hand smacked it, resulting in a loud thud. And with it, Haru’s peaceful lunch break had come to a premature end.

“…What is it?”

“Whoa, somebody’s grumpy today.”

“Yume…It’s rude to do that.” A black-haired girl reprimanded the blonde. “Sorry for bothering you, Shiraishi. We just wanted to ask you some questions.”

Ah, these two.

The short hair blonde girl on the left was Yume Noguchi, a starter from the volleyball team. A first-year starter was an always amazing feat, so much so that he could hear people talk about her often. Additionally, her tomboyish nature also appealed to the girls and that made her reputation skyrocket. Although her shortness attracted a lot of guys, it was her big chest that was always the topic in the room. Haru had even heard about who had the biggest chest in the first years and he was certain that Noguchi came first.

On the other hand, the long black-haired girl was Umi Seta, their class representative. If Haru were to describe her, it would be cool beauty, kinda like a Japanese noble. At first, Haru thought they were kindred spirits--people who just wanted to be left alone. But ever since she volunteered to be their class representative, her attitude had completely turn and was now a respected person in their class.

Haru had no idea what could these two want from him, though. But he had an inkling it had something to do with Ayako. After all, she had been the source of his suffering for the past couple of weeks.

“So, what do you want?”

“We just wanted to ask something about Fuyu.” Seta said. Fuyu was Ayako’s nickname. Almost everyone in the classroom called her that.

He answered, “Why are you asking me? Aren’t you guys like her best friends?”

“Yes, we are. But of course, there are some things we don’t know! Like why you guys are almost always eating together or going out to a cafe together...” Yume’s cheeks turned red a bit.

Haru’s eyes widened. “H-How’d you guys found out about that...?”

“Other students saw you two hanging out in a cafe near the station.”

No wonder I keep getting stares this morning...

“So, what do you want to ask?”

“Well, we wanted to ask two things.” Seta said, putting up two fingers. “First, what is your relationship with Fuyu?”

Haru paused as he pondered the question. He was fine answering them, but he wasn’t sure what the answer was. To him, Ayako was just a really weird classmate. But what did Ayako think of him?

“So, the rumors are true! You guys are dating!” Noguchi shouted in surprise. Literally all the heads in the classroom turned towards them. Haru was sure even the skeleton model on the side of the room also turned its head.

“Huh!? What made you think of that!? We're not dating at all!”

All the heads then turned away from him. He could even hear shouts and cheers somewhere.

“Huh? You’re the one who’s all mysterious! That only means you don’t want to be found out!”

It seemed Noguchi got the wrong idea because of Haru’s hesitation.

“And I'm saying we’re not dating at all! She just invited me out as thanks for what happened during Christmas Eve.”

“Christmas Eve? Right, you were there that night.”

“Christmas Eve?” Noguchi tilted her head.” Oh yeah, you helped Fuyu that night. So, that’s really it? You guys aren’t dating?”

“Yes, you should really just ask your friend, you know.”

“Well, we wanted to hear it from you. But looking back, I guess we didn’t have to worry. After all, you look like someone who Fuyu rejects everyday.” Noguchi looked at him with pity.

Well…she’s not wrong.

“Yume, it’s rude to do that. About the second question, do you know why Fuyu is avoiding Sora?” Seta asked.

“N-No idea...” Haru instinctively looked away.

“So, you do know. Or at the very least have an idea.” The question caught Haru off-guard for a moment but that was enough for Seta to discern that he knew something.

“Well, I do know why, but it’s not my place to say it. You’re just going to have to ask her yourself.” Ayako hadn’t told her friends because she had her own reason. Besides, if he did tell them, Ayako would be mad at him and would just make more unnecessary drama.

“Guess we can’t do anything about that. We already asked her, but she said everything was fine.”

“And you guys call yourselves her best friend.”

Noguchi looked at him sharply. “Even Sora won’t tell us anything. They used to be so close, it’s like they’re glued to each other. Then after winter break, it’s basically like their strangers to each other. We don’t want those two to grow apart like this.”

“There’s nothing we can do. It’s up to them what they want to do.”

Haru had already said his piece when they went to the café. If she treasured her friendship with Takata then it would only be a matter of time before they revert back to their normal relationship.

“Argh, I’m so jealous, though!”

“Huh? Jealous of what?”

“Why is Fuyu telling you stuff but not us?”

“I must admit, I, too, am jealous of you, Shiraishi. There's kind of a unique good feeling when you help Fuyu, don’t you agree?”

“Well, I am also jealous of you guys.”

“H-Huh? Jealous of what?”

“I wish she would stop bothering me...”

“Well, that’s certainly something...”

“Yeah, not being in love to Fuyu is really something.”

“I’m not the one crazy here, the world is crazy for being blind.”

Whether it was romantic or platonic, it was no exaggeration to say everyone in their class liked Ayako. If it weren’t for the cuteness of his little sister, Haru would have probably been smitten by Ayako.

Noguchi furrowed her brows. “If I could switch places with you, I'd done it in a heartbeat! I want to help her so bad!” she declared.

“Wow, you guys really love her, huh?”

Seta nodded heavily. “That’s right. Not only is she beautiful outside but she’s also beautiful inside. If it weren’t for her, our group might not have been formed.”

“That’s right! Also, Fuyu is always there whenever I need help. She always come to watch my basketball games and help me with my homework.”

That sounds like you’re just being spoiled by her.

“Where is Ayako, anyway?”

As soon as the bell rang, Ayako dashed out of the room with a determined look on his face as if she was going to war.

Their eyes perked up as if just remembering her. “I totally forgot about Fuyu! She says she wants to try and get the legendary ham sandwich.”

“Yeah, we better go and help her. Well then, we’ll be on our way.” They turned around and started to leave, only to turn around again to say, “By the way, I almost forgot, thank you for helping Fuyu on Christmas Eve.” Seta bowed a bit.

“Oh yeah, thanks for that! You might be a jerk but that’s something we really appreciate.” Chika gave Haru a grin with a thumbs-up.

“Yeah, whatever.” Haru looked away and shooed them with his hand.

He devoured his lunch quickly as their lunch break was about to end and he also had to go to restroom.

Next time, I’m going to eat outside no matter how cold it is.