XV. are you really going to give up?

Should I... should I not...? Since there was more than an hour left to do so, I went back to the theater. The teacher didn't yell at me because she was still mad about yesterday's hallucination, or maybe she thought I was mad instead.

I listened to the songs Hanamura had sent me. Her status said online, but I still couldn't think of anything to say. It seemed, at best, that she'd chosen whatever she saw first on her streaming service of choice, at worst an elaborate way to call me vapid. When I went to ask Nomura for help to decide what to choose, her response was: "If you don't care, then I don't care, either."

"I clearly care or I wouldn't be here."

"If you did, then you'd be early."

"Moving the goalpost. Great. As you say, Nomura-sama."

Murase fled when I tried to seek her aid, so that wasn't an option, either, apparently. See? This was the kind of shit that happened when I tried to be responsible. The guy who wanted to be a prince sang at the stage, and even though it sounded like a cetacean's mating call, since he wasn't Okamoto, people clapped.

Speaking of which, she sat on her usual spot—above a group of boxes next to the stage. As usual, she dug earbuds deep into her skull, mindlessly tapping on her phone, eyes glazed, head empty.

Time to do the same.

me: I haven't talked to Hos

I had, though.

me: If you gave your side of the story maybe

Hoshino sang next. Objectively speaking, it was pretty, but she sounded ear-splitting to me at the moment.

me: a

Sent.

Immediately, stalker-chan is typing showed up at the bottom of the screen.

"I heard you haven't handed it your audition piece yet," Okamoto said before I could feel silly. Apparently she thought me sitting close by to exert dominance/hide meant she could talk to me.

[stalker-chan is typing...]

[stalker-chan is typing...]

"Are you that intimidated by me?"

Nothing. 

She stopped.

Meanwhile, people clapped at Hoshino's performance. She'd probably get the role, in which case, she'd kiss the sole prince candidate. It seemed almost as self-flagellating an experience as being the non-official club leader, but to each their own, I supposed.

"Since you're ignoring me, I'll take that as a yes."

Hanamura hadn't replied by the time club practice ended. Okamoto stopped talking to me until then. Once everyone else left, as I swept the stage, she came to bother me again. "Unless you at least try to pretend you'll help today," I told her, "piss off."

"Are you really going to give up?"

"I never said that. Go away."

"Then when are you going to hand in the audition piece? Tomorrow? You'll have like four days to practice."

"That's my problem, not yours."

Okamoto stood there, hands on the pockets of her coat. She too was a weird fuck that used the winter uniform during summer. "You're not even trying to insult me today," she noted, stupidly. "Is it because of what happened between you and Hoshino-san?"

I stopped; I had to look at her. "Pardon me?"

Okamoto smirked at me. "So yes. You poor fool."

"What supposedly happened between her and I? Seriously, why can't people mind their own business?"

"If you kneel and beg, then I'll consider telling you what I know."

My phone buzzed in my pocket. Hanamura? I held back the urge to check, lest this troglodyte try anything funny. Still, it felt like the first time I'd had a pulse in a while. Stupid. Silly. Pointless. "Go away," I told Okamoto.

She pouted. "Fine."

Once she fucked off, I checked my...

...ah.

Izumi's gf: What's up? I convinced Yamazaki to come and help us clean.

Something sank, but I wasn't sure what, or why.

I didn't want to type.

Izumi's gf: We'll be there soon.

I hadn't unblocked Izumi yet, but he had no reason to be pissed at me since he did the same often. Oh, to be invisible. "Hoshino's coming back with her malewife to help me clean," I told Okamoto, who stood not too far away playing her trashy boy's love games. "You can leave if you want."

When she looked up at me, eyes wide, I almost checked if a demon had spawned behind me. Seriously, what was that reaction? "Oh. Really." I hadn't noticed she'd disattached an earbud until she took the other one off, wherein she asked: "How long are they gonna take?"

I shrugged.

"Right now?"

"Yes."

"So. Okay. I know you hate me but. So. Just answer me this: is Hoshino's boyfriend like her?"

It took a moment for me to reply, since I wanted—needed, maybe—to study her expression. I shook my head. 

"Then why is he with her?"

Swaying the top of the broom from one side to the other, I replied, "Long story short, I set them up. Why? Is she in your class or something? Anything wrong with her?"

"Is that sarcasm?"

"Nope."

Okamoto frowned, so I supposed the demon behind me had vanished. "I thought you were supposed to be smart."

"I'm very stupid. Please elaborate."

"No."

"Wow, thanks."

"Remember what I told you before? Kneel and beg."

"Listen, you little—" I cleared my throat. I took a deep breath. The broom halted its sway. "—bundle of joy. You can't just bring something like that up and then... well, that."

"Yes I can. Just did. I guess a third option would be to kiss my foot."

Well, no wonder nobody talked to this bitch. This is what I got for attempting a normal conversation with her for once. Still, it'd be unwise to externalize this. There was also the matter of Hoshino's imaginary conversation with... me...? About Hanamura annoying me, which was maybe probably hopefully just a misunderstanding, but if not...

"What?" Okademon asked. 

I'd been staring at her for an uncomfortable amount of time without noticing. If it'd been anyone else, I would've made up an excuse, but I couldn't care less about what she thought of me. Precisely because of this, upon handing her the broom, I knelt. "Come on," I said. "Give me your foot."

To say she blushed would've been an understatement. "What what what what what the FUCK?"

"I don't have all day."

"I echo the sentiment," said the demon behind me. "What the fuck?"

The demon's name was Izumi.

Well.

I guess I should've seen this coming. 

He, plus Hoshino, stood below the stage. Okamoto leaped at the voice. Suffice to say, she hadn't head them arrive, either. Literally the only thing I hated more than getting angry or crying in public was blushing, so of course, I ducked my head, like that wouldn't make it more obvious. 

Every single FUCKING TIME I INTERACTED WITH THIS—

Okay.

No.

Deep breaths.

"Are we interrupting?" Asked Hoshino. 

I turned so that my back faced them. "So, uh. Yes. Yes, actually." Okamoto could see my face for sure since she stood further away from the edge of the stage, but again, I could not care less about her. To myself, I sighed. It came out shaky. Fuck this shit.

"See?" That was Izumi. "I told you it'd be fine."

"Well." That was Hoshino. "I'm not sure if it's possible to call that fine."

Okamoto said nothing. 

[YAMAZAKI IZUMI and HOSHINO YUKI have entered the scene. Hopefully they didn't hear anything involving a certain member of the duo, but instead showed up as WATANABE NESAKU knelt to kiss OKADEMON HIMEKO's feet. As a joke. Because he'd never actually do that. He'd counted on her freaking out. On. HER. Freaking out. Her.]

[HOSHINO and IZUMI watch the spectacle at the stage.]

Izumi: You get used to it.

Hoshino: ...I guess. So, uh. Um. Watanabe. How much work do you have left? We'll, uh, leave you two alone while we clean.

[WATANABE NESAKU is incapable of talking.]

Izumi: Eh, let's just go and find some place that looks dirty.

Hoshino: Sure.

[YAMAZAKI IZUMI and HOSHINO YUKI exit the scene. Kind of. They head to the other side of the room.]

Okamoto: Uh. You okay?

Saku:

Okamoto: I think they misunderstood the situation. You should go and explain. 

Saku:

Okamoto: Cuz it looks really bad.

Okamoto: Hello?

Saku: Shut up shut up shut up it's always your fault what the fuck you're like a magnet for embarrassing shit happening to me I can't do this anymore just. Go. Play your gay porn somewhere else.

Okamoto:

Okamoto: I'd go and explain if Hoshino wasn't there. 

Okamoto: Um.

Okamoto: I'm sorry.

Saku: Die.