Sweeter Than Sweet Pt. 1

This might not be so bad after all, huh? I must've been high as a kite when I came to that thought, because this? This is pretty freaking bad.

Alice, sitting to my right, tapped her chin in thought. "Hm… What to do, what to do. Hey, Aikami. You're pretty familiar with the city, aren't you? Any ideas?"

"H-how should I know…?" I mumbled.

To my left, Lana perched herself on the desk, legs swinging idly. "How can you not know? Haven't you lived here your whole life? You're supposed to be our tour guide!"

"When in the hell did I ever agree to that? And it's not like I went out that much. Or, well… at all, to be honest."

Further down that side, Chloe flipped through a small notebook. "I have a few things written down."

"Ooh~ Let's hear it," Alice said, suddenly interested.

And so, Chloe began listing off things to do: going to the movies, visiting the mall, browsing a street market… the mall again.

At some point, I mentally checked out. They're having a full-blown conversation, which is totally fine. Really, it's great that they're enjoying themselves... But why do I have to be smack dead in the middle of it?!

Class had ended about ten minutes ago, and all I'd been thinking about was the nap I was gonna enjoy the moment I got home. Then, just as I got up to leave, Alice pushed me back down and sat beside me.

I waited for an opening, exchanged a few words, and tried again—only for Lana to appear out of nowhere, push me back down again, and claim the desk as her throne.

I glanced at the tiny escape route between my chair and the desk. There was hope. A chance. And then Chloe strolled in and blocked it off.

Now, I was stranded between three goddesses with zero means of escape.

Normally, I wouldn't mind sticking around and talking for a bit. I'm not that antisocial. The problem is that other students have made a habit of sticking around after class to study. Ever since these three showed up, that number has tripled, pulling in students who aren't even in this freaking class.

And me? The guy stuck dead center in all of it? I was now the unwilling recipient of an army of jealous and judgmental glares.

"Hm… a street market doesn't sound too bad," Alice mused. "What do they sell there?"

"I have no idea," Chloe answered with a bright, oblivious smile. "It was just one of the many results when I looked up tourist spots in the city."

"Interesting. Aikami?"

"Food, food, and more food," I said. "There are some pop-up apparel shops too, but the main attraction is definitely the food."

"Food?!" Chloe suddenly blurted out.

We all turned to her as she shriveled up in embarrassment.

"Whoa, Chloe," Lana chuckled. "I forgot you were such a foodie. And in front of Aikami, too…"

"Eh?! T-that’s not—!"

"Fufu~ You wouldn't even do that for Old Man Undies. Every time we ate together, you'd hold back when I knew you wanted to dig in like a savage animal. Getting a bit too comfortable, are we?"

Chloe looked like she was genuinely about to cry. I should probably put a stop to this before it gets any worse.

"There's nothing wrong with liking food, Lana," I said. "Humans are the same. Why do you think street markets exist? Because we're fat."

"Period," Alice nodded solemnly.

Lana crossed her arms, pouting. "Hmph. I just wanted to see how far I could tease Chloe while you were around, Aikami, but you just had to ruin it."

"While I'm around? Why does that matter?"

"Cuz teasing isn't as fun if there's no one there to raise the stakes a little."

"Oh?" Alice smirked. "In that case, dear sister, shall we tell Aikami everything you said about him after our lovely trip to the mall?"

"Eh?!" Lana yelped.

Her voice carried across the classroom, making several students visibly snap their heads toward us. She quickly leaned in, lowering her voice to a heated whisper.

"You wouldn't, Alice."

"I would, Lana."

Since I was sitting between them, they both leaned over me, auras clashing like a true battle between gods. I sighed, glancing at Chloe. Mouthing 'blah, blah, blah,' I added a little hand gesture to mock them.

Chloe let out a quiet laugh before suddenly stiffening with anxiety.

Yeah… I have a pretty solid guess as to why, and I'm really hoping I'm wrong.

Of course, I was not wrong at all. In fact, I've never been more accurate.

Slowly, I turned my head back to Alice and Lana, who had seemingly called a temporary truce—because now, they were both glaring at me with overwhelming malice.

"U-uh… It's… not what it looks like…?" I chirped.

"Oh yeah?" Lana smirked, oozing with murderous intent. "Then what was it, Aikami?"

"Do be careful with your words," Alice said just as dangerously. "Keep in mind... One snip is all it takes."

I couldn't find the right words to say, but even if I could, I imagine I wouldn't even be able to open my mouth. But I have to say something! The longer I stay quiet, the more their patience runs out. They wouldn't... do anything to me when the lecture hall is still full, right?

Alice crossed her arms. "Hm... I suppose he has nothing at all to say. It might be time for us to excuse ourselves, sister." 

"I agree," Lana muttered. "Besides, Aikami didn't seem that invested when we were planning a hangout. Let's not bother him any further since he's so~ disinterested."

"R-relax, guys! It was just... just a... j-joke..."

At least, that's what I thought. I assumed their reaction was just playful teasing, but the moment Alice and Lana stood up to leave, a strange unease settled deep in my gut. It wasn't guilt, not exactly. It felt more like… disappointment. But why?

They're just messing around, right? It's not like I actually did anything wrong. And yet, as I watched them walk away, that tightness in my chest only grew worse.

Chloe hesitated beside me, biting her lip. Then, in a quiet, panicked whisper, she said, "I'm sorry, Aikami! I didn't think they'd blow up like that…"

"Huh? N-no, don’t apologize, Chloe." I forced a smile, but it didn't feel quite right on my face. "It wasn't your fault at all. I guess I pushed a little too far. I'll apologize when I get the chance. In the meantime, you should catch up with them."

"But… will you be okay?"

"Pfft, yeah. Don’t worry about me. I'll be fine."

She didn’t seem convinced, but after a moment's hesitation, she nodded and hurried after them, though not without throwing me one last worried glance. I smiled again to reassure her And then, just like that, she was gone too.

My hand, still frozen in the air from my half-hearted wave, slowly lowered along with my smile.

What is this right now...? Why does this feel so weird?

I shook my head and started packing up my things, deciding that I would just ignore it for now.

It's fine. It's no big deal. If anything, this is better for me. After all, I wanted to get away from them, didn't I?

So then why, even after ten whole minutes of wandering around campus, were their faces still stuck in my head like a song stuck on a loop?

Did I really mess up? I didn't mean anything by it. I was just trying to blend in and keep up with their banter.

Maybe I should've known better. They’re goddesses. Of course, they'd take it differently if a mere human like me made fun of them.

But that wasn't the only thing bothering me.

I've always been alone. People forget my name as often as the sun rises. That's just how it is. That's how it’s always been. One day, I'd matter, even if just a little, and the next, I'd be nothing more than a shadow in the backstage.

I never cared before. I got used to it... So why does it feel so different this time?