The second night of the school trip. After dinner, I had to fulfill my promise to take a public bath with Sudou.
"There is still a bit of time left."
But there wasn't enough time for me to go back to my room and rest.
So, I took a walk around the hotel to pass the time.
I was walking from the cafeteria to the lobby. Nomura, a boy from Ryuuen's class, brushed past me with a grim look on his face.
What kind of trouble was he in? Thinking this, I walked in the direction Nomura came from.
I didn't have to walk long before I saw Satou, who had the same grim expression, leaning against the wall.
"What are you doing here?"
"Eh? A-Ayanokōji-kun... What a coincidence."
She gave off a feeling that she didn't want to meet me here. But then she immediately pretended to smile calmly and approached me.
"Could it be that Ayanokōji-kun ran into Nomura-kun?"
"Yeah. I'm a little concerned by his appearance."
"I see..."
"Did something happen?"
Then, Satou didn't answer with a puzzled look on her face.
The main culprit for this dignified atmosphere is probably in the question I raised.
A guess flashed through my head that she had done something to arouse resentment...
"He said, if I don't have a boyfriend, I should go out with him."
I had already gotten the information that the 'topic of love would increase during the school trip'. It seems that not only Sudou, but similar incidents have happened in many places.
"I see."
What should I say?
At least, I couldn't say anything unkind in this situation.
During the course of my school life, my understanding of love became more and more sophisticated.
"I often hung out with guys on my days off. One of them was Nomura-kun....It started about six months ago."
Perhaps feeling compelled to say something in the face of my silence, Satou continued.
"Then------he began to care about me."
"Is that so."
Since Satou once said she liked me, it's understandable that it's inevitably a little awkward to talk about this now. But for her, this is a good opportunity to start a new relationship.
At least it would be possible to determine what had happened between Nomura and Satou.
If the other party does not want to start the conversation in depth. I should also respect that and not ask too much.
"I might be in the way."
After answering this, I decided to leave.
"W-wait a minute. If it's convenient...Can I take a moment of your time? If you are okay with it, Ayanokōji-kun..."
I have less than 10 minutes before my appointment with Sudou. But he won't complain too much if I'm little late, right?
I'll just send him a message to go into the bath first.
"Is it okay for me to stay here?"
"Yeah. It's not a serious topic."
After that, Satou looked like she was hesitant to say anything again.
Is there something she can't talk about?
I watched her silently from the sidelines, not urging her on.
"Actually....."
After about a minute of silence.
Satou, who had collected her thoughts, spoke up.
"Just now Nomura-kun called me out. The one who... was here and said something to me."
Flow-wise, what happened next I can surmise without explanation.
I don't know much about Nomura, but at least his behavior is not bad.
Judging from the values on OAA, he is slightly less capable. But his appearance should get an average rating.
Assuming Satou is not dissatisfied with his ability, the only thing left is whether he is to her liking or not.
"Seeing your gloomy face, did you reserve your answer? Or is it a rejection?"
At this point in the conversation, I couldn't help but speak up.
Even if it is a bit in-depth, it is more natural to ask about the situation at this time.
"...But eh."
Satou pouted and whispered. She just looked up and met my eyes, and then immediately looked away.
"I still... I like you...Ayanokōji-kun."
It's not like I didn't notice, but I didn't expect her to speak up again.
No, it can be interpreted as the situation of the moment, and go along with it.
"Of course, I didn't mean to get in the way of Kei-chan. Although there is no..... But it's like...My feelings will not easily change....Something like that...."
The one you like is already with someone else.
The arrows of love that are scattered around are crossing each other's minds every day, and it's not just now.
This is not an uncommon sight, as you can see by living a school life.
"So ------I said sorry to him and rejected him."
"Is that so?"
"Some of the girls in our class have been confessed to many times. But, the feeling of regret for him was even stronger. This is the so-called guilt, right..."
The one who speaks up and refuses also has to spend energy as well as bear the mental burden.
I know it well.
"Nomura-kun said we should play together next time, but I didn't show my usual confidence."
For the confessor, failure does not mean the end.
Tomorrow and the day after tomorrow, we will continue to live in school. There are countless opportunities to meet.
"Ugh...! No, no, no, this is not okay."
Satou held her head and shook it vigorously from side to side.
"Let's put it this way! Let's say it's Ayanokōji-kun's fault!"
"Huh?"
"Because that's how it is? I fell in love with Ayanokōji-kun, which caused the current situation. Otherwise, I might have dated Nomura-kun."
Is that really a possibility? Maybe.
In this way, if Sato can move forward bravely, I will accept this statement for the time being.
"Speaking of which, I didn't expect to be seen by Ayanokōji-kun."
"That's--- I'm sorry"
"It's okay, it was just a coincidence."
As soon as she finished speaking, Sato showed an embarrassed and shy expression, and patted my arm lightly.
"You're not talking to Kei-chan, so she's very upset right now. I suggest you contact her before you get scolded. Then...bye! Ah! So embarrassing!"
Saying that, Satou left the scene as if if she was running away, as fast as she could.
After that, I had an appointment to meet with Sudou, so I will wait until later to contact Kei.
After parting ways with Satou, I decided to go to the public bath.