Sizzling Treat

The girls wandered through the plaza for a while. To my surprise, I was only carrying a couple of bags this time. Normally, their shopping sprees would leave me struggling under a mountain of purchases.

It seemed that today, their focus was on food. Nothing particularly extravagant—just items I could probably find back home. It made the whole outing feel oddly mundane, yet somehow comforting.

Our next stop was a stall run by an elderly gentleman, where he was selling chicken skewers. They looked simple yet delicious. Suguha must have an impressive sense of smell, because she somehow detected them from across the lot.

"You need to slow down, Suzu..." Natsume mumbled. "My weak knees can't keep up."

"Eh?! But there's so much more that we need to try," Suguha replied. "Don't tell you girls are tired too."

"Me?" Mitsuki asked as she pointed to herself. "I'm good to go. Don't know about that snail behind us, though."

"Keep in mind that I could just drop these bags and let some lucky guy take them," I said.

"Do it. I dare you."

"Don't tempt me."

"Yeah, don't do that, Yozora," Yoshino scoffed. "My new dress is in there, among some items that I'm sure the girls liked enough to buy them."

"Hah, relax. I wasn't being serious."

"Pussy," Mitsuki whistled as she tilted away.

"What...?"

"Alrighty! What can I get for five of you beautiful women?" the old man asked politely.

"Pft...!" Mitsuki spat out bits of her tea.

"Aha..." Yoshino coughed at the same time.

"Excuse me, sir!" Suguha said as she pointed at me. "That one isn't a girl."

"Oh, my mistake," he said. "My eyes aren't what they used to be. I just saw long hair and assumed. I apologized."

"I-it's nothing, sir," I sighed. "Don't worry about it."

All the while, Mitsuki was behind me, slamming her fist against my back as her muffled snickers danced around in my ear. One of these days, I'm gonna get her back for everything she's put me through.

"Anyway, what can I get for you?" the old man asked.

"We'll take three skewers," Natsume said. "Oh, and can we get a water bottle?"

"You bet! Give me a minute."

He went to the back to grab a water bottle from a cooler and took three skewers from a small pile, ready to be eaten.

"Here we are!"

"Thanks!" Suguha grinned as she placed the necessary amount onto the table with what seemed like a generous tip.

Natsume handed one to Mitsuki and me.

"What... Why did I get one?" I asked.

"Suguha and I are going to share," Natsume replied. "Are you not hungry?"

"Not really. Not yet, at least. Do you want it, Yoshino?"

"No thanks," she smiled. "I'm already filled for now."

"Is that so. Hey, Suguha! I know you want it."

"Eh? Really?" she asked. "You're not gonna eat it?"

"Nah, and I don't want it to go to waste, so you should take it."

"Oh! Say less!"

Suguha dashed over, but instead of taking the skewer from my hand, she grabbed a hold of my wrist and bit into it herself. For a moment, my entire body went still as one thought spun relentlessly in my mind: Did that... really just happen?

"So good~!" Suguha grinned while her mouth was still full.

"You can't just do that, Suzu!" Mitsuki chided. "It's disrespectful!"

"Huh? But Yozora doesn't mind, right? Yozora?"

All four of them turned to look at me, but I was still frozen on the spot. How does she expect me to reply to that? My mind was still reeling from what just happened.

"U-um... I guess... not?" I gulped.

The words came out awkwardly, and I knew immediately it wasn’t the right answer. The way their expressions shifted, even if just for a second, told me everything. They all seemed to tense up, except for Suguha, who was oblivious to the sudden tension.

What am I supposed to say? My brain is a mess, scrambling to make sense of how I felt.

Yoshino stepped over, her eyes narrowing slightly in that way that always made me feel like she was reading my thoughts. She brushed her hair behind her ear, a subtle gesture that only made me more anxious.

"Well, since you said it's okay..." she smiled.

Then, she leaned in and took a bite from the top of the skewer. Once again, I was frozen and speechless. This was beyond anything I was prepared to deal with.

Am I supposed to not be okay with this? I think I am, so why am I just letting it happen? There was something about the way they were acting, so natural, like it was no big deal to be this close to me... It was... neat? I guess?

"Yozora," Mitsuki said.

I turned my head, only to be met with another skewer pointing at me, and she was the one holding it.

"W-what?"

"Go on," she smirked. "Have a bite."

"Eh?! I'm not even hungry... a-and even if I was, I have one already."

"Well, since it's clearly okay for us to eat out of your hands, it shouldn't be an issue to say that you can do the same for us. Saying no isn't an option this time. You can handle this much, hm?"

My brain went numb. I don't get this. I don't get this at all! I'm perfectly capable of eating on my own, and I'm sure she knows that, so why is she doing too much? All this, just to... feed me...

Reluctantly, I leaned my head forward. My body felt hot despite how cold it was. Something as simple as opening my mouth became a grueling task, almost impossible. Nonetheless, I steadied myself.

I moved my hair out of the way and ate from the skewer. Unsurprisingly, it was good, but I couldn't even concentrate on the taste after that shameful act.

"Pft... Hahaha!" Mitsuki laughed at the top of her lungs. "That was disgustingly weird, but I don't regret it at all."

"That was cute face you made, Yozora," Natsume giggled. "I give it a ten out of ten."

"...The hell?" I muttered.

"The best part is that you actually did it," Suguha scoffed. "I thought you would've just declined it immediately."

"Seriously? Mitsuki said that it wasn't an option!"

"Yeah, but since when did you stop to consider an outrageous request like that?" Yoshino asked. "Also, Nabi was right. That was a cute face."

"I even took a picture!" Suguha grinned as she lifted her phone.

"You did?" Mitsuki gasped. "Let me see it!"

Natsume rushed over. "Me too!"

As much as it made my face heat up, there was something oddly comforting in their smiles and laughter. Watching them all giddy and happy—it felt like a small price to pay for a moment of embarrassment, and in turn... I felt warm.

Yeah. This is fine.

"Noa?" someone called out.

In an instant, my entire body went rigid. The girls turned to glance at me, but I couldn't meet their eyes. My gaze was locked in front of me, paralyzed by the sheer force of recognition.

That voice... it wasn’t just any voice. It was one I’d heard countless times before, a voice that had once been sweet and caring, only to become a haunting reminder of betrayal.

Slowly, I turned my head, my hope faltering with each inch I moved. But, of course, the world had no intention of granting me the relief I desperately wanted.

There she was, standing too close for comfort. Her long, straight hair was a deep, dark violet, cascading down her back. She wore a bulky, fuzzy jacket and thin leggings that did little to ward off the cold. Her purple eyes—still as bright and gentle as I remembered—glowed with a deceptive sweetness. Even after so long, I knew better than to be swayed by them.

"K-Kimi...ko..." I managed to stammer.

Her face lit up with a wide, almost too cheerful grin as she stepped toward me, as if we were long-lost friends reconnecting.

"Noa!" she exclaimed, her voice bubbling with exaggerated delight. "It really is you! I thought you looked familiar, but I wasn’t sure. Now that I see you up close, it’s definitely you. I can’t believe we’ve run into each other like this, haha! In a whole different city, no less."

Her words blurred into an incomprehensible murmur. My mind was overwhelmed, each thought jumbled and racing, shrouded in a dense fog of questions.

Why is she here? Why is she confronting me now? And If she really recognized me out of the blue... then why did she decide to speak to me?

"Yozora?"

The fog in my mind was abruptly lifted by the gentle warmth of a hand on my shoulder. It was Suguha. I then felt a tug at my sleeve—Natsume.

"Yozora, are you okay?" Mitsuki's voice broke through, laced with concern.

"And... who is this?" Yoshino's tone was cautious, yet curious.

Kimiko’s nervous smile widened, and she took a step back, placing a finger on her chest. Her confidence seemed to return as she spoke with a tone that had once captivated me—sweet and reassuring, yet now it felt like a cruel echo of the past.

"Ah, pardon me," she said with a slightly awkward chuckle. "You must be Noa’s friends. I’m sure he’s mentioned me to you, but just in case..."

With a practiced poise and that familiar, unsettling smile, she introduced herself.

"Hello! I’m Yamada Kimiko. I used to be Noa’s girlfriend."